2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
The 2007 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season was the thirteenth season of the third highest stock car racing series in North America. Sanctioned by NASCAR, the season began on February 16, 2007, at Daytona International Speedway with the Chevy Silverado HD 250, and ended on November 16, 2007, with the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Ron Hornaday Jr. of Kevin Harvick, Inc. was crowned champion.
Top storylines
- One month before the season started, team owner and driver Bobby Hamilton succumbed to cancer.
- Two series drivers, Tyler Walker and Aaron Fike, were suspended by NASCAR indefinitely for violations of the organization's substance abuse program. Fike's suspension came after he and his girlfriend were arrested on possession charges at the parking lot of the Kings Island theme park near Cincinnati, Ohio.
- Ted Musgrave, the 2005 champion, was suspended for one race due to an altercation with Kelly Bires during a caution period at the Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 at the Milwaukee Mile. In the race Musgrave sat out, Brad Keselowski almost drove the No. 9 truck to victory until a late-race crash with Travis Kvapil took him out. Keselowski's performance is credited with his discovery by JR Motorsports and eventually signing with that Busch Series team.
- Mike Skinner won three straight races (California, Atlanta and the first at Martinsville) and led in poles as well. Skinner led the standings all season until the race at Gateway International Raceway, when he was overtaken by Ron Hornaday Jr.
- Tripp Bruce, crew chief for the No. 23 team and driver Johnny Benson, was suspended for two races for allowing a driver not licensed by NASCAR to test the truck at Lowe's Motor Speedway. The team and Benson Jr. also lost 25 points in the respective standings and Bruce was fined.
- Speed Channel began a new eight-year contract to continue NCTS telecasts, but two races were moved to Fox. The second of those, the Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park, aired on that network for only 19 laps before rain came and the rest of the event aired on Speed Channel while Major League Baseball on Fox aired on the main network. However, most of the race was moved to tape delay due to more rain and a conflict with the Busch Series race at Lowe's Motor Speedway running simultaneously (NASCAR prohibits more than one national series from being televised at the same time). The other Fox telecast was the Kroger 250 at Martinsville Speedway.
Schedule
The season schedule consisted of 25 races held at tracks across the United States.
Television coverage
Fox-owned Speed again covered the entire 2007 Truck Series season, except for two races on Fox.