Harvick is truck winner

By Reid Spencer

Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

HAMPTON, Ga.

Brand new truck. Same old result.

Driving a No. 2 Chevrolet that saw its first action this weekend at Atlanta, Kevin Harvick dominated Saturday’s E-Z-Go 200 to win for the third time in his last three starts in NASCAR’s Camping World Truck Series.

In a race that saw several championship contenders fall by the wayside, Harvick crossed the stripe 1.308 seconds ahead of Kyle Busch at the end of a 14-lap green-flag dash to the finish. Aric Almirola came home third, followed by Steve Wallace, the 25th driver to register a top-five in his first race in the series.

Todd Bodine survived a spin to finish fifth. Ricky Carmichael, Timothy Peters, Johnny Sauter, Rick Crawford and rookie Austin Dillon completed the top 10.

Busch recorded the best finish for his fledgling Kyle Busch Motorsports team, which was formed during the offseason.

“We weren’t quite as fast as we would have liked to have been, but we’re not sure if that came from our damage early in the race on Lap 1 or not,” Busch said.

Four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr., who won the pole for Saturday’s race, took another body blow against the defense of his 2009 title when a blown left rear tire shot his No. 33 Chevrolet backwards.