Truck Series practice kicks off busy weekend of NASCAR racing at Dover

Ron Hornaday Jr. led the first practice for the Camping World Truck Series at Dover on Thursday. The Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series are also in action at Dover this weekend.

Thursday afternoon's two 75-minute Camping World Truck Series practice sessions opened a four-day, three-race, 800-lap NASCAR weekend at Dover International Speedway. It marks only the third time--after Daytona Beach and Kansas City--that the Camping World Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup teams have shared the same venue this year. They'll be together six more times, including consecutive season-ending programs at Fort Worth, Phoenix and Homestead. 

Four-time series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. and Sprint Cup star Kevin Harvick led Thursday's two seasions. Hornaday Jr., in a Chevrolet, reached 151.764 mph to beat Chevy drivers Ty Dillon and Joey Coulter, Toyota driver Brian Scott and Chevy driver Kevin Harvick in the first practice. Recent Charlotte winner and points-leader Justin Lofton, Timothy Peters, two-time series champion Todd Bodine, Max Gresham and Parker Kligerman rounded out the top-10. 

Chevy driver Harvick led the second session at 154.712 mph, better than fellow Chevy drivers Lofton and Dillon, Scott and Kligerman in a Dodge. The rest of the top-10 in the final session: Coulter, Nelson Piquet Jr., Miguel Paludo, Gresham and Jeb Burton, making only his fifth career CWTS start. Thursday's two-event schedule was light compared to Friday and Saturday at the 1-mile concrete track in Delaware's capital city.

Truck Series teams will qualify on Friday at 10:10 a.m.. Sprint Cup teams will practice from 11-12:25 p.m. and Nationwide teams from 12:35-2:25 p.m.. Cup teams will practice again from 2:45-4:15 p.m., with the Lucas Oil Truck Series 200 scheduled for 4:50 p.m., live on Speed TV.

The Saturday schedule includes Nationwide qualifying at 10:40 a.m. and Sprint Cup qualifying at 12:10 p.m.. The 5-Hour Energy Nationwide Series 200 scheduled for a 2:10 p.m. start. Joey Logano, Kurt Busch and Joe Nemechek are the only full-time Cup drivers expected for the 200. In addition, Dillon, younger brother of series rookie Austin Dillon, will make his Nationwide debut for Richard Childress Racing. 

Sunday's FedEx Sprint Cup 400 is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Fox TV, its last telecast this season. Greg Biffle has a 10-point lead over teammate and former champion Matt Kenseth. Denny Hamlin trails by 16 points, Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 18 and five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson by 48. Martin Truex Jr., Harvick, Kyle Busch, reigning and three-time series champion Tony Stewart and Carl Edwards complete the top-10. Of that group, only Hamlin and Harvick have never won a Cup race at Dover.