Texas - Same Day Coverage
Fort Worth, Texas
by Stan Creekmore; Notebook by Bobby Bennett

(6-9-2006) - Todd Bodine’s phenomenal NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season continued Friday night with a come-from-behind, final lap victory in the Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Bodine’s Lumber Liquidator Toyota, a lap down when caution flew at lap 101, regained the lead serial as the highest scored, non, lead-lap truck.

And from an 18th-place restart – and fresh tires mounted at lap 117 – Bodine slashed his way back through the field to reach second place when the race’s seventh and final caution flew five laps short of the scheduled, 167-lap distance when Jack Sprague spun in Turn 2.

The yellow erased Budweiser Pole starter Mike Skinner’s 4.5-second lead and set up a two-lap, green-white-checker finish that proved the undoing of the 1995 champion, who a day earlier won a series record fourth consecutive pole at the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

Skinner, running on a set of tires last mounted 66 laps earlier, shot out to a two length lead as the field began lap 167 but Bodine quickly caught his Toyota Tundra at the white flag signaling the final trip around the racing surface.

A crowd estimated at 52,000 stood as Bodine swung high entering Turn 1 and shot past Skinner onto the backstretch. He beat Skinner back to the line to win by .116 second – the closest series finish in 17 races at TMS.

The victory, at an average speed of 132.129 mph, was Bodine’s third of the season, third in the past four Texas races and 10th in his career.

Bodine was resigned to an off-night when handling troubles beset his truck during a green flag run of 43 laps. Fortunately, the caution flag flew three laps later.

“That was just pure luck,” said Bodine, who padded his series championship lead to 115 over teammate Ted Musgrave. He won $71,600.  “Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.”

Bodine led only the final lap. Skinner, one of seven leaders who traded the point 11 times, headed the race four times for 113 laps.

Rick Crawford, who led twice in his Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford, finished third to claim his first top five of 2006. Toyota drivers David Reutimann and Johnny Benson were fourth and fifth followed by Dennis Setzer, Musgrave, David Ragan, Raybestos rookie contender Chad McCumbee and Mike Bliss.

Thirteen drivers completed all 168 laps including Mexico’s Michel Jourdain Jr., who finished 13th in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut.

The series next moves to Michigan International Speedway for the June 17 Con-way Freight 200.

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