Ohio 250 News and Notes

Ron Hornaday is the Man to Beat at Mansfield
TruckSeries.com

The timing couldn't be better for Ron Hornaday Jr. and his No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet team to return to Mansfield Motorsports Park. Hornaday, the defending race winner at Mansfield, ended a 17-race winless streak when he grabbed the checkered flag at Lowe's Motor Speedway last Friday night.

Hornaday had not won a race since Kentucky Speedway on July 8, 2006. The streak was the third-longest of Hornaday's career - he went 28 races without a victory in 2005-2006.

The win moved Hornaday up to third in the standings. It is the first time Hornaday, the series champion in 1996 and 1998, has been third since Oct. 2005, following Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Hornaday now has 30 career victories in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - a series record. He has won at least one race in nine different seasons, including every season that he has started more than one race (he started one race in 2004 and finished sixth).

Saturday's Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park will be broadcast on FOX, the second series race the network will air this season.

Before the season, FOX announced that two races would air on the network - the March 31 race at Martinsville Speedway and a second event to be determined.

The Martinsville race earned a 1.6 national rating on FOX, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it the most watched series event in 10 years. The last time a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race had been broadcast on network television before this season was in 2000. The remainder of the 2007 races will be broadcast on SPEED.

Driver to win the Craftsman Truck Ohio 250

731 Mike Skinner +250
732 Jack Sprague +500
733 Todd Bodine +650
734 Ron Hornaday +700
735 Johnny Benson +750
736 Travis Kvapil +750
737 Rick Crawford +1200
738 Erik Darnell +1200
739 Ted Musgrave +1400
740 Matt Crafton +2000
741 Brendan Gaughan +2000
742 David Starr +2000
743 Terry Cook +3000
744 Dennis Setzer +3000
745 Field (All Others)+1600

@TheGreek

Short Track Challenge Up Next

After Ron Hornaday Jr. snapped his 17-race NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winless streak last weekend at Lowe's Motor Speedway, the time may have arrived for reigning champion Todd Bodine to break his 22-race winless streak.

Bodine's last win came almost a year ago, on June 9, 2006, at Texas Motor Speedway. But his absence from Victory Lane hasn't hampered his success this year.

The driver of the No. 30 Toyota is second-place in the standings, 85 points behind Mike Skinner. It's no stretch of the imagination that Bodine is in second place. He's finished seventh or better in all six races of the 2007 season.

Hopefully, the season's consistency for this Germain Racing team will continue at Saturday's City of Mansfield 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

Racing at the half-mile short track has historically proven difficult for many strong Craftsman Truck Series drivers, including points leader Mike Skinner and Bodine. Both Bodine and Skinner have failed to finish in the top 10 at MMP.

"It's a tough old short-track. There's a lot of beating and banging and not much passing. It's tough because it is one groove," said Bodine. "Track position is very important. We need to be top-10 (when the race ends) in Mansfield. You hate to think that way – you want to go for the win all the time, but at Mansfield, where the main thing is to stay out of trouble and go for the decent finish, leaving with a top-10 finish and very little damage to the Lumber Liquidators Tundra is what we need."

Bodine was on the way to a strong finish last year after starting from the pole, but was stuck mid-pack in 15th when the checkered flag waved.

"We ran good at Mansfield last year and just made the wrong pit call. We needed more time to get back to the front, instead we got caught mid-pack at the end of the race," said Bodine.

Bodine is no stranger to short track racing. He began racing on short-tracks such as the Bodine family's Chemung Speedrome. In the Busch Series, he found Victory Lane three times at short tracks (Bristol (2), South Boston), but despite being consistent on short tracks in the Truck Series, Bodine has yet to be victorious.

The fourth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series visit to Mansfield Motorsports Park, the shortest track on the circuit, takes the green flag May 26 at 1 p.m. (ET). Qualifying is set for Friday night at 6:30 p.m. (ET) with practice earlier in the day beginning at 11:30 a.m. (ET).

www.racingone.com

Truck teams turn to survival mode
Posted: May 24, 2007

Last week's race at Lowe's Motor Speedway is in the books, and for the first time since February, the Craftsman Truck Series doesn't get another two or three weeks off. The action this week -- and there will be action -- is on the half-mile bullring of Mansfield (Ohio) Motorsports Park.

The series is in the midst of its first extended stretch of races -- and the longest of 2007 -- with six consecutive dates on varying sized tracks. This is the stretch during which teams will have to be on top of their game in the shop and at the track.

This is where good teams can separate themselves from the rest and kick-start their championship hopes.

"That's exactly right. I hate to keep using that word, but it comes down to consistency," said defending series champion Todd Bodine, who says teams sometimes must take what they get in a race and not try to force something better, causing a bad outcome.

"If we don't have a truck that can win, we just got to get the best run we can without getting a (wreck). . . . That's what we've got to do in this stretch. Just not get ourselves in trouble and put ourselves in a hole that we can't dig out of by doing things on the track or bad pit calls or anything that's going to put a kink in (season)."

Saturday's Ohio 250 will be familiar territory for most of the field because many drivers start their careers on half-mile tracks. Surviving a short track is another story. Dennis Setzer, a three-time runner-up in the truck series, says teams can gain on rivals by bringing home their equipment in one piece.

"Mainly, the biggest thing still is not tearing stuff up where we can make our pieces better each week and not repairing each week," Setzer said.

Keeping a good truck in one piece can make a team better. And one good finish can jump-start a string of good runs, according to crew chief Rick Ren, whose driver Ron Hornaday not only won at Lowe's, but is the defending Mansfield winner.

"When you can start out a long stretch like we did, they understand when we work this hard, we get to bring home some hardware," Ren said. "I like these long stretches. When you running good, man, it doesn't feel any better than that."

For all the talk of consistency, surviving and momentum, Setzer says don't downplay preparation. Most races are actually won or lost in the shops long before a team arrives at the track. "You need to unload pretty close when you get to these places," he said.

www.sportingnews.com

Who to Watch: Mansfield

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series moves into Ohio for some good old-fashioned short track racing this weekend, and with the shortest track of them all waiting for them. We should see plenty of bent sheet metal and bruised feelings as a result.

The Ohio 250 has been a pit strategy race the past couple of seasons, but a change in the tire compound should alleviate that and put some of the competition back on the track.

Here is who to look for once they open the gates at Mansfield Motorsports Park this weekend:

Ken Butler III, No. 00 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota: Butler is fresh of his first ARCA RE/MAX Series win, but he didn't make many friends with how he accomplished it. Making your series debut on the shortest track we go to all season long is tough enough, but doing so after knocking someone out of the lead with a couple laps to go in your last race might make those yellow rookie stripes big bulls-eyes.

Aaron Fike, No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota: Fike was seventh at Martinsville, and with a strong team behind him he could be tough here at Mansfield too. The key, as with all rookies, is to stay out of trouble and to get on and off pit road cleanly. Getting in position for the final 50 laps is important, but those yellow stripes may make him a target.

Daniel Pope, No. 2 Dollar General/Music City Motorplex Chevrolet: Pope will make his series debut after winning a chance at the ride with Kevin Harvick Inc. Another driver making his series debut, he'll need to make sure he can stay out of trouble and log laps.

Kevin Hamlin, No. 4 Open Joist Dodge: Hamlin has made sporadic starts in the NASCAR Busch Series over the past two seasons, but this will be his first short track race in a Truck. He has plenty of short track experience, picking up two NASCAR Elite Division championships in the Northwest. He'll need all that experience to pick up a top ten.

Mike Skinner, No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota: Skinner has been on a roll in qualifying, picking up four consecutive Bud Pole awards. He's no slouch in race conditions either, racking up three wins and a worst finish - if you can call it that - of eighth all season. Skinner will be one of the favorites to win.

Travis Kvapil, No. 6 K&N Filters Ford: Kvapil's only Mansfield start ended with a busted radiator after getting caught in someone else's mess. That could happen to anyone at any time, but he's hoping for some good luck at Mansfield this season after a slow start in 2007. Look for Kvapil to qualify up front, and if they can get on and off pit road smoothly he should be near the front at the end.

Jason White, No. 7 Hooter's Energy Drink Chevrolet: White will make his first attempt at Mansfield. He has several short track runs under his belt, but not having any laps at Mansfield will make it an uphill climb. He will have new crew chief Barry Dodson assisting this weekend so maybe the learning curve will be shortened. After failing to make the field last week in Charlotte, qualifying will be the biggest part of this team's weekend.

Tim Sauter, No. 07 Lester Buildings Chevrolet: Sauter scored an top 20 finish at Charlotte, and the short track at Mansfield will suit the former ASA champion just fine. Green Light Racing racked up two top-10 finishes here in 2005, and could repeat that feat again this week. Sauter will need a clean stop and no rough stuff on the track to make it happen.

Blake Bjorklund, No. 8 MRD Motorsports Chevrolet: After scoring his best finish of the season at Martinsville, Bjorklund comes to Mansfield ready for some short track action. He excelled on the short tracks in ARCA competition last year, winning at Salem. He should be right at home this weekend.

Chad McCumbee, No. 08 TheGPSStore.com/Garmin Chevrolet: McCumbee ran up front at Martinsville before getting shoved into the fence late in the going. His team can get him up front, he just needs a little luck to stay up there.

Ted Musgrave, No. 9 Team ASE Toyota: Musgrave is no fan of the Mansfield track, but loves coming to Ohio and racing for the Ohio fans. He was up front last year until pit strategy bit him and he finished mid-pack. This truck has been strong on the short tracks the past two years, but they are still looking for that first win. Mansfield could be the place.

David Starr, No. 10 International/MaxxForce Diesel Ford: Starr has had a nightmare season to this point. But his best finish was an 11th at Martinsville, giving his team an added boost knowing they can get it done on the short tracks. He needs a good run to get momentum turned around for the summer stretch. Look for Starr to get up and race in the top ten this weekend.

Willie Allen, No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet: Allen finished sixth in his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series short track race at Martinsville in 2005. The ThorSport team is from nearby Sandusky, and has run well here in the past. Danny Gill will step in and call the shots for Allen this weekend, so look for the green machine near the front of the field. He could score his first top ten of the season.

Rick Crawford, No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel Ford: Crawford is fresh off his 125th top ten series finish last time out at Charlotte. He is always strong on short tracks, so look for the No. 14 to be a factor. Crawford always has to be considered a favorite, and this week is no different.

Bill Lester, No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet: Lester really shows his stuff on the intermediate tracks, but has struggled on the short tracks. He has short track wizard Richie Wauters on the pit box setting up the truck and making the calls, so Lester could be due for his best career short track run.

Chris Fontaine, No. 16 Xpress Motorsports Ford: Fontaine looks to make his fourth series start. He's been running the ASA Late Model Series so far in 2007, and they run many tracks similar to Mansfield along the way. Fontaine will have a good truck, but a lack of experience will put those bulls-eyes on his rear bumper too.

Ken Schrader, No. 18 Fastenal Dodge: Schrader is a short track master, and has previous experience at Mansfield. Unfortunately, that experience was decades ago when it was still a dusty dirt track. Schrader's team has shown some signs of life recently, and nearly pulled off a top ten at Charlotte. Look for them to get their first top ten together this weekend.

Kelly Bires, No. 21 Bush's Beans/Air Force Ford: Bires is a short track ace, but has little experience with racing heavy vehicles on the bullrings. He's a quick learner, so he should adapt in no time. But those yellow rookie stripes won't disappear, and that won't help him get any breaks. A solid top 15 run from this team would be a nice follow-up to a fourth last time out at Charlotte with Mark Martin at the wheel.

Johnny Benson, No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota: Benson is another short track master with an ASA championship in his pocket. The trials and tribulations at Charlotte were a rude awakening for last year's championship runner-up. Good teams don't stay down for long; look for Benson to rebound in style at Mansfield.

Todd Bodine, No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota: Bodine led much of the first half of this race last year before pitting well after the bulk of the field. He was never able to regain track position although he had one of the fastest trucks in the field. This was the one that got away for this team last year. If they qualify up front, look for an early stop out of this bunch before they charge to the finish. Bodine could redeem himself with a win at MMP.

Ron Hornaday, No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet: Hornaday is the defending winner, and is fresh off a dominant win at Charlotte. He also looked like a winner in 2005 before getting pegged for an improper restart. He could become the first two-time Mansfield winner.

Ryan Matthews, No. 36 360 OTC Toyota: Matthews gets his break to run in the big leagues, stepping into the No. 36 he'll share with Tyler Walker this season. Matthews ran solidly in limited ARCA races last year and has a wealth of short track experience the past several years. He's in a good truck, but in the unenviable position of making his series debut this weekend. If he can handle what the veterans throw his way, he'll have a solid finish.

Clay Rogers, No. 40 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet: Rogers has a lot of laps at Mansfield in the Hooters Pro Cup Series, including a victory or two. Of all the rookies this weekend, he has more experience here than all of them and probably as many or more laps on the track as 90 percent of the field. If they can run all day, look for a good finish out of this combination.

Tim Cowen, No. 42 Cowen Truck Line Ford: A local racer, Cowen attempted to make the Martinsville race earlier in the season. He'll need to make sure all the nuts and bolts are tight, and hope he can get a good lap in qualifying just to make the race.

Frank Kreyer, No. 44 Culver's Restaurants Chevrolet: Kreyer didn't get a lot of practice at Martinsville but pulled off an impressive qualifying lap to race his way into the show. He'll need to repeat that this weekend, but look for him to make it in safely. Once in, he needs to log laps and gain experience and respect.

Kraig Kinser, No. 47 Ginn Resorts Chevrolet: Kinser has a lot of racing experience in Ohio, most of it on dirt. He has a lot of fans, but he needs to make the race on speed after some disappointing finishes leave him out of a lock in position. He should qualify in on time, but he needs to a good finish at Mansfield to ensure he doesn't have to deal with qualifying on speed at Dover.

Bradley Reithmeyer, No. 49 All American Driver Challenge Dodge: Reithmeyer is young and hungry, and still wanting to make his first career start in the Truck Series. With just 38 trucks entered, this might prove to be his best chance yet. If he can qualify in on time, Reithmeyer just needs to log laps and gain experience with the Truck veterans.

T.J. Bell, No. 50 Heathcliff's Cat Litter Ford: After racking up his first career top ten run last week at Charlotte, Bell comes to Mansfield with some momentum behind him. Time spent running in ARCA the past couple of years have given him added experience on the short tracks which will come in handy this weekend.

Kelly Sutton, No. 51 Team Copaxone Chevrolet: Sutton is one of a dozen drivers that have been in each previous Truck Series race at Mansfield. She'll be one of the eight drivers that need to qualify on speed, but the Billy Ballew team should have her a stout ride for qualifying. If she can get in and mix it up come race day, she could rack up a top-20. The challenge will be keeping the fenders on it all day long.

Kerry Roseman, No. 53 MakeItBetter.net Dodge: Roseman is looking to make his series debut. His priority is making the race, which will be a tough challenge.

Terry Cook, No. 59 Harris Trucking Toyota: Cook is one of three Ohio drivers entered, and the only one locked in based on owner's points. He's had success in the Buckeye State, finishing third in the inaugural Mansfield race in 2004. His HT Motorsports team is starting to turn the corner and build momentum, and Cook could again challenge for a top-5.

Jack Sprague, No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota: How's this for Sprague's three finishes at Mansfield: 2004 - first; 2005 - second; 2006 - second. Not too shabby. Sprague will be a favorite for the pole and the win.

Jack Smith, No. 63 Dave Porter Truck Sales Ford: "Short Track Jack" comes to the Trucks with a ton of ASA Late Model experience, and several wins at Mansfield in local late model competition in his back pocket. Smith has served as a fabricator for several teams and knows the trucks inside and out. He should be a lock to qualify on speed, and could be a top-20 runner once the race starts on Saturday.

Dennis Setzer, No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet: Setzer was the runner-up behind Sprague in 2004, and has been seventh in 2005 and 2006. If someone told Setzer he'd finish seventh this year and continue the streak, he'd take it. A good top-10 run at Mansfield could be just what this team needs to get it's season turned around. Outside of a seventh at Atlanta, Setzer's other best finish is a 13th at Martinsville.

Brendan Gaughan, No. 77 South Point Hotel Chevrolet: Gaughan is no fan of short track racing, although at times he's done quite well on tracks less than a mile long. If he can position himself right after pit stops, Gaughan can do well here too. Getting off pit road in the front of the group will be key.

Matt Crafton, No. 88 Menards Chevrolet: Crafton used to use Mansfield as his short track test track before it was added to the series schedule in 2004, and has thousands more laps than anyone else here. ThorSport has always been competitive here, and this week should be no different. Look for Crafton in or near the top five at the end.

Erik Darnell, No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford: In seven short track starts, Darnell has two top-five finishes and three top-10 finishes. He ran 13th here last year. After a speed bump last week in Charlotte, look for Darnell back in the top ten this week at Mansfield.

Predictions, just for the pure fun of it:

Pole: Jack Sprague
Winner: Matt Crafton
Top-five behind the winner, in no particular order: Todd Bodine, Jack Sprague, Ron Hornaday, and Rick Crawford.
Rest of top ten, in no particular order: Willie Allen, Terry Cook, Tim Sauter, Dennis Setzer, Ted Musgrave.
Drivers that will qualify on speed: Kelly Sutton, Jack Smith, Kraig Kinser, Frank Kreyer, Bradley Reithmeyer, Jason White.
Drivers that will fail to make the field on speed: Tim Cowen and Kerry Roseman.

www.truckseries.com

Skinner Continues Pole Streak
RacingOne.com

Continuing his season long dominance of qualifying, Mike Skinner claimed his fifth consecutive Bud Pole Award by running a fast lap of 109.877 mph for Saturday afternoon's Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park.

The driver of the No. 5 Toyota Tundra held off Rick Crawford's fast lap of 109.336 mph in order to claim his 37th career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series pole.

Skinner, who now has an average starting position of 2.3 in 2007, bested his previous best qualifying performance at Mansfield which was 14th. In three career starts at the .5-mile track, he has never finished inside the top 10.

"We’re pretty happy with that lap," said Skinner. "The Toyota Tundra has been fast all year, and today was no different. We did one qualifying run during practice, and that was good, so we knew we were going to contend for the pole tonight. That’s all we had in it. I could’ve gone out there five more times without getting the same lap time."

The last time Skinner won the Bud Pole on a short track was at earlier this season at Martinsville Speedway on March 31. He won that race.

Fellow Toyota drivers Todd Bodine and Johnny Benson comprise Row 2 with Roush Fenway Racing's Travis Kvapil rounding out the top five.

Terry Cook, Erik Darnell, Aaron Fike, defending race winner Ron Hornaday Jr. and Matt Crafton complete the top 10.

NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series driver Ken Schrader was the highest qualifying Dodge driver after setting the 14th best lap time with an effort of 108.017 mph around the 1/2 mile circuit.

Only Kelly Sutton failed to qualify for the seventh race of the Craftsman Truck Series season.

The Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway is set to take the green flag at 1 p.m. (ET), with live coverage available on FOX (TV), MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio.

NASCAR-Craftsman Truck Ohio 250 Lineup
May 26, 2007

1. (5) Mike Skinner, Toyota, 109.877 mph.

2. (14) Rick Crawford, Ford, 109.336.

3. (30) Todd Bodine, Toyota, 108.840.

4. (23) Johnny Benson, Toyota, 108.663.

5. (6) Travis Kvapil, Ford, 108.551.

6. (59) Terry Cook, Toyota, 108.447.

7. (99) Erik Darnell, Ford, 108.368.

8. (1) Aaron Fike, Toyota, 108.310.

9. (33) Ron Hornaday Jr., Chevrolet, 108.290.

10. (88) Matt Crafton, Chevrolet, 108.180.

11. (60) Jack Sprague, Toyota, 108.180.

12. (21) Kelly Bires, Ford, 108.069.

13. (15) Bill Lester, Chevrolet, 108.037.

14. (18) Ken Schrader, Dodge, 108.017.

15. (40) Clay Rogers, Chevrolet, 107.232.

16. (09) Joey Clanton, Ford, 107.226.

17. (16) Chris Fontaine, Ford, 106.977.

18. (75) Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet, 106.850.

19. (50) T.J. Bell, Ford, 106.396.

20. (13) Willie Allen, Chevrolet, 106.289.

21. (9) Ted Musgrave, Toyota, 106.132.

22. (44) Frank Kreyer, Chevrolet, 106.101.

23. (10) David Starr, Ford, 106.020.

24. (36) Ryan Mathews, Toyota, 105.970.

25. (00) Ken Butler, Toyota, 105.926.

26. (47) Kraig Kinser, Chevrolet, 105.889.

27. (4) Kevin Hamlin, Dodge, 105.882.

28. (08) Chad McCumbee, Chevrolet, 105.758.

29. (49) Bradley Riethmeyer, Dodge, 105.325.

30. (7) Jason White, Chevrolet, 105.245.

31. (8) Blake Bjorklund, Chevrolet, 104.676.

32. (07) Tim Sauter, Chevrolet, 104.633.

33. (42) Tim Cowen, Ford, 104.293.

34. (2) Daniel Pope, Chevrolet, 104.287.

35. (77) Brendan Gaughan, Chevrolet, owner points.

36. (63) Jack Smith, Ford, 104.155.

36. (63) Jack Smith, Ford, 104.155.

37. (51) Kelly Sutton, Chevrolet, 103.484.

Setzer wins rain-filled Ohio 250
May 26th, 2007

Mansfield, OH (Sports Network) - Dennis Setzer captured the Ohio 250 Craftsman Truck Series race at the Mansfield Motorsports Speedway on Saturday without making a pit stop the entire race. The No.75 Chevrolet crossed the finish line ahead of Jack Sprague.

The victory was Setzer's first of the season and 17th of his truck career.

It was a rainy Saturday in Mansfield, Ohio to say the least. The race was interrupted three times by rain showers. The race had a total of five hours and 20 minutes in rain delays.

The winner of the past five poles, Mike Skinner, led the 36-truck field to the green flag for 250 laps of short-track racing.

The points leader held onto the top-spot early as Johnny Benson drove to second after starting in the fourth spot.

Skinner was still the leader when the first caution flag of the afternoon came out on lap nine for Jack Smith and Ted Musgrave.

The No.5 Toyota led Benson, Rick Crawford, Todd Bodine and Travis Kvapil to the lap 15 restart. Only one green flag lap was run after the restart before the first caution flag came out for rain. As the rain picked up NASCAR officials decided to red flag the race after 18 laps.

The rain delay became very lengthy as numerous rain showers passed through the area. Multiple times the track was close to being dry when another rain shower would pass through and wet the asphalt.

After a two hour, 10 minute red-flag period the drivers rolled back onto the track to help in the track drying process. It seemed like green flag racing was only a few minutes away, but that wasn't the case.

A few minutes later the sky opened up and NASCAR officials spotted a severe storm on the radar. The fans were ordered to leave the grandstands and go to their cars. The infield was also cleared out.

Once the storm was over the track dryers were able to dry the 0.5-mile oval track quickly. After about a two hour red-flag period the yellow flag came out so the drivers could drive around the track to help in the drying.

When the pits opened some of the leaders decided to pit including Crawford and Kvapil, who were running third and fifth, respectively.

The race finally went back to green on lap 37. Skinner continued to lead as Ron Hornaday Jr. started to move through the field. On lap 51 Hornaday Jr. and Skinner battled side-by-side for the lead when Kvapil brought out the third caution of the day.

During the caution period Skinner and some of the drivers who didn't pit before went down pit road for service. Crafton led Clay Rogers, Setzer, Willie Allen and Ted Musgrave after the pit stop due to them staying out.

The fourth caution came out on lap 80 in turn four when some backmarkers got together. Crafton narrowly missed the crash and only received a little damage to the left rear of his truck.

Under the caution period Crafton decided to stay out in hopes that the race would be called after the halfway point due to rain. Rogers, Musgrave, Setzer and Allen followed behind the leader.

On the lap 88 restart the No.88 Chevrolet was able to build a five truck length margin. Meanwhile Musgrave passed Rogers for the second spot.

As the race approached 100 laps the rain started to fall again causing the race to go back under caution. A few laps were run under caution before NASCAR officials were forced to red flag the race for the third time at lap 106.

This red flag period lasted for 50 minutes.

When pit road opened under caution Crafton stayed out as Musgrave, Rogers, Terry Cook, Kelly Bires, Chad McCumbee, Smith and Bradley Riethmeyer came to pit lane for service.

The race finally got restarted on lap 116 with Crafton leading Crawford, who already took his pit stop earlier.

The No.88 Chevrolet tried to hold off a persistent Crawford. But on lap 121 Crawford took the inside lane to pass him for the top-spot. Setzer settled into the third position.

Crawford continued to show the way when Smith spun out to bring out the caution flag on lap 134. On lap 142 another caution flag came out when Ken Butler spun out. Hornaday Jr. lost a lot of track position when he was forced to come to a stop to avoid the spinning Butler.

Once the race got back under way Crawford and Crafton held onto the top-two spots. Behind these two drivers Setzer and Aaron Fike battled for the third spot.

On lap 163 disaster struck for early leader Crafton. His right-front tire went flat causing him to hit the wall in turn three hard.

When the race got restarted on lap 169 Crawford led Setzer, Fike, Allen and Jack Sprague. The No.14 Ford continued to lead after the restart despite hot pursuit from Setzer.

The Ford opened up over a two-second lead over Setzer. But that margin was erased on lap 193 when Hornaday Jr. and Bodine crashed. On lap 205 David Starr spun out to bring out the caution flag.

Under the caution period Allen ran out of fuel due to making zero pit stops the whole day.

The 13th caution flag came out on lap 216 for Kelly Bires.

With 27 laps to go Crawford led Setzer, Fike, Sprague and Ken Schrader to the restart. Skinner found himself in the seventh spot.

The No.14 Ford pulled away from the field quickly but with 20 laps remaining Setzer started to chip away at Crawford's lead.

With 13 laps left a flat right-front tire for Crawford caused him to go high on the track allowing Setzer to make the pass for first. Crawford brought out the caution flag as parts of his tire spread across the track.

Setzer led Fike, Sprague, Schrader and Skinner to the restart with only five laps to go. As Setzer held onto the lead Sprague would drive to second. After making the pass for second Sprague set his sights on the leader. But the No.75 Chevrolet wasn't going to be caught as he crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead.

Schrader, Skinner and Benson completed the top-five.

Skinner leaves the track with a 121-point lead over Hornaday Jr. and 180 over Bodine. The next race in the Craftsman Truck Series is set for Friday, June 1st at the Dover International Speedway.