Track drying efforts are again underway here at Gateway International Raceway.  Jet dryers and a fleet of safety vehicles are out circulating, doing their best to get the track in shape for some practice before tonight's Dodge Ram Tough 200.

With the weather still in a state of uncertainty, there is no hard-and-fast schedule to update as of this time.  NASCAR continues to hold out hope for a short practice prior to the start of the race, but as of this update there is not so much as a tentative start time to report.  With track drying underway for approximately 30 minutes, we are still likely another 90 minutes away from any track activity.

With qualifying scrubbed, the teams are now moving all of their pit equipment into their pit stalls. With hopes for a short practice prior to the race still very high, there is suddenly a lot of activity here at the speedway.

The team spotters are slowly making their way across the speedway and up to the spotter's stand.  The stiff breeze has helped track drying efforts as even areas not touched by jet dryers have started to dry as well.  We should see trucks on track very soon.

NASCAR has announced practice for the Dodge Ram Tough 200 is set for 3:45 pm through 5 pm ET.

The teams have finished their preparations and are now ready for practice to begin.  The first trucks are rolling down pit road and waiting for the green lights to flash on.  We'll have complete coverage of all the action right here on TrackSideLive!

Virtually the entire starting lineup is out on pit road lined up awaiting their turn at practice laps.  The first trucks have made their way on to the speedway, led my polesitter David Ragan, Erik Darnell, Todd Bodine, and Ted Musgrave.  We'll keep you abreast of all the action as it happens, right here on TrackSideLive.

10. Lap 29 - Bodine takes the lead just before a solo spin off turn two by Sutton.  Caution is out for the third time.  Pit stops are expected by much of the field under this caution.

9. Lap 24 - The field has strung itself out around the track single file, but we should be approaching the mandatory competition caution NASCAR has announced on lap 25. Ragan, Crafton, and Setzer race three wide into three, with Crafton picking up the spot from Ragan. 

8. Lap 19 - Restart.  Musgrave still leads Bodine, Sprague, Reutimann, Starr, Crawford, Darnell, Ragan, Skinner, Crafton, Setzer, Benson, Hamilton, Bliss, and Cook the top-15. 

7. Lap 16 - Chaffin bounces into the turn one and two wall, flatsiding the right side of his machine. He is the only truck involved and continues on, but the second caution of the night is out.

6. Lap 11 - Restart. Musgrave continues to lead. Bodine now sits second with Sprague third and Reuitmann fourth. Starr makes it a Toyota sweep in fifth.

5. Lap 8 - Park and Peters come together in turn four, with Peters coming out worse for wear. He has heavy right side damage after contact with the wall. Caution is out for the first time tonight.

4. Lap 4 - Ragan has fallen down to 8th from the pole. Sprague is on the march and takes fourth from Darnell. Former winners Cook and Gaughan race side by side for 15th.

3. The wind is still blowing stiffly from turns one and two up through turns three and four. The pace truck pulls in and David Ragan takes the field to the green. Musgrave gets the jump into one and leads off turn two. The field scrambles threwe wide down the backstretch into three. Musgrave leads Reutimann, Darnell, Bodine, and Starr.

2. Charlie Daniels has given the command. Engines have started. Once the trucks roll, we will have at least four pace laps prior to the green.

1. The jet dryers are out on the track trying to keep heat in the surface as it appears we are closing in on the back side of this latest brief ran shower. There is a considerable window once it stops and we should be able to get this thing in tonight.

20. Lap 84 - Bodine has retaken the lead past halfway.  We are past the official point of the race should weather hit.  Darnell is second with Sprague third. Crawford, Benson, Lester, Musgrave, Reutimann, Setzer and Starr are the rest of the top 10.

19. Lap 68 - Krisiloff and Ambrose drove back to the pits and are okay.  Skinner climbed from his ride and is in the care center, but appears okay as well.  Reutimann continues to lead back under greeb with Bodine, Darnell, Lester, and Crawford the top five.

18. Lap 61 - Pileup on the frontstretch involves Ambrose, Skinner, Krisiloff and Martz.  Ambrose has had the right side ripped off his machine, and Skinner remains parked alongside the inside wall.  Caution six is out.

17. Lap 57 - Reutimann leads as Darnell and Earnhardt scrap it out for second.  Richardson has been looked at and released from the care center. 

16. Lap 47 - Reutimann leads with Earnhardt, Darnell, Crocker, Park, Lester, Almirola, Setzer, Bodine, Ragan, Crawford, Sprague, Skinner, benson, and McCumbee on the restart.  Big crash on the restart as Richardson is hard into the inside wall.  Caution is out for the fifth time.

15. Lap 45 - The competition caution comes out.  Reutimann leads lap 45 at the line.  Pit road is a very busy place as only a handful of trucks stay out on the track.

14. Lap 41 - Bodine pulls out to a three-second lead as Musgave, Sprague, and Crawford fight for second.

13. Lap 35 - Sprague dips under Musgrave on the frontstretch and pulls Crawford into a three way battle for second.

12. Lap 34 - Restart.  Bodine and Musgrave start to inch away.  The front four have opened up a significant gap on fifth place.  NASCAR has rescheduled the competition caution to lap 45.

11. Lap 31 - Pit stops are the order of the day.  It's a quicky yellow, so all trucks can come to pit road.  Reutimann is the first driver to come down, with the bulk of the field following.  Bodine and Musgrave stay out.  Bodine leads Musgrave, Sprague, Crawford, Starr, Skinner, Crafton, Benson, Hamilton, Cook, Hornaday, Krisiloff, Ambrose, Lagasse, Gaughan, Reid, Kinser, East, Reutimann, Bliss, Setzer, Martz, Lester, Ragan, Jurkovich, Almirola, Earnhart, Darnell, Richardson, Park, McCumbee, and Sutton as the lead lap trucks.

30. Lap 141 - The three leaders are nose to tail.  Bodine is hard on Reutimann's bumper.  Caution out for a record extending 12th time this evening.  Jurkovich did a quick 360 in turn four and continued on without making contact.

29. Lap 134 - Bodine is on the march to the front.  He's up to third, passing a handful of trucks since the restart.  Reutimann leads Crawford, Bodine, Musgrave, Cook, Almirola, Hamilton, Sprague, and Benson.

28. Lap 128 - The green comes out, but stays out only for 3/4 of a lap as Park does a snap 360 in turn three after a tap from Hornaday.  Caution 11 is out.

27. Lap 122 - Kinser flat sides his ride coming off turn four.  Green stays out.  A few sprinkles are felt, but nothing serious as of yet.  Ragan pops the fence going into turn one and the caution is out for the 10th time, setting a record for cautions in an NCTS race here at Gateway.

26. Lap 116 - Reutimann, Crawford, Cook, Almirola, East, Crafton, Reid, McCumbee, Jurkovich, Hamilton, Park, Bodine, Musgave, Sprague, Ragan, Benson, Gaughan, Starr, Bliss, Lagasse, Hornaday, Martz, Setzer, Sutton, Crocker, and Kinser are the lead lap trucks.  Restart.  Reutimann leads.

25. Lap 111 - Reutimann leads after pit stops.  Setzer pits at the drop of the green with a soft right rear tire.  He rejoins the race just in front of leader Reutimann and is running hard to stay on the lead lap.  His big break is Crocker's bad break as she smacks the turn one wall.  Crocker was 17th at the time of the crash.  She has serious damage to the rear of her truck and is driving it back to the garage.  Kinser also had a piece of that action, doing some damage to the right side of his ride.

24. Lap 104 - Darnell and Lester get tangled up going into one and crash.  Darnell's truck is severely damaged and he appears to be done for the night.  Lester has driven away from the scene but he has serious damage too.  As the field bore down, Ragan and Earnhardt got together sending Earnhardt into the wall as well.

23. Lap 100 - Bodine leads by nearly seven tenths of a second over Sprague.  Benson sits third in front of Darnell and Musgrave who are locked in a side by side duel for fourth.

22. Lap 91 - Caution 7 is out for debris.  Bodine leads Darnell, Sprague, Benson, Musgrave, Starr, Bliss, Lagasse, Gaughan, Hornaday, Lester, Setzer, Crawford, Reutimann, Cook, Almirola, Hamilton, Crafton, Reid, and Earnhardt the top 20.  Green is back out.

21. All drivers were okay, but the trucks of Ambrose, Krisiloff, and Skinner are done for the night.

32. Lap 153 - Late race troubles again strike Crawford as he loses the right front and he pops the turn three wall.  Crawford was running fifth at the time.  Bodine leads Musgrave, Reutimann, Sprague, Benson, Cook, Hamilton, Starr, Bliss, Setzer, Almirola, Lagasse, McCumbee, Gaughan, and Crafton are the top 15.

31. Lap 146 - Bodine blasts into the lead on the restart, bringing Musgrave past into second.  Reutimann falls back to third.  Sprague takes fifth from Cook, while Hamilton pushes Almirola for seventh.

Todd Bodine led a Toyota sweep of the top-five finishing positions in Saturday's Dodge Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday night.  Bodine started his No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota from the third position, but was forced to come from deep in the field after divergent pit strategies came into play late in the race. 

Bodine was forced to endure an NCTS track record 13 caution flags on his way to victory.  Those cautions worked to his advantage late in the going, keeping the field bunched closely and allowing him to make up positions rapidly as he was able to pass trucks as quickly as he caught them.  One of those late race cautions put him on David Reutimann's back bumper, and he wasted little time in snatching the lead on the restart.

Once in front, Bodine cruised to victory, leading his Germain Racing teammate Ted Musgrave to the line by 0.433 seconds.

"We were definitely great on the long runs here tonight," Bodine said in victory lane.  "I knew I had a good truck, and I was just trying to get good restarts without making a mistake.  I knew we had a shot to get by (David) Reutimann.  This why I wanted Teddy on the team - he's such a great driver and he has so much experience. He knew what to do at the end, I didn't have to worry about him and we ended up with a 1-2 at the finish."

Musgrave, for his part, would have liked to have been the one to cross the line first, but was glad to do his part to ensure a Germain Racing sweep of the top two positions.

"I talked with Todd on the radio at the end and we talked about what we were going to have to do to get by David," Musgrave said.  "Todd was just a tick better than me and I couldn't get by him in the end.  It's another top five for me and another win for Germain, but I really would have liked to get my third win here."

Reutimann led from lap 110 through lap 146, but faced the daunting task of keeping a fast closing Bodine behind him for the last 14 laps.  On the final restart, Bodine made quick work and blasted past Reutimann on the outside going into turn three. 

"Those guys were a lot faster than me and I let them go," Reutimann said.  "At one point we had a glimmer of hope that we could hold them off.  I'm proud of my guys for taking a truck that wasn't very good at the start and turning it into something a whole lot better.  It was a good night for us and a good night for Toyota."

For Toyota, it marks the first time the manufacturer has swept the top five finishing positions in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.  Behind Bodine, Musgrave, and Reutimann at the finish were fellow Tundra drivers Jack Sprague and Johnny Benson.  While not ever picking up all five of the top finishing positions, Toyota has notched four of the top five positions on four occasions, most recently at Fontana earlier this season.

Former Gateway winner Terry Cook was sixth, ahead of Bobby Hamilton, Jr., David Starr, Mike Bliss and top Raybestos Rookie of the Year contender Aric Almirola.

It appeared that Erik Darnell would continue his dominance in the battle for top rookie honors as he ran in the top five for a considerable part of the early stages.  However, he was tangled up in a crash with Bill Lester on lap 106 and forced to watch the end of the race from the sidelines.   Darnell was credited with 31st at the finish. 

In all, there were a record 13 cautions for a record 50 laps.  Nine cautions were for incidents on the speedway, the most serious of which involved Mike Skinner, Kyle Krisiloff, Marcos Ambrose, and Justin Martz off turn four.  Skinner had a right front go flat exiting the turn and pounded the SAFER barrier before bouncing back into traffic.  Krisiloff and Ambrose piled in, with the right side sheet metal being peeled back on Ambrose's truck.  Only Martz was able to continue on, soldiering on to a 20th place finish in his series debut.

Others involved in the numerous incidents included Timothy Peters, Steve Park, Robert Richardson, Kerry Earnhardt, Erin Crocker, Kraig Kinser, David Ragan, and Rick Crawford.  Crawford was involved in the final caution of the night on lap 154 as a right front tire went down while he was running in the fourth position.

Bodine's average speed was 84.966 miles per hour, with the elapsed time of 2 hours, 21 minutes, and 14 seconds. 

Bodine unofficially leads the championship point standings by 12 markers over Musgrave heading into the next series event in Charlotte in three weeks.

That's going to put a lid on TrackSideLive! coverage of the Dodge Ram Tough 200 from Gateway International Raceway.  Congratulations to the entire Germain Racing team for picking up the 1-2 finish here tonight, and to Todd Bodine on his second win of the season and his fifth in his last eight races.  He led 66 laps on his way to the win, and now leads the championship standings by 12 over teammate Ted Musgrave.

We'll have extensive coverage of all the events during Charlotte race week, including coverage of the optional Thursday test day, as well as practice, qualifying and race coverage on Friday May 20th.  Until then, so long everybody!