Brandon Whitt scored his first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series victory in dramatic fashion Saturday night passing Ron Hornaday Jr.'s slowing truck on the final turn of the last lap at Memphis Motorsports Park.

Whitt, the Bud Pole winner, captured the O'Reilly 200 when Hornaday braked for smoke laid down by Jimmy Spencer's Turn 4 spin.

That was all the 22-year-old Whitt needed to put his McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now Toyota Tundra truck in victory lane as he scored a 1.442-second decision - about five truck lengths - over outside front row starter David Reutimann.

Hornaday, his GM Goodwrench Chevrolet knocked sideways after being sideswiped by Whitt, wound up 21st - taking the checkered flag in reverse. The 27-time series race winner led 79 laps - the most by any of the event's four leaders.

Whitt, who averaged 71.182 mph, won $54,275 plus an $18,000 Craftsman Win from the Pole bonus. The finish, before an estimated crowd of 30,000, was the El Cajon, Calif. driver's first top five on the series and followed his best previous effort - sixth at Kentucky Speedway two weeks ago. He won in his 46th series appearance.

He was doubtful of catching Hornaday in the two-lap sprint that followed the night's 13th caution and extended the 200-lap distance by two laps around the .75-mile track.

"We needed something freak to happen," said Whitt. "A win doesn't come here very often. You have to appreciate it when you get it."

Hornaday said he got out of the throttle because he wasn't sure what might be on the other side of the smoke. The two-time series champion didn't know that Spencer already had driven away from the incident.

"I guess it's my own fault," he said. "I was just trying to save a truck. He (Whitt) had a good run on me. I blew it but that's just part of (racing.)"

Brandon Whitt and David Reutimann pace the field. Matt Griffith/High Sierra Photo

Reutimann's NTN Bearings Toyota took second ahead of the Jasper Engines & Transmission Dodge of Brendan Gaughan, who came from 23rd in the 36-truck field at the start and survived an early spin in Turn 4. Series point leader Dennis Setzer finished fourth in his Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet with fellow Chevy driver David Starr fifth in the Spears Manufacturing entry.

Bobby Hamilton, the race's defending winner, was sixth, followed by Matt Crafton, John Andretti, Johnny Benson and rookie Todd Kluever. The latter driver recovered from two laps down - the victim of an ill-timed green flag pit stop.

Twenty-two of the race's 24 finishers completed all 202 laps.

The night's 13 cautions set a Memphis Motorsports record and matched the season's most caution periods. Fifty-five of the 202 laps were run under the yellow flag. The race was halted for more than eight minutes after lap 162 to clean up debris from a three-truck accident on the backstretch involving Ted Musgrave, Mike Skinner and Aric Almirola.

The most frightening incident of the night was Ricky Craven's lap 171 accident in Turn 1 - the apparent result of a cut tire.

None of the drivers involved suffered injury.

Four drivers traded the lead seven times with winner Whitt heading 54.

Setzer, who won the race in 2001, extended his points lead to 158 over Musgrave, whose Dodge was knocked out of the race after 178 laps by engine failure. Hamilton, the defending series champion, is third, 163 points behind after the season's 14th of 25 races.

Whitt, Hornaday and Reutimann exchanged the lead through the early stages of the race as multiple caution flags put teams on varying pit strategies. Rick Crawford ran out front from lap 116 through 126 after Whitt pitted from the lead under caution.

Reutimann regained the advantage at lap 127 but Hornaday, who'd restarted ninth following his lap 115 pit stop, charged back to the front with a low line pass in Turn 1. Whitt took the No. 2 spot on lap 160 as Reutimann missed a gear on the restart following caution No. 10.

Brad Keselowski (29) and Jimmy Spencer avoid the spinning truck of Deborah Renshaw. Nate Mecha/High Sierra Photo

The 2004 Raybestos Rookie of the Year wasn't pleased with himself - even though the runnerup finish was Reutimann's career best.

"It's just disappointing … that an idiot driver can't shift from third to fourth," he said.

From there, it was cat-and-mouse between veteran driver and young gun. Whitt made several strong efforts to wrest the lead from Hornaday - the strongest at lap 180 - but couldn't quite make a pass happen.

Deborah Renshaw's spin brought out the final caution at lap 197 to set up the dramatic finish and Whitt's maiden victory. Gaughan benefited as well, passing Setzer for the No. 3 spot with just over a lap remaining.

The series takes a one-week break before heading to Indianapolis Raceway Park for the Aug. 5 Power Stroke Diesel 200.