Bristol's Top Gun Mike Skinner gets a well-deserved hug and kiss from his wife Angie for capturing his first checkered flag since winning at Mesa Marin in October 1996 Skinner's win marks the first victory for Bill Davis Racing in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. (High Sierra Photo)

For the first time since 1996, Mike Skinner finds himself in a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory lane after winning the O'reilly 200 presented by Valvoline MaxLife at Bristol Motor Speedway on Wednesday. Skinner was the dominant driver throughout the day, leading both practice sessions this afternoon and taking the lead very early in the race, and leading 190 of the race's 200 laps en route to his 17th career win. It is his first checkered flag since winning at Mesa Marin in October 1996 and team owner Bill Davis' first NCTS win.

Skinner pitted on a caution with 130 laps remaining and went the distance to the checkered. He was able to hold off a hard charging Todd Bodine who went the entire distance without making a pit stop. Another driver attempted to make the distance without stopping, but Chad Chaffin had to come to the pts with just 20 laps remaining after the tires gave way on his truck. Chaffin had run among the top-3 the entire race to that point, but fell several laps down as the result of of a green flag stop.

Bodine was able to hold off former Bristol winner Jack Sprague for second, with Johnny Benson giving BDR two trucks among the top-5 in fourth. Kyle Busch has his worst finish in four NCTS starts in 2005 with a fifth-place run. Busch has two wins and one second in his other three starts this season.

Ted Musgrave finished sixth in front of his Ultra Motorsports teammate Jimmy Spencer. David Starr was eighth, with Mike Wallace ninth and Ken Schrader in tenth.

Green flag racing was the name of the game here this evening as the race went green from lap 83 to lap 183. That is when current series point leader Dennis Setzer had a right front tire go down and he pounded the turn one wall. He was able to continue on to a 16th-place finish.

Bobby Hamilton was also on the bad side of Lady Luck here this evening getting swept into an accident in turn three that also involved Ricky Craven. Craven slowed to avoid a spinning Bill Manfull and Hamilton was unable to avoid and made hard contact with the tail of Craven's machine. Craven was credited with 31st on the evening, with Hamilton a disappointing 32nd.

Terry Cook had a strong start to the night running among the top-5 but had a stud break during the long green flag run and sent him to the garage for repairs. Brendan Gaughan finished dead last in the field after getting involved in a wreck on the backstretch on lap 18.

There were six cautions for the night. None of the drivers involved in the incidents were injured.

The series now moves on to Richmond International Raceway for a 200-lap race on Thursday September 8.