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11-04-2005
Texas Two-Step for Bodine
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Race winner Todd Bodine climbs from his
truck and waves the checkered
flag in front of the grandstand
High Sierra Photo | Todd Bodine pulled off his third win of the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and his second consecutive win in the Silverado 350 on Friday night. Bodine went to the front after second-place Kyle Busch scrubbed the wall late in the race and then he blasted past leader Mike Skinner with 22 laps remaining. Pole sitter Skinner was able to hold on for the runner-up position while Busch held off home state favorite David Starr for third. David Reutimann rounded out the top five finishers.
Neither of the contenders for the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship were factors throughout the race. Ted Musgrave finished 14th and picked up a handful of points on second place Dennis Setzer after Setzer's 18th-place finish. Musgrave unofficially leads the points by 61 points heading into the penultimate round of the season next weekend in Phoenix.
Skinner was the dominant driver in the early stages and pulled out to a one-second lead at times, but Bodine also immediately flexed the muscles of his No. 30 Germain Racing Toyota. While he didn't take the lead for the first time until lap 125, Bodine moved into the top five very early on and never dropped out the remainder of the race.
Jack Sprague's third start with the Wyler Racing team was the charm as he picked up his first top ten finish with them as he crossed the stripe in sixth. Ron Hornaday was seventh, with Rick Crawford in eighth, defending series champion Bobby Hamilton was ninth with Todd Kluever rounding out the top ten.
Terry Cook looked to be a factor for the win after starting third and staying up front for much of the night. Cook lost the handle in the middle stages of the race and faded outside of the top twenty before coming in for tires on the last caution flag with 10 laps remaining. Cook was able to charge from 22nd on the restart to 12th at the finish.
The race was very clean without any major incidents. Jack Bailey tagged the turn two wall on lap 2 to bring out the first caution. Justin Allgaier spun across the start-finish line, Aric Almirola slid into the inside wall on the backstretch, and Regan Smith spun exiting turn two and backed it in before smacking the inside backstretch wall. None of the drivers involved in the incidents were injured.
The series picks up next Friday with the Silverado 150 at Phoenix International Raceway.
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