Todd Bodine took over the series championship lead for the first time in his second season as a fulltime NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series campaigner. He is just the 24th driver to head the standings as the 272nd race went into the record book. Bodine's victory was the ninth win for owner Stephen Germain and crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. leaving both tied for ninth place in all-time series wins for owners and crew chiefs.

One team hasn't been on such a tear since 1999 when Greg Biffle and Roush Racing racked up a record nine victories, most of which came in the second half of the season.

Terry Cook, who finished a season high sixth, enjoyed the biggest boost in the point standings, four spots from 14th to 10th. The performance was Cook's 80th among the top 10 in 220 series starts.

Cook, with more than $2.9 million in career winnings, is on track to become the seventh driver to win $3 million. He should reach the plateau sometime around mid-season. Musgrave, meanwhile, recorded his 90th top 10 in just 129 starts or 70 percent.

Dave Fuge's now independent Xpress Motorsports operation gained backing from TKO Graphix and additional support from former team owner and twice series champion Steve Coulter's IWX trucking line. Fuge's Chevrolet, repainted blue after four plus seasons in red, never threatened but driver Mike Bliss, the team's 2002 champion, logged his third top-10 finish and holds down the No. 7 spot in the point ranking.

"We just hung on to get where we finished," said Bliss.

Fellow Chevy driver Dennis Setzer wasn't so lucky. Setzer, who has struggled in 2006 with other Silverado drivers, used pit strategy to reach the lead at lap 107 but gave it all back and then some when his FlexFuel E85 Chevrolet's right rear tire went flat after leaving pit road under caution.

To add insult to injury, Setzer was involved in a last lap dust up that dropped him from a possible top 10 finish to 23rd.

"I got into the No. 04 truck (Scott Lagasse Jr., battling for 10th) coming off Turn 2 and when I backed off someone got into the back of me and turned me," he said. "It was a hard hit."

Two in, two out was the story of the continuing battle to land a coveted top 30 spot in truck owner standings and a guaranteed starting position in the May 19 Quaker Steak & Lube 200 at Lowe's Motor Speedway. David Dollar's No. 46 Centrix Auto Finance Chevrolet jumped from 31st to 25th as driver Kraig Kinser finished 17th. A solid run, 11th, by Chad McCumbee advanced Dave Malcolmson's No. 06 Chevrolet from 33rd to 30th.

The "outs" were Bill Davis's No. 22 Waste Management Toyota driven by veteran Bill Lester and the Bobby Hamilton Racing No. 4 of Timothy Peters. Both drivers were eliminated by accident and finished 30th and 32nd.

The drama for the top 30 is guaranteed to continue. Just 44 points cover 29th through 35th in owner points.

A wild day of weather, which saw a month long drought come to an end in the Missouri/Illinois region, disrupted on track activities but in the end resulted in only a five minute delay in the scheduled start of the Ram Tough 200. A one-hour plus practice session was held in late afternoon following cancellation of qualifying.

With the 36 truck field set via the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Rulebook, all of the circuit's fulltime teams made the race. Part-timers J.R. Patton, J.C. Stout and Nick Tucker wound up on the sidelines.

Three St. Louis Ram players served as honorary pit crew members, appropriately on the day the National Football League held its annual draft. All Pro center Andy McCollom cheered on Aric Almirola to 10th place while linemen and fellow Rice University alums Jeremy Calahan and Brandon Green shadowed Rick Crawford's Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford crew.

Country music legend Charley Daniels served as his night's grand marshal before performing in a post race concert that's become an annual staple for major events at Gateway International Raceway.