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Ron Hornaday Jr. finished the deal at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway Saturday, winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series City of Mansfield 250 a year after a restart penalty cost him a victory in the $472,421 event.

Hornaday, who benefited from pit strategy that gave his Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet the lead at mid-race, held off persistent challenges from fellow veterans Jack Sprague and David Starr to collect his record-extending 28th series victory.

Hornaday, a few weeks shy of his 48th birthday, last won in March 2005 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. He averaged 62.999 mph as a series record 18 caution periods consumed 85 of 250 laps around the .5-mile oval.

Hornaday, who led the final 131 laps before a crowd estimated at 22,500 after 2005 series champion Ted Musgrave pitted his Toyota for fuel, won $50,250. He edged Sprague by .961 second - about two truck lengths.

The winner agreed that he was being cautious through 10 restarts after being penalized for jumping a restart while leading the 2005 race.

"Last year, there was a misunderstanding of the rules," said Hornaday. "I tried real hard to pay attention (to NASCAR)."

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Hornaday started 17th in the 36th truck field that was gridded by points because of weather that washed out qualifying and quickly moved forward into the top 10 before pitting for fuel and tires at lap 44. Front row starters and Germain Motors teammates Todd Bodine and Musgrave delayed their stops until the 118th and 119th laps, respectively, after which Hornaday was positioned to take a lead he never relinquished.

Sprague, who finished second a year ago and won the race in 2004, also pitted his Con-way Freight Toyota early - on lap 29 - as did Starr, whose stop in the Red Horse Racing Toyota came at lap 44 along with Hornaday.

Both were doubtful of stretching their fuel to the end but benefited from the numerous caution flags thrown for spins and debris on the racetrack. The longest green flag run - 20 laps - came early in the race.

"It depended on how many cautions you'd get," said Starr, who won with similar strategy earlier this year at Martinsville, Va. "It was kind of a gamble."

Admitted Sprague, "I'm shocked we made it."

Johnny Benson finished fourth in the Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota with Raybestos rookie Joey Miller fifth in the Curb Records Tundra.

Matt Crafton, Dennis Setzer, Mike Bliss, David Reutimann and Steve Park filled out the top 10 as a near-record 26 drivers completed all 250 laps. Thirty-four of the race's 36 starters were running at the finish.

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Bodine finished 15th and Musgrave 16th - advancing from 28th and 31st after their pit stops. Bodine led the race's first 117 laps with Musgrave heading two laps after his teammate pitted.

"We had a plan to pit early … and I kept calling (on the radio) and asking, 'when to pit, when to pit?' and they kept changing the strategy," said Musgrave, who finished outside the top four for the first time in seven races. "It was the wrong one. By the time we came in there was no time to get back to the front."

Bodine, a two-time winner this season, maintained the series point championship lead heading Musgrave by 20 points. Reutimann holds third with Starr and Benson within 192 points of the leader.

Former Boston Red Sox outfielder Mike Greenwell finished 26th in his NASCAR debut completing all 250 laps in his Chevrolet. Greenwell started 20th but fell back after being penalized for a restart infraction and a spin in Turn 4 on the 144th lap.

"I worked my way to about 15th and then all at the once the power steering went out," he said. "From that point on I was just hanging on and hoping I finished on the lead lap. I'm tickled to death that I did."

The series next moves to Dover International Speedway for Friday's AAA Insurance 200.