Todd Bodine with the winners trophy at the Sam's Town 400 at Texas. (Ronda Greer Photo)

Todd Bodine's phenomenal NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season continued Friday night with a come-from-behind, final lap victory in the Sam's Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.

Bodine's Lumber Liquidator Toyota, a lap down when caution flew at lap 101, regained the lead serial as the highest scored, non lead lap truck. From an 18th place restart, and fresh tires mounted at lap 117, Bodine slashed his way back through the field to reach second place when the race's seventh and final caution flew five laps short of the scheduled, 167-lap distance after Jack Sprague's Turn 2 spin.

The yellow erased Budweiser Pole starter Mike Skinner's 4.5 second lead and set up a two lap green white checker finish that proved the undoing of the 1995 champion, who a day earlier won a series record fourth consecutive pole at the 1.5-mile superspeedway.

Skinner, running on a set of tires last mounted 66 laps earlier, shot out to a two length lead as the field began lap 167 but Bodine quickly caught his Toyota Tundra at the white flag signaling the final trip around the racing surface.

Ronda Greer Photo

A crowd estimated at 52,000 stood as Bodine swung high entering Turn 1 and shot past Skinner onto the backstretch. He beat Skinner back to the line to win by .116 second, the closest series finish in 17 races at TMS. The victory, at an average speed of 132.129 mph, was Bodine's third of the season, third in the past four Texas races and 10th of his 49-race career.

Bodine was resigned to an off night when handling troubles beset his truck during a mid-race, green flag run of 43 laps. Fortunately, the caution flag flew three laps after Skinner had put a lap on his most significant rival. "That was just pure luck," said Bodine, who padded his series championship lead to 115 over teammate Ted Musgrave. He won $71,600.  "Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good."
 
Bodine led only the final lap, the first time that's happened since Bobby Hamilton's 2005 victory at Daytona International Speedway. Skinner, one of seven leaders who traded the point 11 times, headed the race four times for 113 laps.

Ronda Greer Photo

Rick Crawford, who led twice in his Circle Bar Truck Corral Ford, finished third to claim his first top five of 2006. Toyota drivers David Reutimann and Johnny Benson were fourth and fifth followed by Dennis Setzer, Musgrave, David Ragan, Raybestos rookie contender Chad McCumbee and Mike Bliss.

Thirteen drivers completed all 168 laps including Mexico's Michel Jourdain Jr., who finished 13th in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut.

Skinner made it clear from the opening bell that his Tundra would be the truck to beat. He gave up the lead three times, twice when pitting under caution, as Kerry Earnhardt, Terry Cook, Benson and McCumbee took advantage of the yellow or pit strategy to post leader bonus points.

Crawford led laps 78 through 100 and 103 to 112 before abdicating to Skinner, who made a Turn 3 pass. Skinner, who overcame early chassis trouble, gradually pulled away as the laps ran down and Bodine, who caught and passed Crawford for the runnerup spot at lap 162, was too far behind to challenge for the victory.

Yellow, however, shifted the advantage to Bodine, who hasn't finished worse than third on a 1.5 mile track since his Kansas Speedway victory last July. The outcome left Skinner frustrated but with his first top-five of the season in hand and best performance since his Richmond victory last September.

"I'm pretty disappointed (but) I'm happy for Todd. Todd's a good friend of mine," he said. "It was unbelievable. I said, 'Heck, if he can pass me on the outside he deserves this thing.' He had a little fresher tires than we did and that thing stuck to the outside."

Bodine was pleased to give the Texas fans a rousing finish but at the same time sorry for Skinner. "That's just good hard racing," he said. I wish the two of us could have won this thing."

The series next moves to Michigan International Speedway for the June 17 Con-way Freight 200.