Brendan Gaughan sporting the new colors of the new South Point Casino. (Nate Mecha/High Sierra Photo)

Build it and they will come, or so the cliche goes. And come they did, an estimated 65,000 strong, on Saturday night to see the debut of the reconfigured, 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

If they were looking for speed, the fans got that in spades. Thirty-two of 36 qualifiers smashed the two-year-old qualifying record that Mike Skinner ultimately raised nearly 13 miles per hour, to 178.065.

Before a spate of debris and fluid-caused cautions reduced Skinner's winning pace to a Las Vegas series-low 117.812 the trucks had worked on a race average of more than 173.

The action didn't quite match the hoped-for side-by-side competition for the lead but competitors said that will come as the asphalt ages.

"I think this facility will only get better as time progresses," said Terry Cook. "It's kind of like a fine wine, as the racetrack ages it will be better and we'll be racing higher up on the racetrack."

Added Rick Crawford, "It's definitely a two-groove racetrack and you can pass here."

Welcome to the fall finish and, as usual, the traditional heating up of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship. Four weeks ago, Todd Bodine was sitting on what appeared to be a comfortable 154 point lead.

By the end of the Smith's Las Vegas 350, Bodine's advantage over Johnny Benson stood at just 91.

The current number represents the first time the lead had dipped to double digits since the first week of June.

Bodine hasn't exactly stumbled in his quest for championship No. 1. The past four starts have seen the Lumber Liquidators Toyota team post two top-five and three top-10 finishes. On Saturday, Bodine overcame a pit road speeding violation and ill-handling truck to race back to 12th from a low at one point of 27th.

It's just that Benson is peaking at the right time. Saturday night's fourth-place run was added to his previous three finishes of first, fourth and first.

With six races remaining, Bodine's lead is fourth largest in series history and in that the point leader can take solace. Those holding larger leads, Greg Biffle with 193 points in 2000, Ron Hornaday Jr. with 152 in 1996 and Jack Sprague with 95 in 1997, all won the title.

Skinner's victory, his sixth from the pole but first since mid-1996 at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis, marked Bill Davis Racing's fifth victory of the season. That's the most by an owner, one win better than Mark Martin's four victories for Roush Racing.

Skinner, at age 49 years three months, is the third-oldest driver to win a series race. Ted Musgrave was a month older when he last won in April 2005 at Gateway International Raceway. Joe Ruttman is the series' senior winner at 56 years six months.

With his second-best finish of the year, Mike Bliss used a third-place payoff of $22,500 to become the eighth driver to win $3 million in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Bliss's total winnings in 168 starts are $3,002,601.

Twenty-five drivers completed all 146 laps of the Smith's Las Vegas 350 bettering the previous high of 18 (of 40 starters) in the 1996 inaugural event.

Marcos Ambrose, in seventh place, led a season-high three Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidates finishing among the top 10. Ambrose, who didn't participate in the season's first three races, has led four events for 77 laps, most by a freshman driver and 10th best among 34 season lap leaders.

Kraig Kinser, in ninth, captured his first series top 10. Aric Almirola finished 10th.

Former Daytona 500 winner Derrike Cope has been tapped by Key Motorsports to drive its No. 40 Chevrolet in the Oct. 7 Talladega 250.