David M. Vaughn Photo

Call it bad karma or whatever but Mike Skinner, until Saturday night, had done virtually everything this year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series except visit Victory Lane.

Skinner led the series in Budweiser Poles won and laps and miles led but still couldn't quite find his 19th career victory.

The sixth time in 2006 that Skinner's Toyota Tundra Toyota started from the No. 1 qualifying position, however, turned out to be the charm as Skinner dominated the Smith's Las Vegas 350 at newly reconfigured Las Vegas Motor Speedway and became the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series' 10th winner of the season.

Skinner, who hadn't won in more than a year and 25 races, led four times for 114 of the race's 146 laps but had to come from behind following the race's seventh caution.

The winner, Musgrave and Ron Hornaday Jr. exchanged the lead three times over an 11 lap stretch between laps 116 and 126 before Skinner pulled away to win the .309 seconds - about two truck lengths.

Mike Skinner battles Ted Musgrave at Las Vegas. (David M. Vaughn Photo)

Skinner's victory was worth $54,675. Despite racing on a higher-banked track on which he set a one-lap qualifying record of 178.065 mph, Skinner turned in the slowest average winning average speed in the 10-year history of the Smith's Las Vegas 350. Seven cautions consuming 31 laps - the majority for fluid on the 1.5-mile speedway - held the race average to 117.812.

"It's about time," said Skinner, who last won in September 2005 at Richmond International Raceway. "This team has been strong enough to win races all year. It's either been the driver messing up, a mechanical problem, a pit stop going wrong or that caution flag.

"We've dominated so many races this season and come up short. This easily could have been our fifth win this year."

Skinner, a two-time winner a year ago, came into the season's 19th event with only a pair of seconds to show for what should have been a championship contending season. But with four DNFs offsetting 10 races led, the 1995 titleholder stands 14th in season point standings.

"Tonight it all came together," he said - figuratively and literally breathing a sigh of relief.

Mike Skinner looks inside on Mike Bliss. (David M. Vaughn Photo)

Musgrave, driving the Team ASE Tundra, took second ahead of Mike Bliss' Xpress Motorsports Chevrolet. Johnny Benson, at the wheel of the Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota, came from 15th to claim fourth despite losing all but third and fourth gears in his truck's transmission. Hornaday was fifth in the AES HR Solutions Chevrolet.

David Reutimann, top-finishing Raybestos Rookie of the Year candidate Marcos Ambrose, Dennis Setzer and freshmen Kraig Kinser and Aric Almirola filled out the top 10 with 25 of the 36 starters completing all 146 laps.

There were nine lead changes among six drivers: Skinner, Bliss, Ambrose, Hornaday, Musgrave and Travis Kittleson.

Benson's finish cut further into Todd Bodine's seemingly solid championship lead that stood at 154 points just two races ago. With Bodine finishing 12th - recovering with a late charge from out of the top 20 - the margin is 91 points with six races remaining on the 2006 schedule.

The series takes a week off before making its first pilgrimage to 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 7.