Race winner Mike Skinner celebrates in victory lane. (Nate Mecha/High Sierra Photo)

Mike Skinner had earned three consecutive poles in the desert, but going into tonight's Smith's Las Vegas 350 the victory trophy managed to elude him. After dominating the race - leading for 114 of the race's 146 laps - Skinner not only takes home the trophy but made the statement that he and the No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota will be a force to be reckoned with throughout the remainder of the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

Skinner defeated defending series champion Ted Musgrave in a surprisingly clean and competitive race on the newly reconfigured 1.5-mile Las Vegas Motor Speedway tri-oval. Musgrave made a strong move on a late-race restart, going past Skinner on the outside to take the lead. But not to be denied, Skinner repaid the favor on the final restart of the night to reclaim the lead and motor on to his 19th career series victory.

Mike Bliss finished third in the No. 16 XPress Motorsports Chevrolet. Bliss expressed his surprise that the racing was as good as it was on the new surface.  Johnny Benson finished fourth in the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota, a strong finish despite the fact he fought transmission problems following his first pit stop of the evening.