Bobby Hamilton Jr. and his No. 18 Fastenal Dodge saved their best for last. Hamilton Jr. posted his best NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series finish of the 2006 season, a strong fourth place showing, at the season's last showdown, the Ford 200 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Friday night.

"We had a really good run tonight in the Fastenal Dodge," Hamilton Jr. said in the garage area after the event. "The truck was really hooking up in that high groove and there was just a ton of grip up there. It made for some really good racing. A lot of guys were finding a place where their trucks could run competitively. On the next to last run of the night our truck was really, really fast. I was hoping we would have something for the leaders at the end. Hopefully this helps the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge team build something for next season. Over the past four races or so this truck has been really competitive so I think that bodes well for next year."

No. 18 Fastenal Dodge Homestead-Miami Speedway Race Recap

Hamilton Jr. qualified his Fastenal Dodge in the 19th position during the Friday afternoon qualifying session. He toured the 1.5 mile oval in 32.047 seconds which equates to 168.503 miles per hour.

Hamilton Jr. powered his Fastenal Dodge into the 16th position by the end of lap 1 and moved into the top 10 by lap 30.

Hamilton Jr. came down pit road for the first time under caution on lap 45. The Bobby Hamilton Racing crew quickly changed four tires, added fuel, went down on the track bar and made a slight air pressure adjustment designed to get rid of the tight condition on Hamilton Jr.'s Fastenal Dodge. Unfortunately Hamilton's Dodge was pinned in its pit box by the lap-down No. 7 driven by novice Casey Kingsland. Kingsland's unpolished crew violated a NASCAR rule by pitting on the same lap with the leaders. The No. 7 team's ignorance of the proper rule coupled with a lack of consideration for their fellow competitors cost the No. 18 significant time on pit road. Hamilton Jr.'s crew chief Danny Gill patiently took time to educate Kingsland's crew on proper pit etiquette and calmly explained  how they could effectively bring their truck in and out of pit road within the guidelines of the NASCAR rulebook.

Hamilton Jr. moved swiftly through the pack picking up the positions he lost through the pit road snafu. When the caution flag fell again on lap 63 Hamilton Jr. followed the leaders down pit road for a four-tire and fuel stop. His crew also made a minor adjustment on the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge. Hamilton Jr. exited pit road in the 12th position.

On the next green flag run Hamilton Jr. rocketed up through the running order. He was 7th by lap 73, two laps later he was 6th and two laps after that he climbed into the top-five.

When Chase Miller and Johnny Benson tangled on lap 96 to bring out the final caution of the race, Hamilton Jr. darted down pit road for his last stop of the night. His BHR crew changed four tires and added fuel. The Fastenal Dodge exited the pits in the 12th position.

Once again Hamilton Jr. showed the strength of his No. 18 Fastenal Dodge by motoring past one truck after another in the late stages of the race. By lap 122 he passed Nextel Cup regular Joe Nemechek for the fourth spot, a position he held until the checkered flag fell on the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

Mark Martin won the Ford 200 before an estimated crowd of 35,000, posting his 6th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory for 2006. Brendan Gaughan, Erik Darnell, Hamilton Jr. and Jack Sprague rounded out the top five finishers. Todd Bodine finished 21st to secure his first ever NCTS championship. Casey Kingsland finished 28th, five laps down to the lead lap trucks. It was however his best career NCTS finish.