Todd Bodine in Victory Lane at Talladega. (David M. Vaughn Photo)

After 250 miles of racing, it all came down to the final 250 feet. And in the end, Todd Bodine managed to barely hold off Rick Crawford and Johnny Benson to claim victory Saturday in a thrilling Mountain Dew 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway.

Crawford remained tucked behind Bodine for most of the final two laps, with Benson close on the rear of Crawford. Then as the trio came off Turn 4 and headed through the tri-oval toward the checkered flag, Crawford pulled out on the high side and Benson tried to pass on the bottom of the track. They crossed the finish line three-wide, with Bodine maintaining the lead by 0.014 of a second over Crawford.

"This is Talladega. It just lends itself to great finishes," Bodine said afterward. "Where the start-finish line is and the way the track is... It's just the way Talladega is. It's a great place to race, and a great show for the fans."

Jason Leffler finished fourth, followed by Dennis Setzer in fifth, NCTS rookie Willie Allen sixth and Ron Hornaday Jr. seventh.

Hornaday's showing was enough to give him a 14-point lead in the NCTS points standings over Mike Skinner, who finished 13th. Skinner had entered the race with a three-point lead over Hornaday. It was the third time in the past four races that the points lead has changed hands.

The victory was special to Bodine as well, considering how close he has come to winning past NCTS races at both Talladega and Daytona International Speedway.

"I'm just glad to come out on top for a change," Bodine said. "I've always run well at Daytona and Talladega, I just never quite got it done. I finally got it done today. That's the best part about this whole thing."