Skinner Slices Up Iowa Field
09-05-2009 11:57 pm

Mike Skinner scored a dominating victory in Saturday night's Lucas Oil 200, the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Iowa Speedway.

In front of a packed house of enthusiastic Iowa race fans, Skinner, the first NCWTS champion, led 180 of 200 laps around the 7/8th-mile circuit.

Aric Almirola finished second in the Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota, followed by Colin Braun's Con-Way Freight F-150, Ron Hornaday Jr.'s Longhorn Chevrolet Silverado and the Fun Sand Chevy of Johnny Sauter.

Skinner started from the pole in his Toyota of Des Moines Tundra, but Matt Crafton went into the lead on the opening lap in his Menards Chevrolet Silverado. At the end of the first lap,
John Jackson spun out of Turn 4 to bring out the night's initial caution flag.

The race restarted on Lap 6, with Jamie Dick making contact with Todd Bodine to bring out another yellow that lasted until Lap 11. Skinner quickly began applying pressure after the restart, making the pass for the lead on Lap 18.

Crafton attempted to repass Skinner for the lead just as the third caution came out on Lap 59 for debris. That sent the trucks to the pits, with Skinner leading T.J. Bell, Braun, Hornaday and Crafton off pit road.

Skinner held that lead on the restart, but 19-year-old Austin Dillon spun out while racing for eighth place with Timothy Peters on Lap 74, bringing out the fourth caution of the night.

The green flew on Lap 80, Skinner leading Bell and Hornaday as the trucks got up to speed. They stayed that way at the halfway point, with Braun in fourth and Sauter completing the top five.

On Lap 104, Hornaday moved his Chevrolet past Bell and into second, setting off after Skinner, who at this point was about 3 seconds ahead.

Stacy Compton and David Starr crashed on Lap 110, causing the fifth yellow-flag of the night, but putting the trucks into the window to go the distance on one pit stop.

Under caution, Almirola took the lead on pit road over Skinner, Braun, Terry Cook and Hornaday.

When the race restarted on Lap 117, Skinner retook the lead over Almirola, who had taken just two tires in the pits.

Todd Bodine and Jason White were the next to tangle, crashing at the exit to Turn 4 to send the yellow waving again. But Skinner and Almirola stayed up front, with Hornaday third, followed by Braun and Crafton.

With 15 laps to go, Skinner's lead over Almirola was a whopping 4.851 seconds.

With 10 laps to go, Braun passed Hornaday for third, just before a caution came out for debris on the frontstretch.

That wiped out Skinner's margin and gave the field one last chance to catch the dominant No. 5 Toyota. The green flew with four laps to go, and Skinner held on to score the victory.