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NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series
TRUCKS: Bodine Wins Toyota Shootout at Daytona
Todd Bodine held off a fierce late-race challenge from Kyle Busch and Johnny Benson to win the season-opening Chevy Silverado 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night at Daytona.
Tom Jensen  |  Posted February 15, 2008   Daytona Beach, Fla.
Todd Bodine, driver of the #30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota, celebrates after winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Chevy Silverado 250 at Daytona International Speedway on February 15, 2008 in Daytona Beach, Florida. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Article Published: Friday, February 15, 2008 at 11:32 pm ET

Todd Bodine held off a fierce late-race challenge from Kyle Busch and Johnny Benson to win the season-opening Chevy Silverado 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race Friday night at Daytona International Speedway. It was Bodine’s first victory at Daytona.

Bodine outfoxed pole-sitter Erik Darnell during the race’s final pit stop on Lap 86 to take a lead he would never surrender, bringing his Lumber Liquidators Toyota Tundra across the start-finish line 0.077 seconds over Busch’s NOS Energy Drink Toyota. Benson drove from the 35th starting position to finish third, while David Starr was fourth in the Red Horse Racing Tundra, making it an all-Toyota sweep of the top four positions. Rounding out the top five was Rick Crawford in the Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford.

“This is my 20th year coming to this speedway,” said an exuberant Bodine, who was joined in victory lane by brother Geoffrey, the 1986 Daytona 500 winner. “I came here three years as a crew member, 17 years as a driver. Finished second and third, crashed hard, burned a couple times. Finally!”

The night began with fireworks early in the race. On Lap 19, a massive accident on the backstretch occurred as Busch came all the way down from the top lane at the exit of Turn 2 and hit Mike Skinner, who was on the bottom, with the contact triggering a massive pileup. The Ford of F-150 of P.J. Jones erupted in a huge fireball, but he exited his blazing truck unscathed.

Busch spun and didn’t hit anything, but the others were not so lucky, as the accident knocked out Skinner, Brendan Gaughan, Jon Wood, Matt Crafton, Chad Chaffin, Ted Musgrave and Andy Lally. The crash brought out a red flag that lasted 17 minutes and 23 seconds. Asked what he saw, Wood said, “Smoke. That’s about it.”

The NCTS regulars affixed the blame on Busch for the contact. “Kyle will race tomorrow,” said a disgusted Gaughan. “He doesn’t care about this. This is his fun time.”

“Awfully early in the race to be making moves like that all over the race track,” opined Skinner.

“They were way too stupid out there,” added Crafton.

“I apologize if I was to blame for that,” said Busch.

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