GLADEVILLE, Tenn. -- David Reutimann won the NASCAR
Craftsman Truck Series' Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville
Superspeedway on Saturday, squeezing past Mike Skinner with two
laps left and holding off Ted Musgrave by about two truck lengths.
Reutimann, driving a Toyota owned by former NASCAR star Darrell
Waltrip, won for the first time in the truck series after finishing
in the top three in three of the last four races. The 2004 series
rookie of the year earned $52,110.
Reutimann and pole starter Skinner drove side-by-side into the
third turn on the 1.333-mile concrete oval on the 149th of 150
laps. Skinner, also driving a Toyota, carried to much speed into
the corner and slid up the track and out of the lead. That also
opened the inside lane for Musgrave and third-place finisher Todd
Bodine.
Skinner finished fourth, and rookie Todd Kluever was fifth in a
Ford.
Racing Skinner for the lead at lap 136, Reutimann was fortunate
to avoid fluid dropped by Tracy Hines' spinning Chevrolet. Skinner
wasn't as lucky, grazing the wall between the third and fourth
turns as the race's eighth caution flag flew.
"He got in the wall," Reutimann said. "Thank the Lord I
missed it."
Skinner led 98 laps.
"The loss was really unfortunate," Skinner said. "Our race
team did such a good job and I stayed focused all day and I feel I
did a pretty good job. That particular truck that blew up in front
of us; It wasn't his fault but it was unfortunate. You hit a little
and what can you say?"
Reutimann has jumped from 18th to fifth in the championship
standings.
"I told my guys that we've turned the corner," he said.
"We've definitely come full circle."
The victory was the fourth for Nashville-area resident Waltrip,
the event's grand marshal. He won three times with Rich Bickle in
1997.
Reutimann led twice for 41 laps and averaged 109.246 mph in the
200-mile race that included nine caution periods that consumed 35
laps. The final caution, for Ricky Craven's accident, set up the
three-lap sprint to the finish that settled the race.
Brendan Gaughan survived an early race scrape with the outside
wall to finish sixth. Bill Lester was seventh, followed by Johnny
Benson, 2004 race winner Bobby Hamilton and Rick Crawford.
Series leader Dennis Setzer finished 14th. He leads Musgrave by
178 points.