BLISS WINS HARDEE'S 250 CRAFTSMAN TRUCK RACE

Mike Bliss, bidding for his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, extended his points advantage Saturday with a half-second victory over Dennis Setzer in the Hardee's 250 with John Boy and Billy at Big Daddy's South Boston (Va.) Speedway. Bliss, who started second in the 36-truck field, dropped to 13th after a lap 92 pit stop but methodically worked his way back to the front of the pack. He passed Coy Gibbs for trhe lead on lap 199 and held a six-second lead over Setzer when the afternoon's 10th and final caution extended the scheduled 250-lap distance to 257 -- and gave Setzer a two-lap shot at Bliss's IWX Motor Freight/Knights Inn Chevrolet. Bliss, however, drove away from Setzer's ACXIOM/Computer Associates Chevrolet. Rick Crawford finished third in his Ford, followed by Gibbs and Travis Kvapil. Ted Musgrave, the Bud Pole winner, experienced late handling trouble and finished 14th despite leading the race's first 92 laps. Bliss, who carries a 55-point championship lead with four races remaining, won $41,250. There were four lead changes among three drivers. The race's 88 laps of caution was a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series record -- 11 more than the 77 here in 2001 when Musgrave won.

Results follow: 1. (2) Mike Bliss, Chevrolet, 257, $41,250

2. (3) Dennis Setzer, Chevrolet, 257, $25,975

3. (4) Rick Crawford, Ford, 257, $18,875

4. (9) Coy Gibbs, Chevrolet, 257, $11,950

5. (15) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 257, $10,900

6. (11) Jon Wood, Ford, 257, $9,875

7. (17) David Starr, Chevrolet, 257, $8,975

8. (18) Bobby Dotter, Chevrolet, 257, $8,925

9. (7) Jason Leffler, Dodge, 257, $8,825

10. (12) Ryan Hemphill, Dodge, 257, $10,250

11. (6) Brendan Gaughan, Dodge, 257, $9,725

12. (26) Matt Crafton, Chevrolet, 256, $10,115

13. (13) Steve Portenga, Chevrolet, 256, $8,565

14. (1) Ted Musgrave, Dodge, 256, $11,840

15. (20) Lance Norick, Chevrolet, 256, $8,715

16. (25) Lance Hooper, Chevrolet, 256, $8,365

17. (31) Bill Lester, Dodge, 255, $8,315

18. (21) Randy MacDonald, Chevrolet, 254, $8,265

19. (35) Jerry Hill, Dodge, 254, $6,965

20. (16) Adam Clarke, Dodge, 251, $6,165

21. (22) Andy Houston, Dodge, 250, ignition, $5,615

22. (14) Brian Rose, Ford, 248, $6,565

23. (23) Carlos Contreras, Dodge, 241, $5,515

24. (8) Robert Pressley, Dodge, 215, accident, $5,465

25. (5) Terry Cook, Ford, 199, $54,416

26. (19) Tommy Pistone III, Ford, 188, accident, $5,390

27. (24) Jason Small, Chevrolet, 167, $5,365

28. (30) Clay Collier, Dodge, 146, accident, $5,340

29. (28) Regan Smith, Ford, 123, engine, $5,315

30. (38) Dana White, Chevrolet, 86, accident, $5,290

31. (29) Brian Sockwell, Chevrolet, 72, accident, $5,265

32. (27) Ryan McGlynn, Chevrolet, 64, accident, $5,240

33. (39) Conrad Burr, Chevrolet, 55, accident, $5,215

34. (10) Jamey Caudill, Ford, 54, accident, $5,190

35. (32) Scott Kirkpatrick, Dodge, 18, accident, $5,165

36. (36) Brad Bennett, Chevrolet, 18, rear end, $5,140

Race Statistics

Time of race: 1 hour 43 minutes 50 seconds

Average speed: 59.403 mph

Margin of victory: .559 second

Caution flags: 10 for 83 laps (22-28, 47-53, 56-64, 74-80, 90-96, 106-113, 115-118, 150-157, 166-183, 248-255)

Lead changes: 3 among 4 drivers

Lap leaders: Musgrave 1-92, Starr 93-145, Gibbs 146-198, Bliss 199-257

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings (unofficial): 1. Bliss 2,742; 2. Crawford 2,687; 3. Musgrave 2,630; 4. Starr 2,573; 5. Cook 2,565; 6. Leffler 2,546; 7. Setzer 2,533; 8. Pressley 2,514; 9. Gibbs 2,460; 10. Kvapil 2,426

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