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
