Wire to Wire Victory for Musgrave
Polesitter Ted Musgrave retook the lead with nine laps remaining and became the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series’ seventh different winner of the season with a victory Friday night in the Black Cat Fireworks 200.
Musgrave, who pitted his Dodge from the lead on the 129th lap and restarted the race in 18th position, methodically worked his way through the field at The Milwaukee Mile. He passed series points leader Dennis Setzer’s Chevrolet at Lap 197 and pulled away to win by 1.479 seconds — about a dozen truck-lengths.
Musgrave, winner of the race in 2001, led 109 of 205 laps to win at an average speed of 82.230 mph. The race was the slowest of 10 series events at the one-mile oval due to 45 laps run under the yellow flag. The scheduled 200-lap distance was extended five laps by caution.
Musgrave won $53,885 plus an $18,000 bonus for his victory from the pole. His last victory came in September 2003 at California Speedway.
Chad Chaffin, also driving a Dodge, finished second by the length of truck’s bumper over Setzer. Steve Park was fourth in a Dodge with Travis Kvapil, who led laps 129 through 178, fifth in a Toyota.
Bobby Hamilton, Terry Cook, rookie Shane Sieg, Rick Crawford and Matt Crafton completed the top 10 among 18 drivers finishing all 205 laps.
