Skinner and his Toyota truck completely dominated Saturday night’s Built Ford Tough 225 leading 135 of 150 laps around the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway as Skinner scored his series-leading fourth victory of the season before an announced crowd of 49,161. 

 In the process, Skinner became just the second driver 50 years or older to win a series race and set a record by leading his 13th consecutive race – every one – of the year. 

 Skinner, whose championship lead grew to 164 points over 10th-finishing Ron Hornaday Jr., took the lead for the final time on the 105th lap when he passed defending series champion Todd Bodine. He held a 5.57 second margin of victory – half a straightaway – over Travis Kvapil’s Ford. Kvapil in turn edged Ted Musgrave as the pair battled for the runnerup spot over the race’s final 10 laps. 

 “It picks an old man up a lot,” said Skinner, who celebrated his 50th birthday two weeks ago. 

 Skinner averaged 127.175 mph for the 225 miles race in the series’ second fastest race. He won $86,425 in recording his 23rd victory in a 142-race career. 

 Six different drivers exchanged the lead 10 times.

 Skinner has completed every one of the season’s 2,193 laps and has finished out of the top 10 just once. 

 Pole winner Ryan Mathews, one of the winner’s two teammates at Bill Davis Racing, finished fourth ahead of 1994 NASCAR Busch Series champion David Green, who was making his first appearance in the series since 1997. 

 Jon Wood, top rookie finisher Joey Clanton, Bill Lester, Mike Bliss and Hornaday completed the top 10. 

 The first 14 finishers completed all 150 laps with 27 of the 35 starters taking the checkered flag. 

 Accidents claimed three drivers including Roush Fenway Ford teammates Erik Darnell and Peter Shepherd. Neither was injured nor was veteran Terry Cook, whose Toyota also was wrecked in the Turn 2, lap 59 incident with Shepherd. 

PRE RACE NOTES 

In 2006, Ron Hornaday Jr.’s (No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet) victory in the Built Ford Tough 200 ignited a mid-summer hot streak of top-five finishes at Kentucky Speedway, Memphis Motorsports Park and O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis.

The two-time champion cooled off a bit in the fall but Hornaday has been a title contender since this year’s drop of the green flag at Daytona in February.

Second in the standings going into the season’s mid-point, Hornaday would like nothing better than to defend his victory and become Kentucky Speedway’s first series two-time winner.

“The win at Kentucky was very special,” said Hornaday, who looks for series win number 32 on Saturday.

“It really signified a turnaround in our program. To beat my competitors in that race was huge.

“It helped change our outlook and our program.”

There’s no arguing the turnaround.

In 2006, Hornaday was unable to string together more than a trio of top-10 finishes. This season, the 49-year-old California native has been outside the top 10 just once – 11th in Atlanta – and has completed all 2,005 laps run through the first 12 races.

Hornaday says a couple of changes at Kevin Harvick Inc. have led to the team’s success.

“Everyone has put so much effort into the 1.5-mile  program,” he said. “Kentucky was when we figured out the coil-binding set-up and built some trucks that I was really comfortable in.”

Harvick also signed veteran crew chief Rick Ren, a 13-time winner with four different teams.

“When Rick arrived, he took a good team and made it better,” said Hornaday, whose 2006 victories have come at Lowe’s and Dover. “He has such an attention to detail and is so focused and driven.” 

With nine races on 1.5-mile tracks – more than a third of the 2007 schedule – doing well on the intermediate layouts is key to winning the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship.

Beginning in 2000, just two champions – Travis Kvapil (No. 6 K&N Filters Ford) in 2003 and Ted Musgrave (No. 9 Team ASE/Germain Toyota) in 2005 – have failed to win at least once on the intermediates.

How have this year’s top three title contenders fared on the 1.5-mile tracks? Pretty well, thank you.

Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota), Hornaday and Todd Bodine (No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota) have captured a combined five wins in the most recent 10 intermediate track races.

Each has a 2007 win: Skinner in Atlanta, Hornaday at Lowe’s Motor Speedway and Bodine in Texas. 

QUALIFYING NOTES 

Ryan Mathews won the Bud Pole for the Built Ford Tough 225 presented by The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers, lapping the Kentucky Speedway in 31.222 seconds at 172.955 mph.  

This is Mathew’s first Bud Pole in seven career NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. This is Mathew’s first Bud Pole and his second top-10 start in seven NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races in 2007. 

This is Mathew’s first Bud Pole and first top-10 start in his first career start at the Kentucky Speedway. 

This is Toyota’s 11^th pole of 13 races this season and Bill Davis’s eighth pole of 2007.

Bill Lester posted the second-fastest lap at 31.223 seconds, 172.949 mph and will join Mathews on the front row.  

Jack Sprague (third) posted his eighth top-10 start this season. He has started from the top-10 in four of his six starts at the Kentucky Speedway; however he will fall to the rear of the field for a back-up truck. 

Peter Shepherd (31.680) was the fastest qualifying rookie. J.C. Stout (32.531) was the fastest of the drivers that had to make the field on time.

RACE REWIND 

Here are some of the highlights of the race: 

The race was run before an estimated crowd of 49,000. Prior to the green flag Sauter for an engine change dropped to the back along with Jack Sprague for going to a back up truck. 

GREEN FLAG as Ryan Matthews and Bill Lester get the race going. Lester takes the lead at the end of lap one.  

Mike Skinner takes the lead for a moment on lap3. Brendan Gaughan takes the front on lap 5 then Mike Skinner takes P1 on lap 7. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 13 as Rick Crawford crashes in turn 4 

GREEN FLAG lap 17 as Skinner brings the field back to speed. 

Lap 20 you top ten drivers are; Skinner, Travis Kvapil, Gaughan, Ted Musgrave, Erik Darnell, Lester, Mike Bliss, Joey Clanton, Johnny Benson and David Green. 

Lap 50 your top twenty drivers are; Skinner, Musgrave, Kvapil, Bliss, Gaughan, Darnell, Mathews, David Green, Johnny Benson, Clanton, Lester, Ron Hornaday, David Starr, Matt Crafton, Todd Bodine, Chad McCumbee, Jon Wood, Willie Allen, Jack Sprague and Josh Wise. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 52 as Peter Shepherd and Terry Cook tangle in turn 2 

GREEN FLAG lap 59 with Skinner after pit stops lead the field into turn one. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 60 as Willie Allen and Dennis Setzer get together in turn 4 

GREEN FLAG lap 63 Skinner once again brings the field back to life. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 65 as Jon Wood spins in turn 3 

GREEN FLAG lap 68 as Skinner and Kvapil bring our drivers racing across the start finish line. 

Lap 70 your top ten drivers are; Skinner, Kvapil, Green, Musgrave, Mathews, Clanton, Darnell, Bliss, Gaughan and Hornaday. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 71 as Todd Bodine spins on the backstretch. 

GREEN FLAG lap 74 Skinner tries to bring the field back to racing. 

YELLOW FLAG lap 96 as Erik Darnell is in an accident in turn 1. Lap 97 Todd Bodine takes the lead. 

Lap 100 your top twenty drivers are; Bodine, Mathews, Gaughan, Skinner, Kvapil, Green, Crafton, Clanton, Allen, Musgrave, Sprague, Wood, Starr, McCumbee, Lester, Bliss, Hornaday, Setzer, Kinser and Ken Schrader. 

GREEN FLAG lap 101 as Bodine brings our drivers back to racing.  

Lap 105 Skinner retakes the lead. 

Lap 120 your top ten drivers are; Skinner, Kvapil, Musgrave, Green, Wood, Clanton, Mathews, Lester, Bliss and Bodine. 

10 to go and your top 5 are; Skinner, Kvapil, Musgrave, Green, Mathews, Wood, Clanton, Lester, Bliss and Hornaday. 

The race lasted for almost 2 hours Skinner won by a margin of 5.570 seconds. We saw 6 cautions for 25 laps and 10 lead changes among 6 drivers. 

Your top ten finishers were; Skinner, Kvapil, Musgrave, Mathews, Green, Wood, Clanton, Lester, Bliss and Hornaday. 

Mike Skinner won the Built Ford Tough 225 presented by The Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers, his 23rd victory in 142 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races. This is Skinner’s fourth victory and 13th top-10 finish in 13 races in 2007.  

This is his first victory and second top-10 finish in five races at Kentucky Speedway. His previous best finish here was fourth in 2005. Skinner set a new track record at Kentucky Speedway leading 135 Laps, the previous record was held by Bobby Hamilton for a 133 Laps.    

Skinner at the age of 50 is the second oldest driver to win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series behind Joe Ruttman at the age of 56. This is the 29th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series win for truck owners Gail and Bill Davis.