| | Results
RICHMOND, Va. -- Greg Biffle passed Dennis Setzer for the
lead with 39 laps to go Thursday night and overcame two late
cautions to win the rain-shortened Virginia Is For Lovers 200
Craftsman Truck Series race after 196 laps.
Biffle's eighth triumph in 21 races matched Mike Skinner's
season record set in 1995 and tied in 1996. It also boosted
Biffle's lead in the driver standings to 125 over second-place Jack
Sprague with four races remaining in the season.
Biffle had opened a sizeable lead with 22 laps to go when Joe
Gaita's Ford had engine trouble on the backstretch of Richmond
International Raceway, bringing out the eighth caution and giving
the field one last chance to run down Biffle.
It took crews five laps to clean up the track, but when it went
back to green with 15 laps remaining, Biffle easily pulled away
from Setzer and Ron Hornaday and had a two-second lead when another
caution flew with seven laps left.
This cleanup was still in progress when the skies opened with
five laps to go, sending fans and crews scurrying for cover and
bringing out a red flag. The trucks were parked with four laps
left, and the race was called about 20 minutes later.
Hornaday finished second, followed by Setzer, Mike Wallace and
Sprague.
The race featured a piece of NASCAR history as Bruce Driver of
Trenton, N.J., gained a provisional spot in the field and became
the first black to drive in the 5-year-old series. He started 35th
and finished 27th, four laps behind.
Adam Petty also made his first career start in the series. The
fourth-generation driver started 25th in a Dodge and wound up an
impressive 10th.
Biffle became the fifth winner in as many truck series races at
Richmond since the series began in 1995, and the second to win a
rain-shortened event. Skinner won here in 1996 when Hurricane Fran
ended the race after 124 laps.
The race featured 17 lead changes among seven drivers and nine
cautions.
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