Musgrave fends off Wood to win NASCAR truck race

MILLINGTON, Tenn. -- Ted Musgrave raced close to the lead, then shoved his way past Jon Wood with 14 laps remaining to win NASCAR truck series race Saturday at Memphis Motorsports Park.
Driving a Dodge, Musgrave surrendered the lead to the polesitter on the 145th lap around the three-quarter-mile oval. He was content to let Wood set the pace in his Ford.
But Musgrave caught Wood at the line to begin lap 187 and looked for passing room both high and low -- moves the leader blocked entering the first turn. The trucks touched briefly and slid sideways before Musgrave recovered to take the advantage in Turn 2.
Lapped traffic allowed defending O'Reilly 200 winner Travis Kvapil to close dramatically on Musgrave over the final two laps. But the charge fell short by a truck-length at the checkered flag.
Musgrave averaged a race record 86.087 mph and won $46,875. The victory was his second this season and 12th on the Craftsman Truck circuit. The win was a record-tying 28th for Ultra Motorsports team owner Jim Smith, matching the mark of Roush Racing -- Wood's team owner.
Smith is the only owner to have fielded a truck in each of the series' 200 races.
"The 50 truck (Wood) was really good," Musgrave said. "I broke a sweat there. He blocked low, then high and we hooked a little bit. That's short-track racing. I'd do the same thing."
Finishing third behind Kvapil's Chevrolet was Dennis Setzer, whose Chevy was forced to start at the rear of the 36-truck field because of a prerace engine change. Wood wound up fourth, one position ahead of his Roush teammate, rookie Carl Edwards.
Jason Leffler, points leader Bobby Hamilton, Brendan Gaughan, Terry Cook and Matt Crafton completed the top 10.