DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Todd Bodine held off Kyle Busch to win the opening NASCAR truck race of the season at Daytona International Speedway last night.
Bodine became the first repeat winner in the event's 10-year history, fending off a pair of last-lap moves by Busch to take the 250-mile race by a few lengths. The victory was the fourth straight win by Bodine's No. 30
Busch, who won three truck races while running a part-time schedule last year, tried to dip below Bodine on the final lap but couldn't find any room to squeeze past.
Defending series champion Johnny Benson finished 26th after getting caught in a nine-truck pileup about halfway through. Ron Hornaday, a close second to Benson in the points race last year, was fifth.
Bodine came to Daytona hoping a good showing would help his financially strapped team. He celebrated afterward by shouting to his team, "We're going to California" for the series' next event next Saturday.
The race looked familiar to Busch, who tried - and failed - to slip past Bodine on the final lap in the same race a year ago.
"I guess I'm just an idiot on those last-lap passes," Busch said. "I just can't seem to time it right."
