CRAFTSMAN TRUCKS

• Skinner wins top spot for truck race

  
  

  Dover, DE (Sports Network) - Mike Skinner captured the pole for Friday's AAA Insurance 200 Craftsman Truck Series race at the Dover International Speedway. The No.5 Toyota Tundra circled the "Monster Mile" in 23.165 seconds (155.407 m.p.h.).

  The pole victory was Skinner's first of the season and series-record 44th of his truck career.

  Last season, Skinner broke the single-season mark for pole wins with 11, but his best start in 2008 was a pair of second-places at California and last week at Mansfield.

  "Anything can happen here at Dover, I just hope we're at the right place at the right time today," said Skinner.

  Starting on the front row with Skinner will be teammate Johnny Benson who posted a time of 23.195 seconds.

  Sprint Cup points leader Kyle "Rowdy" Busch (23.201) and former Formula One driver Scott Speed (23.247) will make up row two. Busch has made five starts in the series collecting two wins and a second place.

  Defending series champion Ron Hornaday Jr. (23.451) will start fifth.

  When we last left the Craftsman Truck Series at the tiny Mansfield Motorsports Park in Ohio, we saw a first-time winner, Donny Lia, head to Victory Lane despite leading just one lap.

  David Starr dominated the 250-lap event leading 170 circuits, but Lia led the most important lap - the final one. In just his eighth truck series start, Lia out-drove 2006 series champion Todd Bodine and veteran David Starr for the win.

  Lia won the 2007 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship and with the victory climbed to 20th in the Craftsman standings.

  "We're just riding with a little momentum," said Lia, who qualified eighth.

  Lia was the second straight "first-time winner" as Matt Crafton won the previous week at the Lowe's Motor Speedway.

  When Hornaday Jr. got involved in an early race incident which resulted in a 35th-place finish, Bodine inherited the lead in the standings, by just eight markers over Rick Crawford, 45 over Crafton, 58 over Benson and 64 over Hornaday Jr. in the best of NASCAR's championship races.

  Today's event is set to drop the green flag at 5 p.m. (et).

  05/30 11:31:35 ET