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Bodine takes trucks win

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The Associated Press

The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 6, 2009

FORT WORTH, Texas - Todd Bodine bypassed a chance to refuel on the final pit stop Friday night, and still had enough to win the fastest NASCAR Truck Series race ever at Texas.

Bodine became the winningest driver for any series at Texas, winning his fifth truck race at the 1 1/2 -mile, high-banked track.

In a race with only two cautions, Bodine won with an average speed of 152.282 mph. He finished 1.32 seconds ahead of Matt Crafton, who took the season points lead from Ron Hornaday Jr. Colin Braun was a distant third, 10.3 seconds back.

STEWART GETS POLE: Rain didn't entirely spoil Tony Stewart's week.

He will start Sunday's Pocono 500 in Long Pond, Pa., from the pole after a downpour Friday washed out qualifying for Stewart's first race since he catapulted to the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings this season.

Stewart earned a nice consolation prize after his charity race was rained out earlier this week.

Still, Smoke is on a roll in his first season as an owner and driver.

"It has been a honeymoon to this point," Stewart said Friday. "I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can."

Jeff Gordon and his achy back will start second. The four-time Cup champion said he'll be OK for Sunday's race at the "Tricky Triangle," though he does need about an hour of treatment each day to ease the pain he has felt for more than a year. He has decided to avoid surgery for now.

Jimmie Johnson, Kurt Busch and Ryan Newman round out the top five in a Pocono lineup set on the point standings.

They're all looking up at Stewart, who's fashioned a surprising run for a third career Cup title in his inaugural season with Stewart Haas Racing.

"I still think Tony is crazy for starting up his own team, but he's doing a great job with it," said Johnson, who nipped Stewart to win last week at Dover.

NASCAR COUNTERSUES MAYFIELD: NASCAR has filed a countersuit in federal court against driver Jeremy Mayfield and denied each of the suspended driver's arguments why his failed drug test should be overturned.

NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston, speaking Friday from Pocono Raceway, says the countersuit was filed against Mayfield for willfully violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy, breach of contract, and defrauding NASCAR and its competitors of earnings.

FRANCHITTI EARNS POLE: Dario Franchitti earned his first IndyCar Series pole of the season, for tonight's race at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas.

Franchitti got the pole with an average speed of 214.513 mph on his four-lap qualifying run Friday. Team Penske driver Ryan Briscoe will start on the front row for the third straight week at 214.413 mph, ahead of defending race champion Scott Dixon and Indianapolis winner Helio Castroneves, another Penske driver.

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