Movin' on up

Wood comes from back of pack for first win

Results Pos.  Driver  Make  1.  Jon Wood  Ford  2.  Carl Edwards  Ford  3.  Dennis Setzer  Chevrolet  4.  Travis Kvapil  Chevrolet  5.  Robert Pressley  Dodge  For complete results, click here.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) -- Jon Wood was forced to start from the back but still earned his first victory in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday, winning the O'Reilly Auto Parts 250 at Kansas Speedway.

In the process, he earned a little more recognition for a Democratic presidential candidate.

Wood, sporting a two-race sponsorship from Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla., qualified third on the 11/2-mile tri-oval but had to start from the back because he changed engines after qualifying.

"I know I passed every truck at least five times," Wood said. The race tied a track record with eight lead changes and set a track record with seven cautions.

The points standings were shaken up as well, when Travis Kvapil finished fourth and took over the points lead from Brendan Gaughan by six points. Gaughan was leading in his Dodge at lap 139 when he pitted, giving Wood the lead for good.

It was a one-two finish for Jack Roush Racing, with Wood's teammate Carl Edwards finishing second in his unsponsored truck.

Dennis Setzer was third, his third top-five finish at Kansas Speedway.

"We work as one unit in the shop and as one as a team on the track," said Edwards, a native of Columbia, Mo., about 120 miles east of Kansas Speedway.

Gaughan entered the race with a one-point lead over Bobby Hamilton and Rick Crawford.

He was closing in on leader Ted Musgrave until the fifth caution of the day, but had to return to the pits on lap 75 to fix a dragging bumper bar. He came out in 22nd position and had to fight his way back to the front, finishing ninth.

Gaughan sounded upbeat after the race, saying his crew did everything possible to keep him competitive.

"Problems are a part of racing, and the true test of a championship team is how well you handle adversity," Gaughan said. "My guys did a good job of fixing every problem they could fix today."

Musgrave's Dodge finished fifth.

Hamilton led briefly twice, but faded late and finished 16th. He fell to third in the standings, 30 points behind Kvapil.

Crawford's Ford lost an engine after lap 107. He finished 23rd and fell to fourth in points.

Wood quickly moved to the front of the field after the start and was in the top 10 after 16 laps. He took the lead on lap 29 under caution when he took gas only when the leaders pitted.

"There were a lot of opportunities I had to crash," Wood said. "It was frustrating at the time, but now, it's kind of cool."

Polesitter Chad Chaffin was never a factor in the race and finished 11th.

 

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