WEST ALLIS, Wis. (AP) – Dennis Setzer led the final 55 laps to become the 10th different NASCAR Craftsman Truck series winner at The Milwaukee Mile, and took the points lead with his victory Friday night.

Setzer, who started his Chevrolet from the third position on the grid, totally dominated the Toyota Tundra 200 after taking the lead from polesitter Jack Sprague on the 44th lap. Setzer gave up the lead just twice during pit stops and beat Sprague by 3.993 seconds for his second consecutive victory.

The winner, whose best previous Milwaukee finish was second in the track’s inaugural 1995 truck race, averaged a record 109.907 mph. There was only one caution for five laps.

“This is just a great team I drive for,” Setzer said of his Morgan-Dollar Motorsports crew. “They are awesome.”

Sprague agreed that the best driver and team won.

“On fresh tires I could catch him a little bit, but he had us beat and everyone else covered,” he said of Setzer.

Defending race champion Ted Musgrave finished third in a Dodge with Ron Hornaday Jr., who won the event in 1997, fourth in a Chevy.

Brendan Gaughan, who won the 2003 race with a then- record average speed of 109.689, was a lap behind in fifth.

Bobby Hamilton, Steve Park, Rick Crawford, rookie Todd Kluever and Terry Cook completed the top 10.

Setzer entered the season’s 11th event trailing Hamilton by five points in the standings, but moved to the lead by 35 over the defending series champion.

There were five lead changes among four drivers with all but Setzer’s lap-44 pass of Sprague coming during pit stops.

Setzer’s 14th series victory was worth $56,950.


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