Madison, IL (My Sportsbook) - David Starr survived a record four green-white- checker finishes to capture the Ram Tough 200 at the Gateway International Raceway. The No.75 Chevrolet driver crossed the finish line two lengths ahead of runner-up Dennis Setzer.
Starr used the classic Saturday night "bump and run" to move Chad Chaffin out of the way and win his first race of the season and second of his Craftsman career.
"It feels so good," said Starr. "We didn't have the fastest truck today, Bobby Hamilton and Shane Hmiel were faster, but we benefited from their troubles."
But that was not the only fireworks of the evening. On the first restart, Terry Cook spun out and was rammed by Robert Huffman to bring a caution flag. The second restart saw leaders Shane Hmiel and Bobby Hamilton take each other into the outside wall. The two drivers would stay in the race but finish 16th and 17th, respectively.
The third green-white-checker start saw another crash, this time between Andy Houston and Rick Crawford. Crawford's No.14 Ford finished a distant 25th.
Meanwhile the drivers tried to get it right on their fourth attempt to finish the race. Chaffin started first, but Starr was right on his bumper as the drivers made it through the first lap. On the final lap of the race, lap 174, Starr used his front bumper to move Chaffin out of the way and take the checkered flag.
"My car was not good on restarts all night long, but that was a cheap shot," said Chaffin. "I'm not saying I wouldn't have done the same thing, but David is a mirror driver and for him to knock me off the bottom was a real cheap shot. I'm not going to forget it."
Ted Musgrave, Chaffin and Hank Parker Jr. completed the top-five.
Setzer's second-place finish enabled the No.46 Chevrolet driver to expand his lead to 64 points over Hamilton. Carl Edwards is in third place in the championship, 166 points behind the leader.
The next race in the championship, the Line-X Spray-on Truck Bedliners 200 at the Michigan International Speedway, is scheduled for Saturday, July 31st.
