Rookie Tony Raines registered his first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series victory, winning the $316,384 Western Auto Parts America 200 on Saturday. It was Dodge's first major NASCAR triumph in nearly 20 years.
Raines, a 33-year-old short track veteran from Laporte, Ind., led 149 of the 200 laps around the I-70 Speedway, a 0.543-mile oval, after starting from the outside front row. He took the lead for the final time on lap 108, from pole starter Rich Bickle, and won by 0.584 seconds over veteran Jimmy Hensley, who also drove a Dodge Ram.Dodge's last NASCAR major touring series victory, by the late Neil Bonnett at the old Ontario (Calif.) Motor Speedway, was on Nov. 20, 1977, in a Winston Cup Series event.
Raines, whose best previous finish during the 1997 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series was a seventh, won $29,775 after averaging a record 82.725 for the 108 miles.