Todd Bodine dominated the Truck Series in 2005 and finished third in points. This year, he was the model of consistency en route to the championship. Credit: Autostock

Bodine finished season leading what counted

Todd Bodine's 2006 Craftsman Truck Series championship was the culmination of two front-running seasons.

Last year Bodine finished third in the point standings, behind champ Ted Musgrave and Dennis Setzer, despite leading the series in wins, top-five finishes and top-10s.

Inside the Numbers Largest Championship Margins Year Champion Pts. 1997 Jack Sprague 232 2000 Greg Biffle 230 2006 Todd Bodine 127 1995 Mike Skinner 126 2001 Jack Sprague 73

This year, however, there was little doubt from the get-go that Bodine was focused on the ultimate prize.

Coming off three consecutive victories to end the 2005 season, Bodine said a record-setting fourth in a row, in the season opener at Daytona, was not the team's first priority.

"We aren't focusing on that at all," he said. "I've come out of [Daytona] 40th and that doesn't help you in the points race."

Instead, he left Daytona with a second-place finish and his assault was in high gear. Bodine assumed the points lead after winning at Gateway in April -- when Toyota trucks finished first through fifth, marking the first time the manufacturer swept the top five since joining the Truck Series in 2004 -- and he never relinquished the grip on the top spot.

Even after two wins, two runner-up finishes and a 12th-place showing in the first five races, Bodine was cautious to openly speak about his championship hopes.

"No, you can't rest on that," Bodine said after his victory at Gateway and ascension to the top of the point standings. "There are too many good trucks here."

Bodine celebratesTodd ends racing family's drought with Truck Series title Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Nonetheless, after the checkered flag flew at Homestead Bodine's 127-point advantage over runner-up Johnny Benson was the largest points differential since 2000, when Greg Biffle routed the competition en route to winning the championship by 230 points over series rookie Kurt Busch.

The title ended a Bodine family drought of more than 25 years as brothers Todd, Geoffrey and Brett chased a NASCAR championship. Todd's title-clinching race was the trio's 1,853rd start.

"For what this family's gone through [in racing] ... it's very special for us," said Bodine, the series' sixth consecutive different champion and seventh in nine seasons. "I told my mom, 'We finally did it.' It's the first time a family member has done something so important.

"You just can't put it into words," Bodine said. "It's just incredible. ... This cements the fact we're champions -- no ifs, ands or buts."

The family had come close to celebrating a championship on several occasions. Brett, now a NASCAR competition executive, finished second in 1986 Busch Series point standings, and Todd was the 1997 Busch Series runner-up. Geoffrey, who won the 1986 Daytona 500, finished third in Cup Series points in 1990.

Prior to 2005 Todd Bodine had only 15 Truck Series starts (none between 199-2003), with two wins, five top-five finishes and 10 top-10s. Last year he led the series with five wins and 12 top-fives and 15 top-10s (tied with Musgrave).

With so much success it's easy to understand why Bodine's approach to the 2006 season was geared toward even more consistency -- even at the cost of victories.

Mark Martin won a series-best six races this year (in only 14 starts) and Benson won five, but it was Bodine's relentless pursuit of consistency that saw him through three victories, 12 top-five finishes and 16 top-10s -- none of which led the series.

What Bodine did lead the series in was average finish: 8.4. His worst finish -- 25th at Atlanta in October -- gave some hope to the challengers but Benson, who had drawn within 84 points, suffered a blown engine a week later at Texas and Bodine was on cruise control during the final two races.

"This team has proven to be a championship-caliber squad," Benson said at Homestead. "We have done all we can do and that is all I can ask. Two mechanical failures late in the season hurt our chances at the championship."

Which recent Truck champ is most likely to repeat in 2007? Todd Bodine Travis Kvapil Jack Sprague Ted Musgrave

Bodine didn't dominate the season's Loop Data but was a solid performer across the board. He ranked second in Driver Rating (104.0), fourth in Laps Run Among the Top 15, fourth Early in the Run, 12th Late in a Run, fifth in Speed on the Straightaways and third in Speed in the Turns.

Head scratcher of the year

Ted Musgrave won the 2005 Truck Series championship ... and was looking for a job before Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona in January.

Musgrave weathered a bizarre turn of events in early January when Ultra Motorsports abruptly closed its doors. "It was one of the strangest things I've ever been involved in," he said.

Musgrave wasn't out of work long. He made a call to Germain Racing GM Mike Hillman on Jan. 7 and by Jan. 10 a deal was struck for Musgrave to drive as Todd Bodine's teammate.

Not that anyone noticed, but ...

Truck Series champion Todd Bodine won $604,310 -- for the season.

Brent Sherman, who made only six Cup Series starts and did not have a top-20 finish, won $637,056. In fact, 48 Cup Series drivers made more money than Bodine this year.

If a $1 million bounty can be placed on 11th place in the Cup Series, isn't it about time the Truck Series' champion cashed a seven-figure check for a year's work?

Looking ahead to 2007

TRUCK SERIES •   By the Numbers •   Driver Standings •   Race Results •   Loop Data Stats •   2007 Schedule

• No driver has won consecutive Truck Series titles. Jack Sprague (3) and Ron Hornaday (2) are the only drivers to win multiple championships.

• The average points position for championship winners the season before their title: fourth (not including 1995 champion Mike Skinner (series' first season) and 2002 champ Mike Bliss (one Truck Series start in '01)). David Starr finished fourth in the 2006 point standings.

• The average points position for championship winners the season after their title: fifth (not including 2000 champion Greg Biffle (four starts) or '01 champ Jack Sprague and '02 champ Mike Bliss -- neither of whom made a Truck Series start in the year after their championship).

• David Reutimann, the 2004 Truck Series rookie of the year, will move to the Nextel Cup Series next season to drive the No. 00 Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing. He finished 22nd in his only Cup Series start on Oct. 15, 2005, at Charlotte.

• Travis Kvapil, the 2003 Truck Series champion, will return to the series next season to drive the Roush Racing No. 6 Ford. He drove in the Cup Series for Penske Racing South and PPI Motorsports from 2005-06. Kvapil has five wins, 40 top-five finishes and 64 top-10s in 96 starts in the Truck Series.