Todd Bodine and his Germain Racing team celebrated their title on Sunday night. Credit: Doug Benc/Getty Images for NASCAR

Bodine honored at Truck Series awards banquet

NCTS champion tops $1 million mark for total season winnings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Todd Bodine waited years -- two decades to be exact -- to win a NASCAR national touring series championship.

	ALSO •   Top Stories •   Top Finishes •   Top Moments •   Honors •   By the Numbers • Top Paint Schemes First-time champTodd Bodine celebrates his 2006 Truck Series title Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Now he's done it and in the process the 42-year-old Bodine of Chemung, N.Y., set a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series single-season winnings record.

Bodine, driver of the No. 30 Toyota, Germain Racing co-owners Bob, Steve and Rick Germain and crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. celebrated their 2006 Truck Series championship on Sunday evening at Walt Disney World's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.

Bodine celebrated his championship with his older brothers Geoff and Brett -- who also had extensive NASCAR racing careers -- present along with 524 other guests in the Grand Floridian Ballroom.

The event, which lasted nearly four hours, honored the championship team, the top-10 drivers in the Truck Series standings, rookie the year Erik Darnell, manufacturers' champion Toyota and various other award winners.

Bodine and his team's haul -- $1,046,680 -- represents the most lucrative season in Craftsman Truck Series history. Broken down, Bodine had race winnings of $604,310 and received a NASCAR/Craftsman point fund of $345,120 and manufacturer and special awards of an additional $97,250.

In the latter category, Bodine won the $25,000 Goodyear Tire Award, $11,000 Sunoco Diamond Performance Award, $10,000 Mobil 1 Command Performance Award and $15,000 Toyota Award to co-owner Steve Germain.

The team's grand total broke the 2000 winnings record of Greg Biffle -- the only previous competitor to win $1 million in a season -- of $1,002,510.

The series' 12th season produced a record point fund and award distribution of $2,031,600. And, for the first time in series history, 10 drivers won more than a half-million dollars a single season. Runner-up championship finisher Johnny Benson wound up second on the 2006 money list with $770,157 that included a point fund of $163,931 and the $10,000 Checkers/Rally's Double Driver Thru Challenge Award.

Benson, a former Busch Series champion, also was named the series' Most Popular Driver. He is the 11th different recipient of the award voted by NASCAR's membership.

Also presented during Sunday's ceremonies was the $10,000 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award to Darnell of Beach Park, Ill. At age 23 he is the second-youngest to claim freshman honors. Darnell is the fifth Roush Racing competitor to achieve rookie of the year status.

• Todd Bodine's winnings include $15,000 Toyota Award to Stephen Germain, $25,000 Goodyear Tire Award, $10,000 Mobil 1 Command Performance Award and $11,000 Sunoco Diamond Performance Award.

• Johnny Benson's winnings include $10,000 Checkers/Rally's Double Drive Thru Challenge Award.

• Jack Sprague's winnings include $10,000 Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award.

• Ron Hornaday Jr.'s winnings include $15,000 GM Award to DeLana Harvick.

• Terry Cook's winnings include $15,000 Ford Award to Greg Pollex.

• Mike Skinner's winnings include $10,000 Budweiser Pole Award and $10,000 WIX Filters Lap Leader Award.

• Erik Darnell's winnings include $10,000 Raybestos Rookie of the Year Award.

• Brendan Gaughan's winnings include $15,000 Dodge Award to Michael Gaughan.

• Mark Martin's winnings include $10,000 Clevite Engine Builder of the Year.

The banquet will televised by SPEED Channel at 9 p.m. ET on Dec. 29.