At a track that is notoriously hard on younger, less experienced drivers, the rain delayed Darlingtonraceway.com 200 promised to be one of the more interesting races of the season, and it did not disappoint. Bold moves by young drivers and veterans alike made for an edge of your seat race that culminated in a finish that was nothing short of spectacular.

Stunt man turned racecar driver Stanton Barrett led the field as the pace car pulled off and the green flag waved on the 147-lap event. Johnny Sauter passed him on lap 16, only to lose the lead to Todd Bodine who charged into the lead from a starting position of 13th. As the leaders battled for position, an assortment of mechanical problems forced several drivers into the garage.

The first caution flew on lap 27 when Michael Waltrip cut a tire and scraped the wall, triggering a chain reaction that sent several cars to the garage. Both Kerry Earnhardt and David Green, who would have inherited the points lead from part time Busch driver Kevin Harvick were severely damaged. The leaders all came down pit road, where Todd Bodine's crew posted the first of two impressive stops that allowed him to maintain his lead.

On lap 37, the yellow flag waved again when the #44 car of Mike Harmon slid up into the #22 of Regan Smith. Smith recovered from the contact, but Harmon spun across the track and into the inside wall. Just two laps into the restart, Jamie McMurray made contact with former Craftsman Truck Series champion Mike Bliss, who hit the turn 3 wall hard. After another short green flag run, Tim Sauter cut a tire and spun down across the track, bringing out the 4th caution of the day on lap 62. Again, the leaders headed to the pits, and again Bodine's crew got him out in front of the rest of the field.

As the race wound down after a long green flag stretch, pit strategy came into play when Stacy Compton opted to remain on the track as the rest of the leaders cycled through final pit stops with 22 laps remaining. At first, it looked as though his gamble would pay off, as the second and third place cars of Bodine and McMurray fought their way through traffic more than half a lap behind the leader, but the fresher tires proved to be too much for Compton. In a daring, three wide pass, both Bodine and McMurray passed Compton with only 3 laps to go. Compton lost one more position, to Scott Riggs, and crossed the finish line 4th.

McMurray struggled to pass Bodine as the race drew to a close, making a move to the outside as Bodine got loose in turn 3. In a scene remarkably similar to the final lap of Sunday's Winston Cup finish, the pair rounded the final turn side by side. McMurray's rear tire blew just yards from the finish line and he spun down across the track as Bodine hit the wall and fought to maintain control to take the win. McMurray finished second, sliding across the finish line, still half-sideways. Riggs, Compton, and Johnny Sauter followed to round out the top 5.

Unofficial Results

• 1. Todd Bodine
• 2. Jamie McMurray
• 3. Scott Riggs
• 4. Stacy Compton
• 5. Johnny Sauter
• 6. Hank Parker, Jr.
• 7. Brian Vickers
• 8. Kasey Kahne
• 9. Ron Hornaday
• 10. Jason Keller

Unofficial Points Standings

• 1. Todd Bodine
• 2. Jamie McMurray -37
• 3. Jason Keller -80
• 4. Johnny Sauter -105
• 5. David Green -112
• 6. Kasey Kahne -112
• 7. Kevin Harvick -127
• 8. Scott Wimmer -136
• 9. Kevin Grubb -150
• 10. Bobby Hamilton Jr.-153