• Recap
• Bleachers

Speed wins AAA Insurance 200

May 31, 2008 - 1:17 AM DOVER, Delaware (Ticker) -- Rookie Scott Speed cruised to his first win in the Craftsman Truck Series on Friday.

In a Toyota Tundra, Speed led the final 51 laps before crossing the finish line with an average speed of 100.279 miles per hour to win the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover International Speedway.

In just his fifth race, the 25-year-old from Manteca, California - who spent two years on the Formula One circuit - now has posted three top-10 finishes.

"We had a good strategy and an awesome truck, and we got everything we could out of it," Speed said. "The learning curve I've had has been amazing. Every time I go out on the track, I feel I come away with a lot of knowledge."

It was the third straight Trucks race in which a driver made his initial foray into the victory circle. Rookie Donny Lia won last Saturday's Ohio 250, while Matt Crafton won the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 on May 16 after a nine-year wait.

"I'm just having an awesome time trying to learn this sport," Speed said.

Speed's winning margin of 3.38 seconds came over Jack Sprague and Kevin Harvick Inc. teammate Ron Hornaday Jr., who finished second and third, respectively, in Chevrolet Silverados.

Sprague and Hornaday felt they had no chance to catch Speed at the end.

"I could barely outrun (Hornaday) with a sour motor," Sprague said.

"I don't know if we broke an (engine) header, but we lost a little bit of power," Hornaday said. "I had to slow down at the finish and let Jack go."

Hornaday, who won this race last year and is the current series points leader, is just a single point ahead of Crafton.

Pole-sitter Mike Skinner, who also qualified first here in 2007, came in seventh in a Toyota.

Crafton finished fifth and Lia came in 17th, both in Chevys.