BROOKLYN, Mich. — Saturday’s Cool City Customs 200 for the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks kept the crowd — and the drivers — guessing right to the checkered flag.
And then some.
Erik Darnell beat Johnny Benson to the line by fractions of an inch, and .005 second, for the victory, and the three-way battle for third was even closer.
Darnell, who gave owner Jack Roush his second truck series victory in two years here, wasn’t as         enthusiastic as the crowd in the final hundred yards of the race.
“I think the finish was a little more exciting than I wanted it to be,” he said. “I knew that Johnny (Benson) had been racing me clean when he was behind me before and I knew        he wasn’t going to get into me or     anything.”
Benson was in agreement about the dash to the finish.
“It was a drag race to the line and we just got beat,” said Benson, who dived to the inside of the tri-oval to get a momentary lead hold off Darnell. “I think the fans saw a great race.
“I knew I could make a run and get ahead of him, but I just couldn’t stay ahead of him.”
Darnell gave credit to the handling characteristics of the trucks.
“The way you can side-draft with these trucks, especially with the air at a bigger track like Michigan, I knew he was going to be able to suck up to the side of me, pull off and get a run,” Darnell said. “So, I had to do the same thing to him. Fortunately,     I got it right at the start-finish line and was able to beat him by just a      little bit.”
That little bit was enough to qualify as the closest finish under electronic timing in MIS history and the second closest in Craftsman Truck history. Butch Miller beat Mike Skinner by .001 second at Colorado National Speedway in 1995.
In the battle for third, Scott Speed edged Todd Bodine and Brendan Gaughan in another blanket finish.
Adding to the final lap excitement — and almost wiping it out — was Kyle Busch, who punted Ron Hornaday, Jr. into a spin. Hornaday got his truck off the track and kept the green flag flying to the finish.
Hornaday, the series point leader coming into the race, fell to third behind Benson and rookie Scott Speed, who finished third.
The photo-finish scenario came courtesy of a caution period six laps from the end with Darnell leading and Speed running second. The green came out with three laps remaining and Benson was able to get past Speed and pursue Darnell to the finish.