Reigning series champion Travis Kvapil (No. 24 Line-X Toyota) took the series points lead from Daytona winner Carl Edwards (No. 99 Superchips Inc. Ford) with his second consecutive top-five finish. Twenty points will cover the top three in the standings when the series reconvenes for the April 17 Kroger 250, the first of two scheduled events at Martinsville Speedway.

Hamilton seemed pleased that Atlanta’s last-lap heroics came down to a shootout with Skinner, a 16-time race winner and 1995 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion who spun across the finish line in a vain attempt to hold onto the lead. The pair are among the most veteran drivers on the series, which this year boasts three former champions in competition for the first time – Skinner, Kvapil and Jack Sprague (No. 16 Chevy Trucks Chevrolet).

“[Skinner is] a great competitor he’ll bring a lot of finishes like that to the table,” said Hamilton.

- Atlanta TV ratings show increase.. SPEED Channel’s .9 rating for the inaugural event at Atlanta Motor Speedway, showed a 50 percent gain over that of last year’s Darlington race, which was run the comparable weekend. Nielsen Media Research figures also show boosts in households (58%) and viewers (61%).

- Vets weren’t only drivers to excel in Georgia  ... Two Raybestos Rookie of the Year contenders, David Reutimann (No. 17 NTN Bearings Toyota) and Robert Huffman (No. 12 Toyota Tundra Toyota), combined for a series record when the Atlanta field was set March 12. Qualifying marked the first time that official rookie candidates occupied the first two positions. Reutimann, who led twice and finished third, became the quickest first-year driver to win a Bud Pole. He accomplished the feat in his second start – one fewer than Greg Biffle needed in 1998.

-  More NASCAR NEXTEL Cup stars will drive trucks … General Motors announced last week that selected members of NASCAR’s premier circuit, paired with musical performers, will challenge NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series regulars in seven combination events later this year. The Chevrolet Silverado AllStars program kicks off May 21 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway when Michael Waltrip drives the No. 47 Morgan-Dollar Racing ACXIOM Chevrolet in the Tailgate 250. His musical partner will be Sheryl Crow. Robby Gordon, Tony Stewart, Ricky Craven, Bobby Labonte, Ward Burton and a driver to be named also will get a seat in the Silverado.

- Etc. … The first two races of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season have been decided by .471-second – about three truck lengths. … Kvapil’s fourth-place finish marked the 24th consecutive time the 2003 champion has logged a lead lap finish on a superspeedway, a continuing record. … Dennis Setzer’s (No. 46 Chevrolet Silverado Chevrolet) 11th-place finish ended a 21-race streak of top-10 finishes, three short of Sprague’s series record. … Atlanta’s race distance was extended three laps by a late caution flag marking the 39th time in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history that the green-white-checker shootout has come into play.

- “Those guys were going at it tooth and nail and neither one of them was going to give an inch and they were beating and banging. It was a great finish and I had the best seat in the house.” – David Reutimann.