Avondale, Ariz. ? Kevin Harvick held off Ted Musgrave for a victory in the NASCAR truck event Friday at Phoenix International Raceway, and the close season points race became even tighter.

Musgrave’s runner-up finish in the Silverado 150, combined with a 12th-place finish by Craftsman Truck series leader Brendan Gaughan and a third-place run by Travis Kvapil, moved Musgrave to second in the standings.

Gaughan’s lead was cut from 45 points over Kvapil coming into Friday’s race to just 26 over Musgrave with only the season finale Nov. 14 in Homestead, Fla., remaining.

Kvapil fell to third and now trails by 34 points. He’s just five points ahead of Dennis Setzer, who was third Friday.

“I’m really happy to win and I’m really happy that I didn’t do anything to mess up the points race,” said Harvick, who led 80 of the 150 laps — including the final 49 — on the one-mile oval.

Losing to Harvick — a Winston Cup regular driving in only his sixth truck race of the season — by about two car-lengths cost Musgrave five points.

“Last year, Kevin won it and I was second, and this year, same result,” Musgrave said. “But that was a lot of fun. We came across the finish line side-by-side a bunch of times.”

Gaughan ran as high as second before an engine problem slowed him down near the end, costing him several points.

Harvick also will compete in today in the Busch Series, and his regular ride Sunday in the Checker Auto Parts 500 will give him three for the weekend.