Rick Crawford hasn't had much to smile about lately after losing ground in the Championship point standings with 14th and 12th place finishes in the last two races. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) » More Photos

Rick Crawford lost some critical ground in the NCTS points race when he finished 14th and 12th in the last two events in his No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford F-150. Crawford has had an up-and-down time at Nashville, where in his first three NCTS races he had two third- and one second-place finish. But since then, his best finish was sixth and he had two runs of 24th or worse.

By now, the fact that Mike Skinner is winless on the season has been well documented. Saturday night, he could well break through in his No. 5 Toyota Tundra. Skinner has led 250 laps over the last three Nashville Truck races, finishing third last year and fourth in 2005. This could be his night to win the coveted Gibson guitar trophy.

“Nashville is a track that really fits my driving style,” said Skinner. “You really roll the center of the corner fast in order to have a shot to win the race. We tested last week in Chicago and worked on different combinations that would help us really get through the center of the corners. I am excited to get to the track and see if it helps us. This team is still in the hunt for the championship. We have to be on our A-game for the last 11 races of the season to have a chance to race for the championship come Homestead.”

Another driver looking to win for the first time at Nashville is 2006 series champion Todd Bodine, who has posted some stout numbers here, posting previous finishes of fifth, eighth and third in his Lumber Liquidators Toyota.

The most intriguing pick for this weekend, though, might well be Ted Musgrave, driver of the Team ASE/Harris Trucking Toyota. On the surface, Musgrave has suffered a difficult season, having last scored a top-10 finish way back in the fifth race of the season at Kansas Speedway. And even though he hasn’t won yet at Nashville, Musgrave has a truly incredible record here, with an average finish of 3.43. In his seven Nashville NCTS starts, Musgrave has finished second three times and third twice, his two other finishes being fourth and eighth. He cannot be discounted.

Red Horse Racing Toyota driver David Starr has one second and two fourth-place finishes here, while Wyler.com Toyota’s Terry Cook and Northern Tool + Equipment Ford driver Erik Darnell both will be looking to improve on their respective best performances here.

All eyes will be on Benson as he goes for his third straight this weekend, but expect a wide-open race on Saturday night, as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series seasons begins to head down the stretch.

ENTRY LIST: Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville

Tom Jensen is the Senior NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com, the former Executive Editor of NASCAR Scene and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. He is the author of “Cheating: The Bad Things Good NASCAR Nextel Cup Racers Do In Pursuit of SPEED,” and has appeared on television and radio shows to discuss NASCAR racing. Jensen is the President of the National Motorsports Press Association. Jensen is the 1997 National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year and has won numerous national and state awards for news reporting, columns and feature writing. The Answer Man is back at SPEEDtv.com. Tom Jensen answers your questions during every race week and looks forward to hearing from you - please e-mail it to