Bodine, Skinner put last year's crash behind them (cont'd)

"Nashville is an important race to us because Toyota is big there," he said. "We always have a ton of Toyota employees show up and we hope we can put on another great show this year."

This time around, things are different for Bodine and Skinner and if the two find themselves up front battling for the lead in the closing laps, expect a little more give-and-take.

Skinner has had a phenomenal season, leading a lap in all 14 races; he's visited Victory Lane four times and finished in the top 10 in all but one race. With all that success, he still only finds himself 77 points ahead of second-place Ron Hornaday. Despite being the all time lap leader at Nashville, Skinner has no wins to show for it and an average finish of 10.3, something he knows he can improve on this week.

"I love going to Nashville. It is a very exciting place for us to race," Skinner said. "The racetrack and the fans treat us great there. Last year we ran well, even though the finish was not so good. I am looking forward to racing there again this year, hopefully with a different outcome though."

For Bodine, with 10 races left in the '07 season, now is the time to mount a string of good finishes.

Currently third in the points standings, 246 behind Skinner, time is running out on the defending Truck Series champion to add a second consecutive title to his resume.

"We've come close, we came close last year and got into it with Skinner late in the race and missed winning," Bodine said. "I've always run well there, and I've done well in testing at Nashville. It's just been a good track for me and I hope we can turn that into a win this year."

Like Skinner, Bodine has been impressive at the 1.333-mile track. He's had the lead in both races and finished in the top 10 in both as well, yet that first win at the track has eluded him.

But Bodine knows he can win here and the motivation of winning in front of his manufacturer's employees is once again a driving force.

"We had a shot in the [No. 30] Tundra last year and we hope we get that same shot this year. We'd love to be the winner in front of the big Toyota crowd."