In the third NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race of the 2005 season at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday evening, Toyota drivers Chad Chaffin and Robert Huffman recorded top-10 finishes, and Tundra pilot Mike Skinner led the second most laps.

Chaffin, who started 13th, led the field for 11 laps en route to a seventh-place finish in the No. 30 Germain Toyota/Arnold Development Tundra.  Huffman, driver of the No. 12 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Tundra, crossed the finish line 10th.

Chaffin ran with the leaders throughout the race and took the lead for nine circuits just before the halfway mark.  On his final pit stop in the 130-lap event, Chaffin took on a new set of tires that didn't work as well as he had hoped.  "We had an awesome truck all night long and were able to run up front throughout the race," said Chaffin, following the event.  "On our last stop we took on a set of 'scuffs' (used tires) and after that stop I had some trouble getting enough speed through the corners -- which made it tough to get around some of those other trucks.  The worst we ran all night was at the end of the race after that final stop - and we still managed to stay in the top-10.  Other than that, we were 'flying' around the racetrack all night long -- and I don't mean 'flying' like we did at Daytona." (Chaffin's Tundra flipped through the air several times at Daytona after contact.)

Huffman recorded his second straight top-10 finish in just his third race with Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, despite a slight problem early in the race.  "Right after the start, I got together with Shige (Hattori) and that damaged the right front of my truck -- leaving me with a hole in the front end," said Huffman, after the race.  "We were able to make adjustments during the race, get my Tundra handling much better throughout the night, and come back for a top-10 finish.  This was only my third race with the team and we're still getting used to working together, but we've had two good races in a row.  I think there are more good things for this team down the road."

Following Chaffin and Huffman to the finish line were Tundra drivers Johnny Benson (11th), Todd Bodine (12th) and Brandon Whitt (15th).

Skinner, who started third, was really strong at the start of the race and moved into the lead on the ninth lap.  He kept his No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Tundra in front of the field for 29 laps, before he made contact with the Turn 4 wall and damaged his Tundra on lap 37.  "We were getting ready to pit when we had a problem with the right front tire and I hit the wall pretty good," explained Skinner, who returned to the track after repairs and finished 34th.  "It's unfortunate because we had a really, really good Tundra tonight."

It was a busy Friday for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series at Atlanta, with a pair of practice sessions, as well as qualifying and the race all taking place.  Toyota Tundra drivers topped the speed charts in each of the practice sessions, with Chad Chaffin atop the charts in the first session and Mike Skinner leading the field in the second session.  In qualifying, all nine Tundras qualified among the top-16, with the three Bill Davis Racing teammates -- Skinner (third), Johnny Benson (fourth) and Bill Lester (fifth) - among the five fastest trucks.

In the NCTS championship point standings following the first three races of the 2005 campaign, four Toyota drivers are among the top-15.  Benson is eighth with 401 points and Huffman is 10th (378 points) in the standings.  Behind those two Tundra drivers are Todd Bodine in 13th-place (357 points) and David Reutimann in 15th-place (347 points) in the standings.

The next race on the NCTS schedule is at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway on April 17. 

Toyota Finishing Positions @ Atlanta Motor Speedway

7th, CHAD CHAFFIN, Germain/Arnold Racing, No. 30 Germain Toyota/Arnold Development Tundra
10th, ROBERT HUFFMAN, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, No. 12 Toyota Tundra
11th, JOHNNY BENSON, Bill Davis Racing, No. 23 Toyota Tundra
12th, TODD BODINE, Fiddle Back Racing, No. 66 BowTech Archery Tundra
15th, BRANDON WHITT, Clean Line Motorsports, No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now Tundra
21st, BILL LESTER, Bill Davis Racing, No. 22 Waste Management Tundra
24th, DAVID REUTIMANN, Darrell Waltrip Motorsports, No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra
27th, SHIGE HATTORI, Germain/Arnold Racing, No. 9 AISIN/AISIN AW Tundra
34th, MIKE SKINNER, Bill Davis Racing, No. 5 Toyota Tundra

Toyota Drivers in the NCTS Point Standings - following Atlanta Motor Speedway **

8th, JOHNNY BENSON, No. 23 Toyota Tundra 401 points
10th, ROBERT HUFFMAN, No. 12 Toyota Tundra 378 points
13th, TODD BODINE, No. 66 BowTech Archery Tundra 357 points
15th, DAVID REUTIMANN, No. 17 NTN Bearings Tundra 347 points
17th, CHAD CHAFFIN, No. 30 Germain Toyota/Arnold Development Tundra 330 points
21st, BILL LESTER, No. 22 Waste Management Tundra 296 points
22nd, BRANDON WHITT, No. 38 McMillin Homes/Cure Autism Now Tundra 291 points
30th, MIKE SKINNER, No.   5 Toyota Tundra 263 points
33rd, SHIGE HATTORI, No. 9 AISIN/AISIN AW Tundra 216 points

** Unofficial Point Standings