THIS RACE:  This will be the ninth NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  There will be eight Tundras in the field at Las Vegas -- the 20th NCTS race of the 2005 NCTS season.

RECENT RACE:  In the most recent NCTS race at New Hampshire International Speedway (Sept. 17), Toyota driver Chad Chaffin recorded the best finish among Tundra drivers when he crossed the finish line ninth.  Two other Toyota racers had strong performances at New Hampshire.  Mike Skinner started seventh and led 47 laps early in the race before handling problems hindered his efforts, and Todd Bodine was heading for a fifth-place finish when he was tapped from behind and spun on the final lap.

LAST YEAR HERE:  Three Tundra drivers finished among the top-10 in last year's race at Las Vegas.  Todd Bodine was the race runner-up when he crossed the finish line one second behind race-winner Shane Hmiel.  Following Bodine to the checkered flag were Bill Davis Racing teammates Johnny Benson (fourth) and Mike Skinner (sixth).  Both Skinner (32 laps) and Bodine (28 laps) led the field in last year's Las Vegas race.

RECORD RUN:  Mike Skinner set a track qualifying mark en route to capturing the NCTS pole position at Las Vegas in 2004.  The Daytona Beach, Fla.-driver circled the Las Vegas oval in 32.664 seconds (165.320 MPH).

POINTS PACE:  After the first 19 races of 2005, four Toyota Tundra drivers are among the top-15 in the NCTS championship point standings.  Mike Skinnner sits fifth in the championship standings with 2,472 points, just 284 points behind leader Dennis Setzer.  Following Skinner in the standings are Todd Bodine (2,403 points) in seventh-place, David Reutimann (2,366 points) in eighth-place, and Johnny Benson (2,245 points) in 14th-place.

HIGH FIVE:  Toyota drivers have registered five wins in 2005, and Toyota has nine NCTS victories since the beginning of the 2004 season.  Along with Mike Skinner's wins at Richmond (Sept. 8) and Bristol (Aug. 24), other Tundra race-winners this year include Brandon Whitt at Memphis (July 23) and David Reutimann at Nashville (Aug. 13).  Toyota's first win of the 2005 campaign came at Kansas (July 2) when Todd Bodine guided his No. 30 Germain Racing Tundra to 'Victory Lane.'

TRACKING TODD IN VEGAS:  Along with finishing second in his NCTS debut a Las Vegas one year ago, Todd Bodine has recorded several other outstanding performances at the track.  He captured the checkered flag at Las Vegas in the 2001 Busch Series race at the track, leading 104 laps en route to the win.  In addition, the veteran racer captured the pole position for the 2002 NASCAR Cup series race at the track -- and has one top-five finish (2001) in three career Cup starts at the Nevada track.

BENSON'S BEST:  Johnny Benson's fourth-place finish in last year's NCTS race was the best career finish for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-native at the Las Vegas circuit.  In addition to his one NCTS race at Las Vegas, Benson has also made seven NASCAR Cup starts and two Busch Series starts at the track.  Along with his fourth-place finish in last year's NCTS race, Benson finished fourth in the Cup race at Las Vegas in 1998 and 2001.

SKINNER'S STORY:  Mike Skinner has made three NCTS starts at Las Vegas.  A year ago, he guided his Bill Davis Racing Tundra to a sixth-place finish at the track -- his best NCTS result.  He also recorded another top-10 finish when he was seventh in the 1996 NCTS race.  In his only other NCTS start at the circuit, Skinner retired early from the 1997 race with mechanical problems.

NO. 5 DEBUT:  Mike Skinner, who joined the Bill Davis Racing team at Richmond last season, debuted a new number on his Tundra at Las Vegas in 2004.  Skinner, who had used the No. 42, began driving the No. 5 Toyota Tundra at Las Vegas last season.  "I liked the No. 42, but I also like the No. 5," says Skinner.  "I've had a lot of success racing with the No. 5.  I won a couple of championships driving cars with the No. 5 on them -- a dirt track title in Susanville (Calif.) and a Late Model championship at Caraway (NC) Speedway.  So, I've had some success with that number.  Hopefully, I'll have that number until the end of my career."

LEADER OF THE PACK:  In the four most recent NCTS races -- at Bristol, Nashville, Richmond and New Hampshire -- Mike Skinner has led 455 of 751 total laps (61%).  In the most recent race at New Hampshire, the veteran driver led 47 laps.  Skinner also led 120 laps (of 201) at Richmond, 190 laps (of 200) at Bristol, and 98 laps (of 150) at Nashville.

PLENTY OF POLES:  Since the beginning of the 2004 NCTS season, Toyota drivers have started races from the pole position 13 times.  Last year, Tundra drivers captured the pole position five times and this year Toyota racers have had eight poles.  David Reutimann (Bristol) and Brandon Whitt (Memphis) have each registered the first pole positions of their NCTS careers this season.  Along with the two first-time pole-winners, teammates Mike Skinner (California, Texas, Charlotte and Nashville) and Bill Lester (Kansas and Kentucky) at Bill Davis Racing have combined for six Toyota poles in 2005.

NEW VIEW:  Red Horse Racing co-owner Jeff Hammond has proved to be a valuable addition to the race team. "Jeff's been great asset to the team," says Brandon Whitt, driver of the No. 38 Red Horse Racing Tundra.  "Any time you add somebody like Jeff -- with his knowledge and experience around the racing environment -- it's just unbelievable," says Whitt.  "Any time I have a question I can go to him and he'll have an answer or make a suggestion.  It's great to have somebody like him around."

ROLLER COASTER:  "In racing, you have to understand that there are going to be ups and downs," says Todd Bodine, driver of the No. 30 Germain Racing Tundra.  "There's only one winner every week, and everybody else is a loser.  Second-place is really just the first loser.  You have to understand that you're not going to have a perfect truck every week, and you're not going to win every week.  You have to get the best finish you can, and try to get the most points possible every race."

DRIVER DEBUT:  Joey Miller will make his NCTS debut at Las Vegas in the No. 12 Darrell Waltrip Motorsports Toyota Tundra.  Miller, 20, has four ARCA wins this season and is currently second in the ARCA point standings.

DRIVER DEBUT:  "It really is a dream come true to be able to make my very first NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series start with a top team," says Miller.  "I'm excited that Darrell Waltrip Motorsports and Toyota is allowing me to be part of their program.  Toyota had a successful first year and they've picked up steam during the second half of this season. I'm glad to have a shot at running a truck after being successful in ARCA this year."