• Dennis Setzer holds a 59 point lead in the NCTS championship standings
• Setzer is only four-time NCTS winner this season - Michigan, Milwaukee, Kentucky and IRP
• Chevrolet sits atop the NCTS manufacturer championship chase with 128 points and nine wins
• Ron Hornaday and Jack Sprague each have one victory in 2005 - Atlanta and Texas respectively
• Jack Sprague holds virtually every NCTS record at 1.5 mile Nevada track

"Luck" is the word that is synonymous with the city of Las Vegas and the state of Nevada and is applied in a variety of connotations in stories surrounding the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) annual visit to Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS).

But Dennis Setzer, current NCTS points leader, knows that the "luck" he and his No. 46 Morgan-Dollar Motorsports Chevrolet Silverado team is going to be the result of preparation meeting opportunity.  As the Newton, NC native continues his methodical march toward his first championship, preparing and focusing on one race at a time will give his Eric Phillips-led team just such opportunities. In six previous LVMS starts, Setzer has three top-five and five top-10 finishes.

"We had a great run in New Hampshire," said Setzer following his exciting runner-up finish.  "Our approach to that race is the same approach we are using for Las Vegas - focus on the race at hand and race to win. It has been successful for us this season and it is what is going to continue our success in these last six races.

"We have great support from Chevrolet Silverado.  We want to reward all they have done for our Morgan-Dollar organization with as many race wins as possible and hopefully a championship.  Our RCR engines have been incredible this year. We have all the ingredients - it is up to us to make our own luck by doing exactly what we have been doing. With six races left in the season, we have to maintain our focus and teamwork."

When you look up the various NCTS records at LVMS, the name you most prominently see as the holder of the benchmark is Jack Sprague, driver of the No. 16 Chevy Trucks Silverado. His two wins, three second-place finishes, six top-five finishes, six top-10 finishes and three poles in seven previous NCTS starts are all Series' records.  He has never started out of the top-ten and has led the most NCTS laps and miles - 298 and 447 respectively. He's also led most races (five), won the most money ($317,165) and completed the most laps/miles (919/1,378.5).

"I just love the place," said Sprague. "It is a superspeedway but is much flatter than the other 1.5-mile tracks we run like Texas and Charlotte.  That makes the track more technical from a driver standpoint.  Truck setup is so critical as it always is, but you have to have the drive off the corner to take advantage of the straightaways.  There are multiple grooves for passing but you need a strong truck to get good position on someone and complete the pass.  Our Silverado is up to the task, but in the NCTS, there are 12 or so others who have the same thing in mind.  It will be a great race."

Don't count out fellow Team Silverado drivers David Starr and Ron Hornaday from a trip to victory lane.  Starr got his first-ever series win in 2002 at LVMS and has wins in NASCAR West competition at the track as well.

Two-time NCTS champion Hornaday has four previous starts at LVMS.  He scored three top-five and four top-10 finishes. In a great battle with Sprague in 1998, the California native clinched his second NCTS championship. Currently sitting third in the point standings, Hornaday is poised to make a hard charge for the win at 'Vegas and continue his push for a third title as the season winds down.

"Our teams are looking forward to Las Vegas," said Dayne Pierantoni, GM Racing Silverado program manager. "After a string of predominantly short tracks it will be good to get back to a speedway.  Vegas requires the whole package engine, aero, chassis and driver.  Our teams have worked hard all year.  We are still chipping away at the wind tunnel, our chassis engineering program is coming along and our engines have been really strong lately.  But, so has everyone else.  This series gets tougher every week.  Everyone has elevated their programs across the board.  These next few races will determine the outcome of the championship.  Its crunch time!  I think that Dennis Setzer and his Morgan-Dollar Silverado have shown the speed week in and week out and Ron Hornaday keeps beating on the door.  We are expecting a hard fought battle from here all the way through Homestead."