Mike Skinner has the race lead with Clint Bowyer and the rest of the field on his bumper, that's Damon Lusk on the inside. (Nate Mecha/High Sierra Photo)

Here's the latest example of how the 2006 season has been the year of the veteran on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

It's altogether possible that six current or former series champions could wind up among the final top 10 in points following the Nov. 17 finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Four champions currently occupy top-10 spots with Mike Skinner edging into the mix for the first time since the season's second race at California Speedway. Mike Bliss is 11th, 43 points behind Skinner and 65 off Terry Cook, the ninth-ranked driver.

The sixth, of course, will be the 2006 champion since the last three rivals standing - Todd Bodine, Johnny Benson and David Reutimann - haven't won a title.

Consider this statistic: the driver among the top 10 with the fewest series starts is Bodine with 63. The 10 boast a combined 1,729 appearances with 121 victories.

The youngest driver among the top 10 is Reutimann at age 36 years eight months.

You have to go back to Erik Darnell in 13th place to find a non-winner or a competitor under the age of 30.

For Bodine at Phoenix, his magic number is 54 - the net gain in the advantage of 137 points he holds over Benson. Thus, it's possible for Bodine to become just the second driver in series history to wrap up a title before the season's final race.

And that's amazing to say the least considering his three most recent finishes of 14th, 25th and 14th. Bodine led Benson by 113 following the Nov. 7 event at Talladega Superspeedway and extended the advantage with his poorest three-race streak of the year.

Benson, meanwhile, plain ran out of luck - probably because Bodine has sucked the well dry.

He stood to gain big at Atlanta until a driveline failed. Engine issues at Texas Motor Speedway gave Benson his first DNF since Las Vegas in September 2005 and his season's next-to-worst finish of 31st.

"He tried to give it to us," said Benson, "but we can't take it. Now we have to fight for second.

"It's not meant to be, I guess."

Bodine, meanwhile, set a series record by leading the standings after his 19th consecutive event. He broke Hornaday's mark set in 1996.

How firm is Bodine's grip on the championship cup? Pretty strong if history is any indicator.

Bodine holds the second largest lead with two races remaining behind the 290-point advantage enjoyed by 2000 champion Greg Biffle.

Only twice in series history, most recently in 2003, has the two-to-go leader failed to become champion.

Just once has the championship been decided at Phoenix. Skinner clinched the 1995 title after a struggle with Joe Ruttman.

Matt Crafton and Brendan Gaughan can become the series' 14th and 15th $2 million career winners at Phoenix. Crafton has won $1,975,295 with Gaughan next at $1,961,360.

Last year's Casino Arizona 150 paid a winner's purse of $50,850.

Kyle Busch continues pretty close to perfect. His runnerup finish in the Silverado 350K was the sixth top-10 in six starts this year. Busch has completed every possible lap.

Busch is the only one of team owner Billy Ballew's five 2006 drivers to finish in the top 10. Ballew ranks 19th in current owner points after finishing fifth last year.

Friday's fifth-place finish was Hornaday's 80th top five.

Four streaks are on the line during the season's final races. Ted Musgrave is riding a streak of five seasons in which he's won a race and finished second or third in the final standings. Musgrave's last win came at Gateway International Raceway in April 2005. He ranks fourth in the championship chase 97 points behind third-place Reutimann.

Dennis Setzer, meanwhile, has won at least one race in eight consecutive seasons. Nothing has gone right for the veteran, whose best finish this year (and only top-five finish) is second at O'Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis. He hasn't finished out of the top 10 in the championship since 1998.

Setzer took a hard hit in the late going at TMS when his FlexFuel E85 Silverado cut down a tire and slammed almost head-on into the Turn 1 wall. Setzer, happily, emerged unhurt.

Jack Roush's bid to win a second NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series owner championship remains in play heading to Phoenix. Roush's No. 6 Scotts Ford, shared by Mark Martin and David Ragan, is only 140 points behind owner leader Stephen Germain's No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota and three off the No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota of Gail Davis.

Skinner's third-place finish gave Toyota its first NASCAR national touring series title allowing the driver to join Sprague as the only competitor to clinch two championships for a manufacturer. Skinner wrapped up Chevrolet's 1996 title with a win at Richmond International Raceway.

He's the first to clinch manufacturer championships for two truck makers.

"I hoped we contributed a little," said Skinner. "It's so awesome to drive a Toyota. I got it made."