Mike Skinner (David M. Vaughn Photo)

Mike Skinner lined up on the front row for the start of the Silverado 350 at Texas Motor Speedway and had the fastest Toyota Tundra for much of the event. He spent the majority of his evening battling pole sitter and eventual winner Clint Bowyer and eventually finished in the third position.

After posting the second fastest lap time in the first practice session of the day Thursday, Skinner and the No. 5 team backed up that performance with the fastest speed in the final practice session. Skinner was the 25th of 36 competitors to make his qualifying run Thursday evening. Skinner proved his practice speeds were no fluke with a lap of 185.332 mph, which earned him a spot on the outside of the front row for the start of the Silverado 350.

The green flag waved for the start of the race, and Skinner began losing positions. Though he only fell to fourth, he wasted no time trying to return back to the front. The No. 5 Toyota Tundra stood third on lap 20, despite a loose handling condition that had developed. Skinner moved into second on lap 37 and drove down pit road to the attention of his crew during a caution period several laps later. The four-tire stop included track bar and air pressure adjustments in an effort to tighten the truck.

Skinner lined up second for the restart on lap 50 and overtook the lead shortly after the restart. He communicated to Crew chief Jeff Hensley that the changes made to the Tundra had helped, and Skinner retained the lead for the next 44 laps. Hensley called his driver into the pits for the final scheduled stop of the day during a caution period on lap 94, and Skinner returned to the track in third place after the four tire stop. The green flag waved for the restart on lap 101, and Skinner moved into second place several laps later, though he was again battling a loose handling truck. Skinner battled with leader Clint Bowyer in the final stages of the race and at one point was forced into the grass before gathering it up without missing a beat.

Skinner held the fourth spot when a caution flag waved on lap 143, resulting in the eighth green/white/checkered finish of the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season. Skinner maneuvered his Toyota Tundra into third place by the time the checkered flag waved. Skinner's Bill Davis Racing team picked up one spot in the owners' points standings and now stands just 19 points outside the top 10.