Mike Skinner and the No. 5 team continued their mission to get back into the top 10 in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points race Friday night at Phoenix International Raceway. The team has not finished outside the top 10 since August and has proven to its competition it is a team to be reckoned with.

The team spent the first practice session trying to dial in the No. 5 Toyota Tundra. Skinner explained to the team that the truck was not turning in the corners, and he had a hard time getting back to the gas. Crew chief Jeff Hensley and the team tried to find the appropriate balance, and by the end of practice, the team sat atop the leader board. The team expected another strong performance in the race.

Skinner was the 14th driver to make his qualifying attempt. With his lap of 27.521, it appeared the series leader in pole positions would win yet another pole. However, it was Skinner's Bill Davis Racing teammate Johnny Benson who knocked him from the pole and into the second position.

The all-BDR front row staged a spirited battle from the very beginning of the race. Benson lost control in turn three of the first lap, and Skinner took the lead. He continued to lead the 36-truck field until the third caution period, which occurred on lap 34.

During the caution, Skinner communicated to his team that the truck's handling was tight in the middle and loose off the corners. The crew performed a four-tire stop with track bar adjustment on lap 35. Skinner restarted third on lap 39.

On lap 41, Skinner reported that the truck was shoving the nose and still was very loose off the corners. The ill-handling truck cost Skinner valuable track position, and he found himself in the fourth position nearly 40 laps later. At this point, he said the truck was getting free on the track, and he needed a little adjustment on the final pit stop of the night. That final pit stop happened on lap 99, during which time the crew changed four tires and made track bar and air pressure adjustments before returning Skinner to the track in third place.

Skinner held off a late charge by Todd Bodine to bring his Tundra home in the third spot. It was the team's eighth consecutive top-10 finish. The finish returned the team to the top 10 in both the series drivers' and owners' standings.