The famed Gibson guitar award won by Johnny Benson in 2006. (David M. Vaughn Photo)

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series returns to action after a week off, and the teams and drivers head to Nashville Superspeedway for one of the most unique challenges they face all season long. The 1.33-mile tri-oval seems routine enough, but the concrete racing surface offers up a narrow groove and an ultra-slick surface outside that groove that often leads to problems.

Last year it came down to a shootout between Todd Bodine and Mike Skinner, and when they started bumping one another on the last lap it opened the door for Johnny Benson to celebrate with the Gibson guitar on victory lane.

Here are our driver capsules for the Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway:

Josh Wise, No. 00 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota: Wise has started to catch on to racing with a roof. He finished second in the ARCA race at Pocono and for the first time truly looked like a threat to win. The competition is much more steep in the Truck Series, but added experience and driver comfort should allow this combination to move from a top-20 contender to a top-10 contender.

David Green, No. 1 RFMS/Red Horse Racing Toyota: Green came out of his first Truck Series short track start in a decade with a respectable 15th-place finish at ORP. Toyota really flexes its muscles on intermediate tracks, and Green is a former Busch Series winner at Nashville. However, other than the win and a second-place result in the two Busch races in 2003, Green hasn't finished in single digits in any other event at NSS. He was 11th in the Busch race there in June.

Mike Bliss, No. 4 Dodge Motorsports/Open Joist Dodge: Bliss has finished in the top ten in more than half of his starts this season. Remarkably, he's managed to rack up top tens for all three of the teams he's driven for in 2007. In his last five starts, his worst finish is 11th, that coming last time out at Indianapolis. His average finish over that span is 7.6, and he should continue that streak on this weekend at Nashville. Bliss is also a former winner at NSS, starting from the pole and winning the race in 2002.

Mike Skinner (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Mike Skinner, No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota: Skinner once seemed like he was going to finish in the top ten in every race in 2007, but that streak came to an end with an uncharacteristic 20th at ORP. He's still averaging a 4.7 finish throughout the year, and amazingly only has just that ORP result as his only finish lower than eighth all season long. The results say he finished 17th at NSS last year but he took the white flag running second. He should be a threat for another top-five this weekend.

Travis Kvapil, K&N Filters Ford: Kvapil has four starts at Nashville and has two top ten finishes - a fifth in 2001 and a ninth in 2003. His last start at the concrete tri-oval was in 2004 when he finished 13th. Kvapil has been on a tear lately, racking up eight straight finished of eighth or better with two wins thrown in for good measure. Kvapil and crew will be tough, and could be celebrating their third win on Saturday night.

Jason White, No. 7 Hooters Energy Drink Dodge: White's crew chief Barry Dodson said all of the work to make the switch to Dodge was well worth it for the technical support alone. White has faced a steep learning curve and that manufacturer support will help him shorten that curve considerably. This team can concentrate on race setups in practice and that should help them here too.

Tim Sauter (Ronda Greer Photo)

Tim Sauter, No. 07 Lester Buildings Chevrolet: Sauter's team has turned the corner and is showing some strength on all types of tracks. The only thing they are lacking is that little bit of racing luck. It seems if there is any bit of race strategy involved, an ill-time caution goes against this team and ruins their chance for a top ten. With a little luck on their side, this team could get that first top ten finish this week.

Blake Bjorklund, No. 8 Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ Chevrolet: More engine troubles sidelined Bjorklund at Indianapolis, giving this team their fifth consecutive finish outside the top 20. Completing all the laps with no problems would go a long way to getting their season back on track.

Chad McCumbee, No. 08 TheGPSStore.com/Garmin Chevrolet: McCumbee stunned everyone qualifying on the front row at Nashville last year, and he claimed an ARCA win here in April. He finished seventh last summer, and while this team has faced some hardships in 2007 coming back to a track where they ran so well last season will give them some hope for a good finish.

Ted Musgrave (Ronda Greer Photo)

Ted Musgrave, No. 9 Team ASE Toyota: In six previous Nashville starts, Musgrave has never finished lower than fourth. He has three runner-up finishes but is still looking for that first win. Toyota is extremely strong on intermediate tracks, and Musgrave is hungry. Look for them to be near the front in the final 10 laps.

Joey Clanton, No. 09 Zaxby's Ford: Clanton went five starts without a top ten, but finally cracked back in with a seventh-place finish at Kentucky his last time out. This is the first of three straight races in the seat. Look for a competitive run from this team.

David Starr, No. 10 International MaxxForce Diesel Ford: Starr racked up back-to-back top-five finishes in 2003 and 2004, leading 39 laps en route to a second-place finish in '04. Since then, his best finish has been 17th. Starr has been on a consistent streak of top-15 finishes since his fifth-place finish at Texas in June. Look for another top-15 run from this team this weekend.

Willie Allen, No. 13 ThorSport Racing Chevrolet: Allen needs a boost to get over some of the bad luck he's had this season, and racing in front of the home crowd could be it. This team finished eleventh with Kerry Earnhardt last season. Look for Allen to be among the top 15 throughout the day.

Rick Crawford (Ronda Greer Photo)

Rick Crawford, No. 14 Power Stroke Diesel by International Ford: Crawford ended a mini streak of bad luck with a strong finish last time out at ORP. His four finishes of 23rd or worse this season mean he's likely outside the hunt for the championship, but a top-five finish in the standings is still a strong possibility. But Crawford has yet to rack up that first win of the season, and that's what's important for him. He should be strong at Nashville, where he's had three top-three finishes in the past. But he's also finished outside the top 20 in two of his last three starts there.

Bill Lester, No. 15 Billy Ballew Motorsports Chevrolet: Lester has had five top-20s in the last six races, including a season best eighth at Kentucky. But this team is looking for more than that, and Nashville could be the place for it. Lester had a chance at victory snatched away on a late race restart in 2005, but even after nearly crashing ended up seventh. Look for a strong qualifying run and a finish in the front half of the field.

Kenny Hendrick, No. 16 Xpress Motorsports Ford: Hendrick was the pleasant surprise of the ORP race. He was finally given the green light to race all night, and he came home with a respectable 19th-place finish. This team is still light on funds, but if they have a chance to race to the end at Nashville, Hendrick could again rack up a solid top-20 finish.

Ken Schrader (Ronda Greer Photo)

Ken Schrader, No. 18 Fastenal Dodge: BHR has always had a bounce of energy when racing in front of the home crowd, and expect the same this weekend. Schrader doesn't have any previous NCTS starts at Nashville Superspeedway but he'll be up to speed quickly. A top-five run for this team will be extremely popular, and with the way BHR has performed recently it's not outside the realm of possibility.

Jon Wood, No. 21 Wood/jtg Racing Ford: Wood has two top-10 finishes at Nashville, with a seventh in 2003 as his best. He got bounced around a bit at ORP but Nashville should offer a little more racing room. This team has been strong on the intermediates this season and should be among the top dozen or so at the end.

Ryan Mathews, No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota: Mathews will face the challenge of Nashville Superspeedway for the first time. His team has performed well with Bill Lester at the helm in past years, and Mathews has proven to be a quick learner. Look for this combination to be at or near the front at the end.

Johnny Benson (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Johnny Benson, No. 23 Toyota Certified Used Vehicles Toyota: Benson was a surprise winner last year, taking advantage of last lap contact between Mike Skinner and Todd Bodine. Would it be a surprise this year? Unless it was handed to him in the same fashion, no it would not. Benson comes in off a runner-up finish at ORP and will be among the favorites at Nashville.

Todd Bodine, No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota: Bodine looked to have a win in his grasp last season, but contact with Mike Skinner dropped him from contention and nearly out of the top ten altogether. Even still, he finished eighth and combined with his third-place effort in 2005 Bodine has found the feel at Nashville. He could be hoisting the Gibson guitar in victory lane on Saturday night.

Ron Hornaday, Jr., No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet: Although Skinner has been the poster boy for dominance in 2007, Hornaday has nearly matched him. His worst finish was an eleventh-place run at Atlanta in March, and he has an average finish of 5.0 through the first 14 races. He is fresh of his third win of the season, and that gives him added momentum coming into Nashville. He's never won in Nashville - the superspeedway or the short track - but he does have two second place finishes at the Fairgrounds. He's a solid bet to better that this weekend.

Brandon Miller (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Brandon Miller, No. 40 Curtis Key Plumbing Chevrolet: Miller started on the front row of the Busch race in June 2005, but was sidelines early due to a crash. He's been steady in his two previous races for Curtis Key and could rack up another top ten finish this weekend.

Aric Almirola, No. 47 Ginn Resorts Chevrolet: Almirola gets more seat time in his move to the DEI/Ginn, this week wheeling the Morgan-Dollar truck. Almirola struggled at Nashville in 2006, finishing 22nd two laps off the pace. This team is fresh off their best run of the season at ORP and will be looking for more this weekend.

Danny O'Quinn, No. 50 Roush Fenway Racing Ford: The revolving door of drivers continues for the No. 50 team. O'Quinn becomes the fourth driver to take controls of the third Roush Fenway truck this season. They've been fast this season - Carl Edwards started from the pole and finished fourth at California and T.J. Bell was eighth at Charlotte - but they've gone through a lot of sheet metal too. O'Quinn is looking for seat time in anything he can find, and a good run will help his standing with the team.

Terry Cook (Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images)

Terry Cook, No. 59 Harris Trucking Toyota: Cook has three top ten finishes in his six NSS starts, including a tenth last season. He's been good, but never been able to crack into the top five. The HT Motorsports team has shown flashes of competitiveness this season, but is still in a growth phase. A solid run will help firm up that foundation, and could bolster Cook's chances at cracking the top ten in the series standings.

Jack Sprague, No. 60 Con-way Freight Toyota: Sprague's first three starts at NSS in a Truck were nothing to write home about: a best finish of 14th sandwiched by two 21st place results. Last year he turned it all around with a second-place finish behind Johnny Benson. Sprague has had a rollercoaster year and is due for a good run.

Wayne Edwards, No. 71 FastTrack Racing Chevrolet: Edwards was supposed to wheel at ORP but was replaced at the last moment. He's always wanted a chance to go race, and this could be his chance. This team is new and still getting their feet under them, but with veteran leadership in Andy Hillenburg and Edwards behind the wheel they could score a decent finish.

Dennis Setzer (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Dennis Setzer, No. 75 Spears Manufacturing Chevrolet: Setzer has three top-ten finishes including a fifth-place run in 2002, but hasn't had a sniff of the top ten since an eighth in 2003. He crashed just after the halfway point and ended up 35th last year. This team has struggled to find consistency this year, but always seems to find a way to crack the top 20 at the end.

Brendan Gaughan, No. 77 South Point Hotel Chevrolet: Gaughan has had a lot of success in the Music City, finishing no worse than sixth in his four previous starts here. He has two fifth-place runs as his best finish, and whenever the driver comes in with confidence that's always a plus. Gaughan's been on a rollercoaster this year as well, and like several others is due for a good run.

Matt Crafton, No. 88 Menards Chevrolet: Ask Crafton what his least favorite track is, and he'll tell you it's Nashville Superspeedway. He's finished in the top ten in half of the six races run there, and in the top 20 in five of the six. But the concrete surface and Crafton just don't seem to mesh. He's had seven top tens in the 14 races this season, and off the disappointment at ORP looks to rebound with a solid finish at his least favorite track.

J.C. Stout (VPS Motorimages)

J.C. Stout, No. 91 Sterling Trucks Chevrolet: Stout pulled off a strong qualifying run to make the show last year, and was doing well before rear end problems sent him to the garage early. He'll be in the show this year and can concentrate on race setups rather than qualifying setups. If he can run all day he could be the beneficiary of Nashville's usual high attrition rate.

Erik Darnell, No. 99 Northern Tool + Equipment Ford: Darnell finished 12th last year in his only Truck start at Nashville. He had a sure top five in an ARCA race taken away by a last lap crash in 2005. Darnell's season has started to turn around, but problems on pit stops haven't allowed him to finish as well as he's run. If he gets on and off pit road cleanly, he could wind up in the top five.

Predictions:

Pole: Mike Skinner. Tough to go against the Master, particularly at a track where Toyota's horsepower will shine.

Winner: Ron Hornaday. Hornaday and Rick Ren have been in the hunt all season, and Nashville suits the template of where they succeed just fine. They dominated at Dover, which like Nashville is concrete.

Remainder of the top five, in no particular order: Skinner, Rick Crawford, Todd Bodine, Johnny Benson.

Remainder of the top ten, in no particular order: Matt Crafton, Erik Darnell, Ken Schrader, Mike Bliss, Ted Musgrave.

Next Up Live! on SPEED... Toyota Tundra 200 - Nashville Superspeedway - August 11th at 6:00 p.m. (ET) with TV coverage on SPEED starting at 5:30 p.m. (ET).

Live! on TruckSeries.com... Bud Pole Qualifying online this Saturday at 1:30 pm ET.

Nashville Event Schedule on Local Eastern Time (CDT): Friday - Practice 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 pm; 3:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. (rookies) and 4:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Saturday - Qualifying 12:30 p.m. Follow along here on TrackSideLive!