2006 NCTS champ Todd Bodine is in the rear view mirror of 2007 points leader Mike Skinner waiting for any miscue. (Ronda Greer Photo)

It certainly wasn't this way in 2006 when Todd Bodine in the No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Toyota and Johnny Benson effectively staggered to the finish.

Bodine won the title by building an early lead and held off Benson, who failed to take advantage of Bodine's late season slump.

That's not going to be the case this year, says Bodine, who currently ranks fourth in the standings to leader Mike Skinner.

There are just too many good teams - and former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions - in the mix to win a title by picking up a point here and a point there.

"I've said all along that the only way any of us are going to gain points is if somebody has a bad race and wrecks and finishes at the back," said Bodine following his fifth-place finish at Nashville Superspeedway.

"We're all going to be top-five trucks every week and when that's the way it is, you don't gain points; you just move around a little bit. It's going to take a big mistake on somebody's part to change that."

So far, neither Skinner nor current runner-up Ron Hornaday Jr., No. 33 Camping World Chevrolet, show any signs of blinking.

Skinner added five points to his lead at Nashville, despite finishing third to Hornaday's second. The margin stands at 82.

Skinner has led every race, accumulating 45 more bonus points than Hornaday. He leads the series with 13 top-five finishes. Skinner and Hornaday have finished outside the top 10 just once each.

SOURCE: NASCAR Communications