Can 50 be far away? That's the question for Roush Fenway Racing after the team captured its 47th NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Nashville. With 10 races remaining, it's possible based on the team having won slightly more than a quarter - four - of the year's first 15 races.

The Featherlite Award, based on a driver's improvement from one race to the next, can be considered consolation for a bad finish. So far, 15 different drivers have won the $1,800 award. That's right, there have been no repeat winners. Jon Wood prevailed at Nashville, following up a 28th place at O'Reilly Raceway Park with a finish of sixth.

Series crew chief leader Dennis Connor has yet to score a victory with Circle Bar Racing but David Starr's fourth-place finish in the No. 10 International/MAXXForce Diesel Ford proves that Connor has lost none of the savvy with which he has collected 26 victories. He ordered a two-tire change on the team's final pit stop that advanced Starr from ninth to second. "Dennis made a great call," said Starr, who enjoyed his best finish with the team. "We knew if we had track position that we'd have a shot at (a top five)."

Former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions have won 12 of the season's first 15 races. All six past champions running a full schedule rank among the top 10 with Skinner, Hornaday and Kvapil first through third.

Skinner's eighth Bud Pole of the season at Nashville was his record-extending 40th pole. The 50-year-old veteran holds the single-season record of 10 set in his 1995 championship season. Skinner fast qualified on eight occasions in 2006.

Bodine's Germain Racing team will enter Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway. The team's Camry led in its debut last month at Gateway.

Quotable:
"We're not going to run Skinner or Hornaday down finishing in the top five. We know we've got to go out there and win races." - Travis Kvapil after his Toyota Tundra 200 victory. Kvapil's third win was a single-season personal best.

Ford Takes Fourth '07 Victory At Nashville
Ford climbed to within a single point of the runnerup spot in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manufacturers' Championship standings with its fourth victory of the year in Nashville.

Chevrolet, which trails leader Toyota by 15 points, also has won four times.

Toyota ranked third among finishers for only the third time in 2007. The last time Toyota last third truck maker at Michigan in mid-June.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Manufacturers' Championship
Toyota - 105
Chevrolet - 90
Ford - 89
Dodge - 46

Raybestos Rookie of the Year Standings
Joey Clanton (No. 09 Zaxby's Ford) trails Raybestos Rookie of the Year leader Tim Sauter (No. 07 Lester Buildings/ASI Limited Chevrolet) by 31 points but don't count the Georgia competitor out of the run for the title.

That's because Clanton hasn't competed in 14 races yet and likely will accumulate points at a greater rate than Sauter, who can only add to his total by improving on previous finishes.

Clanton qualified fourth at Nashville Superspeedway, a season-best, and finished 10th to lead Raybestos candidates competing in the Toyota Tundra 200.

The race was Clanton's ninth of 2007.

   Driver - Points
1. Tim Sauter - 123
2. Willie Allen   115
3. Blake Bjorklund - 110
4. Joey Clanton - 91
5. Jason White - 77
6. Kelly Bires - 49
7. Peter Shepherd - 32
8. Kevin Hamlin - 26
9. Casey Kingsland - 5
10. Brian Sockwell - 1

This Week's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Leaders
(Through 15 races of the 25-race season)
Points leader - Mike Skinner (2,521)
Driver Rating - Mike Skinner (123.1)
Winnings - Mike Skinner ($526,850)
Laps led - Mike Skinner (912)
Victories - Mike Skinner (4)
Bud Poles - Mike Skinner (8)
Top-five finishes - Mike Skinner (12)
Top-10 finishes - Mike Skinner, Ron Hornaday Jr. (14)
Raybestos Rookie Leader - Tim Sauter (8 points over Willie Allen)
Races led - Mike Skinner (15)
Weeks in Top 10 - Nine drivers tied with 15
Up Next: Bristol Motor Speedway

One of the biggest mid-week attractions in motorsports will be staged for the fifth time August 22 when the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series invades the reconfigured Bristol Motor Speedway. Upwards of 60,000 fans will head for Thunder Valley to witness what has become a "can't miss" event on the NASCAR Craftsman Truck schedule.

This year's race - the 10th at the East Tennessee facility - will be the first for NASCAR on Bristol's new, compound banking. The previous concrete surface was removed after March's NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Food City 500. Two days of testing several weeks ago found 2003 O'Reilly 200 winner Travis Kvapil atop the speed charts with a lap of 119.626 mph, closely followed by fellow NASCAR Craftsman Truck champion Ted Musgrave at 119.321.

Mark Martin is the defending winner of the O'Reilly 200 and is expected to compete in this year's race.

Fast Facts
Next Race: O'Reilly 200
The Place: Bristol Motor Speedway
The Date: August 221
The Time: 8:00 p.m. (ET)
TV: SPEED 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Track Layout: .533-mile oval
Race Purse: $501,074
2006 Winner: Mark Martin
2006 Pole: Mark Martin
 
2007 Standings
No. Driver - Points
1. Skinner - 2,521
2. Hornaday Jr. - 2,439
3. Kvapil - 2,285
4. Bodine - 2,255
5. Crawford - 2,041
6. Benson - 1,969
7. Sprague - 1,885
8. Musgrave - 1,875
9. Crafton - 1,822
10. Darnell - 1,751

Schedule:
Tuesday - Practice 1:00 - 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday - Practice 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 12 noon - 1:00 p.m. Qualifying 4:00 p.m.

SOURCE: NASCAR Communications