08-28-2007 | TruckSeries.com Report
This weekend, the Tundras return to Gateway International Raceway near St. Louis for the 200-mile late afternoon NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race. Last year, Todd Bodine led 66 of 160 laps to take his No. 30 Lumber Liquidators Tundra to victory lane at Gateway. That victory allowed him to secure the points lead following the Gateway race and he maintained that lead through the season's end. "Every win is important," says Bodine. "Obviously the win in St. Louis was important to our championship run last year. It's great for a team to have a one-two finish, and we definitely want to go back and do it again. The competition has kind of stepped it up a bit and we're going to have to step it up. We need to get that dominant edge again. The series is very competitive right now -- getting a win is a lot harder. We know our Tundra is good enough to win, we've got a win this year in Texas and we're working as a team to get more." Ted Musgrave (No. 9 Team ASE Tundra) is the only NCTS driver to win multiple times at Gateway. He took the checkered flag at the St. Louis-area track in 2001 and 2005. "We've had much success in previous years at Gateway," says Musgrave. "We ran second last year with a shot to win. I like Gateway because it's challenging, both sets of corners are different and it's a driver's track and I think most drivers enjoy racing the track. There are different grooves you can use to get around the track, and pit strategy can come into play, too." After 16 of 25 races, five Tundra drivers sit among the top-eight in the NCTS championship point standings. Skinner remains in control of the points lead, holding a lead of 92 points over second-place driver Ron Hornaday. He is being chased by fellow Tundra drivers Todd Bodine (fourth), Johnny Benson (sixth), Jack Sprague (seventh) and Ted Musgrave (eighth).