SPEED reached out to all of the former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champions, including Jack Sprague (1997,'99,'01), Greg Biffle (2000), Mike Bliss (2002), Travis Kvapil (2003), Ted Musgrave (2005) and Todd Bodine (2006), as well as to Bobby Hamilton Jr,. with much respect, to represent his father Bobby Sr., who won the title in 2004. We asked each to give us some insight into the historic points battle being waged by former NCTS champions Ron Hornaday Jr. (1996, '98) and Mike Skinner (1995) heading into this weekend's race in Texas.

Travis Kvapil, 2003 NCTS champion and driver of the No. 6 Ford: "I think Hornaday will win because his setups have been so good this year and with all that Rick Ren (crew chief) brings to the table, it makes them so hard to beat. They've only finished outside the top 10 once all year. They've been so steady all season long and I think they will continue that trend in the remaining races."

"Skinner's strengths are his experience and ability to drive hard and aggressively. The guy has been driving these trucks for a long time and he knows what it takes to get the job done."

"Sometimes Skinner is overly aggressive and that gets him in trouble. But he's done a great job this year of staying out of trouble for the most part."

"Hornaday drives really hard and pushes the truck to the max, and sometimes that gets him in situations where his equipment gets torn up. But this year both of those guys have done a great job of keeping out of trouble."

"Hornaday has an experienced crew chief who has come close to winning championships in the past. He also has the experience going for him."

Ted Musgrave, 2005 NCTS champion and driver of the No. 9 Germain Toyota: "In the garage, we've talked about this for weeks now. I really don't know who to choose - it's that close. From week to week, Mike and Ron are running good and they are both champions. It's just going to come down to who has the best luck at the end of the season. I can't see that either has a strong advantage."

"I think the weakness won't come from Ron or Mike - it will be more equipment-wise. Both of the drivers are really good, so I think it's going to be the teams behind them and which team will falter."

"Evidently there's not too much weakness in either Skinner or Hornaday, since those two guys are the two swapping the points lead back and forth from week to week. It seems like Skinner has changed his whole way of racing. He's more consistent now. Ron is a little more of a gambler than Skinner. He'll gamble a lot of positions, which we saw at Martinsville. Mike is more on the conservative side."

Todd Bodine, 2006 NCTS champion and driver of the No. 30 Toyota: "Both teams are doing a good job and are standing up to the test. They're going back and forth in the points and getting good finishes, so the one who has the least amount of bad luck is going to be this year's champion."

"Mike and Ron are both nervous right now. Both teams are doing a good job and are standing up to the test. They're going back and forth in the points and getting good finishes."

Mike Bliss, 2002 NCTS champion and driver of the No. 4 Dodge: "I don't think you can look at Skinner or Hornaday and say one is stronger or one is weaker. The No. 5 team is no stronger than the No. 33 team is right now. They are both equally strong or they would not be in the situation they are currently in."

"The team that doesn't have a mechanical failure or get caught up in someone else's mess is going to come out the winner. Right now they have to be on top of their game in qualifying and during the race. Every second is going to count and your winner is going to be the one who has the best luck in the final three races."

Bobby Hamilton, Jr., son of 2004 NCTS champion Bobby Hamilton, Sr., and driver of the No. 35 Ford in the Busch Series: "It's going to take one of the drivers having a bad race to shake things up and that may happen now. Hornaday may have to gain a few points in each race, but both drivers should have top-five finishes in all the remaining races."

"I hope Hornaday wins it and I'm pulling for him. Both drivers have had good seasons but I just want to see Ron win another title."