DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- It's hardly a two-man battle yet, but both Travis Kvapil and Brendan Gaughan point to experience on the "ladder" as a major reason why each has stood atop the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series point standings much of this summer.

Kvapil, who recorded his first victory of the season Aug. 20 in the series' return to Bristol Motor Speedway, and four-time winner Gaughan have swapped the No. 1 spot after each of the past four races – just one lead change short of the 2001 series record.

Kvapil, the current leader, holds a slim eight-point margin over Gaughan, who finished fourth last week at Bristol.

Both competitors share similar backgrounds: each is a former series Raybestos Rookie of the Year --- Kvapil in 2001 and Gaughan a year ago. Also, both competitors point to their experience in NASCAR Touring as the reason for their ascension to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Kvapil, 27, began his career in the NASCAR Dodge Weekly Series then moved to NASCAR Touring, where he won twice in the NASCAR Elite Division International Truck & Engine Corporation Midwest Series and finished fourth in the 1999 championship standings.

In 1999, Gaughan, now 28, traded the sand and cactus of desert racing for a seat in the NASCAR Grand National Division, Winston West Series. The Las Vegas native won eight races and two championships between 2001-02.

"The Winston West Series has put us in this position," said Gaughan, who scored back-to-back victories at Gateway International Raceway and Michigan International Speedway in July. "I could have run in the back of the pack in NASCAR Craftsman Trucks and taken a couple of years to learn things. But my rookie mistakes were made in the Winston West Series where it costs you a whole lot less than the mistakes you'd make here."

Said Kvapil, of Janesville, Wis., "We followed the steps that NASCAR established all the way, from the quarter-mile track in Rockford, Ill., in the four-cylinder stock division and in Late Models" where he won titles in each.

Kvapil has won once each season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series after graduating from the International Truck & Engine Corporation Midwest Series, where he finished among the top 10 in 39 of 66 starts. "That's where I learned how to take care of the car and how to communicate with the crew," he said.

Gaughan likely would have a commanding lead except for an 18th-place finish due to an accident at Dover and an eventual 22nd-place at Kentucky after leading most of the way. Kvapil, on the other hand, has fashioned his lead through consistency, completing all but a single lap in 2003 and posting top-10 finishes in 14 of 16 races.

Kvapil has been running at the finish in 61 of 62 career starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, although he's not surprised by the statistic. Finishing just comes naturally to Kvapil -- for a very good reason.

"When I started out, it was tough enough for us to get a car together, let alone get it to the race track," said Kvapil, who's bidding to give Xpress Motorsports a second consecutive NASCAR Craftsman Truck title. "The last thing I wanted to do was to tear it up and be parked for a couple of weeks. My philosophy has always been to get the best finish you can."