Toyota Race Notes: Richmond

09-09-2005 | TruckSeries.com Report

  • This is Toyota's second season, and 43rd race, in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS).
  • A Toyota has captured the checkered flag nine times in 42 NCTS races since the beginning of 2004.
  • Mike Skinner's win tonight at Richmond in the No. 5 Bill Davis Racing Toyota Tundra is Toyota's fifth victory of the 2005 season.
  • This marks Mike Skinner's second NCTS win driving a Toyota Tundra, and his second victory since returning to the NCTS full-time at the beginning of the 2004 season.
  • Skinner earned his inaugural win in a Toyota, and Toyota's fourth win of 2005, earlier this season at Bristol (August 24).  The win came in his 42nd start in a Tundra.
  • This is the second NCTS win for Bill Davis Racing, and the second NCTS win for crew chief Jeff Hensley.
  • Skinner, from Susanville, CA, now has 18 career NCTS wins.  He recorded 16 NCTS wins between 1995 and 1996.
  • Skinner, a resident of Daytona Beach, FL, scored his most recent NCTS win before this year at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, CA (10-14-96).
  • Before his wins at Richmond and Bristol, Skinner's best finish this year was a fourth-place result at five races - Kentucky, Kansas, Texas, St. Louis, and Nashville.
  • Before his wins at Richmond and Bristol, Skinner's best previous NCTS finish in a Tundra was a second-place at Atlanta in 2004.
  • In 1995, Skinner was the inaugural NCTS champion.
  • In 1995, Skinner won the first-ever NCTS race at Phoenix International Raceway (2-5-95).
  • David Reutimann crossed the finish line first at Nashville for Toyota's third win of 2005.  It was Reutimann's first career NCTS win.
  • Toyota's second win of the 2005 season came at Memphis (July 23) when Brandon Whitt crossed the finish line first.  It was Whitt's first career NCTS win.
  • Todd Bodine recorded Toyota's first victory of 2005 when he captured the checkered flag at Kansas (July 2).  It was his third career NCTS win -- all three coming in the No. 30 Germain Racing Tundra.
  • Toyota's other NCTS wins came in 2004 when Todd Bodine won races at California and Texas, and Travis Kvapil scored wins at Michigan and New Hampshire.
  • Toyota has eight NCTS poles this season.  Tundra drivers with pole positions this year include Mike Skinner (4), Bill Lester (2), David Reutimann (1), and Brandon Whitt (1).

MIKE SKINNER, Bill Davis Racing, No. 5 Toyota Tundra,
Did you think it was the right move to pit on lap 59? "No.  We weren't sure if that was the right move to make -- but that's what we did and it all worked out pretty good."

How was your last restart? "It was a terrible restart.  We had perfect restarts all night long.  On that last restart, I overwhelmed the motor in my Tundra a little bit -- and I hope I didn't hurt it.  After that, she was a little tired." 

How was your race? "It was awesome.  Good thing I ate my Cherrios this morning.  We had an awesome truck when we came here and tested a couple weeks back.  Tonight, it was a good truck all night long.  Jeff (Hensley, crew chief) told me after practice this afternoon that me and Kevin (Harvick) were in a league of our own.  I knew Kevin was back there -- but I'm glad that Todd (Bodine) was between us, like a good teammate.  Todd was on a little older tires, but he did an awesome job tonight and had some good pit strategy, too.  Toyota got another one-two finish -- that's two races in a row.  It's a pretty good deal." 

"This Tundra would go anywhere we wanted it to go tonight."

How were you trying to hold Todd Bodine off? "I was trying to block him at the end.  He still had some room down there at the bottom - and I knew he would race me clean.  I was trying to do anything I could to break his concentration."

TODD BODINE, Germain Racing, No. 30 Allman Brothers Band Tundra
"Mike (Skinner) had tires that were quite a bit fresher than we did at the end -- and I couldn't catch him.  This team is awesome.  We missed the set-up a little bit today, but we played 'track-position,' took on tires early, and it worked out -- we ended up second.  I was fairly certain that I wasn't going to be able to hold Mikey back at the end.  On new tires, and as strong as his truck had been, we're just happy to get second."

JUSTIN HOBGOOD, Germain Racing, No. 9 Tundra
"This was a good race for us.  We would have liked to finish better -- obviously, that's the goal -- to come in and win races.  For my first (NCTS) race -- we're pretty happy.  There were a few mistakes that we made as a team, and a few I made as a driver.  We raced hard all night and definitely have something to build on for the next race that we go to.  We worked together today as a team at the track, and we can build on that.  I learned so much during the whole day today -- what you need to do in practice, how to communicate with the crew -- I learned so much about the team, and I think they've learned more about me."