Veteran driver and current NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) point standings runner up Mike Skinner will be a guest at Toyota Driving Expectations on Saturday, October 13 at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Local teens and parents have the opportunity to take part in this free program designed to teach safe driving habits.

What: Toyota Driving Expectations (TDE) is a unique program designed to teach teens and parents defensive driving techniques against a backdrop of real-world scenarios in an effort to help prevent future teen driving deaths.

TDE goes beyond what is currently taught in typical driver training classes to help teens identify and react to dangerous driving situations. To better understand the critical relationship between distractions and reaction time, teens and parents navigate a driving course while drinking water, listening to loud music and talking on a cell phone. They also experience hard braking exercises on wet and dry pavement and maneuver through multiple slalom driving courses under the watchful eyes of professional drivers.

NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran Mike Skinner. (VPS Motorimages Photo)

Who: NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Mike Skinner trails first-place Ron Hornaday by fourteen points (3,207 to 3,193) in the series point championship battle. This season, Skinner has four wins (California, Atlanta, Martinsville, Kentucky), 14 top-five finishes and nine pole positions (Atlanta, Martinsville, Kansas, Charlotte, Mansfield, Dover, Milwaukee, ORP, Nashville, Gateway). He's also led 961 laps, approximately 30% of all the race laps this season.

Skinner is the 1995 NCTS champion and has accumulated 23 career NCTS wins and 41 pole positions. He is the only driver to compete in a Tundra during every NCTS race (94) for Toyota since the manufacturer entered the series in 2004.

At Phoenix International Raceway, Skinner has two wins (both in 1995), one pole position (1996), an average finish of fifth-place in seven starts, and has led 188 laps at the desert one-mile oval.

Extra: Skinner's No. 5 Toyota Tundra, which will race at PIR on November 9th, will be on-site at PIR during TDE on October 12-14.
TDE Dates: Two weekends -- October 5-7 and October 12-14
Friday, October 5: Two four-hour sessions between 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, October 6-7: Six four-hour sessions between 8 a.m. - 6:45 p.m.
Friday, October 12: Two four-hour sessions between 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, October 13-14: Six four-hour sessions between 8 a.m. - 6:45 p.m.
Where: Phoenix International Raceway, 7602 South Avondale Boulevard, Avondale, AZ. Please follow signage to appropriate parking lot.
Participant Registration: Online registration is open now at www.toyotadrivingexpectations.com.