SKINNER AT BRISTOL: Mike Skinner will be making his 194th start in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series when the green flag drops for the O'Reilly 200 Presented by Valvoline at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway Wednesday evening. The Susanville, California, native has raced in seven NCWTS races on the .533-mile track and has one pole position and one win to his credit. Skinner has posted three top-five and five top-10 finishes on the high-banked, concrete oval and has been running at the end of each of the seven events. Skinner has completed 99 percent of the laps in which he has competed at BMS and has led 478 of them.
PHILLIPS' CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew Chief Eric Phillips and the Exide team will utilize chassis No. 101 for this week's race. This is the second time the team will unload this particular truck, which was first run at Texas Motor Speedway in June. Skinner qualified in 11th place and drove to a 10th-place finish in that event.
WHAT SKINNER SAYS: "Bristol is one of my favorite tracks. I just love the concrete tracks and I love how aggressive the driving style is at Bristol. I've got a win in the trucks there and it's one of my most precious racing accomplishments. For me, going to Bristol is as special as going to places like Daytona (Fla.) and Indianapolis. The atmosphere and all the seats and the feeling you get when you walk through the gates is amazing, so I'm looking forward to getting there.
"There's just something about the short tracks that I like and I think that a lot of the reason that we run well there is because I really look forward to racing there. I think that's half the battle. If you're not excited and looking forward to racing at Bristol or any other place like that really, chances are you're not going to have a very good day."
THE SEASON'S STATS: The No. 5 team has posted six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes in 14 events this season, including one win, which came at Kansas Speedway in April. Skinner holds down the third spot in the NCWTS point standings, 32 markers behind second place.
SKINNER CAREER NCWTS STATS: Mike Skinner has scored 26 victories in 193 starts in NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competition and has earned 86 top-five and 124 top-10 finishes since making his first start in Phoenix (and going on to win) in 1995.
BACK TO DOUBLE DUTY: Skinner will once again be behind the wheel of the No. 36 Tommy Baldwin Racing entry for Saturday evening's NASCAR Sprint Cup event after taking a two-week hiatus. Skinner is hoping to make his fourth start of the season in the TBR Toyota.
MAKING THE MOVE TO N.C.: After years of commuting between their home in Daytona Beach, Florida, and race shops in North Carolina, Mike and Angie Skinner have loaded up their belongings and headed north. The Skinner's have purchased a house in the Statesville area and are busy settling in to their new place.
