Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200
Gateway International Raceway
Race 12 of 25
Qualifying: July 16, 3:30 p.m. CST
Start: July 17, 7 p.m. CST

Points Position
Skinner sits in 11th place in the NCTS driver’s points’ race after finishing 18th at the Built Ford Tough 225.

Skinner Hoping Gateway Leads to First Win

• Looking back at Kentucky: Mike Skinner fought an extremely loose race truck due to a collapsed left front spring and finished 18th at the Built Ford Tough 225.
• Skinner will be making his second debut at Gateway International Raceway in the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks Series following his 12th place finish last year in the No. 15 Vokal Clothing Company Dodge. He will also be looking to continue his twelfth-straight race without a DNF. The No. 42 Toyota Tundra has been running at the end of every truck series race this season.
• The No. 42 Toyota Tundra team will be taking BR001 to the track this weekend. BR001 has two top-fives and has raced at three of the first four races this season: Atlanta (2nd), Martinsville (5th) and Mansfield (11th). BR001 also has a 26th place finish at Memphis.

Mike Skinner’s Thoughts on Gateway
Gateway is a very unique place to race, and I’m looking forward to being in a competitive Toyota Tundra. The St. Louis track reminds me a lot of a road course in that the driver has to shift a lot and maneuver through the tight turns of one and two and along the long back straightaway. One of the biggest factors I’ll face at the track is the extreme heat and humidity. But I’m excited about going there and trying to get my first win of the season.

How do you prepare for the heat that you will face throughout the weekend?
You can’t really do much for the heat other than drink a lot of fluids this week and ensure that you’re always in shape, no matter what the weather is like. The truck series races are only a couple of hours long, and this week the race will be at night which will be helpful as well.

Crew Chief Rick Ren on Gateway
I always look forward to going to St. Louis because I have some friends that I used to race with in my home state of Illinois that always come to the track to cheer me on. A lot of people who believe in superstitions say that when you have friends or family at the race track, you usually don’t run well. Personally, I’m not superstitious, and I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again. I have had a lot of good trucks at St. Louis, but I’ve also had my fair share of bad luck. It seems like there has always been something to go wrong, flat tires, etc. My finishes have never showed how strong of a truck I’ve actually ever had. St. Louis is a challenging place to race. The driver really has to stay on his toes. It’s a driver’s race track, and everyone will be shifting in turns one and two. You’re fighting a completely different battle in turns three and four. So, in turns one and two, we will be looking for a lot of driver input and in turns three and four, there will be a lot of chassis input.

How will the heat affect you?
The biggest problem with St. Louis is the humidity, and that may drain all of the guys on the team. We’ll just have to make sure that we keep drinking fluids and focus on what we have to do. It’s a good thing that we get our ‘happy hour’ practice in the evening and that the race is at night as well.

Mike Skinner Appearances at Gateway
Mike Skinner will participate in a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series autograph session on Saturday, July 17, from 3:45 pm to 4:40 p.m. on pit road at Gateway International Raceway.

No. 42 Toyota Tundra Team Members
Driver: Mike Skinner
Crew Chief: Rick Ren
Truck Chief/Rear Tire Changer: Chad Rainey
Front Tire Changer: Ryan Langley
Front Tire Carrier: Ryan Crellin
Rear Tire Carrier: Chris “Goose” Burger
Jackman: Steve Hill
Gasman: Jimmy Sprinkle
Catchcan: Hughston Caldwell
2nd Can/Runner/Hauler Driver: Tom Czoka
Spotter: Mike Swaim Sr.
Engineer: Brad Whaley
Shock Specialist: Colby Crooks