Team Tundra Event Preview
Race/Date: O’Reilly 200- Aug. 24, 2005
Location: Bristol Motor Speedway–Bristol, Tenn.
NOTES:
• This week’s race truck for Bristol Motor Speedway is Chassis No. 5-10. This truck last raced in July at Kentucky Speedway, where Mike Skinner crossed the finish line in the fourth position.
• Come and See… Skinner and his teammate Bill Lester will appear at the O’Reilly tent on behalf of Valvoline at 3 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 24. The two Bill Davis Racing drivers will answer questions and sign autographs for Valvoline guests. The tent is located in the display area outside Bristol Motor Speedway.
• Pole Sitter… After he captured the pole position for the Toyota Tundra 200 in Nashville two weeks ago, Skinner’s pole total for the 2005 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season jumped to four, the most in the series. Skinner has an average start of 6.43. His worst starting spot of the season came in Daytona, where he lined up 16th on the starting grid. Skinner has started inside the top 10 in all but four of the races in 2005. He has two career poles (1995 and 1996) at Bristol Motor Speedway in the Craftsman Truck Series. His best finish at the .533-mile concrete track is fourth.
• Listen and watch … The O’Reilly 200 is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET Wednesday, Aug. 24. It will broadcast live on Speed (TV), MRN (radio) and XM Radio channel 144.
Mike Skinner’s NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Results at Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Date Start Finish LC/TL Status $Won
6/23/1995 1 20 139/150 Running $2,650
6/22/1996 1 4 200/200 Running $14,350
8/25/2004 2 23 204/206 Running $10,865
Starts Poles Wins Top-fives Top-10s LC/TL $Won
3 2 0 1 1 543/556(97.7%) $27,865
Bill Davis Racing Quotes:
Mike Skinner on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
“I try not to be over-confident going to places, but I am really excited about going to Bristol. We dominated the race there in 2004, but we made a call to stay out and ran over 100 laps on tires, which was too much. We were caught up in an accident with another truck toward the end and had to leave the race early. We learned a lot and know how to run a better race. If we can get our truck as good as it was last year, we know better than to run 120 laps on our tires. We need to get halfway through the event and put tires on and see how it plays out.
“Bristol is an awesome place. It is one of my favorite race tracks. I really seemed to run well there. It is like driving around in a punch bowl; it is amazing. You get a feeling when you go into special places like Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway and Bristol Motor Speedway. When you walk into Bristol, you get such an awesome feeling. It is the most unbelievable short track in the country. It is the Mecca of short tracks.”
Crew chief Jeff Hensley on racing at Bristol Motor Speedway:
“I am looking forward to Bristol. Skinner runs really well there, and I think with all the new things we have learned in the last couple of months, we have a shot for a strong run. I have four second-place finishes at Bristol but have never gone to victory lane.”
“Bristol is like a speedway with a short track flair. You can drive the truck hard and get away with it because of the banking. It seems to fit Skinner’s driving style, and I know our team is looking forward to Thunder Valley.”
Mike Skinner 2005 Season Totals
Starts Wins Poles Top 5s Top Tens DNF Money
16 0 4 6 8 4 $225,055
2005 Mike Skinner Craftsman Truck Series Results
Date Start Finish LC TL Status Money
2/18/2005 Daytona International Speedway 16 25 73 100 Accident $13,865
2/25/2005 California Speedway 1 18 100 100 Running $14,190
3/18/2005 Atlanta Motor Speedway 3 34 59 135 Accident $7,165
4/9/2005 Martinsville Speedway 7 9 250 250 Running $10,475
4/30/2005 Gateway International Raceway 8 4 160 160 Running $22,425
5/15/2005 Mansfield Motorsports Speedway 14 28 243 254 Running $6,940
5/20/2005 Lowe’s Motor Speedway 1 26 115 136 Accident $9,045
6/3/2005 Dover International Speedway 6 10 200 200 Running $15,925
6/10/2005 Texas Motor Speedway 1 4 167 167 Running $24,500
6/18/2005 Michigan Speedway 2 5 100 100 Running $14,680
6/24/2005 The Milwaukee Mile 9 16 198 200 Running $7,965
7/2/2005 Kansas Speedway 2 4 170 170 Running $16,125
7/9/2005 Kentucky Speedway 5 4 151 151 Running $27,100
7/23/2005 Memphis Motorsports Park 15 29 162 202 Accident $8,265
8/5/2005 Indianapolis Raceway Park 12 19 198 200 Running $10,340
8/13/2005 Nashville Superspeedway 1 4 150 150 Running $16,050
Totals 6.43 14.93 2496 2675 93.31% $225,055
Mike Skinner NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Career Totals
Races Wins Poles Top 5s Top 10s DNFs Money
Totals 95 16 21 47 58 11 1,659,592
