>Mike Skinner Event Preview

Bill Davis Racing Event Preview
Race/Date: Camping World 200– Sept. 6, 2008
Location: Gateway International Raceway – Madison, Ill.

NOTES:

* This Week’s Race Truck for Gateway International Raceway is Chassis No. 5-78. Chassis No. 5-78 has seen action this year at Kansas Speedway where Mike Skinner brought the Toyota Tundra home in the fifth spot. 

* NCTS Powerhouse… Mike Skinner brought Bill Davis Racing its first race win in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series 61 races ago at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in the summer of 2005. Since capturing its first victory, the High Point, North Carolina-based team has gone on to win 22 races, which gives the Toyota Tundra camp a winning percentage of 36%. This leads all teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage.

* Starting Up Front… Bill Davis Racing is the only team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series garage to have seven or more poles in four consecutive seasons. This season, all three Bill Davis Racing entries have at least one pole position under their belt. Mike Skinner leads the pack with 31 pole positions in his tenure at Bill Davis Racing. 

* Mr. Consistency… With Mike Skinner’s seventh-place finish at Bristol Motor Speedway, the No. 5 Toyota Tundra captured its 13th top-10 of the 2008 campaign. This leads all teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. The team has only failed to finish in the top-10 on three occasions in 2008. They have an average finish of 10.69. 

* Tested and Approved… Mike Skinner and the No. 5 Toyota Tundra team tested at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in preparation for Saturday’s event. Skinner, along with his two teammates Scott Speed and Michael Annett, tested the .75-mile track both Monday and Tuesday. 

* Listen and Watch … The Camping World 200 scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. EST, Saturday, Sept. 6. It will broadcast on SPEED (TV), MRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio (Ch. 128).

Bill Davis Racing Quotes:
Mike Skinner on Racing at Gateway International Raceway:

“We certainly hope that we are going to have a stretch where we rattle off some strong finishes like we did last year. We have already had some good luck, so I hope we can really get going and get ourselves back into the championship hunt.

“We are taking a really good truck, which we ran in Kansas earlier this year with and had pretty good test with in Richmond. On a list of our strong tracks, I really would not have put Gateway, but it really has been a good track. We had a good run a couple of years ago, and we had a top-five finish going last year until our right front tire blew out, so I am really looking forward to going back.

“We had a good test last week in Richmond. Trip Bruce came along to see if he could help us with some of the things he has put underneath Johnny [Benson] and I think it really is going to pay dividends. With these new setups, if you are just a little off, your truck will just not turn. We are definitely in the ball park, we just need a little fine tuning to get our truck back in victory lane. I am looking forward to this weekend.”

> SKINNER FINISHES LAST RACE WITH MWR AND #00 AFFLICTION “DAY OF RECKONING” TOYOTA TEAM IN CALIFORNIA

San Bernardino County, Calif. (September 2, 2008) – Mike Skinner crossed the finish line 35th in the #00 Affliction “Day of Reckoning” Toyota Camry at Auto Club Speedway Sunday evening. It was his third and final consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race with Michael Waltrip Racing before Michael McDowell’s return to the #00 Toyota at Richmond International Raceway this weekend.

One week prior to the 250-lap NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in California, Michael Waltrip Racing teamed up with Affliction Entertainment’s “Day of Reckoning” to promote the October 11th MMA Pay-Per-View event between Andrei Arlovski and Josh Barnett that will take place in Las Vegas at the Thomas & Mack Center.

“Everyone at Michael Waltrip Racing really enjoyed this project to promote Affliction Entertainment’s ‘Day of Reckoning’,” Skinner said. “Tom Atencio, Josh Barnett, Andrei Arlovski and Roy Nelson were able to be at the track on Friday before qualifying to see the car in person. I think they had an awesome time. We wish them good luck and look forward to seeing them again.”

After qualifying 35th, Skinner made his first pit stop of the race at Lap 21 under caution.

“The car would get tight and then get loose again,” Skinner said. “The team changed four tires and put a rubber in the left rear. On our next stop at Lap 44, they changed tires again and made a track bar and air pressure adjustment because it was a little tight in the center and had no grip. When I would get in the gas, it would jump sideways.”

On the restart at Lap 46, Skinner was shown in 32nd-place. 23 laps later, the #00 Affliction “Day of Reckoning” Toyota entered pit road under caution again for the Michael Waltrip Racing team to make more changes.

“Before we pitted, the car was loose in and tight in the middle.” Skinner said. “After we came in and returned to the track, there was no grip at all. It was sideways loose.”

As Skinner battled handling problems, the leader and eventual winner Jimmie Johnson passed him at Lap 110 right before Crew Chief Peter Sospenzo called Skinner to pit road under green.

“They made some major changes,” Skinner said. “They were able to help it on entry and on exit, but it made it tighter in the middle.”

After pitting at Lap 148 and then again 15 laps later, the #00 Affliction “Day of Reckoning” Toyota was 22nd on the next restart at Lap 165.

“Peter made a call for two right side tires to gain us track position,” Skinner said.

At Lap 181, the pit crew made more adjustments as Skinner fought a loose handling car. With 31 laps remaining, the #00 Affliction “Day of Reckoning Toyota was really tight in the center and back on pit road for major changes. The team went on to finish 35th and is currently 37th in the owner points standings, 55 points out of 35th-place.

This week at Richmond International Raceway Michael McDowell returns to the #00 Toyota Camry. Live coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event will air on ABC beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern and 6:45 p.m. on MRN Radio.