BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 20, 2009) – NASCAR events at the famed Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway are always full of unexpected twists and turns, and Wednesday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race was no exception for the No. 5 Exide team. After earning a front row position for the start of the race, 1995 Series Champion Mike Skinner experienced an evening full of one misfortune after another, eventually taking the checkered flag in the 20th position.
The No. 5 Exide Toyota Tundra was the 13th of 39 trucks to qualify Wednesday afternoon. Posting one of the quickest speeds in the first practice session, Skinner took to the track for his two-lap qualifying run and backed that effort up, despite missing the final, rain-shortened practice session with brake issues. The veteran driver ran a speed of 121.945 miles per hour around the .533-mile oval during his qualifying effort, which earned the team a spot on the front row for the start of the event.
Skinner lined up in the second spot for the start of Wednesday evening’s O’Reilly 200 and wasted no time taking the lead, a position he held until lap 31 of the 200-lap race. A lap-35 caution flag enabled crew chief Eric Phillips to call his driver into the pits for four fresh tires and a track bar adjustment in an effort to alleviate the loose handling condition Skinner was experiencing. Following the stop, NASCAR officials determined that the Exide Toyota had exceeded the speed limit exiting pit road, and Skinner was forced to line up for the lap-41 restart at the tail end of the longest line.
From the onset of the night’s action, Skinner had been communicating to his crew that he was still experiencing problems with the brakes on his Tundra, and those issues remained for much of the night. Despite that, Skinner was able to patiently make his way past slower traffic in the mid stages of the race. Additional misfortune struck the team when, while holding down the 11th spot, Skinner found himself with a cut right front tire and was forced to drive down pit road for service. The Randy Moss Motorsports crew quickly changed right side tires and sent its driver back out on the track.
Running two laps in arrears due to the unscheduled pit stop under green flag conditions, Skinner held down 24th place with 50 laps to go. The final pit stop of the night occurred during a caution period on lap 153. Phillips called for four fresh tires during the stop, and Skinner lined up for the ensuing restart in 22nd position.
The veteran driver was able to pick up several positions in the closing laps, and when the checkered flag flew, the Exide Toyota stood in 20th place.
“We’ve just got to regroup after this one,” commented Skinner. “We had a good Exide Toyota today; we just had issues with the brakes all day. It’ll be alright. We’ll just go to Chicago and see what we can do there.”
Though not exactly the finish the team was hoping for, Skinner was able to maintain his third-place position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver point standings. He now stands 305 points behind series leader Ron Hornaday. The Randy Moss Motorsports team fell one position in the owner points battle and now holds down the fourth spot.
Mike Skinner and the No. 5 Randy Moss Motorsports team will return to action at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday, August 28. The EnjoyIllinois.com 225, the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at the speedway, will be broadcast at 9 p.m. (ET) on SPEED TV and on select affiliates of MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio.
ABOUT EXIDE TECHNOLOGIES: Exide Technologies, with operations in more than 80 countries, is one of the world's largest producers and recyclers of lead-acid batteries. The Company's four global business groups – Transportation Americas, Transportation Europe and Rest of World, Industrial Energy Americas and Industrial Energy Europe and Rest of World – provide a comprehensive range of stored electrical energy products and services for industrial and transportation applications.
Transportation markets include original-equipment and aftermarket automotive, heavy-duty truck, agricultural and marine applications, and new technologies for hybrid vehicles and automotive applications. Industrial markets include network power applications such as telecommunications systems, electric utilities, railroads, photovoltaic (solar-power related) and uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and motive-power applications including lift trucks, mining and other commercial vehicles.
Further information about Exide, including its financial results, are available at www.exide.com.
ABOUT RANDY MOSS MOTORSPORTS: Randy Moss Motorsports ownership consists of Randy Moss, New England Patriots All-Pro Wide Receiver; and David Dollar, a long-time participant in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. The team fields the No. 81 Toyota Tundra and the No. 5 Toyota Tundra full-time in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. For more information about Randy Moss Motorsports, please visit www.randymossmotorsports.com.
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