JOLIET, Ill. (August 29, 2009) – Mike Skinner and the No. 5 PC*MILER Navigator team were hoping the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event at Chicagoland Speedway would be the key to turning around what had been a couple of tough weekends for the team. Battling back from a lap down, the team was poised for a top-10 finish before falling victim to a late-race incident that left the No. 5 Toyota with damage to the right side of the truck. Skinner and his Randy Moss Motorsports team took the checkered flag in 13th place.
Because the NCWTS had never been to Chicagoland Speedway, teams were given several practice sessions Thursday to become acclimated to the track. On Friday, the No. 5 PC*MILER Navigator team was the 13th of 39 trucks to take to the track for its two-lap qualifying run. Skinner ran a speed of 169.497 miles per hour around the 1.5-mile tri-oval during his qualifying effort, which earned the team the 18th spot on the starting grid.
Though the team was somewhat disappointed with its qualifying effort, crew chief Eric Phillips and the PC*MILER Navigator crew were confident that their Toyota Tundra would race well. Mike Skinner took the green flag for the start of the EnjoyIllinois.com 225 and, by the time the first caution flag waved on lap 3, had moved up five positions and into 13th place. Skinner communicated to his team that the truck was handling tight, and when the first pit stop of the day came during a caution period on lap 22, Phillips called his driver onto pit lane for fuel and a track bar adjustment. Skinner returned to the track ahead of those competitors that took on fresh tires, and lined up for the lap-25 restart in fifth place.
Skinner fell victim in the early laps of the green flag run to those with fresh tires, but was able to maintain his position in the top 10 until making a scheduled pit stop on lap 79 of the 150-lap event. Skinner drove down pit road to the attention of his awaiting crew who filled the gas tank with fuel and sent him back to the track. Following that stop, Skinner indicated via radio that he thought he may have a right rear tire losing air. The Randy Moss Motorsports crew sprang into action and changed all four tires on lap 83. Skinner returned to the track in the 18th spot, a lap down to the leaders.
Moving back into the top 15 several laps later, Skinner let the team know that the truck had become a bit too loose. Contact with the No. 07 truck left a small hole in the nose of Skinner’s machine, but the veteran driver was able to work past traffic and into the top 12 with 75 laps to go in the event. The team got a bit of a break when a caution flag flew on lap 128 and the No. 5 PC*MILER Navigator Toyota was the recipient of the Lucky Dog award, which enabled the team to get back on the lead lap. Phillips brought Skinner into the pits for four fresh Goodyear tires and repair work to the nose of the truck during the caution period. Skinner returned to the track for the single-file restart on lap 132 holding down the 13th spot.
The team’s quest for a top-10 finish hit a snag with 11 laps left in the event. Randy Moss Motorsports teammate Tayler Malsam made contact with another truck while battling for position and, while sliding down the track, struck the right side of Skinner’s truck. Skinner maintained control of his Toyota Tundra, but was forced to pit for tires and a damage assessment of the right side of the truck. The team made several pit stops during the ensuing caution period to repair the damage and was able to remain on the lead lap. Skinner drove his wounded Tundra to a 13th-place finish.
Skinner was able to maintain his third-place position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver point standings. He now stands 316 points behind series leader Ron Hornaday and under 100 markers out of second place.
Mike Skinner and the No. 5 Randy Moss Motorsports team will return to action at Iowa Speedway on Saturday, September 5. The Lucas Oil 200, 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 PC*MILER NAVIGATOR: PC*MILER Navigator is changing the way commercial truck drivers work, as it is the first GPS navigation system specifically designed for company drivers, owner operators, and leased operators and the only way to get industry standard PC*Miler directions in the cab. For more information about PC*Miler, please visit www.pcmilernavigator.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.