Mike Skinner
No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra
Kentucky Speedway – Built Ford Tough 225
September 3, 2010
Mike Skinner drove the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra to a 13th-place finish after pit strategy and a long-green flag run left the team trying to make up track position late in the 225-mile event at Kentucky Speedway.
The International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team appeared poised to achieve their best finish of the 2010 season on Friday night at Kentucky Speedway. The team recorded speeds inside the top-five during both practice sessions and was racing a Tundra that proved to be extremely comfortable at Chicagoland Speedway. The driver of the No. 5 machine recorded his best qualifying effort of the season when he posted a 30.839-second lap allowing him to roll off third on Friday night.
The 2007 Kentucky Speedway race winner held his position inside the top-10 throughout the opening laps at the 1.5-mile track. The No. 5 machine was a little tight, but dialed in the handling as the tire pressures came up. The team made a trackbar adjustment during their opening pit stop to get Skinner’s Toyota Tundra to where he needed it. By lap 77, the caution flag was out for the third time of the evening and Skinner was struggling both on entry and exit of the turns. That yellow flag kicked off a series of mid-race cautions causing the teams to carefully plan their strategies for the closing laps.
The International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team opted to visit pit road during the lap 77 caution period and to stay on track throughout the remaining two caution periods. Several competitors visited pit road during the lap 92 caution, but only 13 laps short of fuel the No. 5 team decided to gamble for a late race caution where they could take four fresh tires to gain grip and pick up positions.
After a caution-filled middle-portion the 225-mile event, the race at Kentucky Speedway surprisingly went green all the way to the checkered flag. While racing in the third-position Skinner was forced to visit pit road on lap 138 for fuel and two right-side tires. With only 10 laps to regain track position the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team was credited with a 13th-place finish.
“Our International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team really made a lot of gains this week,” said Mike Skinner following the race at Kentucky Speedway. “We ran in the top-five for most of the night and our truck drove really well this weekend. We should have easily finished inside the top-five tonight but our pit strategy didn’t coincide with the long green run we had at the end of the race. We’re definitely getting closer to running the way we’re accustomed to, but we aren’t quite there yet. I want to thank our sponsors so much for their support throughout the season; without their support none of this would be possible.”
This week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will enjoy their first weekend away from the race-track after nine weeks of back-to-back competition. The series will return on Saturday, Sept. 18, with TheRaceDayRaffleSeries.com 175 live from New Hampshire Motor Speedway. SPEED Channel, MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Radio will all carry a live broadcast of the event beginning at 2:30 p.m. EST. Final practice will be televised on SPEED Channel, Friday, Sept. 17, at 1:00 p.m. EST. SPEED will also feature qualifying coverage at 10:00 a.m. EST on Saturday, Sept. 18.
