Mike Skinner Talladega Superspeedway Event Preview

Mike Skinner

No. 5 Exide Toyota Tundra

Talladega Superspeedway – Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred’s

October 30, 2010

No. 5 Exide Toyota Tundra News and Notes

• This Week’s Tundra… Mike Skinner and the No. 5 Exide Toyota Tundra team will compete in RMM-045 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.  Randy Moss Motorsports has not utilized this particular chassis in 2010.  In fact, its last showing was at Talladega Superspeedway last season where Skinner was racing in the fifth position when he was involved in an on-track incident on lap 91 eliminating the team’s chance of victory.    
• Battery Power… Exide Batteries will return to the hood of the No. 5 Randy Moss Motorsports Toyota Tundra this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.  This is the Georgia-based company’s second consecutive year partnering with the No. 5 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team.
• Past Performances at Talladega Superspeedway… Skinner is one of just eight drivers to race in all four NCWTS races at Talladega Superspeedway.  At a track known for its unpredictable finishes and wildcard characteristics, Skinner has consistently been able to run up-front and finish races at the 2.66-mile track, completing 99.5% of all laps attempted.   
• Competition Heats Up…  Before the competition heats up on the track, Skinner will take on several of his competitors on the golf course at the Waltrip Brothers’ Charity Championship.  The first annual competition will be held October 27-28 at the Gaylord Springs Golf Links in Nashville, Tenn.  All funds raised will benefit Motor Racing Outreach (MRO) and The National Multiple Sclerosis Society.   
• Tune in For a Look Behind-the-Scenes with Mike Skinner… Tune into NASCAR Race Hub on Wednesday, October 27 at 7:00 p.m. EST on SPEED for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Skinners’ new “party barn” on their property in Statesville, N.C.  The couple broke ground for the two-story structure in December 2009.  Just 11 months later, the “party barn” is home to Skinner’s car and truck collection, trophies, racing memorabilia, and of course, the party room—a western-style saloon.   
• Come Meet Mike...  Fans are invited to come meet Mike Skinner at two different appearances on Friday, October 29, at Talladega Superspeedway.  From 2:00-3:00 p.m., Mike will be signing autographs for fans at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series autograph session.  The session will be at the concourse area in front of the OV Hill South Grandstand Sections D&E.  Later that evening, Mike will be on stage with Ned Jarrett for a Q&A session at the 25th Annual  Race Fever Night.  The fundraiser will be at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame and Museum, and Mike Skinner will be on stage from 5:00-5:30 p.m.  All proceeds of the event will benefit the Alabama Institute for Deaf and Blind.
• Toyota Loyalty… Skinner is the only driver to have piloted a Toyota Tundra in every NCWTS race. The two teamed up in 2004 when the manufacturer entered the NASCAR arena.
• Watch and Listen…  The Mountain Dew 250 fueled by Fred’s from Talladega Superspeedway will be broadcast on SPEED Channel beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 23^rd.  Fans can also listen to live radio coverage of the 250-mile race on MRN Radio and SIRIUS Satellite Radio.  Practice and qualifying will also be broadcast on Friday at 10:00 a.m. and 4:40 p.m., respectively. 

Mike Skinner on racing at Talladega Superspeedway

“Talladega [Superspeedway] is a track where the No. 5 Exide Toyota Tundra team has everything to gain and nothing to lose.  We can gamble, go for it and take chances that other teams can’t—we will be racing for the win.  Talladega [Superspeedway] is a track that always lends itself to photo finishes that go down to the wire and I’m sure this weekend will not be anything different—hopefully the Exide team will be able to find a little luck and we’ll have our Toyota Tundra as a part of that photo finish.” 

Crew Chief Stacy Johnson on competing at Talladega Superspeedway

“The Exide crew is excited to get the No. 5 Toyota Tundra on the track this weekend at Talladega [Superspeedway].  We’ve done a lot of work over the last few weeks to help us find speed at superspeedways and I think we will be able to benefit from that this weekend.  The tough thing about Talladega is that the race is as much about survival as it is about speed.  We’ll work with Mike [Skinner] to come up with a strategy that will hopefully keep us out of trouble throughout the afternoon and put us in position at the end of the race.” 

Mike Skinner Martinsville Speedway Race Recap

Mike Skinner

No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra

Martinsville Speedway – Kroger 200

October 23, 2010

Mike Skinner and the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra finished sixth on Saturday afternoon at Martinsville Speedway.  The three-time Martinsville Speedway winner was fast in practice and raced inside the top-10 throughout the majority of the 200-lap event before bringing home his 10^th top-10 finish of the 2010 season. 

On Friday afternoon, 37 trucks made laps around Martinsville Speedway in two separate practice sessions.  During the opening session, Skinner completed 47 laps around the 0.526-mile paperclip-shaped track recording a fast lap of 20.003-seconds to be ranked sixth on the leader board.  During final practice, the No. 5 team worked to perfect the handling of the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra allowing Skinner to post a 19-second lap.  At 19.718-seconds, Skinner finished practice in second-place—one one-thousandth slower than the fastest competitor.

In qualifying, the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra handled great through the center of the corner, but lost the forward bite Skinner needed to return to the gas and gain speed down the straightaway.  As a result, Skinner posted a 19.842-second lap to start 10^th on the grid. 

When the green flag fell to kick off the Kroger 200, Skinner struggled early with forward bite.  The driver of the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra visited pit road during the lap 41 caution period for an air pressure adjustment, four fresh Goodyear Eagles and fuel. 

An early stop for Skinner and the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team meant that the group was able to gain track positions when the leaders visited pit road on a one-stop race strategy.  Several of the front-runners came down pit road during the lap 92 caution period, allowing Skinner to restart the race in the third position with just over 100 laps to go.  

Skinner made one more stop with just over 50 laps remaining at the Virginia short-track.  The No. 5 machine needed another chassis adjustment along with fresh tires and fuel to race to the finish.  Skinner returned to the track in the 17^th position to travel through the field one last time. 

The final laps of the Kroger 200 were marred with on-track incidents and caution flags.  With the whole field on cool tires, Skinner was never able to benefit from the newer Goodyear Eagles on the International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra and crossed the finish line in sixth-place.

“It was a crazy day as usual at Martinsville [Speedway],” commented Skinner following the race.  “Stacy [Johnson, crew chief] and the International Truck/Monaco RVs team did a great job designing a strategy that put us on fresher tires than the rest of the field with about 50 to go.  We had a really fast truck at that point, but the cautions just kept coming and coming which equaled out everybody’s tires.  We ended up with a sixth-place finish for our International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra.  I really think we had a better truck than that, but that’s Martinsville.  A lot of teams didn’t finish and we did, so it was a good day.” 

Next week the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will travel to Talladega Superspeedway for the Mountain Dew 250.  The race will be broadcast live on SPEED Channel, MRN Radio and SIRIUS XM Radio beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 30.  Practice and qualifying will be televised on Friday at 10:00 a.m. EST and 4:40 p.m. EST, respectively.  Additionally fans can visit Randy Moss Motorsports on Twitter (@RMMRacing) and Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/randymossmotorsports) for updates. 

Mike Skinner Martinsville Speedway Event Preview

Mike Skinner

No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra

Martinsville Speedway – Kroger 200

October 23, 2010

No. 5 Randy Moss Motorsports International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra News and Notes

• This Week’s Tundra… The No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra team and driver Mike Skinner will race MDM-106 in Saturday’s 200-lap NCWTS event at Martinsville Speedway.  Earlier this season, Skinner was behind the wheel of MDM-106 running fourth at Martinsville Speedway when contact with another competitor eliminated his chance of victory.  More recently, the International Truck/Monaco RVs team competed with MDM-106 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and finished in the 13^th position. 
• Success at Martinsville Speedway… Skinner has visited victory lane three times at Martinsville Speedway tying him with Dennis Setzer as the winningest NCWTS driver at the Virginia short track.  Known for starting up front, Skinner’s three poles rank him second on the all-time list for NCWTS poles at Martinsville Speedway.  The 53-year-old veteran leads all NCWTS competitors with 608 laps led around the 0.526-mile track. 
• Little Skinner… Be on the lookout for Skinner’s “Mini Me” prior to the race on Saturday afternoon.  Skinner’s grandson will join him for the weekend at Martinsville Speedway and will be wearing a firesuit with the International Truck/Monaco RVs colors just like his grandpa. 
• Toyota Loyalty… Skinner is the only driver to have piloted a Toyota Tundra in every NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. The two teamed up in 2004 when the manufacturer entered the NASCAR arena.
• Watch and Listen… The Kroger 200 will be broadcast live on SPEED with coverage beginning at 12:30 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 23. Live flag-to-flag coverage can also be heard on MRN Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128, beginning at 12:45 p.m. EST. 

Mike Skinner on driving at Martinsville Speedway

“I can’t wait to go back to Martinsville [Speedway].  It’s a track where I’ve had a lot of success in all different aspects of my career, and it’s a place that I always look forward to.  I’ll have one of my grandsons with me for the race this weekend, so that makes it even more special.  He only comes to a handful of races each season, but we always have a lot of fun when he’s at the track.  The International Truck/Monaco RVs team has been hard at work the last few weeks; between testing and a few other things they’ve done, I think we’ll have a very competitive Toyota Tundra this weekend.”

Crew Chief Stacy Johnson on racing at Martinsville Speedway

“Mike has been extremely competitive at Martinsville [Speedway].  Our team had a great truck there earlier this season and I think the International Truck/Monaco RVs team has only improved since then.  We had a good test at Gresham Motorsports Park and successful trips to both the wind tunnel and seven-post to prepare our truck.  I think you’ll see the No. 5 Toyota Tundra racing near the front of the field before the checkered flag falls on Saturday.”

TAYLER MALSAM RETURNS TO RANDY MOSS MOTORSPORTS

Malsam Will Pilot a RMM Toyota Tundra for the Final Three Races of 2010 Season and Entire 2011 Schedule

STATESVILLE, N.C. (October 13, 2010) – Tayler Malsam will be back behind the wheel of the No. 25 Toyota Tundra for Randy Moss Motorsports for three races before the 2010 season comes to a close.  The Seattle, Wash., native will pilot a second entry for Randy Moss Motorsports at Texas Motor Speedway, Phoenix International Raceway and Homestead-Miami Speedway before taking over the reins of the Randy Moss Motorsports-prepared Toyota Tundra for the entire 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series campaign. 

“I’m happy to be back with my old team at Randy Moss Motorsports,” commented sophomore driver Malsam.  “We had a good truck for the race at Las Vegas [Motor Speedway].  We’ll be able to build on that and improve our chemistry over the last few races of the year and over the off-season before going to Daytona in February.  Most of all, I’m looking forward to making a run at the championship next season; we finished 12^th in my first year and I know we can improve on that.” 

“We’re all excited to have Tayler back on our team at Randy Moss Motorsports,” said RMM co-owner and NFL standout Randy Moss.  “It’s exciting to be involved in the career of such a talented young driver.  I’m sure he’ll do a great job driving our Toyota Tundras.” 

“Tayler is a great young driver,” said David Dollar, co-owner of Randy Moss Motorsports.  “As an owner, I always find it exceptionally rewarding to help young drivers grow their professional careers.  Everyone at Randy Moss Motorsports is excited to welcome Tayler back to our team full-time.  He did a phenomenal job for us last season and I’m sure he’ll do the same moving forward.” 

The 21-year-old Seattle, Wash., native has made 26 starts for Randy Moss Motorsports throughout his career; the most recent being the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway just three weeks ago.  He has recorded 10 top-10 finishes and a best finish of fifth at Gateway International Raceway in September 2009.  As a first-year driver, Malsam finished 12^th in the Drivers’ Championship point standings for the 2009 season and runner-up for the Rookie of the Year title. 

Sponsorship announcements for Malsam’s No. 25 Toyota Tundra are forthcoming.