NASCAR trucks continue fast relationship with fans
"I think that's one reason why the truck series is still popular," reigning Las Vegas champion Mike Skinner said. "Our fans know that we're going to run hard from start to finish. There's no holding back like you can in a four-hour race."
Skinner, 52, should know.
The native of Susanville, Calif., won the first truck race in 1995 and finished seventh at Las Vegas en route to winning the season championship for team owner Dale Earnhardt.
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GOING FOR THREE
Veteran Mike Skinner, 52, is attempting to become the first driver to win three truck races at the speedway. He won in 2006 and last year.
"Some tracks just really seem to fit drivers, and Las Vegas fits me really well," Skinner said. "It's fast and it's under the lights, so there is a lot of grip, and guys have options of where they want to try to make their truck work."
Skinner, who drives the No. 5 Toyota owned by NFL wide receiver Randy Moss of the New England Patriots, has started on the pole three of the last five years.
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NASCAR truck racer Mike Skinner familiar with Las Vegas track
If Mike Skinner doesn’t have an ownership stake in Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a win this weekend would certainly have him thinking about one.
The defending champion of the Las Vegas 350, Skinner has enjoyed a lot of success in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series career at the track.
Just don’t remind him of that success.
“As the race track ages, its personality changes,” Skinner said. “And it might get where I don’t have that dominance anymore if I talk about it.”
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What is it about Las Vegas that suits your driving style?
"I just really like Las Vegas to begin with, so we always try to go out a day or so early and enjoy the city. I'm not sure what it is about the track, but it really seems to suit me well. We have sat on a bunch of poles at Vegas, and are fortunate to have won two of the last three races out there. Some tracks just really seem to fit drivers and Las Vegas fits me really, really well. It's fast and it's under the lights, so there is a lot of grip, and guys have options of where they want to try to make their truck work. It's a great race track, and hopefully, we can add another win there this year."
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Skinner Looks To Reignite Rivalry With Hornaday
If Mike Skinner is going to repeat as winner of Saturday's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (9:30 p.m. ET live on SPEED™; NCWTS Setup with Krista Voda at 9 p.m. ET), odds are he will have to beat Ron Hornaday Jr. to do so.
But that's been the story since the Truck Series' inaugural race in 1995, when Hornaday sat on the pole but Skinner stole his thunder with the race win and season championship (Hornaday finished third in points).
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