NASCAR elder statesman Mike Skinner will start an exclusive club tomorrow when the flag drops at Martinsville. Barring any setbacks, Skinner will be making his 200th NASCAR Truck start, which would make him the charter member of the 200 Cup / 200 Truck-starts club.
Currently sitting on 260 Cup starts and 199 Truck starts, the veteran driver remains focused on battling for the primary podium position. Skinner has three wins this season (28 career wins, tied for second all-time in Trucks) and finished third at this season’s previous Martinsville meeting back on March 30. He says his goal is to finish in the top three in points for the season.
“Martinsville and Talladega can be wild cards in these final five races,” Skinner said. “Every track we go to, you can be a victim of circumstance, but these two definitely open up the opportunity. We’re fighting to stay in the top three. If Matt Crafton has a hiccup or two, then we can feasibly get second. We’re going to try to protect where we are right now.”
Skinner, 52, was the inaugural Trucks champion in 1995. After jumping to the Cup series in 1997, he returned to Trucks in 2004. Notably, tomorrow’s start will also be his 146th straight start.