R3 Motorsports' Mike Skinner gets sponsor for Daytona 500
R3 Motorsports announced Friday that Mahindra Tractors will serve as the primary sponsor on the team’s No. 23 Chevrolet that Mike Skinner will attempt to qualify for the 2009 Daytona 500.
R3 Motorsports, which fielded a part-time NASCAR Nationwide Series effort last season for driver Robert Richardson Jr., will attempt to qualify for its first Cup race with Skinner behind the wheel.
Skinner, who plans to run a full NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season in 2009, has 15 previous Cup starts at the 2.5-mile Daytona trioval.
“I first want to thank R3 Motorsports and Mahindra Tractors for this opportunity to race," said Skinner. "The Daytona 500 is one of those things, that as a racer, it is an honor to be able to compete in. The crew has been busy working back at the shop to put a car out there that will be strongly competitive and qualify for the big show.
“Even though the team is very young and it is their first Cup race, there is a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise at R3 Motorsports. I hope with my veteran status that I can lend a hand and produce strong results at Daytona."
The team plans to attempt to qualify for the first five races of the season and then continue on a race-to-race basis. Veteran crew chief Slugger Labbe will make pit calls for Skinner at Daytona.
"Being a single-car team in the Cup series is a challenge," said Labbe. "But that is one challenge that I want to accept. The No. 23 Mahindra Tractors Chevy is strong, and I think our performance during the Duels [Daytona 500 qualifying races] will prove that we are a serious competitor who can win Cup races. Having Mike Skinner behind the wheel is an added bonus. He has a great depth of knowledge of the Daytona International Speedway, and that only adds to making us a stronger team."
