Skinner plans to evaluate Allmendinger team, then step aside
By SceneDaily Staff
Friday, March 07, 2008
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David Griffin / NASCAR Scene
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AJ Allmendinger says no race car driver ever wants to be taken out of the car, and he might hate it even more than most.
But Red Bull Racing Team’s decision to temporarily remove him in favor of veteran Mike Skinner is something Allmendinger understands, he said Friday at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Allmendinger has never been inside the top 35 in owner points – and thus guaranteed a starting spot in the Sprint Cup field – during his short career.
“It was difficult, and it’s been rough, but you can’t look back and change anything,” said Allmendinger, in his second season after coming over from the Champ Car ranks. “You have to move ahead, and that’s something we’re doing right now. For me, I’ve just got to keep the confidence in myself that I can do this.”
Skinner, a former Craftsman Truck Series champion, has run 246 career Cup races and earned a reputation as a solid qualifier. Red Bull general manager Jay Frye chose Skinner to not only get the car into races (the initial plan is a four-event stint) but to diagnose the team’s problems.
Skinner said he doesn’t “really have any desire” to run full time in the Cup series.
“Jay Frye wants me to come in because he knows I don’t have a stake in this,” he said. “My stake is to help AJ. Other than that, I’m going to be very truthful about, ‘This is what I think is good, and this is what I think is bad.’”
Skinner said there’s no question in anybody’s mind that Allmendinger can drive a race car.
“If the horse won’t run, you ain’t gonna be able to jump on its back and make it run,” Skinner said. “Our goal is to help get the horse
where it will run better, because we know we’ve got a heck of a jockey. It’s just a matter of getting that thing where it will go.”
Something hasn’t worked on the No. 84 team – which has missed all three events heading into Atlanta – as well as it has on Brian Vickers’ No. 83 team, which has qualified for every race so far.
“Is it the race team? Is it the driver? Is it a combination? Is it feeling too much pressure?” Skinner said. “That’s what I’m here to try to
help evaluate. If AJ succeeds, then I’ve succeeded.”
In Daytona, Allmendinger said he was “one lap away” from getting into a transfer spot in the Gatorade Duel. Qualifying was rained out in California, and the team “just missed it” at Las Vegas.
“Mike’s just going to run however many races, find out what’s wrong and hopefully get the car close to the top 35,” Allmendinger said. “As a team, we’ve been doing this for so long. Every Friday just showing up, hating life, praying that you get the car in the race, and it’s hard.
“I know that if we’re in the top 35, we’re never going to fall out of it, because I’m going to race a lot better than I qualify. We just keep missing a little bit on qualifying. You don’t get in the show, and everything spirals down. This is just a change for right now to get out
there, see where it’s at.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- AJ Allmendinger
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