Krista Voda: Truck series popular for its family atmosphere
Mike and Angie Skinner celebrate a NASCAR Truck series win at Martinsville Speedway. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
COMMENTARY
A couple of weeks ago on our NASCAR Camping World Truck Series pre-race show, “NCWTS Setup,”(nicknamed “The Set Up”) on SPEED, we featured a piece on Angie Skinner, wife of former series champion Mike Skinner. For those who missed it, the piece was an insightful look into Angie’s (or any wife’s, for that matter) role in her husband’s career and success.
My favorite part was when both Angie and Mike talked about her victory lane ritual, in which she jumps up into Mike’s arms after each win.
Did you know Dale Earnhardt Sr. was the one who told her to do that, and to keep doing it, after every one of Mike’s wins?
Seeing that piece, and hearing Angie and Mike talk about it, reminded me why I love this series. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s refreshing.
Those of us who broadcast the Truck races each week, Rick Allen, Phil Parsons, Michael Waltrip, Ray Dunlap, Adam Alexander, myself, and countless production staff, have access to each of those “Angie Skinner” moments. The drivers, wives, crew chiefs, owners, etc. share with us their stories, not because they have to, but because they want to. I receive several e-mails each week from fans who say their favorite thing about watching our coverage of the Truck series is that it feels like a family, whether they are watching for the first time or have been a fan for years.
Sometimes those fans actually become a part of that Truck series family. This past week in Las Vegas, the sixth-annual “Skinnerites Do Vegas with the Skinners” took place. Each year, the Skinners host several fans, who come from all over the country, for a weekend of food and fun. These fans literally eat dinner with the Skinners and hang out with the team at the hauler throughout the day. It’s a really cool thing that Mike and Angie do for members of their fan club.
Whether you belong to an actual fan club, or just hold your meetings in front of the TV each week in your living room, we’re glad you’ve joined.
Krista Voda hosts the popular SPEED prerace show NCWTS Setup, leading into each NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Voda is also a regular host on The SPEED Report and serves as a pit reporter for NASCAR on FOX coverage of the Sprint Cup Series.
