SEASON PREVIEW: Mike Skinner optimistic about 2010 prospects

By Bob Pockrass

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

RSS Feed
Email to a Friend
Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size RESIZE
Share
- Facebook
- Del.icio.us
- DIGG This
- Reddit
- Newsvine
- StumbleUpon
1 Comment

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Mike Skinner started the 2009 Truck Series season driving for team owner David Dollar, just as he’s doing in 2010.

But beyond that, Skinner says there’s little comparison on the Randy Moss Motorsports outlook now compared with last year. Skinner enters 2010 fully sponsored with International trucks, Monaco RVs and Exide and knowing his team has funding for his truck to get through the season.

Skinner also has a new crew chief. He and Eric Phillips did click last year – they won three races – but Phillips went to Kyle Busch Motorsports. Skinner now has Gene Nead, who was crew chief for 2005 champion Ted Musgrave.

“It’s 1,000 percent different,” Skinner says. “It’s not a little different – it’s a lot. We only had two trucks with Toyota sheet metal on them a year ago. We didn’t have many people in the shop. We had no cash. It was a struggle. … We’ve got so much more depth than a year ago.”

And what does that mean?

“Last year, if you asked, ‘Where do you think you’re going to finish?,’ I would have said, ‘I’d be tickled to death to win one race and finish 10th in the points’” Skinner said. “We won three races and finished third in the points. And if it wasn’t for a couple of wrecks, it could have been second. I feel like we’ve got a lot better chance this year than a year ago.”

That depth comes from additional ownership (Jim Harris is now part of the team officially named Randy Moss Motorsports with HTM) as well as additional personnel. It is what Skinner hopes makes this season mirror his 1995 campaign when he won the title or his 2007 season when he won five races (and finished second).

“I was going to retire a couple of years ago and we won five races that year,” Skinner says. “We led the most laps. We had the championship won, and a loose left-rear tire cost us the championship. I think that might have been the best thing that ever happened to me.

“Yeah, I would’ve liked to have had that championship, but by the same token, it fueled me to go on. A lot of times when you retire, you get old. I feel like it was an opportunity for me to stay in shape and get myself mentally and physically ready to go battle for another championship.”

Skinner does think he and Nead might need a little time together to click, but he said he thinks the team can be a threat.

“That’s going to take a little adjustment period there, but even if we get a slow start, I think we’re going to be pretty tough coming down the stretch,” Skinner said.

If Skinner can be tough, he might be able to add a second title to his resume, which already has him as the all-time series pole leader with 50 and tied for second in all-time wins with 28.

“I want to win another championship,” Skinner says. “I want to win a championship for Toyota because we went in there on the ground floor with them. I’m the only guy that has run every race in the Truck Series for Toyota. I want to do it for them. I want to do it for me.”