Racing Archives - Page 72 of 76 - NorCal Car Culture

Mike Skinner of Susanville Will Be Busy This Weekend

Last weekend was a rough one for veteran race car driver and 1995 Nascar Camping World Truck Series Champion, Mike Skinner from Susanville, California. According to Eddie Sharp Racing:
“After an unfortunate turn of events at Daytona International Speedway, Mike Skinner missed the race at the famed 2.5-mile speedway. A string of problems started on the first day of Wednesday for the No. 45 Cushman / Paytas Homes Toyota Tundra when the starter shorted out and caused problems throughout the entire truck, including a minor fire. The team worked hard to restore the damage to the Tundra but struggled to find speed during the final practice. Troubles continued for the team when the No. 45 did not have a fast enough time to qualify for the event. Although Skinner is a past NCWTS champion (1995), a glitch in the paperwork disqualified the usage of the past-champion provisional, as Skinner was a last-minute addition to the team.”

Skinner hopes his luck will be better this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway. If all goes well, he will be racing in the Nascar Camping World Truck Series and Sprint Cup Series races. He hopes to qualify for the truck race in his #45 Toyota Tundra sponsored by Cushman and Paytas Homes. If he is successful, it will be his 230th start in the NCWTS race. Mike Skinner has a great record in the Truck Series at the Phoenix Raceway. In 11 starts, he has 2 wins, 6 top-fives and 10 top-10s.

Eddie Sharp Racing's #45 Toyota Tundra driven by Mike Skinner

Mike Skinner on going to Phoenix International Raceway;
“If you look back in history, you can tell that I must like Phoenix International Raceway, or the track certainly likes me. I’ve had a ton of success there and have run well in all three divisions. I’ve had some victories in the NCWTS at PIR, and I love Phoenix and I cannot wait to get back. Last week at Daytona International Speedway was tough, but we are going to come back with the Eddie Sharp Racing team and honor our commitments to Cushman, Paytas Homes and Toyota. I think that we all learned a lot, and we are ready to go out to Arizona.”

Later, he will attempt to qualify for the Sprint Cup race driving the #32 Ford Fusion for new team FAS Lane Racing. FAS Lane is owned by veteran crew chief Frank Stoddard who won 14 races with Jeff Burton at Roush Racing. This will be the 262nd Sprint Cup Series start for Skinner. After a 15th place finish at Daytona with 2-time Series Champion Terry Labonte, the FAS Lane team was able to secure sponsorship from Gainey Suites Hotels.

The Lucas Oil 150 Truck Series qualifying can be seen live on SPEED at 2 pm and the race at 5pm on Friday, February 25, 2011. Qualifying for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 Sprint Cup race will be broadcast Saturday, February 26, 2011 at 12:30 pm on SPEED and the race is on FOX on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 12:00 pm.

You can check on Mike’s progress on the track this weekend at: www.facebook.com/TeamESR or http://twitter.com/#!/TeamESR.

Rocklin, CA Driver Justin Marks Finishes 24th at Daytona

Daytona Beach, Fla. (Monday, February 21, 2011) – Justin Marks kicked off the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series season with a bang on Friday night, under the lights, at Daytona International Speedway, but the excitement didn’t end with Marks’ holding the coveted trophy in Victory Lane. Instead of claiming the win, Marks’ No. 66 GoPro team faced misfortune and came out on top with a 24th place finish in the NextEra Energy Resources 250.

“It was a bit of a frustrating night with a lot of what seemed like just teething issues with a new group of guys and a new team,” said Marks after the race. “What was good was that the GoPro Chevrolet was pretty fast in the draft. I felt like we could go on offense with it and make some moves on our own which is what you want when you come to these big tracks,” he explained.

The “teething issues” began in practice and carried over to qualifying for the 100-lap event on Thursday night. Marks’ GoPro Chevrolet was fast in the draft, but didn’t live up to expectations on its single truck run in qualifying. The No. 66 laid down a qualifying lap of 52.045 seconds at a speed of 172.927 miles per hour, which was good for 30th starting position for Friday night’s race.

While staged on pit road before the race, Marks’ strapped into his GoPro Chevrolet. As the Grand Marshall instructed the drivers to fire their engines, Marks’ keyed the radio to talk to the crew and was met with radio interference. The team tried to fix the issues while parked on pit road, but Marks’ was forced to start at the tail of the field for the start of the race.

Radio issues aside, Marks’ took the green flag and wasted no time finding his spot in the draft and working his way past slower traffic. Shown 23rd just 12 laps in, Marks’ was marching through the field before a hood pin came loose and he was forced to bring his Chevrolet down pit road for an unscheduled green flag stop on lap 26. Crew Chief Doug Wolcott called for fuel and no tires before the team attempted to repair the hood with bearbond.

“The hood coming apart was a pretty slow developing thing. Once it started flapping we really lost the edge and had to follow a bit and work traffic in a certain way to get as much air off the hood as possible,” Marks’ explained. “It kind of changed the game plan a bit.” When Marks’ returned to the track he was one lap down to the leaders and barely missed a shot at the “lucky dog” when the caution flag was displayed on lap 39. “When we were forced to it to fix (the hood) and lost our opportunity at the lucky dog, it just kind of turned to a survival thing.”

With survival in mind, Wolcott called Marks in for his second stop of the night on lap 49 to try and repair the hood once more. Unfortunately, the damage was already done. When Marks’ returned to the track, a second hood pin broke and metal bracing punctured his right front tire, forcing Marks’ hard into the outside retaining wall in turn one.

Marks’ returned to pit road where the crew cut away the hood, but Marks’ was mired deep in the field, nearly seven laps down. “All in all, it was a tough race but the GoPro Chevy team did a good job and guys worked really hard in the face of adversity,” explained Marks after the race. “I think we have a group of guys that have a good work ethic and are pretty invested in this thing so that’s encouraging as we move forward.” Marks’ was able to salvage a 24th place finish after avoiding several late race multi-truck crashes that took out most of the field.

“The way things shook out, it wasn’t the worst points day as a lot of strong contenders had tough nights as well so we’re still positioned well going to the next race,” said Marks, who currently sits 19th in the championship title chase.

“I feel like we had a good test at Gresham and both us and the 60 have strong trucks going to Phoenix so I think we can achieve a lot there as a team,” Marks’ said. “With the new points system, it would appear that the mulligans you get hurt you a bit more than in the past so lets hope this is our only hiccup this year and we can go to work in Arizona.”

Marks and the No. 66 GoPro team will head West to Phoenix International Raceway for race number 2 of 25 in the 2011 Camping World Truck Series season. The race will be televised live on the SPEED channel on Friday, February 25th at 8 p.m. ET.

Turn One Racing Press Release

NorCal Race Fans Can Meet the 2011 Daytona 500 Winner

The 53rd Annual Daytona 500 can be seen this Sunday, February 20th at 10am PT on the FOX TV newtwork. It is the official start to the 2011 season and the biggest race of the year in Nascar Sprint Cup racing. It is always interesting to see who starts out the year with a win.

SONOMA, Calif. (Feb. 15, 2011) – Infineon Raceway announced that race fans are invited to an old-fashioned Ice Cream Social at legendary Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco on Tuesday, Feb. 22, with the winner of the 2011 Daytona 500.

For the third consecutive year, the winner of the Great American Race will come to San Francisco to meet with race fans and members of the media, courtesy of Infineon Raceway and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

The appearance marks the Official Countdown to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series weekend at Infineon Raceway, June 24-26.

The Ghirardelli Square Ice Cream Parlor will create a very special ice cream sundae in honor of the 2011 Daytona 500 winner. It will be called the “Sundae, Sundae, Sundae.”

Race fans are invited to the event, which begins at 6 p.m. at Ghirardelli Square. The race-winner, who will arrive via a CHP escort, will first walk the red carpet to the Ghirardelli Square Ice Cream Parlor, where he will create the very first “Sundae, Sundae, Sundae,” complete with all the fixins. The item will have a permanent spot on the Ghirardelli Square Ice Cream Parlor menu for fans to enjoy.

The Ghirardelli® Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop in San Francisco

The driver will then be escorted to the Ghirardelli Square Courtyard for a formal press conference. Race fans are encouraged to attend and give the winner of the Great American Race a warm Northern California welcome. Fans in attendance will receive a complimentary “Sundae, Sundae, Sundae,” courtesy of Ghirardelli Square, while supplies last.

The event will also feature ticket giveaways, event posters and a visit from the popular Infineon Raceway Girls. Be sure and get there early as seats to the press conference will be limited.

Race tickets to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 will be available at the Ice Cream Social, including special packages like the Save Mart Supermarkets 2-Pack (2 tickets for $99) and the Jimmie Johnson 4-Pack (4 tickets, 4 hot dog, 4 sodas, plus a race-day Q&A with Johnson for $195), among others.

Stay tuned to www.infineonraceway.com for additional details on the Ice Cream Social with the 2011 Daytona 500 winner.

– Infineon Raceway, Press Release