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[/media-credit]Mike Skinner
No. 8 Cricket SW3 – Halifax Health Chevrolet Silverado
Daytona International Speedway – NextEra Energy Resources 250
February 24, 2012
No. 8 Cricket SW3 – Halifax Health Chevrolet News and Notes
The Veteran’s Back… Mike Skinner will make his return to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for the first time in nearly a year. The inaugural NCWTS Champion spent 2011 searching for a full-time opportunity after competing in the first two events of the year for Eddie Sharp Racing.
· The Road to Daytona… It was certainly a group effort to get Skinner to the track. The inaugural NCWTS champion announced his return with Eddie Sharp Racing just two weeks before the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. American Auto was the first company to jump on board by purchasing the lower rear quarter panels, and Paytas Homes quickly followed adding their name to the upper quarter panels. Soon Halifax Health joined the NC Trooper’s Association (NCTA) / NC State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) Caisson Unit to decorate the bed top with their companies’ names. A listener on Sirius Speedway got a hold of Skinner shortly thereafter to add the Cricket SW3 logo to the hood of the No. 8 Chevrolet. With five partners on board, Skinner is set to make his return to the NCWTS at his home track and will race for the win on Friday night.
The Search for Sponsorship… While the current situation places Skinner in a one-race deal driving the No. 8 Chevrolet for Eddie Sharp Racing, both Skinner and team owner, Eddie Sharp, have been in heavy negotiations with a sponsor who has signed an agreement to back Skinner throughout the entire 2012 season. While waiting on the funding to be placed, the team is continually seeking additional sponsorship opportunities to enable Skinner and the No. 8 ESR team to compete for the NCWTS championship. Meet Mike… Fans can stop by the Paytas Homes open house on Tuesday, February 21, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. to meet Skinner, get autographs, and register to win a pair of tickets to Friday night’s NCWTS race. The event will take place at 554 Bella Luna Lane, Skinner will also be at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series autograph session at Daytona International Speedway on Friday, February 24th from 2:30-3:15 p.m. The driver of the No. 8 Chevrolet Silverado will be on hand to meet fans and sign autographs for the crowd. Listen In… Mike Skinner will be on several local radio shows throughout the week leading up to the NextEra Energy Resources 250. On Friday morning, Skinner will be on WIYD and WPLK (Palatka, Fla.) at 8:20 a.m. and WFXJ (Jacksonville, Fla.) at 8:40 a.m. on Friday, February 24. Skinner will also be on WBOB Radio in Jacksonville, Fla., with ESR teammates Justin Lofton and Cale Gale from 11:50 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. on Friday, February 24. Listen online at . Follow Mike… Fans are invited to follow Mike Skinner, driver of the No. 8 Cricket SW3-Halifax Health Chevrolet Silverado, on twitter @MStheGunslinger and on Facebook (facebook.com/mike.skinner.official.fan.page). Fans can also check out www.mikeskinner.com for news and updates throughout the weekend. Get the Inside Scoop… Follow Eddie Sharp Racing on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to get real-time updates and behind the scenes information: @TeamESR or facebook.com/teamesr. Watch and Listen…The NextEra Energy Resources 250 from Daytona International Speedway will be broadcast live on SPEED, MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, at 7:00 p.m. EST on Friday, February 24. Practice sessions from the 2.5-mile track will be aired on Thursday, February 23, at 12:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. EST. Qualifying for the 250-mile event will be broadcast on SPEED at 4:00 p.m. EST Friday afternoon.
No. 8 Cricket SW3-Halifax Health Chevrolet Silverado Truck Information
The No. 8 Cricket SW3-Halifax Health Chevrolet Silverado team will compete with chassis #56 this weekend at Daytona International Speedway. The chassis was built by Kevin Harvick Inc. and was the backup truck for the No. 8 team last year in Talladega. It’s a brand new speedway truck that has never been raced.
From the Driver’s Seat
Mike Skinner Quotes… On racing at Daytona: “I consider Daytona our home racetrack. Angie and I have been here for most of the time that we’ve been together. We know everyone in the community and everyone knows us. I’ve always been competitive at Daytona International Speedway—when I was rookie I sat on the pole in the Daytona 500. I feel like we’ve been in a position to win the Camping World Truck Series race before, and we’ve been in a position to have a shot at winning the Sprint Cup Series race twice. While we’ve come up a little bit short, we’ve always been competitive. Daytona International Speedway is one of my top three or four favorite tracks that we go to. I can’t wait to do this with Eddie Sharp Racing. I know ESR is very competitive, they have a lot of horsepower and some really great trucks. We hope to run a full season, but if we can only run one race, I’m glad it’s this one.”
On all of the local support that is funding his effort with Eddie Sharp Racing in Daytona… “What is so amazing is that I’ve done an endorsement deal with EJ and American Auto down here for about 12 years now. He was the first guy to jump on board and offer to help—he’s sponsoring our lower quarter panel. Jim Paytas was the second guy—we tried to put together a deal last year, but it didn’t exactly work out, so this year he took the upper quarter panels. Halifax Health and the NC Trooper’s Association (NCTA) / NC State Highway Patrol (NCSHP) Caisson Unit jumped in to sponsor the bed top. I’m so happy to have Halifax Health on board—they’re right across the street from the track and provide all the medical services at Daytona International Speedway. Angie and I are on the board there, we’ve donated money to the hospital, and now when we’re in need they’re helping us. Then we got a call from one of Angie’s ‘Sirius Speedway’ listeners and he came on board with Rick’s Specialty Vehicles and the Cricket SW3. It’s been a fantastic experience with how everyone has pitched in; now we’re almost fully-funded.”
From the Pit Box
Eddie Troconis Quotes… On what to expect in Daytona: “We have very good equipment for the race at Daytona International Speedway. We’ve gone to the wind tunnel with trucks with all three of ESR’s teams and we’ve been working on everything to make it better. We will all be running trucks that came from KHI; they’re fast race trucks. We hope to have all three ESR trucks running in the top-five on Friday night; it should be a great race!”
On working with Mike Skinner: “I’m looking forward to having the chance to work with Mike Skinner. I’ve heard good things about him. He’s a veteran to the spot and clearly has a lot of experience. I know him a little bit, but I’ve never had the opportunity to work with him in the past. We’ll be a little new to each other. We will use practice to learn how to best communicate with each other, and will try to understand one another before we get to the race. We need to learn pretty quick about each other—that will probably be our biggest challenge.”
Mike Skinner By the Numbers
Mike Skinner’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Career Stats
Races
Wins
Top-Fives
Top-10s
Poles
Money Won
230
28
90
144
50
$5,254,528
Mike Skinner at Daytona International Speedway
Date
Race
Start
Finish
LC
TL
Status
Money
02/13/10
NextEra Energy Resources 250
20
24
61
100
Accident
$12,700
02/13/09
NextEra Energy Resources 250
5
7
100
100
Running
$19,805
02/15/08
Chevy Silverado 250
3
29
49
100
Running
$13,610
02/16/07
Chevy Silverado HD 250
9
4
100
100
Running
$30,175
02/17/06
GM Flex Fuel 250
5
4
102
102
Running
$32,000
02/18/05
Florida Dodge Dealers 250
16
25
73
100
Accident
$13,865
02/13/04
Florida Dodge Dealers 250
14
28
57
100
Accident
$12,215
TOTAL/AVERAGE
10.3
17.3
542
702
$134,370
