Mike Skinner and the No. 5 Toyota Tundra team did not let weather or the competitors deter them from posting their ninth top-10 finish of the season at The Milwaukee Mile.
The No. 5 team unloaded its Toyota Tundra Friday morning and believed it had a truck good enough to compete for the win. Skinner told crew chief Jeff Hensley during practice that the truck was not in the race track, and its handling was really tight getting of the corners. The team made significant changes to the truck, which Skinner liked, but he said he could use more to make the truck turn better in the center of the corner. The team’s hard work paid off by the end of practice, as the No. 5 truck was on top of the speed chart.
Skinner was the favorite to capture his second consecutive pole position at The Milwaukee Mile. The 1995 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion ran a lap of 29.825 seconds, which was good enough to put him in third for the start of the 200-lap event. He reported to his crew after his qualifying run that the truck was a little loose on both ends of the track, but he felt like it would be good for the race.
When the green flag waved to start the race, Skinner was on a mission to keep his No. 5 Toyota Tundra near the front of the field. He remained third for the first 20 laps. He told the crew that the No. 5 Tundra was a little tight in the gas, but it was really good getting into the corners. Hensley developed a plan of changes to make to the No. 5 truck during the first pit stop.
Skinner made a pit stop on lap 75 under green flag conditions. The crew made trackbar and air pressure adjustments during the four-tire stop, hoping to loosen the truck for the next run.
The caution flag waved three laps later, putting the No. 5 Toyota Tundra one lap down in the 11th spot. Skinner restarted in front of the leader and was on the tail end of the lead lap. He knew the team needed a quick caution to get the Tundra back on the lead lap. It only took 15 laps for the caution flag to come out, and Skinner rejoined the lead lap.
The team took advantage of the caution flag to top off its Tundra with fuel. Skinner stood eighth when the race restarted on lap 98. One lap later, two trucks in the front of the field made contact. The collision blocked the entire frontstretch and prompted NASCAR officials to display the caution flag. Skinner made a great move to avoid being collected in the accident, but the No. 5 Tundra did suffer some minor damage.
Skinner brought his Tundra down pit road on lap 100 so the team could assess the damage and change all four tires. The team did a tremendous job repairing the damage to the left front fender and quickly returned Skinner to the track. Skinner restarted 15th on lap 104.
Skinner knew he had his work cut out to get his Tundra back in the top 10. By lap 140, Skinner had made it up into the 11th spot and was running lap times as quick as those of the leader. He told his team the truck was extra tight in both corners which hindered him from really getting hard on the gas. The tight condition Skinner was fighting did not deter him from passing trucks and earning a hard fought 10th-place finish.
The Toyota Tundra team heads south to Memphis (Tenn.) Motorsports Park for the O’Reilly 200. The race can be seen live on Speed Channel Saturday, June 28 at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.