Skinner tries to reclaim winning ways in title defense at Iowa Speedway

[caption id="attachment_131603" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="Timothy Peters (17), Jason White (23) and Mike Skinner (5) race during the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200 race at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, Mich., Saturday, June 12, 2010. (AP Photo/Bob Brodbeck)"][/caption]

Mike Skinner's winning ways have been derailed so far in 2010, but a return trip to Newton might be exactly what the veteran NASCAR driver needs to get back on track.

The 1995 NASCAR Trucks season points champion has notched 12 of his 28 career victories while winning at least one race in each of the last five seasons. This summer, however, has yet to yield a checker flag for Skinner, who won in his only competition at the Iowa Speedway.

So, a race in Central Iowa comes at the perfect time for the 53-year-old veteran. Skinner will defend his title at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Lucas Oil 200 at the Iowa Speedway, beginning at 1 p.m. NASCAR Trucks action starts today with practice at 2 p.m. and qualifying laps scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Skinner sits in sixth place in the points standings, owning five top-10 finishes including a season-best fourth-place finish June 4 in the WinStar World Casino 400K at Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, Texas. He said he has been disappointed with the season's start, and a repeat victory in Newton would be "huge".

"A win anywhere in any of NASCAR's big three is awesome," Skinner said. "Top-10s are good. We have a bunch of top-10s this year, but there's nothing like winning. It would help build the morale back up on this team and get things going again."

The morale, as well as Skinner's chance at a win, took an early hit when he was wrecked while leading at the race in Daytona to start the season Feb. 13. The crash was unintentional and wouldn't assign fault but the team struggled with performance with the trucks running slower than a year ago.

"It's a funny business," said Skinner, who finished third in the final 2009 points standings. "It takes a long time and a lot of hard work to get your act together, program good and vehicles fast. It doesn't take but a little bit to mess that up and then it takes a long time to get it back again.

"We're in that rebuilding process right now but we're really excited about going to Iowa this week."

There are plenty of reasons for Skinner to look forward to Sunday's race. He's had success and the team will try to recapture that success by bring back the same truck Skinner drove to victory in the Trucks Series' inaugural event at the race track last year. He is quite fond of the speedway.

“This is definitely in the top five of my favorite race tracks that we go to anywhere," Skinner said. “I love it. I wish we had two events there.

"It's going to be a lot of fun."

Part of the fun is the effect a driver can have on the outcome. The smaller 7/8-mile track shrinks the margin for error and can be an equalizer for cars that don't run quite as fast. Handling and precision prove to be a premium for drivers to do well, and missing your marks on the track can turn a bad corner into a bad lap.

"A little tiny mistake can snowball into big mistakes," Skinner said. "You have to pay attention and stay focused."

That focus hasn't dwindled as he's gotten older. Despite having sons who have competed on NASCAR circuits, Skinner is still highly competitive. Shorter Truck Series races suit him, even though he doesn't mind a Cup start occasionally for a test.

"There's no substitute for youth. There's also no substitute for experience," Skinner said. "Take in all those races, laps and years of competing and you're able to stay in good enough shape, physically, to take advantage of that experience it works out pretty good sometimes."

Skinner enters a key time in the Truck Series schedule that visits tracks that he has done well at previously, including Gateway International Raceway in Madison, Ill., and O'Reilly Raceway Park in Indianapolis. He said his crew has deserved better finishes, and another strong showing at the Iowa Speedway could be a springboard in a possible climb in the points standings. He currently trails Johnny Sauter by eight points for fifth place.

"I'm just really excited about getting this nine-week stretch started," Skinner said, "and getting these first races out of the way."

The speedway will also host the ARCA Series Prairie Meadows 200, which is set for tonight at 8. Cedar Rapids teenager Joey Gase will compete in the event, racing for Spraker Racing. The 17-year-old driver, who became the youngest late model season points champion at Hawkeye Downs Speedway last year, is making his second appearance at the Iowa Speedway, driving for Spraker Racing in May's NASCAR K & N Series event there in May.