Mike Skinner and the No. 27 Bill Davis Racing team lined up in the fifth spot for Sunday’s UAW-Dodge 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  Skinner remained within sight of the leaders for the first 50 laps of the event, but a pit road speeding penalty and handling issues relegated the team to a 30th-place finish.

Skinner was the 45th of 47 competitors to take to the track for his qualifying run Friday afternoon.  As one of 12 teams that did not have a guaranteed starting spot for Sunday’s event, Skinner and crew chief Slugger Labbe hoped their hard work would pay off by way of a spot in the field.  Skinner’s speed of 181.117 mph around the 1.5-mile oval was quick enough to earn him the fifth spot on the starting grid.

The green flag waved for the start of the event and just before the first caution flag of the day, Skinner communicated to Labbe that the handling of the Bad Boys Mowers Toyota was loose.  Skinner made a scheduled pit stop on lap 52 of the 267-lap race, and Labbe called for air pressure and wedge adjustments during the four-tire stop.  Unfortunately, Skinner was one of several drivers caught speeding on pit road.  NASCAR officials assessed a pass-through penalty to the team on lap 55, and Skinner went one lap down to the leader shortly thereafter.

Skinner continued to work through a loose handling condition for the first half of the event.  At the halfway point of the event, he held the 36th position.  Skinner reported to his crew shortly after the halfway mark that the handling of the No. 27 Bill Davis Racing machine had become tight.  Labbe made adjustments to the car at every opportunity, and when the checkered flag waved, Skinner held the 30th position.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will travel to the 1.54-mile Atlanta Motor Speedway next weekend for the Kobalt Tools 500 Sunday, March 9.  Qualifying for the event is scheduled for Friday, March 8.  Coverage of the 325-lap race is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET start, and will broadcast on FOX (television), PRN (radio) and Sirius Satellite Radio.