Mike Skinner’s rise to greatness is unlike that of most past NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champions.  Growing up in Susanville, Calif., Skinner did not have the resources that most NASCAR racers had in the South.  He did not get behind the wheel of a race car until 1976 at Susanville Speedway, a .5-mile dirt track in California.  From that moment on, he knew he wanted to make racing his career.

After winning a track championship at Susanville, Skinner decided he needed to move east to race against the best of the best.  He moved to North Carolina with the hope of making a name for himself.  He competed with other NASCAR hopefuls throughout the Carolinas and Virginia, trying to get his big break.  His hard work paid off, and the then-28-year-old Skinner received his first NASCAR Cup Series ride at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in 1986.

It took another nine years for Skinner to get another chance to race full-time in one of NASCAR’s top series.  Skinner was named the driver of the No. 3 GM Goodwrench truck for Richard Childress Racing in 1995, the inaugural year of the Craftsman Truck Series.  Skinner won the first race of the season at Phoenix International Raceway, and his fellow competitors immediately knew he would be a force to be reckoned with every weekend.  Skinner went on to post eight wins, 17 top-five finishes and 18 top-10 finishes en route to his first Craftsman Truck Series Championship.

Skinner returned to the Cup Series with RCR in 1997.  Skinner drove the No. 31 car to three top-10 finishes, swept the pole for both events at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and was named the series’ Rookie of the Year.

Skinner drove the No. 31 car through the end of the 2001 season, compiling 38 top-10 finishes and winning back-to-back NASCAR exhibition races in Japan (1997 and 1998).  Skinner also won the Gatorade 125-mile qualifying race at Daytona in 2001.

Skinner moved to the No. 4 Kodak car in 2002.  He had a solid year and posted a top-10 finish at [Rockingham] North Carolina Speedway.  He substituted for injured driver Jerry Nadeau the following season and scored a pole at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway in September.

Skinner returned to the Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, this time driving a Toyota Tundra for Bill Davis Racing.  He knew Toyota had the best resources and losing was not an option, which was also his personal credo.  It was a perfect fit.  Skinner posted four top-five finishes, nine top-10 finishes and finished 11th in the year-end points standings.

The 2005 season was another strong year for Skinner and the No. 5 Toyota Tundra team.  The team claimed seven pole positions and ended BDR's winless streak in the Craftsman Truck Series by winning back-to-back races at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.  The victories enabled team owners Bill and Gail Davis to become one of only six car owners to win in all three NASCAR national touring series.  Skinner paced the field a series-best 874 laps and compiled nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes.

Skinner once again piloted the No. 5 Toyota Tundra in 2006.  The team again captured the award for the most poles during the season (eight).  After an outstanding win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, eight top-five finishes, 13 top-10 finishes and a 10th-place finish in the final points standings, Skinner wrapped up another great season in his career.

The 2007 season was just as dominating for Skinner and his No. 5 Tundra team.  He led the series with five victories, 17 top-five finishes, 20 top-10 finishes and 11 poles en route to a second-place finish in the NCTS Championship standings.  Skinner set the NCTS record of most poles in a single season (11) after breaking the record (10) he set in 1995.  Skinner’s 11 poles and developmental driver Ryan Mathews’ pole earlier in the season helped BDR earn the single-season pole record in both the Craftsman Truck Series and NASCAR Busch Series.

Skinner also led the NCTS field in a number of categories in 2007, including driver rating (116.1), average start (2.5), average running position (6.54), laps in the top 15 (3678) and laps led (1105 laps, 1217.31 miles).  He set a new NCTS record of most race winnings in a single season ($737,520).

Skinner collected numerous year-end titles at the NCTS awards banquet, including the WIX Filters Award (lap leader), the Bud Pole Award (most poles), Mobil 1 Award (command performance).  The No. 5 Tundra pit crew won the Checkers/Rally Award (fastest pit crew), marking the second consecutive year a BDR team had won the award.

The 2008 season should be just as strong with Jeff Hensley leading Mike Skinner and his No. 5 Tundra team as they try to capture Bill Davis Racing’s first NASCAR Championship.