Oh, and the 49-year-old driver led a whopping 246 of 253 laps at the. 526-mile Martinsville Speedway. That s the most any driver has led in a single race, erasing Ron Hornaday Jr. (No. 33 AER HR Solutions Chevrolet) from the record book.
Hornaday s record, 225 laps, had stood since the Californian led wire-to-wire at the old Louisville Motor Speedway on July 12, 1997.
Skinner, who earlier set a Martinsville Speedway qualifying record of 95.985 mph, matched Jack Sprague s series mark of eight races won from the Budweiser Pole.
“I guess it wasn t a fluke, ” said the winner in more than an understatement.
Crew chief Jeff Hensley isn t surprised. “Mike is the biggest change in this deal. He s driving smart and not asking more of the truck than what it can do. ”
The victory, Hensley s sixth with Skinner, was a hometown affair. “Our family-owned team won some Busch races here back in the early 90s, ” he said. “It s been 14 years since I ve won here as a crew chief and this is big. ”
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