Veteran Mike Skinner literally wore out the field Saturday as he drove his Toyota Tundra Toyota to victory in a record-breaking performance at Martinsville Speedway.
Starting from the Budweiser Pole, Skinner gave up the lead just once when pitting under caution and led a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series record 246 laps – including the final 172 – to capture the Kroger 250. The victory, worth $54,200, was Skinner s third in a row making the Susanville, Calif. driver the first to string three consecutive wins on two occasions.
Skinner, 49, was the first of four drivers to “three-peat” in 1996 – a season after becoming the series first champion.
He also became just the second driver to win twice at Martinsville in duplicating his 1996 victory. “I can count on my one hand the number of times in 30 years that I ve had a truck (or car) that dominant, ” said Skinner, whose performance was witnessed by an estimated at 45,200 – largest in the series 13-year history at the track currently celebrating its 60th anniversary.
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