Mike Skinner has close ties to the Daytona Beach area. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
Eddie Sharp Racing has announced that 1995 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Mike Skinner will join the team for the season opening race at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 24.
The one-race deal will place Skinner behind the wheel of the No. 8 Chevrolet for the NextEra Energy Resources 250 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“Daytona is a bit like a homecoming for me,” said Skinner, a former Daytona 500 pole winner. “(Wife) Angie and I lived here for 15 years, so we still have a lot of friends and family in the area. I love coming here to race, and I know the equipment at ESR is good. If everything goes according to our plan, at the end of the night we’ll be up front and competing for the win.”
After purchasing assets from Kevin Harvick Inc. following the conclusion of the 2011 season, ESR expected to run three full-time teams throughout the 2012 season. Having Skinner in the No. 8 Chevrolet entry at Daytona International Speedway moves the organization closer to that goal.
“ESR has made a significant investment over the winter and the vision is to have three full-time teams,” said team owner Eddie Sharp. “We have two down [with Justin Lofton in the No. 6 CollegeComplete.com Chevrolet and Cale Gale in the No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet] and one to go, and now with the opportunity to race Daytona with Mike, we’re inching closer to that happening. The goal is to keep Mike in the truck all year and run for a championship. If you miss Daytona, winning a championship is no longer possible — you have to be there.”
“I’m really excited to have the opportunity to drive for Eddie again this year at Daytona,” Skinner added. “We’ve been in heavy negotiations with a sponsor who has signed an agreement to sponsor our truck the entire season. We’re waiting for the funding to be put in place, which would allow us to race every week and compete for the championship. If the funding doesn’t come through, then Daytona will probably be our only race unless some other sponsorship comes along. In the event that the sponsorship does come through, we can’t afford to miss Daytona — you can make up for hiccups here and there, but you can’t just give up a whole race on the front side of the year.”
