Series off-week news 2010-10-10

*Martinsville: Good Stop On Schedule For Winless Skinner
*Kyle Busch Motorsports Hosts Grand Opening Of New Race Facility
*Points Cushion No Longer In Peters' Pocket

Martinsville: Good Stop On Schedule For Winless Skinner

Mike Skinner (No. 5 International Trucks / Monaco RV Toyota) continues to search for that elusive victory in 2010. Skinner, who won the first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship in 1995, has scored at least one victory in the last five seasons.

However, this season--full of unpredicted challenges--has been less than stellar compared to Skinner's norm. He has only two top fives and nine top-10 finishes in the first 20 races.

"We lost our crew chief to Kyle Busch Motorsports in January, which was really upsetting," said Skinner. "You always do better the second year with your crew chief and team as you build chemistry. The dynamic of our team changed and it was pretty disheartening."

However, a victory could be right around the corner for the Randy Moss Motorsports team now led by Stacy Johnson, for whom Skinner worked during his time at Richard Childress Racing.

"With Stacy on the box, we've been improving week after week" said Skinner, who currently sits eighth in the series standings.

Skinner has five wins and 23 top-five finishes at the final five race tracks on the schedule. Three of those wins came at the next stop on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule--Martinsville Speedway.

And it's coming at a good place in Skinner's season.

Skinner has led over 600 laps--the most of any driver in truck series competition--at the famed short track known for its long straight-aways and short tight corners.

He shares the record for most wins--three--at the speedway with Dennis Setzer.

In the past five seasons, Skinner's annual victories came before, or at, the fall Martinsville event.

Kyle Busch Motorsports Hosts Grand Opening Of New Race Facility

Truck series team owner Kyle Busch (No. 18 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota) will host the Grand Opening of Kyle Busch Motorsports on Thursday, Oct. 14 beginning at 9 a.m.

The 77,000-square-foot facility houses the No. 18 Toyota Tundra race trucks fielded by Busch in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

"We're proud of our team, we're thankful for our sponsors and supporters, and we're so glad to invite everyone to our race shop," said Busch, who has four NCWTS victories this season. "Actually, I think 'corporate headquarters' is a more appropriate description of what we have here. Not only do we build and prepare our race trucks, we also are equipped to conduct executive meetings and gatherings for our partners and prospective partners on a daily basis."

Busch, along with KBM truck series driver, Brian Ickler (No. 18 KBM Toyota), will be onsite to sign autographs.

Busch is expected to compete in the final five races of the season. He currently sits only 39 points outside the top spot in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series owners' standings.

NCWTS, Etc.

Austin Dillon (No. 3 Bass Pro Shops Chevrolet) spent Monday filming a segment for the famed television game show, The Price Is Right. Dillon filmed the show along with Richard Childress Racing teammate Clint Bowyer. The duo introduced their respective showcases to the contestants. The episode is scheduled to air at the end of the season during race week at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series regulars Aric Almirola (No.15 Zyclara/Graceway Pharmaceuticals Toyota), James Buescher (No. 31 Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet), and David Starr (No. 81 Zachry Toyota) will attempt this weekend's Dollar General 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway before returning to truck series action next weekend at Martinsville Speedway.

Truck Series sponsor Camping World will host a 10-day sales event surrounding the Charlotte race weekend festivities. The sale kicked off last Friday at the Camping World display at Concord Mills mall and will run until Sunday, Oct. 17. Fans will have the opportunity to trade in their current RV for an upgraded model or shop for a new RV unit.

Points Cushion No Longer In Peters' Pocket

Five races ago, a final top-five standings position seemed like a lock for Timothy Peters.

He sat third in the standings, coming off his sixth consecutive top-10 finish. Peters was a comfortable 105 points inside the top five.

But then the hiccups came, in the form of a 21st-place run at Chicagoland Speedway and a 26th at Las Vegas. Sandwiched between those were two solid sixth-place finishes.

But the damage has been done.

Peters has dropped two points positions in the last four races. His statistics over those four: an average finish of 14.8, a Driver Rating of 87.6, an Average Running Position of 10.6, a Pass Differential of minus-2 and a Laps in the Top 15 percentage of 82.1%.

Now, that top-five cushion has completely evaporated. Though still officially ranked fifth, he's in a points tie with sixth-place Matt Crafton. The only thing keeping him in the top five: the tiebreaker--in the form of his win at Daytona to open the season.

Another misstep might permanently remove Peters from the top five. Luckily for him, that likely won't happen at Martinsville, the site of the next race.

Peters nabbed his first career national series win there last year, in impressive fashion. In that October event, he scored a Driver Rating of 129.0 and had an Average Running Position of 5.4.

Up Next: Martinsville

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will return to racing next weekend at Martinsville Speedway after the final three open weekends on the schedule.

The Kroger 200 on Saturday, Oct. 23 will be the series' 24th visit to the .526--mile track.

In the previous 23 races at the paperclip shaped oval, 18 different winners have visited Victory Lane. Four race winners have won from the pole--Rich Bickle, Jack Sprague, Mike Skinner and Kevin Harvick (No. 2 KHI Chevrolet). Only one race winner (Dennis Setzer) has won from a starting position outside the top 20.

Martinsville native Timothy Peters won last year's event, scoring his first career NASCAR victory.Fast Facts

Fast Facts

The Race: Kroger 200
The Place: Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile oval)

The Date: Saturday, Oct. 23
The Time: 1 p.m. ET

Race Distance: 200 laps/105.2 miles

TV: SPEED, 12:30 p.m. ET
Radio: MRN, SIRIUS NASCAR Radio Channel 128 (Listen Locally on WZBB-FM 99.9.)

2009 Polesitter: Mike Skinner
2009 Winner: Timothy Peters

Schedule (All times ET):
Friday: Practice, 10-11:20 a.m., 1:10-2 p.m. Qualifying, 4:40 p.m.

-source: nascar