(Photo by Jones Sports Media)
Inside Line Promotions – LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (Oct. 7, 2020) – Marshall Skinner showcased speed throughout the 33rd annual COMP Cams Short Track Nationals presented by Hoosier Tires at I-30 Speedway last weekend.
Skinner won his heat race each night and also qualified for both A Mains during the Lucas Oil ASCS National Tour event.
“I was pretty happy to qualify for the A Main both nights, especially since I’ve raced way less this year than most of the drivers I was competing against,” said Skinner, referring to the stout field of nearly 80 drivers. “I hated that we had the misfortune of crashing on Friday, but I was proud that we repaired the frame and rebuilt the car and we were just as fast on Saturday night.”
Skinner’s weekend got off to a strong start on Friday when he won his heat race from the second starting spot and then charged from sixth to third in his qualifier.
“I thought I did pretty good, but I expected to run the B Main,” he said. “I was surprised that I was third in points for the night and was starting third in the A Main.”
Unfortunately, Skinner’s A Main run ended shortly after taking the initial green flag.
“I started on the bottom and went into turn one hard and held my line, like I would usually do,” he said. “But the driver on the outside of me turned left and chopped my front end. My car started flipping and – I ain’t gonna lie – I was sweating bullets because I knew the entire field was bunched up heading for me. I got clipped by one car’s wing and then another drilled me. I was okay, but the car was really torn up and the right front corner of the frame was bent about four inches.
“Fortunately, my good friend, Tim Crawley, told me to bring it over to his shop in the morning and we’d get it fixed. I would’ve been done if it wasn’t for him. A lot of other guys helped, too. I’m grateful for all of them. We got the car back on the track for hot laps on Saturday and it was just as fast as it was before the crash.”
Skinner had another solid start on Saturday, winning his heat race and finishing second in his qualifier. That placed him eighth on the starting grid of Saturday night’s main event.
“I thought the track would take rubber pretty early in the feature so I loosened my car up quite a bit,” he said. “But it really didn’t lock down until about the final five laps so I fought a loose car for about 25 laps. I dropped back a bit and finished 13th. I kind of messed up on that.”
Skinner also notched a podium finish the prior Sunday during the postponed Fall Nationals at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark.
“I started second in the feature, but I missed the setup a little bit,” he said. “I’ll also admit I was a bit timid about running the wall, which meant rubbing the concrete wall wide open through the corners. I own every part on my car and have to replace them myself if I break any. I dropped back a spot before I got to the top and I stayed there to the finish.”
The return of a former crewman has created better results on the track, according to Skinner.
“Spencer Kelso had helped me for years before he moved away a few years ago,” he said. “Now he’s back and helping me again. It’s made a huge difference for me and I think that’s the main reason I’ve been faster lately. Now I have some time to watch the track and focus on my driving instead of working on my car all the time.”
Skinner plans on racing this Friday and Saturday with the USCS Series at Riverside International Speedway.
QUICK RESULTS –
Sept. 27 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Heat race: 3 (9); Feature: 3 (2).
Oct. 2 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Heat race: 1 (2); Qualifier: 3 (6); Feature: 19 (3).
Oct. 3 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Heat race: 1 (1); Qualifier: 2 (2); Feature: 13 (8).
SEASON STATS –
17 races, 0 wins, 4 top fives, 8 top 10s, 9 top 15s, 14 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Friday and Saturday at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., with the USCS Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sprint26
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marshall-Skinner-Motorsports-207879425896412/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – Commercial Equipment Company
Commercial Equipment Company is your premier source for all outdoor equipment, parts and service in the Memphis area. CEC carries and services top brands such as Gravely, RedMax, Billy Goat, Honda, Kawasaki, Kohler and more. For more information, visit http://www.CECMemphis.com.
“I’ve known Shawn Wood at CEC forever and this year he’s giving me an opportunity to do something I’ve long been wanting to do – to race at the Chili Bowl,” Skinner said. “I’m really grateful to Shawn for letting me drive his car there and I’m looking forward to it.”
Skinner would also like to thank J&J Auto Racing, Stinson’s Industrial, Final Touch Auto Collision Center, Gant Concrete Pumping, Big Earl Farms, B&D Towing and Recovery, DHR Suspensions, Robert Thorne Landscaping, American Outdoor Inc., CnB Chubby, West Tennessee Expediting, Xtreme Race Graphics, Water & Wastewater Services, Cooper Racing Enterprises, BB&T Racing, FSR Radiators, Hinchman Racewear, FK Rod Ends, Killer Coatings, Bell Helmets, Engler Machine & Tool, Inc., Schoenfeld Headers, DMI, Huggins Cams, PAC Racing Springs, Brown & Miller Racing Solutions, KDN Promotions, Stealth Recovery, I-55 Towing, Oval Paints, Huntington’s Disease Awareness, OMP America, Deatherage Opticians, Custom Heat & Air, Hedger Brothers Concrete, Quality Flooring and Cleaning and Commercial Equipment Co. for their continued support.
INSIDE LINE PROMOTIONS –
Inside Line Promotions specializes in affordable public relations and media management for motor sports drivers, teams, sponsors, tracks, series, events, organizations and manufacturers. ILP Founder Shawn Miller leverages professional journalism with new media technologies and social networking to improve your exposure and the return on investment for your sponsors.
To meet the media relations needs of your program by joining Team ILP, contact Shawn at 541-510-3663 or Shawn@InsideLinePromotions.com. For more information on Inside Line Promotions, visit http://www.InsideLinePromotions.com.
