(Photo by Jones Sports Media)
Inside Line Promotions – LEXINGTON, Tenn. (July 5, 2018) – Marshall Skinner earned four top-four finishes in five nights of a busy racing schedule during the last week. His solid performance also vaulted him from ninth to second in the ASCS Mid-South Region championship standings.
Skinner’s best shot at scoring an elusive first victory this season came Thursday night at Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark., where he finished second after starting fifth during the opening night of four straight ASCS Mid-South Region races.
“I passed the guy who eventually won the race for second and then the yellow came out, giving him his spot back,” he said. “So after I showed him where to run, he passed the leader when the race restarted. Then I passed the second-place guy, but lost that again when another yellow came out and had to pass him a second time.”
Skinner had a solid run at Crowleys Ridge Raceway in Paragould, Ark., on Friday, advancing to a third-place finish after starting ninth.
“We were fast that night, too,” said Skinner, who started eighth and finished fourth in his heat race. “We caught a bad break when a heat race winner forgot to go to the scale, which bumped everyone in his race up one position and bumped us from the redraw, making us start further back in the feature.”
Skinner’s lowest finish occurred on Saturday at I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark., where he rallied to almost garner a top-10 finish despite a mechanical problem.
“We burned a bearing and kicked a rod out of the motor in the heat race,” he said. “It was especially frustrating because that engine was fresh.
“That night threw me behind the eight ball. I ain’t gonna lie. I was absolutely, 100 percent giving out. It was 110 degrees, the third night of racing in a row and I had to run a 15-lap B Main after thrashing to change motors. I done just melted down.”
Skinner charged from ninth to second in the B Main before starting 16th in the A Main.
“I actually got up to about sixth or seventh,” he said. “But a couple of lapped cars got together right in front of me and I had nowhere to go. So I had to go to the back again and was able to make it back to 11th at the finish. We had a really fast car all night.”
Sunday brought a third-place finish after starting fourth at Diamond Park Speedway in Murfreesboro, Ark.
“The race went green-white-checkered,” he said. “We were good there, too, but it was a tough race to pass. The hard charger went to the guy who started sixth and finished fourth.”
Skinner’s most recent race was the only non-ASCS race of the week for him when he competed on Tuesday with the USCS Series at Lexington 104 Speedway, where he won his heat race and finished fourth in the feature after starting third.
“Our car was good again at Lexington,” he said. “It was just a wide-open, momentum deal where it was tough to pass.”
Skinner will go from five races in six nights during the last week to just one race this weekend – Saturday at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Miss., with the USCS Series.
QUICK RESULTS –
June 28 – Riverside International Speedway in West Memphis, Ark. – Heat race: 4 (8); Feature: 2 (5).
June 29 – Crowleys Ridge Raceway in Paragould, Ark. – Heat race: 4 (8); Feature: 3 (9).
June 30 – I-30 Speedway in Little Rock, Ark. – Heat race: DNF (3); B Main: 2 (9); Feature: 11 (16).
July 1 – Diamond Park Speedway in Murfreesboro, Ark. – Heat race: 3 (5); Feature: 3 (4).
July 3 – Lexington 104 Speedway in Lexington, Tenn. – Heat race: 1 (3); Feature: 4 (3).
SEASON STATS –
14 races, 0 wins, 9 top fives, 12 top 10s, 14 top 15s, 14 top 20s
UP NEXT –
Saturday at Whynot Motorsports Park in Meridian, Miss., with the USCS Series
MEDIA LINKS –
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sprint26
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Marshall-Skinner-Motorsports-207879425896412/
SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT – West Tennessee Expediting
West Tennessee Expediting is a trucking company based in Ripley, Tenn.
“West Tennessee Expediting is a great expediting service for someone who needs something in a hurry,” Skinner said. “I’ve known Jeff Bruckner, who owns the company, forever. Jeff is a former racer and we’re good friends. I really appreciate his assistance and support.”
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, Xtreme Race Graphics, Water & Wastewater Services, Cooper Racing Enterprises, BB&T Racing, FSR Radiators, Hinchman Racewear, FK Rod Ends, Killer Coatings, Arai 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 and Deatherage Opticians 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.