Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Skinner, 0-for-217 in Winston Cup, loses job

Tuesday, June 17, 2003 | 9:48 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Mike Skinner, driver of the Morgan-McClure Pontiac in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, was fired Monday after failing to qualify for Sunday's race at Michigan International Speedway.

Team owner Larry McClure cited Skinner's lackluster performance as the reason for the driver change. Skinner posted only one top-10 finish in 50 races with the team.

"We feel it is necessary to perform better for our race team and for our sponsor, Kodak," McClure said. "We appreciate Mike's efforts in the car but it is time for a change. We have to finish races and that has not been happening.

"We went to Charlotte a few weeks ago and qualified third. Then, earlier in the year, we qualified sixth at Bristol. I feel this shows our team has potential that is not being utilized in a maximum way."

Skinner, who is winless in 217 career Winston Cup starts, joined Morgan-McClure Motorsports before the start of the 2002 season. His only top-10 with the team came when he posted a sixth-place finish last fall at North Carolina Speedway. His best finish this season was 11th at Darlington Raceway.

McClure said the team would announce an interim driver this week for Sunday's Winston Cup race at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. A permanent driver will be announced in the near future.

John Andretti, fired last week by Petty Enterprises, is rumored to be a candidate to replace Skinner in the No. 4 Pontiac.

NASCAR sources told the AP that the announcement would be made Thursday in New York's Times Square.

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco has been the title sponsor of the Winston Cup Series since 1972 and is believed to have invested $30 million to $60 million annually into the sponsorship effort.

The race came in the midst of Ford's 100th anniversary and in the automaker's back yard.

"One in a million," Busch said of the timing of his victory. "That's the significance of this race. Henry Ford based his motor company off what he did 100 years ago, which was to race his Model T and come away with a victory. He retired 1-for-1, so to have this opportunity today to bring Ford its 100th anniversary win is a one-in-a-million shot."

Team owner Jack Roush called it one of his three most significant wins in racing.

"The first was when we won in the fall of '89 with Mark (Martin)," Roush said. "I wasn't sure we'd ever win a race (and) Mark wasn't sure he would ever win a Winston Cup race, so that was our first. The second big event was winning here (in Michigan) the first time and to win in front of our home crowd and win in front of the Big Three (American manufacturers).

"Today to be here and win when Ford is celebrating their 100th anniversary ... Ford deserved it from all the support they've given us through the years. I'm really relieved that Kurt and (crew chief Jimmy Fennig) were able to make the decisions and the racetrack came to us in terms of the temperature and the things that happened on the racetrack with cautions that worked in Kurt's favor."

Roush Racing president Geoff Smith said the team has launched a search for a new primary sponsor.