Skinner Sore but OK UPDATE 6 Gordon in at NHIS, No torn ACL: #31-Mike Skinner took a hard hit when a front tire blew on his car on Lap 23, pitching him hard into the wall. He was taken to a hospital, was found to have a concussion and a fractured left ankle, and was patched up and released. It is not known whether Skinner will be able to compete next week at New Hampshire. Actually Skinner was wearing the HANS device, not Hutchens Device(7-15-2001) UPDATE: Mike Skinner suffered a fractured left ankle and a mild concussion Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway after a cut right-front tire sent the #31 Lowe’s Home Improvement Warehouse Racing Chevrolet into the outside wall. Skinner was transported by ambulance to the Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center in Joliet, Ill., for evaluation. He was treated and released Sunday afternoon. “Mike Skinner sustained a fracture in his left ankle that will require a specialist to determine what the next step will be,” said Dr. Marius Katilius of Provena Saint Joseph Medical Center. “The CT scan showed no signs of injury and no abnormalities. He has no head, neck or internal injuries.” The Lowe’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo was running in the fourth position when the right-front tire went down and caused Skinner to hit the wall between turns one and two on lap 23 of the inaugural Tropicana 400. “I passed a few cars as soon as the race started and had set my sights on the #66 car,” Skinner said. “I was catching him and then ‘pow,’ the right-front tire went down on the Lowe’s Chevy. There was no warning at all — just like when I cut a tire at Texas two years ago. I think we ran over some debris on the race track.” A decision will be made regarding Skinner’s status for this weekend’s event at New Hampshire following his appointment with a specialist on Monday afternoon(RCR PR) UPDATE 2: am hearing Mike Skinner will NOT drive at NHIS this weekend. No word on who will drive the #31 Chevy. Maybe Jeff Green can hitch a ride with Kevin Harvick from St Louis? also hearing Ted Musgrave could be in the #31? hmm….how about Dave Marcis?(7-16-2001) UPDATE 3: another scenerio I am hearing, Robby Gordon in the #31 at NHIS and Ted Musgrave in the #7 Ford for his CTS owner, Jim Smith UPDATE 4: hearing from sources that Robby Gordon will drive the #31 Lowes Chevy at NHIS, no word on the #7 Driver AND the Sporting News is reporting: Robby Gordon, who drove last week for Jim Smith in the #7 Ultra Motorsports Ford, will be the relief driver for the #31 Lowe’s Chevrolet. Mike Wallace will be back in the #7 car for the weekend at Hew Hampshire. Because Ted Musgrave is a Dodge factory driver in the truck series, he will be unable to fill in for Smith(no idea why Musgrave was allowed to drive at Pocono in the #7 Ford)(7-17-2001) UPDATE 5: Mike Skinner could miss several weeks as a result of injuries sustained from a wreck in Sunday’s Tropicana 400 at Chicagoland Speedway(That’s Racin’) AND Skinner has a torn ACL in his left knee and a fractured left ankle, and he will have surgery. Yesterday afternoon he was at the doctor’s office in Daytona Beach, his home, discussing medical options. Royce McGee, Skinner’s crew chief, said that Skinner will be out for at least three weeks. McGee said there was a slim possibility that Skinner could be back in the car for the Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis but that it was doubtful. He said that Skinner is hesitant about making a return the next weekend at Watkins Glen, a demanding road course that requires a lot of footwork. Gordon is only be substituting in the Childress car for sure this weekend, but if things go well, he would likely be in the car for the races at Pocono and Indianapolis as well. Lowe’s, which sponsors the team, expressed interest in having Jeff Green in Skinner’s car, but Green will be running the Busch tour this weekend in St. Louis. Kevin Harvick, Skinner’s teammate, is making the cross-country run to make both the Cup and Busch events, but he will be giving up a lot at both tracks, in terms of practice and qualifying. Next weekend, the Busch stop is near Denver while the Winston Cup stop is at Pocono.(Winston Salem Journal)(7-18-2001) UPDATE 6: Mike Skinner had his fractured left ankle operated on Wednesday morning. Doctors also said the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) that was originally thought torn, was just an aggravation of a 1998 injury. Dr. Craig M. Hankins, of Hankins Orthopedic Center in Daytona Beach, Fla., performed the surgery. He put two titanium screws Skinners left ankle. The doctor chose titanium screws to expedite the healing and rehabilitation process. One was 42 mm long and the other was 30 mm long with each screw being four millimeters in diameter(NASCAR.com)(7-19-2001)
