We’re hearing this afternoon that Mike Skinner has been let go from Randy Moss Motorsports. This ends a two year relationship. We’re also hearing Travis Kvapil is the likely replacement for Skinner at RMM. Kvapil’s last full season in the Truck Series was 2007 with Roush Fenway Racing. He spent 2010 driving for Front Row Motorsports in the Cup Series.(TheNASCARInsiders.com)(12-18-2010)
UPDATE: Former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Mike Skinner is saying little about published reports that he has been released by Randy Moss Motorsports with a year remaining on his contract. Skinner told Sirius NASCAR Radio’s Sirius Speedway with Dave Moody only that, “I still have a contract with Randy Moss Motorsports through 2011.” He declined to comment further, citing ongoing negotiations between himself and the team. The 2010 season was disappointing one for Skinner, with an eighth-place finish in points and only two Top-5 finishes in 25 starts. His best finishes were a pair of fourth-place showings at Texas and Bristol Motor Speedways. While Skinner remains silent, sources within Randy Moss Motorsports say he is unlikely to drive for the team again in 2011. Multiple sources say the team is negotiating with former series champion Travis Kvapil about replacing Skinner, with an official announcement expected once the details of Skinner’s exit are finalized. Kvapil drove for Front Row Motorsports in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2010, finishing 35th in points.(Sirius-Speedway.com)(12-20-2010)
UPDATE: During the Sirius-Speedway broadcast, it was confirmed that Mike Skinner will not be returning to the #5-Randy Moss Motorsports Toyota in 2011, and is currently looking for another ride with a Toyota team. A formal announcement from Randy Moss Motorsports naming Travis Kvapil as driver, with Rick Viers as crew chief, is expected soon.(1-18-2011)
UPDATE 3: Travis Kvapil will join Randy Moss Motorsports to race for his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship during the 2011 season. The Janesville, Wis., native will pilot the No. 5 International Truck/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra with veteran crew chief Rick Viers leading the team. Kvapil, the 2003 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion, has been a dominant force when racing in the truck series since his 2001 debut. In 132 starts, the 34-year-old has collected nine wins, four poles and led nearly 900 laps; all while maintaining an average start of 9.4 and an average finish of 9.8. In his five full seasons of NCWTS competition, the Wisconsin native has never finished outside of the top-10 in the championship point standings. Rick Viers joins Randy Moss Motorsports from Roush Fenway Racing where he served as a crew chief in the NASCAR Nationwide Series throughout the last 21 races of the 2010 season. Travis Kvapil will make his debut with Randy Moss Motorsports next month at Daytona International Speedway. The No. 5 International Trucks/Monaco RVs Toyota Tundra will also sport a new paint scheme which will be used throughout the 2011 season.(Randy Moss Motorsports PR)(1-28-2011)
The new points system — which applies to all NASCAR national series — will award points in one-point increments. As an example, in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, race winners will earn 43 points, plus three bonus points for the win. Winners also can earn an extra point for leading a lap and leading the most laps, bringing their total to a possible maximum of 48 points. All other drivers in a finishing order will be separated by one-point increments. A second-place finisher will earn 42 points, a third-place driver 41 points, and so on. A last-place finisher — 43rd place — earns one point. In the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the last-place finisher receives eight points, to account for that series’ 36-driver race field.
Pick a Series— Drivers in all three national series now must select the series where they’ll compete for a driver championship. Drivers still may compete in multiple series and help their teams win owner titles in series where they’re not competing for a driver title. The move helps spotlight young talent in the NASCAR Nationwide and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
New Qualifying Procedure –The qualifying order will be set based upon slowest to fastest practice speeds.
Inclement Weather Qualifying — If bad weather cancels qualifying, the final starting lineup will be determined by practice speeds. The same rule book procedures will be used to determine eligibility to start a race. If weather cancels practice sessions, then the starting lineup will be set by points, per the rule book.
Closed Loop Fueling System— Introduced in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, this goes into effect for all three national series in 2011. It combines a more efficient fueling system with the elimination of the catch-can man, considered the most “vulnerable” pit-crew member. Teams now will use six, rather than seven, over-the-wall pit-crew members.(NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)(1-26-2011)