NASCAR Trucks driver Mike Skinner finds Berlin Raceway to his liking after victory

NASCAR Trucks driver Mike Skinner finds Berlin Raceway to his liking after victory

Steve Kaminski
The Grand Rapids Press

MARNE -- Sandy Meinel of Grand Rapids can’t remember exactly how long she has attended races at Berlin Raceway.

“Randy Sweet had that No. 17 pink car, whenever that was,” Meinel said, estimating it was sometime during the 1960s.

But she will never forget Saturday night, when she met Mike Skinner, who is one of her favorite drivers.

Skinner, a veteran on the NASCAR Camping World Trucks Series, won Modified Night, capturing the 50-lap main. He impressed a lot of fans off the track, too, considering the 1995 Trucks champion signed autographs on the frontstretch along with the local drivers before the start of the program.

“I think he is the greatest,” Meinel said. “He takes time for everybody. He is a good guy.”

Skinner finished 23rd in Friday night’s Trucks race at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill., then headed over to Berlin for Saturday’s races.

It was his first trip to the Marne half-mile.

The Ontario, Calif., native was invited to drive the Racingawareness.com 97L Modified fielded by local car owners Jeff Striegle, Norm Jelsma and Mike Bursley.

Skinner qualified second in the car, which raises funds for the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital Foundation. He later beat out Billy Shotko of West Olive for the feature win.

“Man, oh man, it was everything Johnny Benson told me it was,” Skinner said of Berlin, which is celebrating its 60th season this year. “It is a fun, fun race track. It’s scary over there (on the backstretch) with no mirrors and no spotters. I just wanted to have a good, clean race.

“These guys built a helluva good race car. What a great, great time I had, and I’m glad we were able to raise some money for charity.”

Striegle said the project has raised about $25,000 for the foundation so far, which was the team’s goal at the start of the season. And the season isn’t over. The team has organized the Sept. 20 Racing Awareness Charity Golf Outing at Thousand Oaks Golf Club.

Skinner is the second NASCAR driver to park the car in Berlin’s Victory Lane this season, after Sprint Cup driver A.J. Allmendinger won in June.

Next up for Skinner and the Trucks series is Friday’s race at Kentucky Speedway.

“It’s non-stop,” Skinner said. “After we leave here, we are headed to Columbus to visit my wife’s family, spend a day or two there, and then it is on to Kentucky. But I love this. I love the road and I love racing the trucks.”

Saturday’s program included the track’s 4 Cylinder class. Cole Roelofs won the 20-lap A feature, while Clayton Brown took top honors in the B main.

Points leaders Dave Lake (Super Stocks) and Brian Tillema (Pro Stocks) took steps toward track championships after winning features.

BERLIN RACEWAY
•Super Stocks: Dave Lake
•Pro Stocks: Brian Tillema
•Modifieds: Mike Skinner
•4 Cylinders A: Cole Roelofs
•4 Cylinders B: Clayton Brown

CRYSTAL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
•Late Models: Roger Wing
•Pro Stocks: Chaney Newland
•Modifieds: Joe Fowler
•Pro Trucks: Chris VerHaar
•Street Stocks: Jasen Wiley
•Flinn Stocks: Austin Bean

I-96 SPEEDWAY
•Late Models: Brandon Thirlby
•Modifieds: Mark Anderson
•Street Stocks: Gary Vandermark
•4 Cylinders: Richard Peck

KALAMAZOO SPEEDWAY
•Super Late Models: Terry Senneker Jr.
•Modifieds: Mike Brooks
•Super Stocks: Dave Sensiba
•Pro Stocks: Ron Landis
•Cyber Stocks: Nick Layman

U.S. 131 MOTORSPORTS PARK
•Top ET: Rusty Baad
•Modifieds: Tim Falbe
•Street Stocks: Brian Nap
•Advanced Junior Dragsters: Kerrie Smith
•Beginner Junior Dragsters: Samantha Bennett

AROUND THE STATE

AUTO CITY SPEEDWAY
•Super Stocks: Kyle Hayden
•Street Stocks: Mike Walther
•Pure Stocks: Duane Damon
•Virtual 6’s: Corey Lipe
•Krazy 8: Chad Lamson

BUTLER SPEEDWAY
•Winged Sprints: Andy Hall
•Modifieds: Jake Rendel
•Sportsman: Jake Rendel
•Street Stocks: Todd Thoms

DIXIE MOTOR SPEEDWAY
•Pro Late Models: Jay Reinbold
•Modifieds: Nick Clemens
•Pro Stocks: Jon Giffel
•Bombers: Jordan Lechota
•Figure 8’s: Ray DerMiner

HARTFORD MOTOR SPEEDWAY
•American Late Model Series: Brady Smith
•Modifieds: Brian Ruhlman
•Stock Cars: Bobby Hinkle

OWOSSO SPEEDWAY
•Modifieds: Bill Luckhurst
•Pro Stocks: Dave Buswell
•Pure Stocks: Bob Robinson
•Sport Stocks: Matt Vainner

SPARTAN SPEEDWAY
•Late Models: Dave Stehouwer
•Modifieds: Sonny Coito
•Pony Stocks A: Wayne Beckner Jr.
•Pony Stocks: B: Darrell Taylor
•Pure Stocks: Lonnie Saumier