Skinner eager to get back to work, extend win string

Mike Skinner is a huge proponent of the idea that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." And why not? When you've won the past three Craftsman Truck Series races and your worst finish all season was fourth in the season-opener, there's no reason to fiddle with success.

The problem for Skinner doesn't have anything to do with going to the track. Rather, it's the long layoff between races early in the season. It's been nearly a month since Skinner dominated at Martinsville, leading all but seven of the laps en route to his 22nd career CTS victory. And he's itching to get back at it Saturday at Kansas Speedway.

Truck Series

2007 season results

No.	Site	Winner	Make
1.	Daytona	J. Sprague	Toyota
2.	Fontana	M. Skinner	Toyota
3.	Atlanta	M. Skinner	Toyota
4.	Martinsville	M. Skinner	Toyota

• Complete results

"When you're on a winning streak, you want the next race to be the next day," Skinner said. "You don't want to do anything different. But the problem is the competition's working just as hard to catch up."

Skinner won the pole and finished fifth in last year's visit to Kansas. During the layoff, the No. 5 Toyota team worked on some new equipment, but Skinner is willing to stand pat for now.

"For instance, we brought a new truck to the wind tunnel and it's considerably faster than the one we used earlier at Fontana and Atlanta this season, but I told the guys I'd rather stick with what we've got," Skinner said. "Why would you change things? Of course, sometimes you get caught up in trying not to change things and you can get behind, too."

Skinner's forte has always been his ability to stand on the gas for one fast lap. He has 31 career CTS poles, including 15 in the past three seasons. But he hasn't seen a winning streak like this since scoring 16 victories during a two-season span which included the 1995 series championship.

"I'm not really doing anything different," he said. "I've never been a good points racer. I've always been about going as a fast as I can in every race. But I'm trying to change that a little bit, be a little more patient and let the race come to us this year.

"Plus, I think we've been a little luckier this year. Some of the cautions that have caught us in the past have worked to our benefit."

Another thing in Skinner's favor: an excellent supporting cast. Starting with Bristol last year, Skinner ran off a string of top-10 finishes -- including a victory at Las Vegas -- before a crash 14 laps into the season-finale at Homestead left him 35th.

He picked up where he left off in 2007, leading nine laps at Daytona, 43 in his Fontana win, 67 at Atlanta and 246 more at Martinsville. Defending series champ Todd Bodine is second in points, but has led just 47 laps this season.

"I think the big thing is that we have a strong team," Skinner said. "The guys have a lot of motivation. There's no tricks, no fancy setups. It's just hard work that has gotten us to this point."

So can Skinner continue his winning streak? He admits momentum can be a fleeting friend -- but for now, he's enjoying every moment.

"It's a lot harder to win races than it was back early on," Skinner said. "It's always been hard, but with the competition now in all three divisions, it's extremely hard now.

"I'm real excited about this year. I'm excited about a lot of things."