A Barrett-Jackson auction to a car collector is like Willy Wonka's factory to a chocoholic. For Camping World Truck Series regulars Mike Skinner and Ron Hornaday, seeing hundreds of show cars up close was not only a wish fulfilled, but a chance to dream about what might next wind up in their North Carolina driveways.

Neither one wound up buying the showpiece of the entire three-day auction: the Bugatti Veyron, considered the fastest production car on the planet, which was sold for $770,000. Nor did they buy the 1957 Chevy Black Widow replica ($57,200) or Kasey Kahne's No. 9 2008 Dodge Charger race car ($100,000 despite not being street-legal).

Like several prominent drivers in NASCAR, Skinner and Hornaday collect, restore and enjoy collector cars. So when the series visited Las Vegas Motor Speedway last month, SPEED invited the two and their wives to the Mandalay Bay casino on the south end of the Strip to check out the Barrett-Jackson auction and spend some time on camera with anchor Mike Joy.

For them, it was an opportunity to roll back time for a few hours, as the cars on display connected with each of their memories.

SPEED

Mike Skinner admits part of the reason he collects classic cars is because they remind him of his younger days.

Pride and joy

Mike Skinner's collection includes his pride and joy -- a 1969 Camaro Rally Sport/Super Sport coupe -- a 1955 Ford pickup, a 2008 Lexus, a Z06 Corvette and a 1991 Chevy SS 454 Super Sport truck. From the time he walked into the car display area, he couldn't stop grinning. He also couldn't keep from glancing over at a row of classic Mopar products.

"It's really, really cool," Skinner said. "There's a lot of cars in here that I grew up in. Boy, there's a lot of cars in here I wish I would have kept, because they're worth a fortune now. Some dream cars in here. Lot of history. Some cars I've had.

"There's a '71 Roadrunner over there. That was my very first race car. A lot of memories. A lot of cool stuff."

Skinner admitted part of the reason he became involved in collecting classic cars was because they remind him of his younger days.

"The gearhead part kind of came later, but I grew up in these cars," Skinner said. "One of my best friends had a '69 Super Sport. It had the 375 horsepower motor with a four speed. It was green with the white stripes. I had Roadrunners and Chargers and a '55 Ford truck. There's several trucks and cars in here that I've had. I had a '58 Chevy with a 348 and three carburetors.

"I let it go, traded it for a set of headers. I wish I had that car today. It was mint condition."

Skinner said he collects the cars he does because in some cases, he shares a connected history with them.

"I really don't know what that does for everybody else but that's what suits me," Skinner said. "It's all about the history. Like I said, it's how I grew up. It's what I grew up in. Cars I didn't grow up in, I either outran on a quarter-mile or had them outrun me somewhere. I think that's the biggest thing of it, I'm old so I was around all these things when I was a kid. And it brings back a lot of cool memories."

If there's one car in his collection Skinner would describe as mint, it would be the Camaro.

"My '69 Camaro's probably the most high-end piece that I would have that would be a Barrett-Jackson car," Skinner said. "It's special. It's perfect. All original matching numbers, RS/SS with the four-wheel disc brakes, the 302 DZ motor. It's got it all. It's perfect.

"So if I was going to sell one of my pieces, that would probably be the car."

Mike Skinner (second from right) and wife Angie learn more about a car at Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas.

“

It's funny for me, because walking around with Mike today has taught me a lot about him, pre-Angie.

”

-- ANGIE SKINNER

And if he could add to his collection, Skinner decided to make it a multiple-choice answer, mainly because he'd love to have a car that he can take out on the road, since the Camaro is truly a show car.

"I'd love to have one of those old Roadrunners, the '69 Chevelle is definitely a car that I'm going to put in my repertoire somewhere down the line," Skinner said. "There's several cars in here, some old Corvettes that are awfully neat. The old Corvette body on the newer chassis, that thing is really, really cool. That could be a driver.

"My problem now, like with my Camaro, I can't drive it. It's a perfect car. I need to find something that I can drive. There's a bunch of that stuff in here. There are cars in here that would make great drivers and not really perfect show cars."

Right now, Skinner enjoys collecting as a hobby, but perhaps could see his interest grow in the future.

"I could see that happening, but it would probably be after my driving career," Skinner said. "Because it takes a lot of time and a lot of focus. I'm nowhere near educated enough about these cars for it to be an obsession. If I wanted to be good at it, I'd really have to work at it. Right now, it's the ooh and ahh factor, more than anything else."

And Skinner couldn't help but gush over the memories of a car he wishes was back in his garage.

"I'm just oohing and aahing over several cars in here," Skinner said. "I had a '71 Charger with the 440 Magnum, with the pistol grip shifter and the Dana 60 rear end, all the stuff. I've only seen one other one, and I saw one go at Barrett-Jackson. Neither one of them was as nice as the one I had. Someday I'd like to find that car and have a '71 again."

History lesson

Angie Skinner spent as much time watching her husband's face as she did looking at the cars.

"For me, it's a history lesson and educational," Angie Skinner said.

For her personally, it was the first time since they were married that she had heard some of his stories and recollections.

"It's funny for me, because walking around with Mike today has taught me a lot about him, pre-Angie," Angie Skinner said. "He points at one truck, and says, 'That's the first truck I ever had.' And all of a sudden we went past a little Volkswagen van with 21 windows and it was so funny, because he said, 'That's what I learned to drive in.'

Q&A: Steve Davis

Barrett-Jackson president sees many similarities between NASCAR and collector car auctions.

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"I said, 'What?' And he said [one of his] real dad's ... buddies had one.. I've been with him for 12 years and didn't know this stuff. For me, it's kind of cool. If you want to learn stuff about your husband, take him to a car show. Then there are some things you didn't want to know, like who he dated in this car or whatever."

But for the most part, Angie Skinner was watching, listening and learning, because she, too, has a car memory of her own.

"It's fun for me because when Mike and I might go shopping or hiking, my eyes light up," Angie Skinner said. "And when we come to car shows, Mike's eyes light up. What's so fun is I'm starting to learn more and more about them now.

"My dad, when he passed away about seven years ago, I inherited his '89 IROC-Z. At first, I was like, 'That's cool, it wasn't worth a whole lot.' But the memories were there. Now I'm starting to appreciate it more and I'm trying to learn more about it. I'm finding out they're starting to gain in value. So now I'm thinking I'm cool because I have a hot rod."

And in her case, knowing what Mike likes may result in a future shopping trip.

"I'm trying to figure out all the specifics of what Mike's looking for," Angie Skinner said. "I know he's looking for another '71 Roadrunner, which was his first race car. But you really have to pay attention because it might have the wrong gear, or the wrong transmission or the wrong motor. So I'm mentally trying to make notes, just in case I ever want to surprise him one day, maybe I could do it."

Her favorite? The Camaro gets her vote as well.

"The '69 Camaro, the RS/SS, that's pretty cool," Angie Skinner said. "We call that our 401(k). But we really don't drive it because it's one you really need to protect and be careful in. We've had a lot of fun in the '55 Ford.

"The most fun, though, is when he puts me in the Corvette and just bangs the gears. If there's nobody around in our neighborhood, he'll crank the gears and for me, that's a lot of fun because it throws your head back and it's like being with a real race car driver, so that's kind of fun."

A recent renovation has allowed the Skinners to move their cars back onto their property, and provides Mike Skinner with a place to show off mementoes from his racing career, as well as a place to entertain friends.

"Our cars have been at Ryan Newman's barn for the past year because when we came up from Daytona Beach to Statesville, we down-sized from a hangar that was 90 by 100 feet in size and a 10,000-square foot house to a house that's 4,000 square feet and a two-car garage," Angie Skinner said.

"We built what we call the Party Barn. The downstairs is basically Mike's hobby shop. That's where we keep all the toys now. We just pulled them in last week. It's going to house all of Mike's trophies and his cars. Upstairs is a game room and western saloon. We had to build a whole new building for all these crazy cars."

But somehow, Angie's car hasn't found its way back to the new garage.

"We did put a lift in but there's not a whole lot of room," Angie Skinner said. "In fact, I'm trying to find some room for my IROC-Z. One of his buddies in North Carolina has it right now. I walked in last week and asked, 'Where's my car going to go?' So we've got to make room for that."

And as far as her opinion on what her husband might ultimately do with his collection? Anything is fine, as long as he's happy.

"I think one day he might sell the RS/SS, but he would really like to get a Chevelle to drive, just something that we could use to cruise around the neighborhood," Angie Skinner said. "That'll be kind of cool. These race car drivers and their collectable cars. Ryan Newman has an amazing collection. The problem is you've got to take care of them, too."

SPEED

Ron Hornaday said he was impressed with the fabrication that went into the cars on display at Barrett-Jackson and plans to use some of the ideas he dicovered at the auction when he goes home to build cars for himself.

Muscle man

Ron Hornaday's collection is a who's who of Detroit muscle: a 1973 Challenger, a 1966 El Camino and a 1968 Chevy Chevelle. He, too, was wide-eyed at the array of polished chrome and shining steel. But as someone who loves to tear down and rebuild cars as a hobby, he was intrigued by the craftsmanship.

"I feel like I've been here before, because I watch on SPEED all the time," Hornaday said. "It's one of those things were you think you know all about it until you actually get here and see the cars. I thought I had some pretty nice cars but looking here, they've got some beautiful cars.

"Plus, it gives me a lot of good ideas for the next car you want to do. If you've got the money, it looks like you can build anything you want. I kind of like to keep mine stock and restored, so it's like a 'wow' deal when you walk in."

Hornaday said his interest in car restoration came quite by accident.

"I ran across a buddy at his house and he had a Chevelle sitting there," Hornaday said. "It was just sitting outside and he pulled it in and it had a bunch of leaves on it. I said, 'Man, what do you want to do with that thing?' He said he wanted to restore it someday, and I decided to trade for it.

"In all the years of racing, I've cut enough Chevelles up to make race cars, so I figured I'd see how long it would take to do it. Usually, when I take them apart, I can get them apart in about two hours with a cutting torch and take the body off. But to do it right, the way I did it, by the end of the day I had it down to the bare frame."

Once Hornaday had it apart, there was this little issue of rebuilding it. Even though he had his critics, Hornaday finished the job -- and was pleased with the results.

"My father-in-law told me it would take me 10 years to put that thing back together," Ron Hornaday said. "I got it done in a year. I rushed a couple of things but she still looks good and I have a lot of fun."

For some, getting greasy and dirty while taking apart a 40-year-old car might sound like a chore, but for Hornaday, it's his way of relaxing, especially during the offseason.

"It's something to do to stay out of trouble in the wintertime," Hornaday said. "It gets a little cold in North Carolina. We have a little shop that me and my father-in-law tinker with. It's something to have fun with.

Ron and Lindy Hornaday pose in front of a '59 Cadillac at Barrett-Jackson in Las Vegas.

“

The funny thing is, a lot of these cars he's cut up for race cars, and now they're so valuable. But we didn't know that then.

”

-- LINDY HORNADAY

"It's still a hobby for me right now. I don't have the big bucks like some of these Cup guys who can go out and buy one of these cars. So I'll build them and try to make them as close as I can to look like these things."

And looking at the cars on display in Las Vegas, Hornaday was more than impressed with the handiwork.

"When you come here, most of these cars at Barrett-Jackson are all handmade fabrication," he said. "It gives you the ideas to go home and build them."

So why did Hornaday decide to collect cars from the 1960s and '70s? Mainly because new cars -- with their auto emissions and computer chips -- are a lot harder to work on.

"They're so much fun," Hornaday said. "There's nothing to it. You can let them sit, maybe drain the gas tank or something like that.

"... To see the cars nowadays, they're so hard to work on. I'll keep that all to the dealerships and keep buying my Silverados. But right now, it's fun to work on them. You can change a valve cover gasket, you can change an oil pan gasket and not have to pull the whole thing apart to do it."

And when he stood next to a pair of gleaming, fire engine red Chevelles, Hornaday paused for a moment to reflect when those cars were staples on every short track in the country.

"We didn't make the money then when we cut them apart for Saturday night racing," Hornaday said. "But if we could have kept the fenders and the quarterpanels and beat the doors out, I'd probably have a lot more money than I have right now."

Hornaday's everyday vehicle is a pickup truck, but wife Lindy gets the El Camino.

"She drives [it] back and forth to work," Hornaday said. "And once a month, they have a car show down in town and Lindy's got an antique store so it's perfect when she drives the El Camino up there. She's got front row parking right in front of her store and it brings people in there."

And there is a problem with his show cars. The newest member of the family can't keep his paws off them, literally.

"The problem I have is I've got a new dog, an Australian shepherd," Hornaday said. "And every time I fire one of them up, he wants to jump in and ride. I usually just take my pickup truck.

"They're 'fair weather' cars. They haven't been wet yet. I haven't washed them. There's a lot of hand rubbing and stuff like that. The El Camino's kind of a driver. The Chevelle's a hot rod. I gave that to my grandson so I can't sell that."

So what's his next project?

"I've been in racing a long time and have a lot of parts," he said. "So it'll have to be a rat rod or something like that, because I've got so many race car parts with rack-and-pinion, rear end housings. I'll just send them out, get them chromed and basically I've got everything there. You never know. I've got a '56 Chriscraft boat which would go perfect behind my El Camino coming through Barrett-Jackson someday."

Shared interest

For Lindy Hornaday, having a husband with a hobby that makes him happy is all the satisfaction she needs. And she shares his interest in collector cars. In fact, while they walked around the display area, she spotted a cotton candy pink 1959 Cadillac and motioned for Ron to come over and look it over.

That car later sold at auction for $60,500.

"It's fun because we've always done it," Lindy Hornaday said. "I have just as fun as he does, but walking in here is like Memory Lane for us. I know he's like a kid in a candy store. He loves all this stuff.

"He'll go home and tell my dad all about these changes. I told him, 'You really need to start up your own restoration company.' He's so meticulous, gets the rust out and everything. I know we'll go home and he'll start asking everybody to be on the lookout for a 1966 El Camino."

And the fact that restoring cars is a great way for him to relax is a bonus.

"That's what I keep telling him, this is what you need to do," Lindy Hornaday said. "This is what he does when he wants to relax. This is 'clear the mechanism,' have a good time. This is so relaxing for him to do and kind of get away from all the pressures of racing.

"The funny thing is, a lot of these cars he's cut up for race cars, and now they're so valuable. But we didn't know that then."

"Maybe after today, it might be [an obsession]," Lindy Hornaday said.

Keeping the Hornaday fleet in mint condition allows for some valuable family time, according to Lindy Hornaday.

"I love it, I love when he does this," she said. "He can have as many projects as he wants. He really enjoys it and I help out a little bit. My grandkids help out. The kids help out. It's something the whole family can do, because everybody can do something, even wiping off the car. It's kind of a way to keep the family together, doing something.

"He can have as many cars as he wants to restore."