By: Zach Catanzareti, Staff Writer
While a majority of the eyes were on the Team Penske battle for the win Saturday at Watkins Glen International, Mike Skeen was capping off one of the toughest races of his career.
Driving the No. 15 JD Motorsports Chevrolet in the Zippo 200 at The Glen, the sports car talent made just his second national NASCAR start and first in the XFINITY Series.
And after leading practice on Friday in the wet, Skeen was one name to watch with weather in the forecast on Saturday.
Skeen, however, didn’t let his expectations get too high.
“We knew the practice in wet conditions wasn’t a real indicator of speed,” Skeen told Kickin’ The Tires. “Not everyone was out there, not everyone was trying.”
Qualifying 24th, the 82-lapper got interesting for the road course veteran when rain hit the New York road course in the first stage. This was where Skeen felt he could make some ground.
“I don’t know if we would’ve raced for the win but I think we have a lot more rain driving experience than a lot of the field,” he said of his background. “Most of these guys don’t have that practice. It wouldve paid dividends if we nailed the setup.”
Another assistance for the No. 15 team was rain tires, which unfortunately for Skeen, took longer than expected to have ready when the rain finally hit.
“We just didn’t have tires ready for that rain section, so we had to wait it out,” he said. “It was frustrating. We were hoping for rain to equalize the field a little bit. I thought we might have been able to get up there but it’s tough.”
More than just driving, the heat of the stock cars got to Skeen post-race, as the 31-year-old sat by his hot, idle racecar to catch his breath.
“Even more physical when you’re just sitting on pit road, no air movement just baking in there,” he said. “We got through it, we’ll get some fluids in me and I’ll be all right.”
Finishing 28th, Skeen, overall, gives a passing grade to the XFINITY Series. Fast cars, fun competition and wacky conditions made his smile even after a tough day.
“They’re a blast to drive. Very different than I what I typically run,” he said. “A little heavier, more power but less brake, less handling. But they make for a ton of fun, close racing.”
Skeen is looking at a possible return to the series for Road America, if not, other races.
“Yes, we’ll see about some future races,” he concluded.
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