Former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Mike Skinner believes the current era of the Cup Series lacks “men.”
The 68-year-old, who also raced 268 times in the Cup Series for Richard Childress Racing and Morgan-McClure Motorsports among others, was looking back at his heyday in the mid-1990s with Kevin Harvick, discussing the rivalries and relationships between him and his fellow drivers.
“I think the racing today is really good,” he said on Harvick’s Happy Hour podcast, released following Denny Hamlin’s fourth win of the season at Dover. “I love this car that they have in the Cup Series. I love the way the trucks are, the trucks you can still work on, you can still get a little bit of an aero advantage if you work really, really hard. I really, really love it.
“But in ‘95 and ‘96, we had men. They don’t have men anymore. They have a lot of guys that are really high technical, their fitness program is impeccable now today, but they fall out of the seat way more than we probably did.
“And it’s insane that with all the tools they have in the toolbox, it’s that hard. But they’re little guys, they’re smaller guys. And we’re finding out all the time that the smaller frame and the less weight you have and the shorter you are, you’re like a jockey. Kyle Larson should win every race, right?”
Skinner went on to reiterate that while he remains “a huge fan” of the series and loves the racing of today, he maintains that “we need more of those rivalries.”
“Like I said, I gotta be careful. I love our racing. I love our sport, but with the Trucks, we were elbows up, gloves off, ready to go,” he added.
Harvick subsequently noted how the current generation of drivers is “super young,” and how “most of them are becoming adults right in front of our eyes.” The 2014 Cup Series champion suggested that these younger drivers are still learning how to lead teams, how to race against one another, all while figuring out their home lives; seemingly suggesting it’s a matter of time until they are in a position to develop rivalries reminiscent of those of years gone by.
Despite Skinner’s frustration with what he sees as a lack of rivalries within the sport, he remains a fan, singling out Shane van Gisbergen, Christopher Bell, and Larson. “I love how these guys, they kind of race you, how you race them,” he said. “And if you race them clean, I’m not just going to come in there and dump you.”
SVG, Bell, and Larson are scheduled to return to action on Sunday at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brickyard 400, with Hendrick Motorsports’ Larson looking to retain his crown at the historic track. Meanwhile, van Gisbergen will be hoping to secure his fourth win of the season and his first ever on an oval, as Bell is also looking for win number four this year.