PERSONAL PROFILE
	Spouse: Angela Kids: Jamie, Dustin Hometown: Daytona Beach, FL Birthdate: June 28, 1957 Hobbies: Golf, Hunting, Fishing, Horses, Billiards

For Mike Skinner, a victory in the Winston Cup Series has gone beyond the point of being necessary. His failure to score in 134 races has drive the driver of Richard Childress' No. 31 Chevrolet almost beyond the point of no return.

Where veteran mechanic Larry McReynolds was unable to usher Skinner into Victory Lane, rookie crew chief Royce McGee hopes to accomplish that in 2001. In 2000 Skinner had a career-best second place finish at Talladega in the spring race and he won the pole for the next race at the NAPA 500 at California Speedway.

Skinner tailed off in the stretch and ended the season 12th in the point standings, with 11 top-10 finishes, including a strong sixth place in the season-ender in Atlanta. Skinner also reached the $2 million mark in winnings ($2,205,320).

Although Skinner is still relatively new in the Winston Cup Series, he is no stranger to racing. His career began nearly 20 years ago at tracks in Nevada and California before he received the ultimate ultimatum -- move east and pursue a racing career or quit talking about it.

Skinner was picked up by Childress at the outset of the Craftsman Truck Series and scored the series inaugural victory, along with seven others. He posted 17 top-5 and 18 top-10 finishes in 20 races en route to winning the series' first championship.