Mike Skinner won the 1995 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion in the series' inaugural season. During that season he won the first race in the series' history at Phoenix after starting 16th. He went on to win seven more races that season.
The next season he also captured eight victories and finished third in the point standings.
In 1997, Skinner moved into the NASCAR Cup Series, racing for Richard Childress Racing. He won the pole for the Daytona 500 that year in his first series start. He won Rookie of the Year honors that year in the series.
Skinner began racing full-time again in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series in 2004, splitting the season in Toyotas owned by Alex Meshkin and Bill Davis. He finished 11th in the standings that season.
In 2005, he won back-to-back races at Bristol and Richmond for his first series win since 1996. At the finish of that season he had captured seven pole positions, led the series with 874 laps led, and finished fifth in the points.
Skinner captured his 19th career Craftsman Truck Series victory in 2006 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. He won eight poles that season and finished 10th in the points.
In 2008 Skinner finished 6th in points, posted four poles, and won one race (Las Vegas).
Skinner finished 3rd in points in 2009 and won consecutive races at Iowa and Gateway.
The California native holds the distinction of being the first driver to win $1 million in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Skinner is also one of few drivers to have won poles in all three of NASCAR's national series.
