Mike Skinner is testing Bill Davis Racing’s #23 Toyota this week at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, but Skinner said Monday he likely won’t drive the car in the UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 at the track on March 11. Skinner will drive the #23 in the Daytona 500 as a teammate to Dave Blaney and Jeremy Mayfield and could be in the car in more Nextel Cup races in 2007. Skinner drives the #5 Toyota for Davis in the Craftsman Truck Series.

“We might possibly run more,” Skinner said. “I’m not going to run a lot, I don’t think. We are going to focus on the truck. I’d like to run there and Indy, maybe a handful. We’ll see what happens with sponsorship and see if Bill Davis wants to do some R&D with the 23 car. He might run Johnny [Benson] a couple races, might run me a couple of races.”

The reason Skinner is testing the #23 at Vegas is to help Davis’ other Cup teams. Blaney is guaranteed a starting spot in the first five races in the #22, but Mayfield’s #36 car is not. “We are not really trying to put big numbers up there right now,” Skinner said.

“The purpose for the 23 car - I don’t think the 23 is going to come back to run this race - we are doing some research and development for the 22 and 36 and [to see] if we can help the 22 and 36 do better. They need to do really well the first five or six races, especially the 36, so they have a shot at some success this year.”

Scene Daily

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