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Wednesday, August 15
Ready or not, Skinner is back
Orange County Register
Despite a damaged ACL in his left knee, driver Mike Skinner will drive his Richard Childress-owned Chevrolet this weekend for the Pepsi 400 at Michigan International Speedway. He also is going to try to qualify for Saturday's Busch Series race at the two-mile oval.
"Why not? I don't think we can do any more damage than what's there," Skinner said. "Face it. The ACL is totally gone."
|  | | Mike Skinner may not be fully healed, but he says he can wait no longer to get back behind the wheel. |
Just about every doctor who has checked out Skinner has told him he should take it easy for a few more weeks -- at least -- to let his body get over its fiery, 180-mph meeting with the concrete retaining wall at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15.
But the 1997 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year has seen enough TV.
As he puts it, what does he need an ACL for, anyway? He's a stock car driver, not a running back.
So far his doctors have been impressed with how well his ankle has healed, saying that since the swelling has gone down, it looks weeks ahead of schedule. Skinner said he attributes that to his unquenchable desire to get back into a stock car, telling his body to whip itself back into shape.
But there is still some concern with his knee. Surgery, followed by about four months of intensive rehabilitation, is needed to repair the joint.
If Skinner had had the procedure in the middle of July, barring any miracles, he would have most likely been a spectator for the rest of the season.
For him, it was an easy decision to put off the surgery.
But there is still some question whether he will have the operation once the season is over. If it continues to give him problems, Skinner said, only then will he schedule surgery for the day after the season ends.
Skinner said he recently began a series of "no-weight" stretching-type exercises to rehab his ankle and regain some mobility.
To strengthen the area around his knee, which he has been trying to keep as immobile as possible, Skinner said his therapists began to tone the surrounding muscle groups.
Once he gets in the car, Skinner, a left-foot braker like most Winston Cup veterans, said he will try to use his right foot more often to work the brake pedal and take some pressure off of his left leg.
"A lot of people can get by without an ACL, but I won't say you don't need one," Skinner said. "Sure, I am in some pain, but you sacrifice."
Mentally, he said he tried to heal things in three days. But he found that this whole mind-over-matter concept might not work too well when it comes to broken bones and torn ligaments.
Every time he tried to push it, he got the message loud and clear that it was going to take more time.
So he waited a couple of weeks before he threw one of his crutches away.
Now, as much as his doctors cringe at the thought, Skinner said he walks around the house 80 percent of the time on his own feet.
Even though Skinner's one top-10 finish in 18 starts led to rumors before the wreck that Childress was shopping around for a new driver for the No. 31 Monte Carlo next season, Skinner insists the pressure he is putting on himself to get back in the car so quickly is not fueled by any fear of losing his job.
Some might have looked at Robby Gordon's stint as Skinner's replacement as an audition, but not Skinner.
"I'm not going to lie to you, though," Skinner said. "It has been tough watching him drive my car."
Gordon said any talks he has had with Childress have not gone much beyond this year. They have discussed a few things regarding next season, Gordon said, but nothing is finalized.
"Was it an audition?" Gordon asked. "I wouldn't call it that."
Even if it were a tryout, Gordon said this ride probably did little to increase his chances of landing a full-time job next year, classifying his four races with the team as a major disappointment.
Despite having some of the best equipment in the sport, Gordon couldn't break into the top 20. He finished 25th (Loudon), 28th (Pocono), 30th (Indianapolis) and 40th (Watkins Glen).
Although Sunday at Watkins Glen, Gordon was in a position to record his first Winston Cup victory. He led twice on the winding road course in New York for 13 laps and turned the fastest lap during the Global Crossing at the Glen until he had to retire after a fire broke out in his cockpit when a telemetry box -- used by the television networks to measure such things as lap speeds and intervals between the cars -- malfunctioned, sending smoke and flames billowing through the cockpit.
Maybe there will be enough room for both Skinner and Gordon at Richard Childress Racing next year. There have been rumors that Jerry Jones, the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, wants to hook up with Childress to field another car.
"Robby is a great driver and he has done a great job for us," Skinner said. "But whether my body is ready or not I have to get back in the car. ... I can't wait." Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories
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