Skinner Motorsports, Jim Skinner

About Jim Skinner

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1998 Most Improved Driver, San Jose, CA
1999 NARC Rookie of the Year
2001 Won Walter T. Ross Memorial Race, Calistoga, CA
2004 Most Improved Driver, Golden State Challenge
2005 Seventh Place Golden State Series

Jim Skinner from Discovery Bay, California has had a rage for racing since he was a high school student.
Jim started out his racing career on motocross bikes, throughout high school he raced at several motocross tracks, building a foundation for what would become more than a hobby.
It wasn't long before he decided to go from two wheels to four. At 15 years old he couldn't jump right to a full-sized sprint car, so Jim, who is now 28, eased into the micros. A micro is like a shrunk down sprint car, Jim explains.
For three years he tore up the track, gaining valuable experience, and he attended the Jimmy Sills Sprint Car School in Marysville, CA. To help prepare him for the big-boy winged 360 and 410 sprints.
Advancing first to the 360s in 1995 was a whole new game for the 18-year-old who had just graduated high school. Jim's parents, Bill and Donna Skinner, gave him a truck for a graduation gift, but it didn't last long. "I sold my graduation gift and bought my first sprint car," Jim said. "My first year I crashed a lot."
Despite being knocked around more than a few times, Jim carried on season after season in prestigious California Sprint Car 360s.
In 1999, Jim moved up to the King of California Golden State Challenge Series featuring the winged 410s. After four years of racing, he found the checkered flag and rolled into victory lane at the Calistoga Speedway during the Memorial Day race.
A 410 sprint is a 1200 pound lightning fast machine with 800 horsepower, a 410 cubic-inch fuel-injected engine that runs on methanol. The car is capable of traveling at speeds of 160 mph. Jim prefers the winged sprints because they are faster than the wingless.
Jim's #73 is equipped with a Chevy engine and he averages about 110 mph, jumping to 145 mph on a half-mile track in Las Vegas, NV.
Jim's business manager is his mom, Donna. His sister Jamie, 29, of Discovery Bay, CA is his crew chief, and she is not afraid to get dirty. His mascot, Checkers, a somewhat overweight Chihuahua, also joins the team on the road every weekend. Jim's dad, Bill, is his number-one fan and his Livermore, CA Company, WB Equipment, is a sponsor.
Jim plans to continue racing for as long as he can afford the expensive sport. He hopes to add to his list of sponsors. Jim is always looking for new sponsors to advertise on his 410 sprint car. If you would like to contact Jim please do so at his e-mail address: jim@wbequipment.biz.