Cruz Skinner
Cruz Skinner may only be a 14-year-old high school freshman in terms of his chronological age, but the Oxford, Ala. resident has been racing for the better part of a decade. The driver who now has his focus set on Dirt Late Model machines began competing in the sport of kart racing at the age seven, typically going up against much older kids. And now, the young racer believes that the experience he compiled in those earlier years against tougher competition has provided him with a skill level that is allowing him to succeed at the top levels on dirt.
“I’m extremely happy with how I’ve come up through the ranks,” Skinner explained in an interview with InsideDirtRacing.com. “It all started in go-karts and I really couldn’t have done it without my dad because he has, in a way, fed me to the dogs and kept me challenged. That’s helped me a lot and helped me develop my skills a lot quicker because of racing against older aged and more experienced drivers.”
Skinner could have gone in any number of directions as he works to attain his ultimate goal of making it the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. However, he and his family believe that racing Dirt Late Models is likely the best step to take at this stage of his budding career in order to reach that dream.
“My dad(Greg Skinner) raced Dirt Late Models for 26 years and that’s just kind of how we worked into it,” the younger Skinner explained. “We have a short track about 15 minutes from the house, Talladega Short Track, and it’s just what we really want to do. I grew up going to a track with my dad and my grandfather. I’ve just always enjoyed it and it’s what I want to do all my life.”
Skinner has turned heads as a driver for some time, especially after scoring his first win in a Crate Late Model machine at the tender age of 12 on the ‘Hornet’s Nest’ of Talladega Short Track. While the up-and-coming driver still competes in his crate, the transition toward more powerful Super Late Models is underway.
Having both types of cars allows the young pilot to gain additional experience as he sometimes races in both classes on the same night, particularly at facilities such as Georgia’s Boyd’s Speedway.
Skinner’s No. 11 machine
“If you run crate and super on the same night, especially with the competition that shows up at a track like this, it’s just huge to get so much more seat time,” the ‘Cruz Missile’ pointed out. “This will be my first real year in supers and when you get into one of these big motors it kind of slows everything down for you when you’re back in the smaller motor and it helps you to see things a little better. It gives you a better field of vision.”
What kind of goals does a rising star set for himself at the outset of a new season?
“I definitely have some personal goals,” Skinner declared. “I’d really like to win a super race and my crate goal is to win at five different tracks. But it really doesn’t matter how many wins I get as long as I keep doing my best and keep learning. That’s the biggest thing.”
*Correction: Skinner is a freshman in high school.
