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This Weekend Nascar’s Mike Skinner and IRL’s Roger Yasukawa Visit Sick Children on Both Sides of the Pacific

Skinner Races For A Good Cause at Long Beach


From PaddockTalk.com


 


NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series veteran and former series champion Mike Skinner (No. 5 Toyota Tundra Toyota) headed west to his home state of California last week to prepare to defend an important title.

In addition to all his success in NASCAR, Skinner also happens to be the defending Professional Champion of the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race.

The race, which takes place Saturday, is part of the 34th Annual Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach.

In its 32nd year, the celebrity  racing event has become one of the main attractions during the Grand Prix race weekend. Fans will see a field of 18 competitors from both the celebrity and professional driver worlds battle in a 10-lap race on a 1.97-mile street circuit through the streets of downtown Long Beach.

The charity event benefits “Racing for Kids,” a national organization that helps children’s hospitals in Southern California. Skinner will join a number of other celebrities in a Thursday, April 17 “Racing For Kids” visit to Miller Memorial Hospital in Long Beach.


 


With a busy NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule and fulltime truck duties, the driver still made it to the practice and media day to prepare for the race and spend time with this year’s field.

Skinner is excited to be back in 2008 but not just to add another win to the chart.

“To me, the race itself is just the finale to everything that builds up to the race,” he said.

“There’s the training and then the practice day when they actually close down the streets just for the celebrities to practice and let the media get involved.

“Then, when we get back to Long Beach on race weekend, we make the children’s hospital visit on Thursday and you start to get the warm, fuzzy feeling that you’re actually doing something for charity and helping a wonderful company like Toyota do something so good for others,” Skinner said.


 


Roger Yasukawa Takes Time Out from Busy Motegi Schedule to Visit Sick Kids 


While CURB/Agajanian/Beck Motorsports’ driver Roger Yasukawa is gearing up for this weekend’s Bridgestone Indy Japan 300, he will make time to visit young patients and their families at Doai Memorial Hospital on Wednesday, April 16.  Yasukawa has made 37 Indycar starts and has also made many hospital visits for Racing For Kids.  Saturday he will be making his fourth start at Motegi since 2003.  He will be joining the field in the Phytter Interush sponsored No. 77.


 


Roger, who is in his 9th year of professional driving, won the Skip Barber Formula Dodge Western Series in 1999.  He joined the IRL in 2003 recording eight top-10 finishes.  In 2004 he finished 10th in the Indianapolis 500.