Childress, who was celebrating his sixth Winston Cup title courtesy of Dale Earnhardt (who earned his seventh driver's title overall), kept an eye on Skinner, who also raced out in the West Coast.
Years later during the 1999 Daytona 500, which was broad-casted by CBS Sports, play-by-play announcer Mike Joy quoted Childress' encounter with Skinner in the following:
"I just saw what I liked, and never forgot it."
There's the story of how Childress lent an engine to Skinner, who gave an everlasting impression on the car owner of his potential if given the chance to drive for a reputable team.
Well, Childress gave his racing prospect that breakthrough chance, fielding a black No. 3 Goodwrench Service Chevrolet pick-up in Race No. 2 and 3 at TRP.
The results did not disappoint car owner and driver, as Skinner would lead 106 laps en-route to place third in the second race.
One month later, the No. 3 Chevrolet led only for 55 circuits, but they were important ones, propelling the Californian to his "first" win in a Supertruck.
Declared a total success by NASCAR and fans, the inaugural season was just a month away, waiting for the SuperTruck division to showcase themselves in the 1995 World Copper Classic at Phoenix International Raceway.
Would the success from the demonstration races of '94 and early '95 prove fruitful for the fans and sport?
Where would the series compete in '95 and would it actually last a season?
Find out the answers to those questions and more, with Part II of this series, which will look into the '95 season, as well as notable events and races from 1996-present.
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