1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic
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| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Race 1 of 20 in the 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series season | |||
 Layout of Phoenix International Raceway | |||
| Date | February 5, 1995 | ||
| Official name | 18th Annual Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic | ||
| Location | Phoenix International Raceway, Avondale, Arizona | ||
| Course | Permanent racing facility | ||
| Course length | 1 miles (1.609 km) | ||
| Distance | 80 laps, 80 mi (128.748 km) | ||
| Average speed | 87.565 mph (140.922 km/h) | ||
| Pole position | |||
| Driver | Dale Earnhardt, Inc. | ||
| Most laps led | |||
| Driver | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Laps | 30 | ||
| Winner | |||
| No. 3 | Mike Skinner | Richard Childress Racing | |
| Television in the United States | |||
| Network | TNN | ||
| Announcers | Mike Joy, Buddy Baker, Ernie Irvan | ||
The 1995 Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic was a pickup truck race held on February 5, 1995 at the Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Arizona. It was the first event of the 1995 NASCAR SuperTruck Series, the first season of what is now the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, and the first edition of what is now the Craftsman 150.
Ron Hornaday Jr. of Dale Earnhardt, Inc. won the pole position, while Mike Skinner of Richard Childress Racing won the race after leading a race-high 30 laps.
Phoenix International Raceway, which opened in 1964, began hosting NASCAR Winston Cup Series races in 1988.[1] The track is 1-mile (1.6-kilometre) long; the banking in turns 1–2 and the backstretch is 10–11 degrees, while the dogleg and turns 3–4 are 8–9° and the frontstretch is 3°.[2]
The Truck Series was planned in 1991 and officially created in 1994.[3] During the year, seven exhibition races[4] were held and broadcast by TNN under the Winter Heat Series banner.[5] TNN returned to cover the Copper World Classic.[6] Regarding Phoenix being the site of the series' inaugural race, Ron Hornaday stated, "Phoenix fits right into a lot of these drivers' hands because they all came from short tracks."[7]
The race was one of five held for the 18th Annual Skoal Bandit Copper World Classic. Various drivers were attracted to the event, including Cup Series drivers Ken Schrader, Geoff Bodine and Terry Labonte,[8] the latter having won the Cup race at Phoenix in 1994. Other drivers included off-road racing champion Roger Mears[9] and former National Football League head coach Jerry Glanville.[10][11] In the field of 33 drivers that competed in the race,[12] Hornaday, Mike Skinner, Joe Ruttman, Butch Miller, Jack Sprague, Rick Carelli, Bill Sedgwick, Scott Lagasse, Tobey Butler and Sammy Swindell would eventually compete in all twenty races in the 1995 season.[13]
Qualifying
Ron Hornaday won the pole with a lap speed of 123.665 miles per hour (199.020 km/h). Ken Schrader (122.695 mph (197.458 km/h)), Terry Labonte (122.324 mph (196.861 km/h)), Johnny Benson Jr. (122.266 mph (196.768 km/h)) and Joe Bessey (122.220 mph (196.694 km/h)) rounded out the top five.[9]
