> Driver Skinner is just getting rolling at 50 Angelique S. Chengelis / The Detroit News

Don't listen to Mike Skinner.

If you do, you'll think former Piston John Salley has a chance, or even NFL Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson or "Dancing with the Stars" winner Drew Lachey.

Skinner, a regular in NASCAR, is one of six professional drivers who will compete in Saturday's Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race, a charity event, on the streets of Long Beach, Calif. The pros will start with a 30-second disadvantage but, come on -- pros versus amateurs?

"It's not cheating," Skinner says defiantly. "These cars level the playing field. They're front-wheel drive with smaller motors. I just hope we can finish in the top five."

Top five. Right. Sandbagger.

Skinner is defending professional champion of the 10-lap race, and he feels pretty certain he will be given a lemon for a race car.

"I imagine," he said.

Skinner is 50 now, and while Toyota might give him a slow car on Saturday, he has no desire to slow down at all. He doesn't know how much longer he intends to compete, but he knows he will finish this year and next in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series. Beyond that, he doesn't have a clue.

"You have to figure out what you're going to do when you grow up," Skinner said. "But I'm not ready to hang up my helmet. I'm not burned out at all. "I was getting burned out when I was in the Cup series in stuff that wasn't competitive. I had the opportunity to do this truck deal and be the Toyota branded truck. What a great way to build a long relationship. We had the most wins of anybody last year, led the most laps, but it's the relationship off the race track that's important. I'm enjoying that."

Car trouble

Although he's competing in the Truck series, Skinner may have gotten a peek into his professional future thanks to his work early this season with the Red Bull Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup team.

With regular driver A.J. Allmendinger struggling to make races, team general manager Jay Frye called on Skinner, a solid qualifier, to help figure out what kind of issues Allmendinger or the team might be having while getting the car securely in the field.

Skinner has made six starts, and the team is 39th in points. Allmendinger is scheduled to be in the car next weekend at Talladega.

"They had some rough luck," Skinner said. "This kid is very talented. When we test, he runs as fast as I do. There's no question of his driving ability, it's just about A.J. getting more the mental aspect of things. The driving is the easiest part."

Allmendinger said he worried he was the source of the problems the team had experienced.

"I've listened to Mike, and I've taken all that in," Allmendinger said. "But hearing him saying the things I've been saying (about the car) has given me a good peace of mind. Having Mike get in the car and feel a lot of the same things I've felt -- the 84 (car) just needs to get better."

Helping out

Skinner has found that he loves working with younger drivers. He likes teaching, and he can see this evolving into a consultant's position with the team. Skinner, who has competed in the Cup series for well-funded teams and teams that were, as he described, "broke," believes he can offer the proper perspective.

"We're strongly talking about that role," Skinner said. "It's something I would really enjoy doing. I want to help the younger drivers come along and help them with the things NASCAR throws at you."

He also has enjoyed finding out that, well, he's still got it. He qualified the car fifth at Las Vegas and ninth at Texas.

"To know that at 50 I can still get it done is very inspiring to me," he said. "It keeps me going. It keeps you from burning out. I can walk out of the car after a long race, and I don't need oxygen. I'm not physically out of doing this."

Because the NASCAR Truck series is shorter than the grueling Cup schedule, Skinner and his wife, Angie, have time to travel. They sold their airplane and bought a motorcoach, complete with a driver, and they have motored their way around the country.

"We just go," Skinner said. "We find great places to camp, and we live it up. We golf and go to restaurants, and we have a lot of fun. It's a fun, busy schedule."