After three road course races in the past four weeks, NASCAR XFINITY Series driver and owner B.J. McLeod is glad to be back to driving in circles in Saturday afternoon’s VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
And while McLeod and his Mooresville, North Carolina-based B.J. McLeod Motorsports (BJMM) team were able to survive the three road course races relatively intact, McLeod can now shift his attention to his debut at the “Lady In Black” hoping for a strong finish in his No. 78 B.J. McLeod Motorsports Ford Mustang.
With a top-20 finish two races ago at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, the Wauchula, Florida native is hopeful for the same type of performance at the 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval and conquer the track otherwise known as “Too Tough To Tame.”
“I’ve been waiting to get to Darlington all season,” said McLeod. “It’s one of those unique race tracks that we get to race on the schedule and while this place is its own beast, I’m really confident in our ability to go there and have a good showing.”
Knowing that he’s never been to Darlington, McLeod is hoping to rely on his fellow competitors and team in the XFINITY garage to make his trip there a successful one.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to talk with a lot of drivers in the garage and this might be a weekend where I’ll need to rely on those relationships for advice,” added McLeod. “I know that Darlington is tough, but anyone that knows me understands that I embrace challenges. We’re still working on a budget, so we still have to be conservative, but there’s a point in the race where that conservativeness will ease and I’ll get up on the wheel and see what kind of finish we can deliver.
“Another top-20 finish would be great for us. We need that. Last weekend at Road America was OK. I learned a lot, but we had some momentum after our 19th place finish at Bristol and it would be great to get that back and carry the momentum torch to Richmond next week.”
McLeod, who pilots the No. 78 Ford Mustang full-time in the XFINITY Series reunites with friend Todd Peck who will pilot the No. 15 Ford Mustang in Saturday afternoon’s VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 at Darlington. The Glenville, Pennsylvania native will make his 10th start of the season and looks to better his career-best 28th place run achieved in June at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.
“I’m glad to have Todd back in the XFINITY car this weekend at Darlington,” added McLeod. “He works hard and understands how to take care of equipment just as much as anyone else. We’ll work together this weekend as he’s also making his Darlington debut. Hopefully, when the checkered flag waves, we’ll both be satisfied with our runs.”
After spending 11 weeks 21st in the XFINITY point standings, McLeod leaped inside the top-20 three races ago and with plenty of racing still on the schedule, McLeod is hopeful to climb a few more positions by year’s end.
“We’ve been picking away at it,” said McLeod. “Good finishes will help us as we try to leap our way a position or two by Homestead in November. We’re in a critical stretch right now of racing and for the most part, we’ve been able to keep the bad luck at bay. If we can continue to do that, we should be good shape come the end.”
Veteran industry crew chief George (David) Ingram Jr. will call the shots for the No. 78 B.J. McLeod Motorsports Ford Mustang for the 24thrace of the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season.
You Can Win!: XFINITY Series race fans will have the opportunity to win two (2) NASCAR XFINITY Series garage passes for select races for the remainder of the 2016 season through the team’s Twitter @teamBJMcLeod. The first contest begins this weekend for two passes fornext Friday night’s race at Richmond International Raceway.
For more on B.J. McLeod, please visit his official Facebook page, while also visiting the team’s brand new website atBJMcLeodMotorsports.com. Additionally, the team is growing their presence on Twitter, with the team’s new account @teamBJMcLeod. McLeod also utilizes his personal twitter too, @BJMcLeod78. Show your support with the team by mentioning our new hash tag #BJ78Nation
Marketing partnership opportunities are available for the No. 78 Ford Mustang for the remainder of the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact pr@bjmcleodmotorsports.com.
The VFW Sport Clips Help A Hero 200 (147 Laps / 200.8 Miles) is the 24th of 33 NASCAR XFINITY Series on the 2016 schedule. Practice begins Friday, Sept. 2 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m., with a second session etched in from 2:30 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, Sept. 3 beginning at 11:45 a.m. The 40-car field will take the green flag later in the day at 3:30 p.m. with live coverage on NBC, Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are local (Eastern).
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
