| Ocala's Michael Faulk Gets Another Top Ten Finish | Third “Rookie of the Race” Award for LiftOff Racing's ProCup Entry
By Scott McAllister
 Michael Faulk and the MB3 Motorsports team rolled into Myrtle Beach Speedway this past weekend for round 8 of the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Southern Division racing season. After literally being “knocked out” at the previous race at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL, Faulk was anxious to get back on the track and go racing.
Unfortunately, weather would delay the team before the event could get underway. The front eventually moved through the Myrtle Beach area and the race was rescheduled for Sunday at 3:30.
Heat would once again be an issue for the teams and drivers, but this time, Faulk was ready. “I worked harder than ever to prepare myself for the heat after the Lakeland race. I was determined that [heat exhaustion] wouldn’t happen to me again,” said Faulk. The starting grid was established by driver points, placing Faulk in 14th position. The LiftOff Effervescent Energy Drink Ford Taurus was working well for Faulk on the historic ½ mile speedway.
The car was good on the preferred bottom groove, but when traffic got bottled up, Faulk experimented with several different lines to get through the field. Three and even four wide situations were not uncommon, but Faulk was able to maneuver his way through the pack relatively unscathed.
Timely pit stops and good race strategy got Michael as high as 6th in the running order. “I just tried to keep the wheels as straight as possible and not overdrive the turns,” Michael said. “We could have waited one more caution to take fresh tires, which would have put us in excellent position to win the race. I can’t say I’m happy with 9th because I think we had the car to beat, but we’ll take it.” The 9th place finish was the 3rd top ten finish for the rookie driver making Faulk the only 3-time winner of the Miller Lite Rookie of the Race Award in the 2005 Southern Division series.
The Groucho’s Deli 250 presented by Black’s Tire Service will be aired nationally on SPEED Channel Saturday, July 2nd. The next stop for the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Southern Division Series will be at Hickory Speedway in Newton, North Carolina for the Aaron’s 250 presented by Tucson on Saturday, July 9th.
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