Michael Faulk Wins ProCup Rookie of the Year Title
By Jack Smith
The MB# Motorsports Ford of Michael Faulk gets a great 3rd place finish at Lakeland.
The last time the Hooters ProCup raced the 3/4 mile USA International Speedway, Michael Faulk left the race with his car on the hook, and his chances of being the top rookie in the Southern division seemed to be slipping away.
On that day, a very hot Sunday afternoon in June, Faulk crashed his Ford Taurus into the turn three wall and 141 laps into the 250 lap race and ended up with a dismal 22nd place finish. To make matters worse his tough rookie competitors Wayne Willard and Chase Pistone finished fifth and sixth respectively.
The next race later that month was at the very rough Myrtle Beach Speedway in which Faulk finished in the 9th spot, and while this was very encouraging for the MB3 Motorsports team, disaster was waiting at Hickory Motor Speedway on July 9th. The Liftoff by HerbaLife sponsored racer from Central Florida crashed on lap 77 and had to watch as Willard grabbed another top ten completion.
Once again Faulk would rebound, this time finishing in the eighth position at Kenly, NC. When the team went to Bristol, the season was really on the line and he brought the number 53 home 7th.
But the young man who relies on the help of veterans such as his dad Lee Faulk and former ProCup star Mario Gosselin had saved the best for last. Going into the final regular season race last Saturday At USA International Speedway he had to have a great run or the rookie title was going to Pistone or Willard.
MB3 Motorsports Publicist Scott McAllister described the race this way: "The race got underway and Faulk immediately went to work, picking off cars on the high-banked ¾ mile speedway. Crew Chief Mario Gosselin elected to stay out with the leaders after the 1st caution, but when the 2nd caution flew, Faulk brought the car in for servicing. After a quick four-tire stop by the MB3 Crew, Faulk came back to the field in the 14th position. With the help of his father and spotter, Lee Faulk, Michael was able to maneuver his way through the field again, dodging several close incidents to finish 3rd and winning the Miller Lite Rookie of the Year Award."
Faulk got a little help from the mechanical failures which sidelined Pistone's Ford very early in the race, meaning Faulk just had to finish several postions higher than Willard who was running up front also. He was helped even more when Wayne Willard got tangled up with John Sarppraicone, Jr. in a scary wreck just before the halfway mark. The race was red flagged as a fire had to be put out by the Track Rescue safety team. Both drivers were checked out by the medical personnel and deemed to be unhurt.
But Willard's night was done, and in the closing stages Faulk held onto to get a strong third place finish behind Bobby Gill and Joey Logano to clinch the Rookie title.
This time at Lakeland Michael's car almost had to be towed off the track again, but it was because he got it mired in the infield muck at Lakeland doing celebratory burnouts. It was an extremely happy bunch as the videos attest to.
The race will be aired nationally on the SPEED Channel, Saturday, September 10th, (10:00 p.m. EDT) and again on Friday September 16th at 12:00 pm and 3:00 am.
The next stop for the MB3 Motorsports team will be at Jennerstown Speedway in Jennerstown, PA for the 1st race of the USAR Championship Series on September 24th for the Charlie Campbell Memorial/BF Goodrich Tires 250.
Faulk got a little help from the mechanical failures which sidelined Pistone's Ford very early in the race, meaning Faulk just had to finish several postions higher than Willard who was running up front also. He was helped even more when Wayne Willard got tangled up with John Sarppraicone, Jr. in a scary wreck just before the halfway mark. The race was red flagged as a fire had to be put out by the Track Rescue safety team. Both drivers were checked out by the medical personnel and deemed to be unhurt. 
MICHAEL FAULK IN WINNERS CIRCLE WITH PROCUP ANNOUNCER GENE CRANE
