PROCUP NEWS

 

Tuesday, May 17, 2005 Another Top 10 Run for the Lift-Off Ford Taurus Another Top 10 Run for the Lift-Off Ford Taurus Michael Faulk and the MB3 Motorsports team felt comfortable at the 4/10th’s oval in Altamahaw, NC, even though they had never competed there before. “This is my kind of track,” said Faulk. “I grew up racing on tracks exactly like this.” Practice went as planned, running some of the fastest laps on the track. Qualifying however, would be a different story for the team. “The track heated up during the day, and we thought the car would loosen up,” Faulk said. “That wasn’t the case unfortunately.” The “Lift-Off” Herbalife Ford Taurus placed 18th on the starting grid for the running of the BF Goodrich Tires 250 presented by Hess Chassis. On such a tight track, crew chief Mario Gosselin knew they would need to use strategy, good pit stops, patience and some racing luck to get to the front. “You have to be conservative on the brakes or you won’t have anything left at the end,” said Gosselin. Faulk made his way through the field on what was described as a “one-groove” track during the drivers meeting. Michael’s uncanny ability to miss accidents was put to the test as he avoided several collisions throughout the race. What he was unable to avoid was the black flag given to the #53 team due to what Hooters Race Control deemed as “rough driving”. “I came out of (turn) 4 just behind the #38 car. I didn’t think I touched him, but the officials saw it different,” replied Faulk. That sent Michael to the rear of the field on lap 107. Although disappointed, Michael knew there was still time to salvage a good run for the MB3 Motorsports Team. The pit crew would once again respond with another great stop on lap 87 when Michael came into his pit stall in the 17th position and came out in the 12th spot. Michael once again battled through the pack and finished in the 6th position after a lengthy battle with the #44 car of Clay Rogers. “That was a lot of fun, and a great learning experience racing in front of Rogers. He is a good driver and was doing all he could to get by, but I just stuck to the bottom groove and held on,” said Faulk. It was the 3rd top 10 finish for the MB3 Motorsports Racing Team in the last 4 races. Michael holds on to the 14th position in the Hooters Pro Cup Southern Division Championship point’s race and is 2nd in the rookie race, only 21 points back. The event will be televised nationally a week later on May 14th on the SPEED Channel at 10:00 p.m. EST The team will enjoy some time off until the next stop for the series on Saturday, June 4th at USA International Speedway for the Naturally Fresh 250 presented by Advance Discount Auto Parts. About MB3 Motorsports MB3 Motorsports was formed with a complete mission and commitment to marketing. MB3 Motorsports is more than just a motorsports team - we are a complete Integrated Marketing Solution. We offer unique marketing strategies that employ web-based technology and Direct Response Television to validate motorsports sponsorships. For further information, please contact: MB3 Motorsports Communications 1-866-441-0774 info@mb3motorsports.com Have an opinion on this story? Post a message on our Message Board! or send a letter to the editor!