LFR Driver Development Group Prepares to Battle High Speeds of Tricky Concord Speedway - Speedway Digest

As the CARS Tour approaches its final three races of the year, the LFR Driver Development Group’s drivers Quin Houff and Joey Mucciacciaro will rely on the expertise of two racing veterans in order to continue their seasons’ success at Concord Speedway. Both Team Owner, Rob Fuller, and Late Model Director, Jeff Fultz, have previously found success at the notoriously tricky track.

Owner Rob Fuller knows how to get around the track well despite the tough elevation changes and dogleg sections of the track, as he has nine poles and 11 Top-5 finishes at Concord Speedway.

“Concord is a fun track with a good-handling car, but it can be a driver’s nightmare with an ill-handling car for sure,” said Fuller. “It’s a fast track, and I believe Jeff and I will definitely be able to help our drivers adapt quickly. You have to know where and when to pass, and where to make up time on the track. I’m looking forward to watching our drivers progress throughout practice and the race.”

Late Model Director, Jeff Fultz, has also had his fair share of the success at the track. He has secured multiple wins, Top-5s, Top-10 finishes and pole awards at Concord Speedway during his racing career.

“I’ve had a lot of success at Concord. I really enjoy its high speeds. It’s really just its own animal with the three different corners and dogleg,” said Fultz. “I think that Rob and I will be able to help our drivers just get over the newness and trickiness of the track. Having the cars setup well before getting there will help a lot. We’ll coach Joey and Quin a little bit, but they learn and adapt so quickly that I’m sure they will do great.”

Together, the two will use their combined experience to help Houff and Mucciacciaro get a leg up on the rest of the field. Whether it be setting up the cars to be right where they need to be upon arrival to the track, or just talking with Houff and Mucciacciaro about past races and techniques that have worked for them, the pair is ready for whatever the weekend will bring.

As for Houff and Mucciacciaro, the young drivers are grateful for the guidance provided by Fuller and Fultz this weekend.

Houff, who has raced at tracks all around the country, has never competed at Concord Speedway before. Despite this fact, he remains confident about his chances this weekend and for the rest of the season.

“I’ve never seen the track before, but I’ve definitely heard of it. All you hear from everyone is how fast it is and the challenge of the dog-leg. There’s a lot of elevation change on the track too,” explained Houff. “I’m pretty confident though, especially in where the car will be since Rob and Jeff have so much success there. I think it will mainly be working on me and figuring out the track when we get there. I’m pretty good at picking up the racing style of new tracks. After all, the last track on the CARS Tour we went to that I had no experience at we won at!”

While the goal is always to win, Houff does know the importance of also just keeping the car clean.

“We always want to win, but at the same time we are so close to a championship run so we need to be smart about how we race,” he said. “If we can just come out of the race unscathed with a solid finish, I would be happy.”

Unlike his teammate, Mucciacciaro has competed at Concord Speedway, just not the half-mile track he will race on this weekend. He previously competed on the speedway’s smaller quarter-mile track back in 2012, and won all three Legends Series races he was entered in.

Despite the success at the smaller track, Mucciacciaro doesn’t believe that he has a leg up on the competition.

“They are two completely different tracks at Concord, so I don’t think there will be a lot of overlap on experience. But I have watched a lot of races at the half-mile track and am really excited to finally get to race on it,” said Mucciacciaro. “The half-mile track is what I would call a very technical track for a driver. It’s such a different configuration from all the other oval tracks we race on with the different corners and dog-leg. It should be fun!”

Like Houff, Mucciacciaro has plenty of trust in Fuller and Fultz and how the weekend will go.

“They have a lot of data over at the shop from their experience at Concord Speedway, so I think the setup of the cars will be great when we get there,” explained Mucciacciaro. “Rob and Jeff have been great mentors all season long. Everything they’ve told me before has worked well for me on the track, so I’ll definitely be listening to what they have to say at Concord.”

“Overall, I’d love to get a good Top-10 qualifying spot and finish this weekend. We are running a different tire this weekend, so tire wear will be more intense,” he continued. “I think whoever has tires at the end will be the winner, so figuring out how to save our stuff until the end will be key this weekend.”

Fans can follow the LFR Driver Development Group’s race weekend by following the group on Facebook at the LFR Chassis page or on Twitter via @LFRChassis.

Quin Houff can be found at Quin Houff Motorsports Facebook page, on Twitter at @P1_Houff and Instagram at @P1_Houff.

Updates for Joey Mucciacciaro can be followed on Facebook at Joey Mooch Racing, through Twitter at @JoeyMoochRacing or via Instagram at @JoeyMoochRacing.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
About Me: Adam has been a race fan since the first time he went through the tunnel under the Daytona International Speedway almost 30 years ago. He has had the privilege of travelling to races all across the state of Florida (as well as one race in Ohio), watching nearly everything with a motor compete for fame and glory, as well as participating in various racing schools to get the feel of what racecar drivers go through every week. Adam has spent the last three years covering motorsports for Examiner.com., where he had the opportunity to see the racing world from behind the scenes as well as the grandstands. He invites everyone to follow him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google Plus, and looks forward to sharing his enthusiasm for all things racing with the readers of SpeedwayDigest.com.Be sure to tune in for his weekly sports talk program, Thursday Night Thunder, where he discusses the latest in motorsports news with drivers, crew members, and fans. The show takes place every Thursday at 8:00 pm EST on the Speedway Digest Radio Network.