Bender, Casey Battle from Last to 14th at Daytona in Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5 - Speedway Digest

Danny Bender and Britt Casey, Jr. went from the back of the grid to 14^th during Friday’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season opener at Daytona International Speedway. Their No. 27 Freedom Autosport TRUMPF Mazda MX-5 was the highest finisher for Freedom Autosport in the 2.5-hour race.

Stevan McAleer and Chad McCumbee finished 17^th in the No. 25 Freedom Autosport ModSpace Mazda MX-5 in their debut race with the team. Andrew Carbonell and Liam Dwyer finished 23^rd in the No. 26 Freedom Autosport Mazda MX-5.

Freedom Autosport dedicated its first race of the season to the 12 U.S. Marines who lost their lives in a helicopter crash off the coast of Hawaii on January 14.

Bender qualified 15^th among the ST class entries, but the No. 27 Mazda was sent to the back of the 29-car grid when the team had to replace the fuel pump just before the green flag. While it was fortunate that the Freedom crew was able to diagnose and fix the problem before the race, it meant that Bender had his work cut out for him during his stint.

“It was hard fighting my way from the back, but our Mazda MX-5 was great both through the corners and accelerating out of them,” said Bender. “I was able to use the draft to keep up on the straights, which was huge for us at a track like Daytona.”

After a mid-race pit stop, Casey took over in the No. 27 Mazda. He teamed up with Carbonell in the No. 26 Mazda to gain several positions, eventually crossing the finish line in 14^th.

“On the final restart, I was behind Andrew and we were bump drafting, which helped us pick up some more positions,” said Casey. “Overall, the race showed what the Freedom crew can do with strategy and how they can work under pressure. It was a good start to the season and gives us some momentum going into tracks where we’re really competitive, so I’m really looking forward to Sebring and Mazda Raceway.”

McAleer was the top qualifier among Freedom Autosport drivers, posting the tenth-quickest time among the ST entries in the No. 25 Mazda. Unfortunately, contact caused damage that required an unscheduled pit stop, although McAleer and McCumbee were able to bounce back to finish 17^th.

Dwyer had a strong opening stint in the No. 26 Mazda, but Carbonell had to pit later in the race for an electrical issue, dropping out of contention after a promising start.

Freedom’s race at Daytona will be broadcast at 8:30 a.m. ET on Saturday, February 13, on Fox Sports 1. In the meantime, fans can keep up with the team on Facebook (FreedomAutosport) and Twitter (@FreedomAutospt).

Author
Recent Posts

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.