After a solid performance last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, B.J. McLeod and his B.J. McLeod Motorsports team head to New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) looking for more of the same in Saturday afternoon’s AutoLotto 200.
Sinking into an extensive summer stretch of NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) competition where the teams will simmer through a grueling stretch of 21 races in 20 weeks, McLeod wants to keep consistently rolling in his No. 78 Safecraft Safety Equipment Ford Mustang at a place where he’s very comfortable with.
Last year at NHMS, McLeod made his lone NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) start at the 1.058-mile oval, crossing an item off his bucket list. The experience was priceless and the finish was better than he expected, but fast forward a year later, the memories live on with McLeod hopeful to compete in Cup again, but for now he’s focused on building his own empire in the XFINITY Series.
“You never forget an accomplishment like that,” said McLeod. “Making my Sprint Cup debut at New Hampshire was something I’ll never forget and I know I’ll probably be back in Cup again someday, but for now we’re concentrating on our XFINITY program.”
Reviewing the Wauchula, Florida native’s +overall season, his success this year has come on both short track and speedways, but Saturday’s race offers the chance for the 32-year-old to hone his short track skills once again.
“Short track racing is what I love man, it’s my passion,” said McLeod. “We’ve had some good runs on the short track this year and I look forward to seeing it continue this weekend at New Hampshire.
“New Hampshire is a cool track, but it’s a flat track with tight corners and your throttle response has to at it’s prime. My crew has done a really good job getting our cars to handle lately. I credit that to our time at the shop where we’ve been working hard, including taking the car down to the pull down rig. We don’t have some of the bigger budgets as some of our competitors, but we’ve made some great strides this year so far and that’s something we’re very proud of. There’s much more to be accomplished.”
For the third consecutive race, Safecraft Safety Equipment will adorn the team’s No. 78 entry this weekend in New Hampshire as a partner.
Safecraft Safety Equipment is used by most of the top professionals in Motorsports, Automotive, Aviation, Marine and other demanding industries. The Concord, California-based company is well known for their innovative designs and the highest quality of components available.
“The support from Safecraft has been great the past couple of weekends,” added McLeod. “After our bad luck at Daytona, we bounced back with a solid finish at Kentucky and look to continue that uphill swing (again) this weekend at New Hampshire.”
For Saturday’s AutoLotto 200 at NHMS, McLeod will work with newcomer Scott Heckert. Heckert will make his XFINITY Series debut in a collaborative effort between McLeod and Rick Ware Racing (RWR).
“I’ve known Scott for a while and he’s a real good kid,” added McLeod. “He’s down-to-earth and has a good head on his shoulders and listens. This XFINITY racing is no piece of cake, but I think he can come into the series and keep his nose clean and do a good job. Experience is critical for him at this point. Seeing the checkered flag is our main objective with Scott on Saturday afternoon.”
Veteran industry crew chief George (David) Ingram Jr. will call the shots for the No. 78 Safecraft Safety Equipment Ford Mustang for the 17th race of the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season.
BJ McLeod PR
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