After crossing off an item on his bucket list by competing in a NASCAR race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS), B.J. McLeod and his B.J. McLeod Motorsports (BJMM) team are ready to get back to their roots in Saturday night’s U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway.
A hard fought 26th-place finish on the yard of bricks at Indianapolis left more to be desired by McLeod, so it’s a good thing he and his team return to Iowa, site of their season-best finish 19th-place finish last month.
“I’m looking forward to going back to Iowa Speedway this weekend,” said McLeod. “I’m really happy with the way things are going with our team right now. We’re making gains each and every week on the track. Last week was a challenge, because not only did you have to solider through the heat races, but you also had to combat the temperatures.
“If the cautions would have fallen a little different, I think we had a car capable of finishing 20th to 22nd, but that’s just the way it goes. When I got out of the car, I was thinking, ‘bring on Iowa Speedway.’”
After qualifying 29th in June at the 0.875-mile oval, McLeod, also on an extremely warm day, McLeod’s No. 78 Ford Mustang came to life and the Wauchula, Florida native hustled his way through the field to finish 19th, matching his season-best run at Dover (Del.) International Speedway in May.
Fast forward just six weeks later though – McLeod thinks his team is capable of backing up their previous Iowa run, despite running this weekend’s race under the lights.
“I look forward to anytime we go short track racing,” said McLeod. “It’s my roots. It’s what I love and what I know. If you look through our results this season, we’ve been able to put together some of our best results on the short tracks. There’s no reason we can’t continue to do the same on Saturday night.”
While McLeod knows his team is maximizing their ability on the smaller tracks, the 32-year-old didn’t shy away that his Mooresville, North Carolina-based team is continuing to put a lot of work into their overall program and is making strong gains.
“The guys are really working hard,” McLeod added. “We’re working on a bunch of things. We’re hoping to roll out some new cars for me before the end of the season. In order to do that though, we just need to keep going at our comfort level, where we race the race track then challenge our competitors. I’m really happy with the progress we’ve made and continue to make during this summer stretch.”
For the fifth consecutive race, Safecraft Safety Equipment will adorn the team’s No. 78 entry this weekend in Newton as a partner. Additionally, the team welcomes additional support from Momo, Simpson Race Products and NexGen Fuels.
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 better we run, the more we’re able to sell sponsorship and we luckily have some things in the works,” said McLeod. “In the meantime, we’re thankful for the support we’ve received from Safecraft, Momo, Simpson Racing Products, NextGen Fuels and a few others.
“We don’t forget that. We are always working hard to bring new and unique partners to the table to be a part of our XFINITY program. I’m appreciative for what I do have and we’re looking forward to having a successful race at Iowa on Saturday night.”
For the U.S. Cellular 250, McLeod will be joined by new teammate Michael Lira who will attempt his XFINITY Series debut at Iowa. Lira, a native of Port Orange, Florida is a veteran of the ARCA Racing Series. The 18-year-old has two starts at the seven-eighths mile oval in ARCA competition. Lira will pilot the No. 15 Ford Mustang in a collaborative effort between McLeod and Rick Ware Racing.
Veteran industry crew chief George (David) Ingram Jr. will call the shots for the No. 78 Safecraft Safety Equipment Ford Mustang for the 19th race of the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season.
For more on B.J. McLeod, please visit his official Facebook page, while also visiting the team’s new website at BJMcLeodMotorsports.com. Additionally, the team is growing their presence on Twitter, with the team’s new account @teamBJMcLeod. McLeod also utilizes his personal twitter too, @BJMcLeod78.
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