Progress and learning for Leavine Family Racing team at Kansas

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The Leavine Family Racing team worked to make lemonade out of lemons in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas Speedway.  A brush with the wall put the team behind, but focusing on building for the future, it allowed driver Michael McDowell to try some things during the Hollywood Casino 400 to be more prepared for the remaining races.

“I definitely learned a lot there at the end,” said McDowell.  “It wasn’t a stellar performance for us by any means but we’ll bounce back and go to Charlotte.”

Just before the mid-point of the race, the No. 95 got loose and skimmed the wall, causing damage on the right side of the car.  That damage led to a tire rub and the No. 95 had to come in for four new tires right at a restart under green.  That incident put the KLOVE team three laps down. 

From the midway point to the end of the race, McDowell and the team focused on trying new lines on the track to gain speed.  At one point the No. 95 team was only eight tenths off from the leader, showing progress.

“We had 75% of a good weekend,” said crew chief Wally Rogers after the race.  “Our goals are to keep building and getting better.  Michael was able to try a higher line at the end of the race and test a few things on the track.  We completed the entire race and got in the laps to continue to build this race team.  It’s on to Charlotte”

The No 95 KLOVE Ford Fusion scored a 35th place finish.  Fellow Ford driver and Chase contender Joey Logano won the race and advances to the Eliminator Round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

On Sunday, Leavine Family Racing debuted a live Fan Chat on www.LFR95.com where No. 95 fans could connect and discuss the Kansas race.  The Fan Chat will be open during all remaining races of the season.

While in Kansas, McDowell met with KLOVE fans at the 9th Annual Path to Victory event on Thursday night.  On Sunday, before the race, McDowell met race fans at the ACORE display, a partner with NASCAR Green.

Leavine Family Racing will compete in five of the six remaining races on the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series schedule, including Charlotte, Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead.  Next up for the No. 95 Ford Fusion race team is the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Saturday, October 11.

LFR PR

Speedway Digest Staff
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