Don’t expect the Freedom Autosport drivers to hold anything back during Friday’s IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge season finale at Road Atlanta. They all have their sights set on a podium finish for the Mazda MX-5s.
“We’re going to try to win the race,” said Chad McCumbee, who co-drives the No. 25 ModSpace/Spartan Cargo Trailers Mazda MX-5 with Stevan McAleer. “We had a car last year that could win it, but we had so many obstacles. Hopefully we’ll be able to change that a bit and end the season on a high note with a win.”
“It’s disappointing knowing we’re not in it for a championship position—that’s why I drive. But we’ll give it our all in the last race of the season, and hopefully there will be a podium at the end of it,” said McAleer.
“This has been an exciting season,” stated William Mann, Vice President of Motorsports for ModSpace. “Although we aren’t contenders for the championship this year, the No. 25 team has run well this season and posted numerous podium finishes. Chad and Stevan have been competitive at Road Atlanta and have the potential to win this season finale.”
Andrew Carbonell and Liam Dwyer were on the podium just two weeks ago, finishing second at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in the No. 26 Semper Fi Fund Mazda MX-5. It has left them wanting to taste champagne one more time this season.
“For the first time in two years, we’re going in with nothing to lose,” said Carbonell. “We’re also coming in with momentum and positive attitudes after finishing on the podium at Mazda Raceway. The intention is to land on the podium one more time before the season is over.”
Regardless of the results at Road Atlanta, Dwyer has a lot of praise for the Freedom Autosport crew, saying, “We’ve had fast cars at every track, we’ve been competitive, and we’ve taken wins, even at places where we weren’t expected to, like Road America. Until late in the season, we were in the running for the championship. It shows the dedication our crew has and the amount of tireless work they put into the cars all year long. We can’t thank them enough for that.”
Britt Casey, Jr., is teaming up with Tom Long again in the No. 27 TRUMPF, Inc. Mazda MX-5, and he would like to get his first series win for the TRUMPF and Cushman & Wakefield supporters who will be at the track.
“We’re still looking for that elusive win!” Casey said. “We’re pretty competitive guys. We always want to get up front. Tom and I have a similar driving style and a similar approach to racing, so every time we get together, something clicks. We tend to get good finishes.”
“Beyond getting some great results together, including second at Road America, we’ve had a lot of fun together in the races we’ve done,” said Long. “I’m looking forward to capping off the season with the team and trying to get that first victory for Britt and the TRUMPF Mazda.”
The season finale begins at 1:50 p.m. ET on Friday, October 6. It will be broadcast live via IMSA.com and the IMSA app.
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.
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