CCM Racing: Pre-race Practice in Daytona External

Last weekend, Daytona International Speedway hosted a two-day pre-race practice session for the ARCA Menards Series. Over 60 drivers made laps on the 2.5-mile oval over the course of the Friday and Saturday sessions.

CCM Racing fielded three drivers for the test session – Matt Wilson, Thomas Pacheco, and Kevin Hinckle.

The weekend was not an easy one for the CCM Racing crew. The No. 7 Chevrolet had to call it a day early on Friday afternoon after oil pressure issues caused the rear main seal to break. The crew worked late into the night and early Saturday morning to have the car ready to be back on track on Saturday.

All three drivers were able to make it out on track before the session was over. However, oil pressure issues continued to plague the No. 7 team on Saturday, and, ultimately, forced an early end to the second day of practice.

CCM Racing will return to Daytona International Speedway with owner/driver Eric Caudell for the season opener. The Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire will take place on Saturday, February 19, 2022 at 1:30PM ET with coverage on FS1, the Fox Sports App, MRN, SiriusXM (XM channel 391, online channel 981), and ARCARacing.com. 

Quotes

“I owe a huge thank you to the CCM team for the opportunity to work with them and to test at Daytona for my superspeedway license. Driving a stock car at Daytona is different from the road course racing I am used to. The sustained speeds, high banks, and G-forces a driver experiences at tracks like Daytona are incredible. The way air affects the car at those speeds has a way of magnifying any mistakes the driver makes with his hands. I’d compare superspeedways to short tracks like I would compare golf to kick-ball.

As for the 2022 season, my exact racing schedule is still somewhat undecided, pending sponsorship agreements, etc. We are, however, excited to welcome Laravel as a team sponsor this season.” – Matt Wilson | Springdale, Arkansas

“Testing went well. It was great to get back out there and shake the cobwebs off a bit since it had been a few years since I’d been to Daytona. The car was great despite the few mechanical issues that we had.” Kevin Hinckle | Shawnee, Kansas

“Ultimately, CCM accomplished what we set out to do and got all our drivers laps at Daytona. It was in no way easy or what we expected. Our engine had been trouble-free and performed flawlessly when we tested it for many laps at a short track. The pump over-pressuring and blowing out the rear main seal created a great deal of work in a short time frame. 

Finney Racing out of Florida was able to provide us parts and part numbers so we could fix it the first night. It was labor intensive but our three UNOH crew members hung in and assisted with the leak fix. That allowed us to run more laps on day two. 

If I am looking for silver linings, I now know that our engine bearings are in good shape and I am glad this did not occur on a race day. We definitely leaned on the ARCA racing family this weekend with many thanks for help from Fast Track Racing, Ilmor, Sheppard Racing, Kimmel Racing, Brian Finney, and Wally Finney.” Eric Caudell, owner CCM Racing