Speed, Leavine Family Racing Going Back to the Future at Kentucky

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The Saturday night’s Quaker State 400 was not on the original schedule for driver Scott Speed and Leavine Family Racing (LFR) – at least until the team noticed his record there.
 
While Saturday’s race will be the first in his NASCAR career, Speed has two starts at the 1.5-mile raceway in the ARCA Racing Series. One of those resulted in a second place finish; the other was a victory.
 
“We attempted to race last year at Kentucky but qualifying was rained out,” crew chief Wally Rogers said. “We really looked forward to that race and we were sent home without a chance to even compete for a spot in the starting lineup.”
 
“Kentucky wasn’t on our original limited schedule until we saw Scott’s ARCA record there. That’s why we decided to add this to our part-time schedule.”
Speed started seventh and finished second there in 2008 in the first of two races that year for the ARCA Racing Series. He came back two months later to start sixth and claim victory.
 
“Obviously I like Kentucky,” Speed said. “I really adapted to that track from the start. I think a lot of that track synergy and confidence will carry over to our No. 95 Leavine Family Racing Ford. This track really seems to suit me.”
 
Leavine Family Racing added Kentucky to its limited schedule following a team-best 25th-place finish last week at Sonoma, Calif. If not for a spark plug wire that became dislodged on the first lap, Speed said he believes the car was good enough to contend for a Top 10 finish.
 
Now he’s going back to a track where he’s already found a lot of success.
 
“There’s a difference between ARCA and the Sprint Cup Series, but some things certainly carry over,” Speed said. “You have the same marks; you run the same lines. I know I’ll be able to pick right up where I left off four years ago.”

LFR95 PR

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