Danny Bender Joins Freedom Autosport Team for Road America - Speedway Digest

Next weekend, Freedom Autosport will travel to Road America for round seven of the IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge Season. The track could not be more different than Lime Rock Park, where the team raced a week ago. Freedom hopes that the results will be somewhat different than they were at Lime Rock, too, as the No. 26 Mazda MX-5 seeks to reclaim the ST points lead.

(Retired) U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Liam Dwyer and Andrew Carbonell battled front-end damage and handling issues to finish 11^th at Lime Rock. The results were less than hoped for, especially since the team was victorious at the track in 2014. Still, the finish showed a great deal of fortitude by both the drivers and crew.

“It was one of those situations where you just can’t give up,” said Carbonell. “ You play the cards you’re dealt, do the best you can, and hope you can take advantage of any attrition ahead of you.”

While the No. 26 Mazda’s result was less than Freedom Autosport had hoped for, it still shows the team’s remarkable consistency: it is the first time the car has finished outside the top ten all season. And while Dwyer and Carbonell slipped to second in the team and driver points, they sit a mere four points back.

Meanwhile, young talents Britt Casey, Jr., and Devin Jones drove a flawless race to finish 7^th in the No. 25 Mazda MX-5. It was Casey’s second race with the team this season and the first for Jones, who currently competes in the Mazda MX-5 Cup Series.

Jones, 20, said, “The car was really good right off the trailer, and we just had to make a few minor adjustments. The race was executed really well – Tom Long made great calls and Britt had a great drive. We got a good finish and I learned a lot. It was a real honor to run with the team.”

The 17-year-old Casey, who drove the final stint of the race, said, “I focused on consistency, and during my stint I didn’t have the drink bottle connected for the first 45 minutes! You’re so busy at that track that I didn’t have a chance to connect it until a caution. The car was capable of a top five, but we got caught up in some lapped traffic.”

Now, Freedom Autosport shifts from the tight layout of Lime Rock and its 1.5-mile length to the long straights and fast turns of Road America. Carbonell and Randy Pobst gave Freedom Autosport third at the 4-mile track in 2014.

Dwyer is undaunted about turning his first laps at Road America. “We lost the points lead and now we have ground to make up in the next four races,” he said. “I’m working with Andrew, driving on his simulator to get to know the track. That’s how I prepared for Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Sebring.”

In addition to the No. 26 entry of Carbonell and Dwyer, the No. 25 will also make another appearance. This time, Casey is teaming up with 24-year-old Danny Bender from Chicago, Illinois. Bender, who both races Mazda MX-5 Cup and sells Mazdas at an Illinois dealership, has a solid history at Road America: he won Touring 4 there during the 2014 SCCA June Sprints, and just one week ago, he won both Touring 4 races during an SCCA Majors weekend.

Freedom Autosport will be aiming to recapture the ST points lead when the race at Road America kicks off at 1:20 p.m. on Saturday, August 8. Fans can watch live on IMSA.tv or see the Fox Sports 1 broadcast at 8:00 p.m. on August 17.

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Adam Sinclair

NHRA, IHRA, Motocross and other forms of motorsports Staff writer
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.