Michael Leavine learned a few valuable lessons Saturday afternoon at the Mobile ARCA 200. The first is that sometimes the best race strategies don’t always work out. And second, it’s hard to finish the race from the infield of the Mobile International Speedway.
Leavine placed 31st at the Irvington, Alabama, ARCA Racing Series event, experiencing both of those lessons.
“Our No. 1 goal was to finish the race and learn as much as we could,” the driver of the No. 95 WRL General Contractors Ford said. “We learned some tough lessons, but we came away feeling good about what we brought to the race track, what we learned while we were there, and who we are as an organization.”
Leavine was literally knocked off-track in a three-wide battle going into the fourth turn. Running in the high groove, he slipped into the gravel that sent him off the track, then down a hill and into the grass while catching some air-time. He was credited with finishing 79 of 200 laps.
The grandson of team owner Sharon Leavine qualified 13th. The team’s strategy was to fall in line for the first 100 laps, and then start working to the front.
“We wanted Michael to get comfortable in the car before we got a little more aggressive,” said crew chief Michael “Grumpy” Cheek. “In racing, however, things don’t always go as planned. I think he really adapted to the car and the track, but he fell victim to a couple other drivers who were racing a little too hard early in the race.”
The only significant change Cheek made to the car from the time Leavine Family Racing unloaded at the garage and the race was a left-front spring change made during the practice session. Leavine was 17th-fastest among 42 drivers who participated in the practice session at Mobile on Friday afternoon. He posted his fastest time in the practice wheeling his No. 95 Ford around the track in 18.094 seconds, a top speed at 99.480 mph.
“You make speed in the shop,” Cheek said. “There’s not enough time at the race track to make big swings at the car. This group is absolutely the best I’ve ever worked with. Once we got to the track, everyone knew their job and things went smoothly. It made everything else a lot easier.”
Leavine stopped on Lap 36 with rising water pressure for the second pit stop under caution. Cheek removed tape from the front grille after stopping earlier to make adjustments to the suspension to quickly get his driver back up to speed. Things were going as planned until Leavine was knocked off the track.
Leavine will make selected starts in the ARCA Racing Series this year as part of the team’s driver development program. While he was disappointed he didn’t finish, he acknowledged learning first-hand how changes affect the car. Unfortunately he also learned how easily a driver can be swept into somebody else’s mistake.
“We got three wide and I got pushed into the gravel and I couldn’t hold it,” Leavine said. “We were doing so well up to that point. Everyone put so much into this effort. We can be proud of that.”
“It may not be the results we wanted, but we accomplished everything else,” Cheek said. “Michael learned a lot. We learned we have a great race team. I think we’re all going to be a lot better from the experience.”
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