Memorial Day weekend and the NASCAR races at Charlotte Motor Speedway are specials for many reasons, First of all, we honor all of our military and all that they have done to insure the freedom that we have today. And, for race teams, it’s an opportunity to race at the track closest to many of their shops in the Charlotte-Mooresville area. When you combine the two, the May race at Charlotte Motor Speedway is one of the largest, and most prestigious, events on the schedule each year.
For NASCAR Nationwide Series rookie Dexter Stacey and the KH Motorsports Team, the History 300 at CMS presents huge challenges as well. Competing fulltime in the Nationwide Series in 2013 as a rookie, nearly every track is a “new track” for Stacey and his #92 Maddie’s Place Ford. Of his eight races thus far in ’13, six have been at tracks where has never seen, much less raced at prior to this season. And, when you consider that Stacey had to qualifying his way into the starting lineup for the History 300, the challenge becomes greater.
However, we’re not talking about just any ordinary 20-year old racer. Stacey, a Native American from Kahnawake, Quebec Canada, is proving that he is a talented young racer who meets challenges head-on. The History 300 at CMS was another example of his character and determination.
With 44 cars attempting to qualify for the 40-car field, Stacey knew that he and the KH Motorsports Team would have to be at their best. After a full day of testing on Wednesday, Stacey had two practice sessions on Thursday to prepare for qualifying on Saturday morning. In his three practice sessions, Stacey ran 87 laps as he adjusted to the always tough 1.5-mile Charlotte track.
“When I first went out to practice, I struggled to get my Maddie’s Place Ford to turn down to the bottom,” Stacey said. “We changed everything and anything to try to help, but nothing seemed to help much. So, my first day of testing didn’t turn out as well as expected.”
“Crew Chief David (Ingram) changed some front end stuff on Thursday and I managed to gain a whole second,” Stacey continued. “We even put an experienced driver (JJ Yeley) in the car to give us some feedback that was able to help us overall.”
Stacey was the 13th car to make his qualifying run on Saturday morning, and the rookie responded with a fast lap of 30.324 seconds / 178.077 mph to earn the 29th starting position for the 200-lap, 300-mile race. Challenge #1 – qualify for the History 300 – mission accomplished.
Stacey and his KH Motorsports Team knew that the Nationwide Series races are Charlotte Motor Speedway are truly a grueling test of both man and machine. Plus, the competitive nature of this event usually leads to a number of cautions. Therefore, racing the complete race was next on the list of challenges. That challenge would be easier said than done.
No less than three times during the History 300, Stacey had to drive his way around and through accidents and potential wrecks. Each time, the rookie performed like a veteran and managed to escape each incident. Driving a very “smart” race, Stacey was able to bring the #92 Maddie’s Place Ford to the checkered flag in the 27th position. Challenge #2 – racing every possible lap and finishing the History 300 – mission accomplished.
“Going into Charlotte, I knew that it would be a very tough weekend,” Stacey concluded. “Everyone wants to race well at Charlotte, and so did our team. I’m very proud and thankful for all the hard work and determination that everyone on our team gave this week. We had challenges to meet, and we did our best to meet each one. Now, it’s on to Dover and our ‘next’ challenge.”
The NASCAR Nationwide Series travels to the “Monster Mile”, Dover International Speedway, for the 5-Hour Energy 200 on Saturday, June 1st. The 200-lap, 200-mile event is set for a 2:30 PM ET start on Saturday with qualifying earlier in the day at 11:05 AM. And, by the way, when Nationwide Series practice begins on Friday, May 31st at 12:40 PM ET, it will be the first ever time that Dexter Stacey has visited “The Monster Mile”.
KH Motorsports PR
