It’s hard to imagine that when B.J. McLeod takes the green flag in Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, only eight races will remain in the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) season.
Between now and the season-finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway, McLeod is prepared to make the best out of his on-track performance of his No. 78 Ford Mustang team and that includes bouncing back from a disappointing race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway.
Contact from another competitor took McLeod out of his Darlington debut and cost the Wauchula, Florida native some crucial points in his bid to stay inside the top-20 in the championship standings.
While difficult being both one of the few owners and full-time drivers in the XFINITY Series this season, McLeod is determined to put Darlington behind him and focus on what’s ahead this week, next week and eight weeks from now.
“Darlington was tough, but you just gotta move on,” said McLeod. “It was disappointing because I thought we had a good car and despite the limited practice we had, the car was finally responding to the changes we were making. But, it’s done and over with and we’re prepared to go to Richmond this week and bounce back.”
McLeod returns to Richmond International Raceway this week looking to better his spring performance at the 0.875-mile oval where he circled his No. 78 Main Gates Ford Mustang to a 28th place finish. With a huge swing in performance for his Mooresville, North Carolina-based team since then, McLeod feels confident his team can be better Friday night and have 250 laps to get the job done.
“I’m glad I’m getting a second chance at Richmond,” said McLeod. “It’s a short track where momentum is everything. You definitely want to have a car that can rotate good through the corners so you can make the most of both the front and back straightaways. We’ve worked hard on our short track program this year, so I’m optimistic that we can deliver a better result on Friday night.”
But there’s more than just earning crucial points that McLeod is after this weekend at Richmond. For the second time this season, the team will be backed by Short Traxs Construction. Last month at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Short Traxs Construction lifted off their first XFINITY Series marketing partnership with a strong top-20 finish in “Thunder Valley.”
Founded in 1993 and based in Arkansas, Short Traxs Construction is a family-owned business specializing in all aspects of the roofing industry, including industrial and residential.
“We as a company are honored to have partnered with B.J. and his B.J. McLeod Motorsports team again this weekend at Richmond,” said Short Traxs president John Kelly. “We look forward to not only another solid finish, but growing our relationship for the rest of this season and 2017.”
While the competition is expected to be just as fierce Friday night, the avid short track racer too is hoping to give Short Traxs another satisfying outing.
“We’re glad to have Short Traxs back for Richmond this weekend,” added McLeod. “It was comforting to our team to bring a new partner on-board and have a top-20 finish at a tough place like Bristol. The competition will be strong at Richmond, but we’ll give it our best.”
In addition to Short Traxs Construction, B.J. McLeod Motorsports welcomes Zoe’s Kitchens as an associate marketing partner at RIR. Zoës Kitchen is a fast casual restaurant concept serving a distinct menu of fresh, wholesome, Mediterranean inspired dishes delivered with Southern hospitality.
McLeod, who will make his 68th career NASCAR national series starts this weekend welcomes newcomer Clint King who will pilot the No. 15 J&L Wire Ford Mustang for Friday night’s Virginia529 College Savings 250. The Denton, North Carolina native will utilize his debut to help bring attentiveness to the Supply Chain & Logistics industry.
“I’m excited for Clint,” added McLeod. “I know this is a huge opportunity for him this weekend at Richmond where he not only hopes to showcase his talent, but bring awareness too. He has a lot of experience on short tracks, so I’m hoping that Richmond suits his driving style and he can have a memorable debut.”
Veteran industry crew chief George (David) Ingram Jr. will call the shots for the No. 78 Short Traxs Construction Ford Mustang for the 25th race of the 2016 NASCAR XFINITY Series season.
You Can Win!: XFINITY Series race fans will have the opportunity to win two (2) NASCAR XFINITY Series garage passes for select races for the remainder of the 2016 season through the team’s Twitter @teamBJMcLeod. The contest lifts off next weekend at Chicagoland Speedway for two passes for the Sept. 24 race at Kentucky Speedway.
BJ McLeod Motorsports PR
