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[/media-credit]TOLEDO, Ohio (May 21, 2012) – – Lafayette, Louisiana native Buster Graham made his Toledo Speedway debut Sunday in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care. His performance during the 200-lap slugfest was a clear indicator that the former hydroplane racer transition to stock-cars continues to show major improvement.
After producing productive lap times in his No. 88 Batter’s Dreams / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion during the two practice sessions on Saturday, the Team BCR Racing team led by crew chief Jim Pearce turned their attention towards Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell. Showing that he was giving nothing less than 100 percent behind the wheel, Graham’s automobile broke loose out of the exit of turns three and four but the ARCA rookie did a great job regaining control of his automobile and would start the fifth race of the season from the 31st position.
Knowing he had a long way to go to the front, the former CARS Pro Cup Series driver was anxious to see the green flag to make a dent on the competition.
Throughout the first half of one of the most competitive Toledo Speedway fields in recent memory, Graham had climbed his No. 88 Batter’s Dreams / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion up to the 23rd position by lap 75.
By the halfway point, Graham continued to fight the competition and was hovering competitively in the 24th position waiting for the opportune time for Pearce to bring him to pit road for service.
The opportunity arose on lap 11 when chaos ensued on the backstretch with a multi-car incident brought out the caution and allowed of the teams to enter pit road to make adjustments to their vehicle. Under the pause, the Team BCR Racing team performed their duties on pit road and sent their driver back into battle.
During the second-half of the race, Graham continued to mount laps and gain valuable experience behind the wheel of his No. 88 Batter’s Dreams /RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion. Idling between 21st and 24th throughout the rigorous final laps of the event, when the checkered flag was flown, Graham would be scored with a respectable yet strong 23rd place finish in his Toledo debut.
“I really learned a lot at Toledo,” said Graham. “I don’t have a lot of experience on the short tracks but these guys on the Team BCR Racing team really keep me pumped up during the race and the horsepower from RoushYates is massive. I was able to follow (Chris) Buescher for some laps and I learned a lot from him and some of the other veterans out there. I really like the track too. It’s a fun place to race. Moving forward though, we’re really pumped about our upcoming races at Pocono and Michigan.”
“I’m proud of Buster,” said Team BCR Racing manager Howard Bixman. “He poured his heart and soul into this race and undoubtedly learned a lot. The car’s is good shape and his experience at Toledo will help him in future races, so I’m really happy with our efforts.”
Next up on the tour is the sixth stop of the season at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, a new track for the series’ 60th anniversary tour. The Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care is set for Saturday, June 2. The green flag is set to fly shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the one-day show with live radio coverage available through the ARCA Racing Network online at ARCARacing.com.
For more information including marketing partnerships for the 2012 ARCA Racing Series season for Team BCR Racing and Buster Graham, please log on toteambcr.com.
Buster Graham has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @bustergraham88.
For more on Batter’s Dream, please visit Battersdream.com.
Connect with RoushYates Performance Products and RoushYates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.
About Batter’s Dream:
Batter’s Dream is an automated ball feeding system (pitching machine) that allows baseball hitters and softball hitters to maximize time in the batting cage by getting more quality cuts without fixing a tee. One of the key benefits of the Batter’s Dream batting machines is that it allows batters the freedom to focus on rhythm, stance, timing and swing speed without the need for a second person. Simply put, Batter’s Dream is the most effective, simple and easy-to-use soft toss system ever invented to help improve a hitter’s mechanics and increase their batting average.
