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[/media-credit]BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 16, 2012) – – Without a doubt, Chad Hackenbracht and his CGH Motorsports team had high hopes for Friday’s RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Unfortunately, the team would be snagged in series of setbacks which would keep the No. 58 Michigan Apples Chevrolet Impala from a finish it was well capable of.
Known for their speed and consistency throughout the 2012 ARCA Racing Series season, the family-owned team continued to show that same hand during practice on Thursday afternoon. However, in the final minutes of practice Hackenbracht’s machine broke loose in turn four slapping the wall and forcing the team to a back-up automobile for the eighth race of the season.
Better to be safe than sorry, the team led by veteran crew chief Kevin Reed elected to forgo their placement in Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell to adequately make sure their automobile was pieced properly together for the highly anticipated race on the two-mile oval.
Starting the 100-lap event from the 31st position, the No. 58 Michigan Apples car was on a tear when the green flag waived, passing cars left and right. However, Hackenbracht’s momentum would be stalled on lap two when Nelson Canache Jr. lost control of his automobile in turn four. Initially under the yellow, Reed brought his driver to pit lane for fuel and a major shock adjustment hoping to aid the CGH Motorsports team in the later stages of the race. It was under the same caution period though that the team’s day took its traumatic turn.
While idling under caution speed, Hackenbracht’s machine shut off initially sparking the driver to switch ignition boxes hoping to refire his machine. The driver’s effort though was unsuccessful and with his racecar coasting on the backstretch, the 20-year old would have to rely on assistance from the safety workers, where they would have to push his machine back to pit road where the defying problem would be diagnosed as a failure with the cable in the fuel pump which caused zero fuel pressure to the engine forcing the seizure.
Despite losing several laps to the leaders, the team persevered and corrected the problem and sent their driver back into competition to gain valuable positions on the track that would ultimately lead to crucial points obtained by finishing the race in the 21st position.
“Obviously, this was not the day or the weekend that we had hoped for,” said Hackenbracht, a native of New Philadelphia, Ohio. “However, I am extremely proud of the entire job the CGH Motorsports team for their work on the primary and backup cars. I don’t think we could have predicted the problem with the fuel pump; it’s just one of those things. It stinks, because I know we had a car capable of running and finishing in the top-10. We were hoping to give the fans some excitement with our rally from the back to the front with our on-board camera, but it just wasn’t meant to be. We also let some points escape for sure too, but there’s still a long way to go in the year and this is a strong team with a lot of desire and we’ll bounce back at Winchester next weekend, you’ll see.”
The finish on Friday afternoon dropped the team from third to fifth in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings with 12 races remaining. Unofficially, 145 points separate Hackenbracht from first still retained by Brennan Poole.
Next up for the 60th ARCA anniversary tour is a trip to Winchester, Indiana for the running of the Herr’s Chase The Taste 200 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway set for Sunday, June 24. The event will not be televised but race coverage will be available through the ARCA Racing Network online at ARCARacing.com.
For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.com and CGHMotorsports.com.
To purchase the popular “What’s A Chad Hacken-Something” tee-shirt, please log on to store.cghmotorsports.com or CGHMotorsports.com. Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.
Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.
About CGH Motorsports:
CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team has stepped up their commitment from a partial schedule in 2010 and ran a full-effort in 2011, and will attempt another full season of competition in 2012.
