Driver Likes Rougher, Older Surface that Comes with Time
STATESVILLE, N.C. (November 5, 2013) – If he could, Josh Wise would push the fast-forward button on the aging of the track surface at Phoenix International Raceway. The driver of the No. 35 MDS Transport Ford enjoys tracks with the character that comes with aging, and he is eager for that process to happen on the recently repaved one-mile oval.
In the meantime, Wise and his No. 35 team are focused on 312 laps of Sprint Cup racing at the Avondale, Ariz., track in Sunday’s AdvoCare 500. The team’s first effort at the track in March of this year was hampered by a loose brake line that sent them to the garage for multiple laps. They’ll look to rebound for a good finish in the second-to-last race of the 2014 Sprint Cup Series season.
Sunday’s race will be Wise’s fourth Sprint Cup start at Phoenix.
Comments from MDS Transport team driver Josh Wise heading to Phoenix:
“Honestly, I kind of miss the old Phoenix a little bit. But the new one’s good, too. It’s starting to wear in a little more. I think with these repaves, you’ve got to give them a little time. I can’t speak for everybody, but it’s not always my favorite when they’re freshly repaved. But, as they wear in, they just get a little better and wider. So, hopefully it’s just more of that when we go back.
“We’re coming down the homestretch of the season now. We’ve learned a lot this year with this Generation-6 car as a team and as an organization. I know there will be some changes to the car for next year, but I think, as a whole, Front Row Motorsports is in a better position going into 2014 with what we know now. It’s almost like we’re working with a completely different car now than what we started the year with. The set-ups have really evolved.
“I always love racing out west. I’m from Southern California, so it’s always cool to go back there. Just being out in the desert feels a bit like home.”
About Front Row Motorsports:
Front Row Motorsports fields the No. 34 of David Ragan, the No. 38 of David Gilliland and the No. 35 of Josh Wise in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The team is owned by Bob Jenkins and is headquartered just outside of Charlotte, N.C. In 2012, FRM was named to INC Magazine’s “INC 5000” list, recognizing the 5,000 fastest-growing private companies in the U.S., earning a rank of 800. Its partnership base is representative of more than $200 billion of the U.S. economy and includes organizations such as Ford Motor Company, CSX Transportation, Love’s Travel Stops, McCall Farms, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s. For sponsorship inquiries, contact Robin Johnson at rjohnson@frontrowmotorsports.com or Mike Laheta at mlaheta@frontrowmotorsports.com.
