Leavine Family Racing to Start 32nd on Sunday
CONCORD, N.C. (May 28, 2011) — The dream of racing at the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend became a reality for David Starr after he qualified the No. 95 Jordan Truck Sales Ford. Starr will start 32nd for Sunday’s race at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway.
Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 is not just another race weekend for Leavine Family Racing (LFR) driver Starr. After more than 29 years of racing competitively – 13 of which have been spent in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series – Starr will debut at the patriotic salute to the U.S. armed forces at the Coca-Cola 600 starting on the outside of row 16.
“I can not believe I am in the Coca-Cola 600,” Starr said after running 187.944 mph in time trials on Thursday. “This is a dream come true for me.”
The event is more than just being the longest and most grueling race of the season – 600 miles. It is the traditional Memorial Day weekend race for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series that starts in the daylight and ends under the lights at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“Ever since I was a little boy, Memorial Day weekend was a big weekend. I was racing somewhere that weekend, but on Sunday I was always in front of a television, at the Indianapolis 500, or at the Coca-Cola 600 watching the race. For the first time in my career, in my life, I am going to be in the Coca-Cola 600 racing,” Starr said.
Forty-eight teams, including Starr’s No. 95 Ford Fusion, shook down cars in preparation for the endurance contest at the 1.5-mile oval for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday in the first practice session of the three-day event.
A Houston native, Starr piloted his machine to the 35th-fastest lap in practice at 29.272 seconds (184.477 mph). He completed 13 laps during the session.
He backed that up with one of the quickest laps for the “go or go home” teams that had to race their way into the field. Starr and the LFR team will be making just its second Cup Series start, so making the 43-car field was a long-shot. Every lap completed during the 400-lap event will be another part of the rookie team’s long-term development.
While still a full-time Camping World Truck Series driver, Starr has shown his ability to survive and thrive on what many consider stock-car racing’s hometown track. Starr has three lead-lap top-10 finishes in his nine Charlotte Truck Series starts, including a pole in 2004. In the NASCAR Nationwide Series, he has one career start, finishing 24th October of last year.
The Coca-Cola 600 is scheduled for pre-race coverage beginning at 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on the FOX Television Network. The race also can be heard on Sirius NASCAR Radio channel 90.
