DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – On the heels of a top-10 finish in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway last weekend, NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) rookie Clint King is hopeful for a similar performance in Saturday’s PowerShares QQQ 300.
King returns to B.J. McLeod Motorsports (BJMM), the sophomore XFINITY Series team where he made three starts last season. For Daytona, King will pilot the No. 78 Warehouse Design Chevrolet Camaro with industry veteran David Ingram leading as crew chief.
“We had a really good run at Daytona last weekend,” said King.
“I learned a lot. We didn’t necessarily have a lot of single car speed, but we had a good car in the draft. Hopefully, that experience last Saturday in the ARCA race will be prove to be beneficial this Saturday with B.J. McLeod Motorsports.”
King, a native of Denton, N.C. knows Saturday’s XFINITY season-opener is a good opportunity to further propel him into the spotlight along with Warehouse Design and B.J. McLeod Motorsports.
“We had to run the ARCA race to get approval for the XFINITY race and we were able to do that,” explained King. “Now, we just need to focus on getting our XFINITY car handling good during practice and then see where we land in qualifying. From there, we’ll just beat to our drum and try and set ourselves up for a good finish.”
When it comes to taking the checkered flag in his XFINITY Series Daytona debut, the 21-year-old says taking the checkered is priority, anything above a top-25 finish is a bonus.
“A good finish would mean so much for us,” added King. “B.J. and his guys have really been hustling during the offseason with the switch to Chevrolet and I’m confident the move is going to pay off.
“A good run on Saturday would not only give those guys instant satisfaction that their hard work has paid off, but also give us a chance to see if we can’t put some more races together. Ultimately, it’s the goal to be in the XFINITY car as much as possible.”
McLeod said he is thankful to have King back to kick off 2017.
“We’re glad to start our second season of XFINITY Series competition with Clint King behind the wheel of one of our B.J. McLeod Motorsports machines,” said McLeod. “I watched him during the ARCA race last Saturday and he was able to come from the back to the front and finish there. That experience in the draft and feeling how the air moves around is priceless. Looking forward to seeing what we can accomplish on Saturday.”
Climbing through the ranks of racing in textbook style, King has competed at almost every level of stock car racing, winning races and championships. Before competing in the XFINITY Series last year, his highest level of racing came at the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards where he earned two poles, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts driving for the potent Venturini Motorsports between 2011-2013.
The PowerShares® QQQ 300 (120 laps / 300 miles) is the first of 33 NASCAR XFINITY Series on the 2016 schedule. Practice begins on Fri., Feb. 24 from 12:00 p.m. – 12:55 p.m. A final session is set for 2:00 p.m. – 2:55 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Sat., Feb. 25 beginning at 10:30 a.m. The 40-car field will take the green flag shortly after 3:30 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90).
For more on Clint King, please “like” him on Facebook (Clint King Motorsports) or follow him on Twitter @driverclintking.
Be sure to follow B.J. McLeod Motorsports on social media; Facebook.com/bjmsinc and on Twitter @TeamBJMcLeod.
About Warehouse Design Inc.:
Warehouse Design Inc. is located in Thomasville, N.C. and was established in 1997. The company specializes in warehouse and distribution center space optimization and increased throughput. Their team of design specialist have the ability to design the system, supply the equipment and provide the turnkey installation of all equipment proposed – “Concept Through Acceptance”. Visit them on the web at warehousedesign.net.
About Speed-Precision-Supply Chain™:
Through support from various partners our “Supply Chain, Logistics & Material Handling Industry Awareness” platform is receiving national exposure as Clint King competes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series donning the phrase “Speed – Precision – Supply Chain ®” on the car to promote awareness of the industry.
The platform is targeted toward the younger generation to increase awareness about the large number of jobs that currently exist and are being created daily in these industries.
About B. J. McLeod Motorsports:
B.J. McLeod Motorsports (BJMcLeodMotorsports.com) is an American professional stock car racing team that currently competes in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. The team is owned by B. J. McLeod and wife Jessica. The team will field three Camaro Chevrolets in the Powershares QQQ 300 at Daytona International Speedway with drivers Jeff Green (No. 8), Clint King (No. 78) and David Starr (No. 99).
