TALLADEGA, Ala., (April 16, 2011)-Chad McCumbee and his No. 1 ModSpace team finished 20th in the 3 Amigos 250 at Talladega Superspeedway Saturday. The race, that was scheduled to run Friday afternoon, was delayed until Saturday due to severe weather in Alabama.
“Today just wasn’t our day,” said McCumbee. “We elected to fall to the back early, but we raced our way to the front of the field. We were running as high as third, but had some issues with the car’s handling. We needed someone behind us drafting to get everything we could out of the car. We began to overheat at the end of the race, so I had to pit and just couldn’t get back to the front. I am disappointed because my team worked so hard this weekend.”
After starting 20th in the 250-mile race, the No. 1 Andy Belmont Racing (ABR) team elected to fall to the back of the field, running as far back as 35th. On Lap 28, the second race caution came out due to an accident and the field returned to green flag racing on Lap 34.
McCumbee was still running in the back half of the pack. On Lap 43 Frank Kimmel, driver of the No. 44 ARCA car, and McCumbee decided to work together creating an outside line. The No. 1 ModSpace Ford pushed Kimmel just inside the top 10. The duo was then joined by driver Matt Merrell, piloting the No. 32, pushing McCumbee as high as third place on the next laps.
The caution came out again on Lap 45 and McCumbee was in fourth when the field returned to green flag racing on Lap 50. The top-three drivers pulled away on the restart, but McCumbee, Kimmel and driver of the No. 5 ARCA car, Bobby Gerhart, teamed up on the outside to make an attempt at the race leader, Ty Dillon. The string pushed Kimmel to the lead on Lap 52.
The No. 1 ModSpace team continued to run up front until McCumbee came over the radio late in the race and stated his engine was overheating. The mechanical issue resulted in an unscheduled pit stop and a 20-place finish.
Team Manager Andy Belmont was dissatisfied with the team’s superspeedway finish after running up front with the race leaders for the majority of the 94-lap race.
“We had a great car today,” said Belmont. “We had put together a winning race strategy, had great pit stops and it was paying off. Everything was working great until the motor water temperature went too high and we had to pit late in the race. Chad gave it his all, but we just couldn’t get back up front”
“We have to put this race behind us,” stated McCumbee. “Today’s outcome doesn’t change our future strategy. We plan to test for upcoming events and earn some wins. I plan to get some of the points I lost today back at Salem (Speedway).”
McCumbee and his ModSpace team will continue their The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship run at Salem (Ind.) Speedway on Sunday, May 1 for 200 laps of racing action.
About ModSpace:
Modular Space Corporation (ModSpace), based in Berwyn, Pa., is a leading provider of modular buildings, portable storage and services for temporary and permanent space needs. With more than 40 years of experience, ModSpace serves a diverse set of customers and markets through a network of 80 branches throughout the United States and Canada.
About Andy Belmont Racing (ABR):
Andy Belmont Racing is a competitive and respected motorsports operation who fields race cars in the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR K&N East Series and the USARacing Pro Cup Series. ABR has been serving the motorsports community and winning for nearly 25 years. AndyBelmont.com.
