Less than two-tenths of a second was all that separated Chad McCumbee from victory lane in last years North Carolina Education Lottery 200 with Matt Crafton narrowly beating him to the finish line at the Lowes Motor Speedway. Friday night, McCumbee and the SS Green Light Racing team are hoping for reverse the fortunes and put the #07 ASI Limited Chevy into victory lane.
The annual race is a homecoming for the teams racing in the Camping World Truck Series who once again are running as a prelude for the Sprint Cup All Star race. For McCumbee, Lowes Motor Speedway is just about five miles from his home. "It's great to be able to just drive home and sleep in your own bed and to be able to just relax at home before the race. No rental cars, hotels, strange beds to deal with. The flip side is the additional pressure of running in front of all the crew guys and their families. When your racing at Lowes your in the spotlight, everyone will be there this weekend."
The SS Green Light team is bringing back the same Chevy Silverado that has run up front at California, Atlanta and Kansas. McCumbee has averaged a 5.6 place finish in those three events with a best finish of third at California. Bobby Dotter and the SS Green Light team have done some minor tweaking to the truck hoping to make it even better for Friday's show under the lights at Lowes.
Dotter is looking forward to the challenge of racing in front of his peers. "I'm really proud of this team. The guys in the SS Green Light shop have done a great job on this truck and the results really show. I think we have proven we belong in the top-ten in points and Friday night will be our real chance to show that our performance so far this year is no fluke." Dotter explained. "Chad is doing such a great job, I can't say enough about how much he has improved and matured as a driver. He gives us great feedback and that helps us make the truck even better for him. It sure is fun to see the #07 running up front."
ASI Limited/Spectrum Metal Finishing/Akzo Nobel will again adorn McCumbee's Chevy Silverado for the North Caro-lina 200. The companies are scheduled to be on the #07 truck for twelve races this year. The SS Green Light team is actively seeking marketing partners to run the entire twenty-five race NCWTS schedule.
• This will be the Chad's 77th NCWTS start and 85th career NASCAR start.
• Chad has competed at Lowes Motor Speedway in the NCWTS on three previous occasions.
• Chad has completed all 408 laps he has run at Lowes Motor Speedway in the NCWTS, leading laps in each of the last two races.
• Chad started seventh and finished second in last years North Carolina Education Lottery 200, his career best finish in the NCWTS.
• After five events, Chad and the SS Green Light #07 team is currently eighth in NCWTS 2009 point standings.
Chad's thoughts on the Lowes Motor Speedway and the North Carolina Education Lottery 200: "I really enjoy running at all the mile and a half tracks but statistically Lowes has been my best track. It's a challenge to get the truck right as we practice in the morning, qualify in the heat of the day and then race at night. I think this might be as good or better truck than I had last year so we should have a great opportunity to put the #07 ASI Limited Chevy upfront and contend for the win."
Thirty-nine drivers are on the preliminary entry list for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, which will be shown live on SPEED TV at 8:00 eastern on May 15th. It will also be broadcast live via radio worldwide on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and on SIRIUS Satellite Radio NASCAR channel 128.
