MCCUMBEE LOOKING TO MAKE THE 08 TRUCK SING IN THE MUSIC CITY
Last week at O'Reilly Raceway Park, Green Light Racing and driver Chad McCumbee brought their new sponsors to the front of the pack during an impressive 10-lap fight for the lead against David Reutimann. Heading into this weekends NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event in Nashville with a new crew chief and two days of testing at Chicagoland Speedway, the #08 team feels they can take The GPS Store / Garmin Silverado to the front on Saturday night.
Raybestos Rookie-of-the-Year contender McCumbee put up a good fight in Indianapolis, bringing his Chevrolet Silverado home in 17th place after a stint in the top 10 and retaking the second position in rookie standings. Nashville, however, could be the perfect place for McCumbee to showcase his sponsors, The GPS Store / Garmin and prove his worth as a race contender. The addition of crew chief Kevin Cram, with his experience in both the Nextel Cup and Truck Series, is expected to strengthen the young team with new ideas.
McCumbee's own experience can also play a crucial role in this weekend's success. In his most recent Nashville start, the August 2005 ARCA RE/MAX Series event, McCumbee came home with a 5th place finish. And stats show that McCumbee thrives on midsize ovals like the 1.333-mile Nashville Superspeedway. His top three Craftsman Truck Series finishes this season have all come on tracks similarly sized to Nashville: a 13th place at the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway, an 11th place at the 1.25-mile Gateway International Speedway, and a 9th place at the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway.
"Nashville has been a good track for me in the past" said McCumbee. "We had a great test this week in Chicago and I think we can apply what we learned there into The GPS Store Silverado this weekend".
Qualifying Toyota Tundra 200 at Nashville Superspeedway is scheduled for noon Saturday with the race slated to start at 5:15 p.m. ET. The event will be broadcast live on SPEED starting at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The 38-year-old Cram comes to Green Light with experience from the both the CUP and Truck garage. Cram has worked with drives Bill Elliot, Jason Leffler, Ron Hornaday, Stacy Compton and Geoff Bodine just to name a few. "I am very excited about this opportunity", said Cram. "Chad is a very talented driver and I feel I can make a difference here and help this team run up front". Cram also commented, "it is so refreshing to work with people who are not afraid to try new things and just go to work a get things done".