By Brandon Mudd
MANSFIELD, OHIO – Chris Wimmer, driver of the Race Fans for a Cure® #63 Ford, was looking for a top-15 run in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) debut at the Ohio 250 Sunday. A fast truck Friday and a top-10 finish here last year during an American Speed Association race gave Wimmer and his Foristell, Mo.-based MB Motorsports crew confidence that they were going to see a great race. Unfortunately, a leak near the oil pump ruined their chances for a good finish, giving them a DNF and a 36th place finish at the Mansfield Motor Speedway.
“It’s frustrating,” said Wimmer. “Unlike Martinsville, where the truck never was very good, we were very happy with it this weekend. We were running top-20 times during practice on Friday and thought we had a great shot to finish in the top-15, but it didn’t happen that way.”
Due to inclement weather all day Saturday, qualifying and practice were cancelled, putting the MB Motorsports Ford in the lineup 26th based on a provisional gained from last year’s points standings. NASCAR allowed the teams 30 minutes of practice Sunday morning to allow last-minute changes to adapt to a very “green” track. It was at the end of the practice when the team discovered a problem.
“We were running good in practice and at the very end, we found an oil leak,” said MB Motorsports owner and crew chief, Mike Mittler. “We thought we had it fixed, but about three laps into the race, the leak returned and we had to bring Chris into the infield to work on it.
“The shame of it is,” continued Mittler, “whenever we brought Chris back onto the track, we were running fast times, within a tenth of a second or so of the leader. The bright side of this is, we know we can run well. We never really doubted that, but Mansfield showed us we have a great driver and a great team and if it weren’t for a bit of bad luck, we’d have a good finish to show for it.”
In attendance for the race were representatives from MB Motorsports’ sponsors, ENERPAC and Dave Porter Truck Sales. “We hate it for our sponsors who were at the race,” said Wimmer. “Fortunately, we have great people sponsoring us, including our primary sponsor, Race Fans for a Cure®, who understand that these things happen and that we’ll be better next time.”
Enerpac is the leading manufacturer of hydraulic tools and components for a variety of applications worldwide, making it the brand of choice for industries such as automotive manufacturing and assembly, construction, power generation, metals transformation, and maintenance and repair operations.
Dave Porter Truck Sales, “Your Star Connection,” is located in Wright City, Mo. Dave Porter Truck Sales specializes in premium low-mileage semi trucks and trailers. The most popular lines include Western Star, Peterbilt, and Kenworth semi tractors. Nationwide sales (49 of 50 states) cater to the smaller owner/operator. A full-service facility is available for customer service, repairs, parts, and “The Chrome Connection,” all maintained by eight qualified service technicians with over 100 years combined experience. Dave Porter Truck Sales is located on I-70 (exit 199) in Wright City. Contact Dave Porter Truck Sales at 800-407-8008 or e-mail: Dptsllc@aol.com.
The next race for Wimmer and MB Motorsports is scheduled to be the O’Reilly 200 in Memphis, Tenn., June 19th.
MANSFIELD, OHIO – Chris Wimmer, driver of the Race Fans for a Cure® #63 Ford, was looking for a top-15 run in his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) debut at the Ohio 250 Sunday. A fast truck Friday and a top-10 finish here last year during an American Speed Association race gave Wimmer and his Foristell, Mo.-based MB Motorsports crew confidence that they were going to see a great race. Unfortunately, a leak near the oil pump ruined their chances for a good finish, giving them a DNF and a 36th place finish at the Mansfield Motor Speedway.
“It’s frustrating,” said Wimmer. “Unlike Martinsville, where the truck never was very good, we were very happy with it this weekend. We were running top-20 times during practice on Friday and thought we had a great shot to finish in the top-15, but it didn’t happen that way.”
Due to inclement weather all day Saturday, qualifying and practice were cancelled, putting the MB Motorsports Ford in the lineup 26th based on a provisional gained from last year’s points standings. NASCAR allowed the teams 30 minutes of practice Sunday morning to allow last-minute changes to adapt to a very “green” track. It was at the end of the practice when the team discovered a problem.
“We were running good in practice and at the very end, we found an oil leak,” said MB Motorsports owner and crew chief, Mike Mittler. “We thought we had it fixed, but about three laps into the race, the leak returned and we had to bring Chris into the infield to work on it.
“The shame of it is,” continued Mittler, “whenever we brought Chris back onto the track, we were running fast times, within a tenth of a second or so of the leader. The bright side of this is, we know we can run well. We never really doubted that, but Mansfield showed us we have a great driver and a great team and if it weren’t for a bit of bad luck, we’d have a good finish to show for it.”
In attendance for the race were representatives from MB Motorsports’ sponsors, ENERPAC and Dave Porter Truck Sales. “We hate it for our sponsors who were at the race,” said Wimmer. “Fortunately, we have great people sponsoring us, including our primary sponsor, Race Fans for a Cure®, who understand that these things happen and that we’ll be better next time.”
Enerpac is the leading manufacturer of hydraulic tools and components for a variety of applications worldwide, making it the brand of choice for industries such as automotive manufacturing and assembly, construction, power generation, metals transformation, and maintenance and repair operations.
Dave Porter Truck Sales, “Your Star Connection,” is located in Wright City, Mo. Dave Porter Truck Sales specializes in premium low-mileage semi trucks and trailers. The most popular lines include Western Star, Peterbilt, and Kenworth semi tractors. Nationwide sales (49 of 50 states) cater to the smaller owner/operator. A full-service facility is available for customer service, repairs, parts, and “The Chrome Connection,” all maintained by eight qualified service technicians with over 100 years combined experience. Dave Porter Truck Sales is located on I-70 (exit 199) in Wright City. Contact Dave Porter Truck Sales at 800-407-8008 or e-mail: Dptsllc@aol.com.
The next race for Wimmer and MB Motorsports is scheduled to be the O’Reilly 200 in Memphis, Tenn., June 19th.
