A.J. Frank Banks Another Top-Five At Bristol Motor Speedway
A.J. Frank Banks Another Top-Five At Bristol Motor Speedway “South Carolina Native Continues To Inch Forward In Championship Chase�?? MOORESVILLE, North Carolina (September 16, 2010) - - In his first USARacing Pro Cup Series appearance at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in nearly a decade, A.J. Frank delivered another stout top-five finish in last Saturday’ s American Freedom Spectacular 200. The performance showcased that the likable driver had not lost his concrete touch while proving to the rest of the competition that Frank and his Speedco Racing team won’t go quietly in the bid to become the 2010 USAR champions. Frank, driving for Mac Hill Motorsports (MHM) invaded the historic Tennessee short track looking to gain some ground in the championship chase in what was expected to be one of the most demanding races of the season. Mother Nature played havoc with the USARacing Pro Cup Series teams as steady showers resulted in little practice on Saturday and forcing the field to be set by current car owner points. With Frank starting third and just a handful of laps on the .5-mile oval in practice, the Bluffton, South Carolina native was optimistic about the race. During the course of the first 100 circuits, Frank and crew chief Todd Myers utilized the green flag to properly dial in their No. 56 Speedco / Lucas Oil / 3 Wide Apparel Chevrolet Impala. A caution inside the final 40 laps of the event allowed a trip down pit road for Frank and allowed the MHM team to change tires and make a chassis adjustment on their Chevrolet bowtie. Confident about the changes, Frank nailed the throttle on the restart and quickly began slicing and dicing through the pack and turned laps faster than the leaders which eventually allowed the No. 56 Chevrolet to catch his competition in lap traffic. Despite a gallant effort to make several passes on leaders Benny Gordon, Clay Rogers and Brandon Ward, Frank simply ran out of laps and took the checkered flag in the fourth spot, claiming his seventh top-five in eight races. “It was another strong run for Speedco, Lucas Oil and the Mac Hill Motorsports team,�?? sounded Frank, who made his Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway on September 11. “I really want to thank all of the members of Mac Hill Motorsports, they have done a tremendous job all year. Todd (Myers, crew chief) and Julian (Heitz, car chief) have made our new relationship which began just one race ago a very smooth transition. They continue to supply me with very good race cars. The rest of my crew has made great sacrifices to race with me this year and I am indebted to them for that. They do this on a volunteer basis because they want this as bad I do. That says a lot. With the quality and confidence my team has winning, I know we are very close to victory lane!�?? Frank wasn’t shy to give his opinion on Bristol. “Getting to race at Bristol was awesome. I want to thank USAR and Bristol Motor Speedway for giving us the chance to race at a great racetrack. Since the re-pavement, the track has multiple grooves which made it a lot of fun to race on!�?? In the race for the championship, Mac Hill Motorsports moved to second in the car owner standings with A.J. Frank moving up to fourth in the driver standings, just 15 markers behind J.P. Morgan. 80 credits separate Frank from the top-spot held by Clay Rogers. Frank’s finish on Saturday capped him his 24th career top-five and 43rd top-10 finish of his career in 75 starts. Frank will return behind the wheel of the No. 56 Mac Hill Motorsports Chevrolet at the historic North Wilkesboro (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Sunday, October 3 for the third of five championship races for the USARacing Pro Cup Series tour in the Brushy Mountain 250. Join A.J. Frank on Facebook by visiting, _Facebook.com/ajfmotorsports_ (http://www.facebook.com/ajfmotorsports) . Visit the USARacing Pro Cup Series on the web at, _USARProCup.com._ (http://www.usarprocup.com/) For additional input on Speedco Truck Lube & Tire, please click to, _Speedco.com_ (http://www.speedco.com/) . About Speedco Truck Lube & Tires: Speedco Truck Lube & Tires is the only national network to specialize in quick lube and tire service for heavy-duty trucks. We don't preach speed. We live and breathe it. Every second of our time, every inch of our stores is dedicated to one simple goal: getting your trucks back on the road faster than anyone else. We are Speedco. Built for speed. Staffed for Quality. Delivering world class value. For more information, visit _Speedco.com_ (http://www.speedco.com/) . MEDIA CONTACT: NAME: Chris Knight PHONE: 239.834.9797 EMAIL: _chris@chrisknightpr.com_ (mailto:chris@chrisknightpr.com) PHOTO CREDIT: Laura Ward / USARacing Pro Cup Series