Admittedly, Chad McCumbee and MRD Motorsports have struggled this season on the short tracks on the Craftsman Truck Series Schedule.  The team headed to Memphis, Tennessee this weekend for the O’Reilly Auto Parts 200 hoping to break through on the smaller tracks and solidify their position as one of the premier teams on the circuit.

The team showed that they have been putting in their homework on the short track program.  They continually improved during Friday’s practice sessions that left them optimistic heading into Saturday’s qualifying session and race.  The team was able to back up their final practice times in qualifying and would start 14th on the grid for the race later in the evening.

“That was probably one of best qualifying efforts we’ve had on a short track.  That’s going to give us decent track position for the start of the race.  We continue to plug away on the short tracks and I think we are starting to show signs of improvement.  We are just a small step away from being a team to contend with on these type of tracks,” commented McCumbee on the qualifying effort.

Chad quickly showed the improvements made by his team by maintaining in the top 15 throughout most of the night.  He was able to grab a couple of positions at the start of the race and realized that he had a quick truck when he was running by himself.  But, the #8 Chevrolet Silverado was having some brake issues that really surfaced when he was near other competitors.  However, he was still able to maintain.  Despite restarting near the end of the field after the first pit stop due to various pit strategies, McCumbee muscled through the brake troubles and began his march back through the field.  Throughout a series a late race cautions, McCumbee was able to pick off a few positions at a time before coming home with a 15th palce finish.

“This is one of the best trucks I’ve had on a short track.  Randy Dean and Gene Wachtel have really made some good progress on this program and it leaves me excited for the next short track.  The truck really turned good all night and I was just as quick as the leaders when I was alone.  We just had some issues with the left front brake.  Every time I got racing near someone and had to change my braking point, the brakes would lock up and send me up the track.  I just had to be smart with my passes.  This is a step in the right direction for the team though.  I’m happy with the finish.  All in all we are continuing to improve on the track and in the pits, I can’t thank everyone enough,” stated McCumbee.

As a result of the finish, Chad maintained his 10th place standings in the 2008 Driver’s Championship race as he at the rest of the Craftsman Truck Series take a few weeks off before heading to Kentucky for the Built Ford Tough 225.  Chad and Team MRD look to continue their strong runs on the 1.5 mile tracks and to increase their standings in the Championship chase.  The race is scheduled for June 19, 2008 and will be televised live on Speed starting at 7:00pm EST.

Chad had this to say about Kentucky: “I’m looking for a strong Top 5 run when we get back on track at Kentucky.  This is our type of track.  You have a lot of options at Kentucky as far where you can be on the track and it should make for some exciting side by side racing.  These two weeks off will really help us out a lot.  We are such a small team that any extra time when can get in the shop only makes us stronger. ”

Sponsorship opportunities still remain with Chad McCumbee and MRD Motorsports for the 2008 season.  For more information please call Dave Malcolmson at (727) 420-0660 or (727) 556-2800.  Be sure to visit Chad’s website, www.chadmccumbee.com and check out the new MRD Motorsports website, www.teammrd.com.

Top 15 Run for McCumbee at Memphis