Powerhouse MDM team ready to take on Toledo
Powerhouse MDM team ready to take on Toledo
TOLEDO, Ohio (May 17, 2018) -- MDM Motorsports ARCA Racing Series drivers Zane Smith, Sheldon Creed and Chase Purdy will be joined by part-time teammate Harrison Burton at the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care this weekend at Toledo Speedway.
Smith, coming off his second win of the season, comes into this event with a great deal of momentum. Already second in ARCA championship standings, it was announced this week that Smith, for the second consecutive season, will participate in the NASCAR Next program.
“I cannot wait to get to Toledo,” said Smith, driver of the No. 41 LaPaz Margarita Mix-ICON Vehicle Dynamics Toyota. “I love that track. It was one I’ve had circled on the schedule. I feel like we’ve had a strong package for the short tracks and we’ve shown that. I know Mardy (Lindley – crew chief) and the guys will have a great piece for me because Mardy was Harrison Burton’s crew chief when he won there last year, so it will be up to me to execute. It’s an honor to be a part of NASCAR Next again. I am looking forward to continuing to learn from everyone involved in the program. Winning for the third time this year would be a pretty amazing way to cap off what has been a fun week so far.”
Creed, driver of the No. 28 United Rentals Toyota, currently leads the championship standings. Led by crew chief Jeff Stankiewicz, the former X-Games gold medalist has done everything but win a race this season, and although the championship is his goal, he is hungry for a checkered flag.
“I am so ready to get a win,” said Creed. “We’ve been so close. We had a good test earlier this month at Toledo, and that was helpful for us to be able to work on improving our short track stuff a little. This team deserves wins. We want the championship, but we also want to win races. I want to get a win for this team and I’ll be trying my hardest at Toledo.”
Purdy joins teammate Smith as a second-year participant in the NASCAR Next program and is looking forward to being back on the track with his No. 8 Bama Buggies-Polaris Toyota after a hard crash knocked him out of the race at Talladega. He says he is ready for this Sunday’s race, and is praying for his crew chief, Cully Barraclough, to return to the pit box soon. Barraclough has been battling an illness.
“I felt fine after the test at Charlotte last week, so I’m ready to go this weekend," said Purdy. "I’m just praying for Cully to get better and come back. He’s helped me so much this year and I really enjoy working with him. I’m thankful to be with a team that has a lot of depth, so we’ll push forward and do our best to get Cully a win to smile about on Sunday.”
Burton won last year’s race at Toledo so there is no doubt of his goal for this weekend in the No. 12 Dex Imaging-Mobile 1 Toyota.
“I’m super excited to go back and do our best to defend our win from last year at Toledo," said Burton. "I know the team is pumped, and I know they’ll have a winning car for me to drive. The short tracks in this series are a real challenge, but that’s what makes it so much fun.”
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