Charles Evans Jr. Shows Speed and Comfort In Team BCR Racing Entry At Madison

Topics:  Charles Evans Jr., Herr’s Live Life With Flavor! 200

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management/Team BCR Racing
August 29, 2011

OREGON, Wisconsin (August 29, 2011) - - If there was one driver that many didn’t expect to be a contender heading into last Friday’s Herr’s Live Life With Flavor! 200 at Madison International Speedway, it’s quite possible that ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards rookie Charles Evans Jr. wasn’t near the top of the list.

Though, it was Evans Jr. and his Team BCR Racing entry that had the garage sparking as Friendswood, Texas native in only his second career ARCA start turned heads with an extremely quick and competitive time in the lone practice behind the wheel of the No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion.

With crew chief Howard Bixman calling the shots, the duo was extremely pleased with the performance of their automobile and looked to make some minor tweaks to their Ford Fusion hoping for the ideal setup for the 15th race of the 2011 season.

Continuing to find more speed and comfort in qualifying Friday afternoon, Evans Jr. maneuvered his No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion to the 15th quickest lap overall. The effort was impressive considering the former INEX Legend Car Series’ driver experience in a stock car and for never have seeing Madison International Speedway before Friday’s sessions.

“Our car has been really good,” said Evans Jr. “We’ve had to make some adjustments during the course of the day, but that’s to be expected. I cannot thank Team BCR Racing for their efforts, I am really anxious for the green flag to drop.”

Taking the green flag shortly after 8:30 p.m. Evans Jr., quickly nestled his way into a comfortable hole while trying to keep the team’s objective of finishing inside the top-10 alive.

Knowing that Madison was extremely difficult to pass on, Evans Jr. wasn’t in a hurry to beat up his No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion, as finishing the race was crucial to the learning curve for the rising star.

Early race cautions and lap traffic would halt any attempt for Evans Jr. to invade the top-10 but the Team BCR Racing development driver still found himself on the lead lap and in contention.

Unfortunately, short track trouble found Evans Jr. and his team as two cars collided in turn four on lap 64 with the rookie trying to avoid the parked cars on the race track. An abrasive maneuver foiled his plan to exit the scene unscathed as he made contact with the outside retaining wall after his car slid through moisture thus taking complete car control out of the hands of the 21-year old.

With damage evident on the right front of the No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion, Bixman would advise his driver to head to pit road for damage control where the team was able to fix the car and send their driver back into competition on lap 74, several laps down.

Although out of the hunt for a top-10 finish, the team’s goal of taking the checkered flag remained obtainable.

Evans Jr. impressed his Mooresville, North Carolina-based team even further during the second half of the race; he was negotiating lap times comparable to those in the top-five, despite missing the front fender of his blue oval.

Able to utilize the remainder of the race as a learning experience, Evans Jr. survived a three-lap shootout to take the checkered flag in the 17th position.

“Our car was really good and I cannot continue to thank everybody at Team BCR enough for all they’ve done for me,” he said after the race. “I tried to get through that mess in turn four and it wound up having a huge impact on our night. I hate it for the guys because; we definitely had a car capable of contending in the top-10. The car was really coming to life before the accident, it just stinks that we don’t have a finish to show how good our No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion really was.”

He added, “I want to thank RoushYates Engines and Performance Parts and Casite for taking a chance on me and joining the Team BCR Racing family. We had some horses underneath the hood and we had one of the slickest looking cars on the race track. We’ll get regrouped and ready to hit the track again soon.”

For Bixman, he was overly impressed with Evans Jr. talent and maturity at Madison International Speedway.

“CJ is the real deal,” offered Bixman. “For him to go out there and out-qualify some of the best in the ARCA class really showed his talent and focus in only his second race in a stock car. After battling a tight condition during practice, we made some big changes before qualifying. It paid off with a neutral car and turned well in the middle of the corners which was crucial for the race. He didn’t have anywhere to go when they started wrecking in front of him. That’s just sometimes part of the game. If not for that though, I think CJ would agree with me when I say I knew we were capable of finishing in the top-seven. This kid is the real deal and I’m looking forward to a bright future with him.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the second and final installment on the dirt when the sanctioning body makes their annual trip to the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds for the running of the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Auto Parts on Labor Day, Monday, September 5.

Evans Jr. and Co. plan to return to competition in October when the ARCA Racing Series takes on their final intermediate track of the year at Kansas Speedway for the running of the Kansas Lottery 98.9 on Friday, October 7.

For more on Team BCR Racing and marketing partnership opportunities for the 2011 racing season, please visit teambcr.com

Connect with Roush Yates Performance Products and Roush Yates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.

To check out the latest products available from The Casite Company, please click on casite.com.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com