Phenomenal Performance By Chad Hackenbracht; CGH Motorsports Ends With Heartbreaking Finish

Phenomenal Performance By Chad Hackenbracht; CGH Motorsports Ends With Heartbreaking Finish

Topics: Chad Hackenbracht, Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 150

Phenomenal Performance By Chad Hackenbracht; CGH Motorsports Ends With Heartbreaking Finish

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
CGH Motorsports
June 6, 2011

JOLIET, Illinois (June 6, 2011) - - What could have been. Undoubtedly, Chad Hackenbracht and his family-owned CGH Motorsports team made a statement in the delayed Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 150 Saturday night at Chicagoland Speedway to lead a race high 45 laps only to have a blown right front tire while leading result in a frustrating 20th place finish.

Hackenbracht’s second trip to Chicagoland Speedway most certainly had its ups and downs but the Mooresville, North Carolina team will pick up the pieces and vow to return to the track with a vengeance.

Under the leadership of crew chief Rob Torrey and director of competition Kevin Reed, the 19-year old relied on the experience of his veteran dignitaries to guide his young team to the front. No disappointments.

In the lone practice session on Friday afternoon, Hackenbracht’s No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala SS topped the field with a time of 30.978 seconds at 174.317 miles per hour. Hackenbracht’s Chevrolet bow-tie was the only automobile to break into the 30-second bracket during the hour and a half session.

“The car is very, very good,” said Hackenbracht. “Rob, Kevin and the rest of the team have done an excellent job preparing our No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala SS.”

The CGH Motorsports team was one of the favorites heading into Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying on Saturday afternoon but as Hackenbracht bolted his automobile down the backstretch on lap one of his time trials run, he immediately diagnosed an issue with his machine forcing an abortion of their qualifying attempt and a trip to the garage. After careful diagnosis Torrey and Reed were able to find a connector issue with the distributor. Unfortunately, the hiccup would force Hackenbracht to start the 100-lap contest from the 30th position.

An hour before the sixth race of the season was to take the green flag, Mother Nature invaded Chicagoland Speedway and completely drenched the facility, ultimately forcing officials from ARCA, NASCAR and Chicagoland Speedway to postpone the start of the event until the conclusion of the NASCAR Nationwide Series’ STP 300.

Several hours later and nearly 20 degrees cooler, the ARCA Racing Series would be given the command to start the engines.

When the green flag dropped, Hackenbracht hammered down and by the first caution flag of the night on lap two, he had motored his machine into the 17th position.

By lap 22, Hackenbracht had powered his No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala SS into the 10th position and five laps later had climbed up the ladder into seventh.

Just eight laps after climbing into the top-10, Hackenbracht showed that he had the car to beat as he passed fellow championship contender Matt Merrell for fifth. Seven laps later the third caution flag of the day waived allowing prime opportunity for the leaders to make the trip to pit road.

With the assistance of a NASCAR Nationwide Series team, Hackenbracht had a lighting fast stop that included four tires and fuel. The impressive work by the crew allowed the New Philadelphia, Ohio native to inherit the lead for the first time in his ARCA career.

At the Lap 45 restart, Hackenbracht began to pull away and show a level of in-race dominance not recently seen in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. His lead in the No. 58 increased to a massive nine seconds over second place competitor Ty Dillon.

Just as it appeared that Hackenbracht and his team would be heading to victory lane in just his 15th career ARCA start, the right front tire on Hackenbracht’s race car would explode on lap 85 heading into turn four and ultimately ending up in the outside retaining wall.

The misfortune would emotionally take its toll on the team but the performance was encouraging enough to march the team forward with their heads held high.

"I told the guys probably 10 laps into us leading the race, ‘Thanks for this car. It's a rocket ship,'" Hackenbracht said. "It really was. We had a nine-second lead when the tire blew, and I had no warning. I may have run over something. It sounded like it was in the center of the car so I didn't think about it at all. I felt like we had it in the bag, almost."

He added, “I just want to thank everyone on the CGH Motorsports team. It’s been an emotional weekend for sure, but we will bounce back. We’re going to fix this car and hopefully have it ready for Michigan and look to finish what we started.”

Despite his 20th place finish, Hackenbracht retains 10th in the championship standings. The team earned the half-way leader award on top of leading a race high 45 circuits.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the first of two trips to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for the running of the Pocono ARCA 200, round seven of 19 on the 2011 schedule. Hackenbracht will make his third career start at the 2.5-mile triangle on Saturday, June 11 with hopes of improving on a track best of 13th acquired last August.

CGH Motorsports is actively seeking additional marketing partners for the full 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule. Single, multi and full-season placements are available on the team’s No. 58 entries. Interested parties are urged to contact Jordan Dahl at 570.234.5449 or jordan@cghmotorsports.com.

For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.com and CGHMotorsports.com.

Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.

About CGH Motorsports:

CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team will step up their commitment from a partial schedule and prepare for a hopeful full-season ARCA championship assault beginning in February 2011.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

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