Mikey Kile; ABR And ModSpace Ready To Return To Form At Toledo

Mikey Kile; ABR And ModSpace Ready To Return To Form At Toledo

Topics: Mikey Kile, Menards 200

Mikey Kile; ABR And ModSpace Ready To Return To Form At Toledo

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
Andy Belmont Racing
May 16, 2012

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 16, 2012) - - After a strong superspeedway performance was thwarted late in the most recent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Mikey Kile and his Andy Belmont Racing (ABR) team are focused on returning to form in Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway.

Returning to form consists of exactly what it sounds. In the first four races of the year, the long-time team has proven with Kile that they are capable of easily racing competitively in the top-10.

For one reason or another including obstacles out of the team’s controls has hindered them in the overall finishing results. However, Toledo Speedway may be the prescription that the doctor ordered to put the No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion back inside the top-five.

To aid the team in their intentions for the upcoming rumble, the Jeff McClure led organization recently participated in a private test session at the half-mile oval where the Salisbury, North Carolina-based team spent the entire day working on setup – preparing for any scenario that may fall into their laps on Sunday afternoon.

“We know that we’re capable of racing up front and winning,” said Kile, a Westlake, Louisiana native. “Hopefully the test gives us that extra nudge to go out there and make it happen. It’s been a couple tough races for us, but we’re anxious and ready to bounce back. It’s frustrating because the ModSpace Ford has been incredibly fast all year. The team though is strong and certainly not quitters and I’m more than willing to do my part behind the wheel. Hopefully, we can repeat or better our run that we had at Mobile.”

Indeed, it was the second race of the year at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway where Kile rattled the cages of his other ARCA competitors where after starting 14th, the former NASCAR Nationwide Series driver wrestled his way to the front to nail a fourth place finish, the team’s best outing thus far this season.

“I’m ready to go to Toledo and put our No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion back on the map and (hopefully) keep us there permanently,” Kile mentioned. “We worked on a lot of things during the test. Toledo can be unpredictable. The track can change and the other guys seem to lean on you a lot there. It’s a long-race, 200 laps. Even though it’s a short track, a long green flag run is by far not out of the equation. I know how to qualify there and staying up front and away from the mess in the middle of the pack is going to be key to our success on Sunday, I think. Hopefully when the checkered flag waives, we’ll be congratulating one another on a job well done.”

The 29-year old has two prior starts at the half-mile oval including an outside pole in 2010. His other starting position consisted of fifth later that year. His best finish occurred in the spring event where he finished 10th.

Andy Belmont, team principal at ABR offered his sentiments on this weekend’s activities. “I think Mikey’s going to have a great hotrod for this weekend,” he said. “We all want to have a good race on Sunday for ModSpace. I liked what I saw at the test and I think with Mikey’s desire and determination, we have a great shot of making that happen.”

“ModSpace looks forward to Toledo each year,” stated William Mann, Vice President of Motorsports for ModSpace. “With the series’ headquarters in this track’s backyard, the energy around this event is great! ABR has done their homework at a recent test specifically for this race. With the notes from the test combined with the experience of this team, the No. 1 car is bound to be a front-runner when the checkered flies on Sunday.”

Entering Toledo, Kile with 32 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit sits seventh in the championship standings just 40 markers from fourth and 145 points from the top-spot with 16 races remaining.

For the fourth time this year, Kile will have a teammate at ABR as New Yorker Brandon Kidd will steer the No. 2 NASCAR Racing Experience Ford Fusion.

The Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care (200 laps / 100 miles) is the fifth of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 71st ARCA race at Toledo Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, May 19 with a forty-five practice session planned from 11:45 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 1:00 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag Sunday, May 20 shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will be televised on SPEED with a scheduled airing of 5:00 p.m. that evening. Additional coverage including timing and scoring available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

For more on Mikey Kile, please visit him online at MikeyKile.com and through Twitter @MikeyKile.

Additional information on Andy Belmont Racing is available by logging on to AndyBelmont.com.

PHOTO CAPTION: Mikey Kile, driver of the No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for Andy Belmont Racing (ABR).

About ModSpace:

Modular Space Corporation (ModSpace), based in Berwyn, Pa., is a leading provider of modular buildings, portable storage and services for temporary and permanent space needs. With more than 40 years of experience, ModSpace serves a diverse set of customers and markets through a network of 80 branches throughout the United States and Canada. Further information is available by visiting http://www.modspace.com.

About Andy Belmont Racing (ABR):

Andy Belmont Racing (AndyBelmont.com) is a competitive and respected motorsports operation who fields race cars in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. ABR has been serving the motorsports community and winning for nearly 25 years. Currently, the team fields a full-time ARCA Racing Series program for series winner Mikey Kile in the No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion.