Andy Belmont Racing; Mikey Kile And ModSpace Carve Out Top-Five Finish At Mobile

Andy Belmont Racing; Mikey Kile And ModSpace Carve Out Top-Five Finish At Mobile

Topics: Mikey Kile, Mobile ARCA 200

Andy Belmont Racing; Mikey Kile And ModSpace Carve Out Top-Five Finish At Mobile

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
Andy Belmont Racing
March 13, 2012

MOBILE, Alabama (March 13, 2012) - - In front of a packed crowd which included family and close friends, Westlake, Louisiana native Mikey Kile wrestled his No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion to a strong fourth place finish in this past Saturday’s Mobile ARCA 200 at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway.

The finish, the first top-five effort together for Kile and Andy Belmont Racing (ABR) is a clear indication that the veteran team and driver will be a force to be reckon with as the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season presses on.

Despite never seeing Mobile before Friday’s on-track activities, crew chief and former short track racer Jeff McClure felt he had a comfortable set-up in his No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion that Kile would be able to adapt too and the team could adjust on throughout the weekend.

In a tight and competitive field, Kile maneuvered the 19th quickest lap in practice only to better themselves in qualifying to line-up 15th. Not completely happy with their starting position, the ABR team knew it wasn’t more about where they necessarily started but where they finished.

From the drop of the green flag, Kile cautiously maneuvered himself forward through the extremely tight field. By lap 35, the team found themselves 12th on the leader board and in a wad of lead lap vehicles battling for a spot inside the top-10.

Continuing to hover just outside the top-10 through the event’s first quarter, Kile would find himself secured in seventh when several lead lap cars elected to come to pit lane during a caution on lap 50. The No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion would continue to inch up the leader board through lap 64 where the ABR team held steady in fourth.

Despite being on older tires, Kile would be able to fend off a hungry pack of cars behind him through lap 80 when the No. 99 spun on the racetrack. McClure would inform his driver to enter pit road on lap 82 for his mandatory stop which included tires and fuel.

Racing resumed on lap 85 with the 29-year old in 19th. Patiently, the former Michigan ARCA winner would begin methodically working himself back towards the front. Just past halfway, Kile found himself tucked in 14th and on the move.

As the field settled into a long green flag run, Kile’s car began to soar as others began to fall which found Kile back safely in the top-10 by lap 130. Despite being on older tires’, the No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion was producing the quickest laps on the racetrack thus allowing Kile to close the gap to the leaders in a short period of time and climb into fourth.

When the caution flag flew on lap 168, McClure decided to top off his pilot with tires and fuel giving him the goods to finish the second race of the season.

Restarting eighth, Kile would use his short track skills and a couple late race cautions to maneuver his No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion back into the top-five and claim fourth when the field took the checkered flag on lap 203.

“It was a good day for ModSpace, Jennifer and Andy Belmont and the entire ABR team,” said Kile, who posted his ninth career top-five finish in ARCA Saturday afternoon. “I wasn’t real happy with our qualifying run, but there were a lot of factors to that including track conditions, but when the race got rolling, our car kept getting better and that’s why we were able to go from the back to the front. The field was stout and the track was hard to pass on – but I think that made for a good show. We played our cards right and Jeff (McClure) made some good calls, so we’ll take this and move onto Salem and see if we can’t deliver another good run.”

Andy Belmont, team principal at ABR was extremely satisfied with the outcome of the race. “I’m really pleased,” he said. “Mikey and Jeff seem to be really gelling and I only see our program getting stronger from here. In the first two races of the year, we’ve been able to prove that we can run up front. So far, that’s put us in a good place in the point standings and we’re heading to Salem next, a great track for ABR, so we’re hoping that Mikey can steer our ModSpace Ford into victory lane.”

Jennifer Belmont, car owner of the No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion also offered her sentiments on the Mobile ARCA 200. “This was a great run for our team,” she said. “Mikey did a phenomenal job keeping the fenders on the car and making sure he was in position to capitalize near the end of the race. We’re off to a strong start this year and I think momentum will propel us moving forward, especially heading to one of our favorite tracks, Salem next.”

Speaking of points, unofficially, Kile leaps to fifth in the championship standings accumulating 360 points, just 45 markers behind series leader Cale Gale, who isn’t expected to compete at Salem in six weeks. Just five points separate himself from fourth place runner Tom Hessert III and 30 tallies from second, currently controlled by Brennan Poole.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the third of 20 races on the 2012 tour at the historic Salem (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 on Sunday, April 29. Kile will make just his third career start at the Southern Indiana race track next month.

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 onto 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.