Heroic Effort For Michael Dabney Jr. In Legends Big Money 100

Heroic Effort For Michael Dabney Jr. In Legends Big Money 100

Topics: Michael Dabney Jr.

Heroic Effort For Michael Dabney Jr. In Legends Big Money 100

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
Michael Dabney Motorsports
August 3, 2011

“Rising Phenom Earns Credibility; Respect At Charlotte Motor Speedway”

CONCORD, North Carolina (August 3, 2011) - - If there was one driver in the garage area at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway this past Monday and Tuesday that showed heart, drive, passion and determination many fingers would point to Michael Dabney Jr.

Within the last two weeks, the rising phenom overcame incredible odds from a near disastrous and season ending incident in the late stages of the Summer Shootout to bouncing back and participating in the final two rounds and then ready himself for the Legends Big Money 100.

After tireless nights of examining, cleaning and tweaking his No. 5 Michael Dabney Jr. Motorsports Legends car the week before the Legends Big Money 100, the biggest race of the summer had soon drawn upon him.

The Crandall, Texas native arrived at the track on Sunday to participate in pre-technical activities before retiring for the night to prepare for a jammed pack day on Monday. With practice set to begin at 9:00 a.m. sharp, Dabney Jr. climbed aboard his machine but when he fired the engine, he immediately knew something was array.

Unable to diagnose the problem himself, Dabney Jr. and crew quickly raced off the property to head to their local motor builder located near the track where engine specialist Hank Scott was able to assist the team in correcting their problem. After completely tearing apart the motor, a small screw was found that initiated the awkward sound and attempted to seize the motor. After piecing the motor back together, the team hurried themselves back to the Concord, North Carolina-based track.

Completely missing practice on Monday, Dabney Jr’s only track time on Monday consisted of qualifying. Unable to lock himself into the top-20 during time trials, the 22-year old would have to fall back on gaining entry into the field based upon his heat races.

Selected for round four of his heat race on Monday evening, Dabney Jr. quickly hustled his way through the 12-lap heat race where he landed in fifth, giving him a greater chance of making it into the big show the following evening.

Thankful that his trying day was over, Dabney Jr. returned to the track refreshed and re-energized and prepared to do battle Tuesday. The Texan’s worries of making it into the Legends Big Money 100 was far from over though as he had to participate in the final heat races to earn a berth in the highly anticipated shootout.

Keeping his nose-clean and showing extreme patience, Dabney Jr. in his No. 5 Michael Dabney Jr. Motorsports racecar would claim seventh, which was good enough to officially lock him into the 100-lap contest.

Relieved, the Mooresville, North Carolina resident had no time to celebrate as he had to quickly shift his focus towards the big race where he was gunning to impress.

When the green flag was thrown, it was Dabney’s No. 5 machine that bolted into the headlines by picking up 10 positions from his 28th starting spot within the race’s 15 laps.

A caution flag would waive three laps later allowing the young driver to catch his breath. On the restart while aiming to move into the top-15, an incident involving several cars broke out forcing Dabney Jr. to take abrasive actions to miss the spinning machines. While escaping with no damage, much of Dabney’s gain on the racetrack had been lost.

Despite a few more caution flags, Dabney Jr. was able to solidly work his way back into the 22nd position when the half-way break arrived at lap 50. After some adjustments, a drink and some consulting with his crew, Dabney Jr. returned to the track ready to do business.

He wasn’t kidding.

On the restart, eyes immediately began to flock from the lead pack to the surging black and yellow No. 5 which made some daring passes to climb through the running order. Moving himself back into the top-20 just three laps after taking the green, it was evident Dabney Jr. had a hotrod underneath him.

Continuing to inch up the leader-board, Dabney Jr. found himself comfortably in the top-15 and closing in on the top-10 when several of the leaders collided on the backstretch with Dabney Jr. taking the low line to maneuver through. Then suddenly, out of nowhere a car slid down directly into the No. 5 in the right front tire which immediately brought his automobile to a stop. It appeared that the incident was the end of his night.

With the red flag out, Dabney Jr.’s machine was towed back to pit lane where the team reviewed the car and pre-determined that just his tire needed to be changed. With some new rubber on his machine, Dabney Jr. returned to the track in the nick of time.

Holding steady at the rear of the field, Dabney Jr. delivered respectable lap times but the driver had an intuition that something else was wrong with his machine. After a late-race caution allowed another trip to pit road, it was determined that the front-end suspension and shock tower showed damaged. Able to compete, but out of the hunt for victory, Dabney Jr. wasn’t bound to quit and made a heroic effort to pass more racecars and finish all 100 laps of the Legends Big Money 100, taking the checkered flag in 15th out of the 37 car starting field.

“Our car was super-fast, especially after the halfway break,” said Dabney Jr. “I was absolutely disgusted when I was tagged by that other car on the backstretch. I couldn’t believe it. I was so angry and frustrated, because we had such a good piece. Thankfully, the damage wasn’t as bad as we initially thought but we lost our speed and grip on the track.

Finishing the race was important to me. I’m a racecar driver and it’s what I love to do. Obstacles may try and stand in my way, but I’m not going to give up without a fight. We could have parked it and called it a night but the people who support me don’t deserve that. I was happy to see the checkered flag, but also discouraged because I really think we could have had something for those leaders.”

When asked about his early week troubles on Monday, Dabney Jr. paused then reflected. “I thought we were done,” he sounded. “I was like you’ve got to be kidding me. Luckily, we were able to take the car to Hank and Ryan Scott of Real Race Cars were they vigorously worked to fix the problem and get me back to the race track. I am forever indebted to them for helping us out.”

He went onto say, “We’re coming back next year for both the Shootout and the Legends Big Money 100 as we’ve already been fortune enough to obtain some sponsorship, which is a huge relief. I also have to say that my dad was in attendance (Monday and Tuesday night) and that was a incredibly special to me. He’s my biggest supporter and critic. I was hoping to bring home the trophy for him, because he’s sacrificed a lot for me, but I promise, I’m going to win one of these big events soon and he’ll be the first person I thank and share that trophy with. Words really cannot express what it meant for him to be there cheering me on.”

From the Legends Big Money 100, Dabney Jr. will return to Texas for some down-time and some local INEX Legend Car Series racing throughout the state before returning to North Carolina and re-focusing his racing efforts for the remainder of the 2011 season and brace for 2012.

“I’m going to be racing this fall and during the winter. I’m also going to be doing some testing and if everything pans out like I think it’s going to, we’re going to have great news soon that will only enhance my learning curve as I try and work my way up the racing ladder. I’m extremely appreciative to everyone that is helping me, it leaves me speechless.”

Cost-efficient marketing partnerships are still available for Michael Dabney Jr. in 2011. For further information, please contact 469.474.6507.

Stay tuned for a new website highlighting Michael Dabney Jr. However, additional information is available by connecting with Michael Dabney Jr. and Michael Dabney Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Michael Dabney Jr. through Twitter at @MichaelDabneyJr.

PHOTO CAPTION: INEX Asphalt Legend Car Series driver Michael Dabney Jr.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

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