FONTANA, Calif. (March 17, 2016) – – Three grueling weeks of racing on the West Coast Swing is tough for any NASCAR XFINITY Series team, but for B.J. McLeod Motorsports (BJMM), the team has taken the stretch in stride.
The third and final round of #NASCARGoesWest treks the teams to Auto Club (Calf.) Speedway forSaturday’s running of the TreatMyClot.com 300, where B.J. McLeod Motorsports will once again aim to be among the 40-car starting field.
Four races through the 2016 season, McLeod is content with the performance of his No. 78 team thus far. While there is always rooms for improvement, the avid Late Model driver says the gains the team has made during this West Coast Swing will prove to be beneficial looking ahead.
“We’ve taken a conservative approach for most of this stretch out west,” said McLeod who sits 20th in the XFINITY Series standings. “After getting through Las Vegas and Phoenix pretty clean, we feel that we can up the ante in California and try to produce a top-20 finish on Saturday.”
So far in 2016, McLeod has showed consistency and being able to see the checkered flag in all four races, but as the season presses on – McLeod knows that performance will be key and he hopes to give a glimpse of the future in his Auto Club Speedway debut.
“I’ve never been to Auto Club before, but I’m looking forward to the chance to being able to cross another track off my list,” added McLeod. “I have some laps at Michigan International Speedway, a track often considered the sister track of Auto Club – so I’m hoping that experience will pay off a little bit. For us though, we’ll be focused on making sure we get our car handling pretty good and then let the rest of the dominos fall into place.”
Like last week at Phoenix, BJMM welcomes X-Treme PH Sports Water as the title marketing partners for this weekend’s race at Auto Club.
Based in West Monroe, Louisiana, X-Treme PH is a high alkaline water that allows for faster absorption into the body’s cells for hydration. The popular refreshment served as an associate marketing partner with the team during the first three XFINITY Series races this season before increasing their role last Saturday at Phoenix.
“Last weekend was warm at Phoenix, so we’re real glad to have the support of X-Treme PH both on and off the track,” added McLeod. “It’s going to be warm again at Fontana, so it will be important for the team as a whole to stay hydrated so we can be at our best for when it counts the most on Saturday.
“We continue to be appreciative of the support of X-Treme PH and hope for our best finish of 2016 when the checkered flag waves.”
But before McLeod and his David Ingram led team focus on 150 laps of blistering speeds of 200 miles per hour, the team also is momentarily reflecting on last weekend’s XFINITY Series race at Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway, where BJMM was able to lend a hand to another team in need – carrying on the fundamentals of pay it forward.
“I’m proud of my team,” sounded McLeod. “A fellow XFINITY ran into some trouble and our guys rose to the occasion and do everything they could to help make sure they had a smooth transition for the race. Pay it forward works in so many different ways of life – on and off the race track and I hope other teams took notice and pledge to have the same impact when the timing is right.”
For more on B.J. McLeod, please visit his official Facebook page, while also visiting the team’s new website at BJMcLeodMotorsports.com. Additionally, the team is growing their presence on Twitter, with the team’s new account @teamBJMcLeod. McLeod also utilizes his personal twitter too, @BJMcLeod78.
The TreatMyClot.com 300 (150 laps / 300 miles) is the fifth of 33 NASCAR XFINITY Series on the 2016 schedule. Practice begins on Friday, March 18 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. A final practice has been etched in from 2:30 p.m. – 3:25 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, March 19 beginning at 9:15 a.m. The 40-car field will take the green flag shortly after 1:00 p.m. with live coverage on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite Radio, Channel 90). All times are Pacific.
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