Ford Performance
IMSA Mustang Challenge
Watkins Glen International Race 1 | Friday, June 21, 2024
UNOFFICIAL DH CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:
- Tyler Maxson – No. 74 Robert Noaker Racing
- Robert Noaker – No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing
- Jeremy Fletcher – No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing
- Reid Sweeney – No. 31 Robert Noaker Racing
- Sam Paley, Southern Paley Motorsports LLC
UNOFFICIAL DHL CLASS TOP-FIVE FINISHERS:
- Zachry Lee – No. 48 McCumbee McAleer Racing
- Nicholas Smither – No. 58 Nick Smither Racing
- Tom Tait – No. 8 MDK Motorsports LLC
- Stephen Vajda – No. 10 NV Autosport
- Mike Stillwagon – No. 19 Skip Barber Racing
TYLER MAXSON, No. 74 Robert Noaker Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DH) – “I think it really comes down to how good these guys are prepping at the shop. They are putting everything they have into this, and it really shows. We’ve had a really good handle on the car so far, making no real changes off the truck. We’ve been fast right off the rip, and it’s just been tuning and driving from there. Robert and I have been working great together in getting our driving really in-tune. That’s a big testament of this team, too. We haven’t really had to chase setup at all and been able to focus solely on our driving. The track is really fun. It’s really high-speed, but then there are slow corners and a lot of variation. The Dark Horse R is really fun around here – super fast and a blast.”
ROBERT NOAKER, No. 13 Robert Noaker Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DH) – “We’ve been busting our butts in getting these cars prepared – from testing, to Mid-Ohio and now here. It’s really paid off. Qualifying can be super important with a sprint racing format, because anything can happen.”
JEREMY FLETCHER, No. 22 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DH) – “The team definitely put in a lot of work from qualifying for that race. We made some changes, and the McCumbee McAleer crew really set it off. I think we had quite a bit of pace, and it’s three podiums in three races. That’s a pretty successful start.”
ZACHRY LEE, No. 48 McCumbee McAleer Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DHL) – “The setup between here and Mid-Ohio and here was completely different. It behaved totally differently, but our car handled really well here. There was a lot of engineering that needed to happen to do that, and my team was able to do it the best today.”
NICHOLAS SMITHER, No. 58 Nick Smither Racing Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DHL) – “I had a great start and restart, gaining three places. It’s a shame that the end had to come to a yellow flag. But, I can’t complain. It was a great day that made up for Mid-Ohio, where I made a few mistakes. This one feels like redemption. It’s just great that we have all the same car and that the results fall on the driver. The racing has been clean, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the series.”
TOM TAIT, No. 8 MDK Motorsports LLC Ford Mustang Dark Horse R (DHL) – “The podium is a great place to be and icing on the cake. We race to perform at the highest level and to get great results. Mustang Challenge is an awesome series. We had a great qualifying session, and we were looking forward to a very competitive race. Having identical cars is a big deal – all of them manufactured by Ford the same. These cars are a lot of fun to drive.”