The SR2 Motorsports squad is heading west for the Royal Purple 300 at Auto Club Speedway with drivers Blake Koch and Jason White. Koch is coming off his third straight top-25 finish of the season, while his teammate has two Truck Series starts at the two-mile oval, where he's achieved a best finish of 27th place.
"Auto Club Speedway is place that really tests your car," stated Koch. "At SR2 Motorsports, we've done nothing but upgrade our equipment. It's a very fast race track. Car bodies are very important. Horsepower is very important. We've got both of those things taken care of. Hopefully we'll have luck on our side and we'll get a good run in."
SR2 Motorsports has one start at Auto Club Speedway. Benny Gordon, current general manager and lead crew chief of SR2 Motorsports, drove the No. 24 car to a 22nd-place finish in 2012.
"We're definitely looking forward to California," added HEADRUSH Apparel Toyota driver Jason White. "It's a two-mile track and it's got some age on it. Its surface is getting worn out and you're having to 'drive the track' more and more. There are so many different grooves there. If you're running a line and it's not working, there are a few others to try. There are some bumps to contend with. We'll be taking a different car there, one that we've been working on and haven't used this year, so we're excited about getting out there and hitting the track."
The SR2 Motorsports team is prepared to hit the track in Fontana, CA running, and are hopeful for a good finish. Qualifying can be seen live on SPEED at Saturday, March 23, 1:35 p.m. ET.
"You tend to have longer runs at Auto Club Speedway," added Koch. "There aren't a lot of interruptions in the event, so that puts a huge emphasis on practice. Without very many pit stops to adjust on the car, you have to get it handling pretty good before the race. If you don't, it will be tough to get it dialed in. With long runs, you've got to manage your tires. It's OK for us to give up some initial speed if we keep up the same pace. I don't think about fuel mileage or saving gas until my crew chief tells me it's time to do so."
The Royal Purple 300 takes place on Saturday, March 23 at 5:00 p.m. EST at the Auto Club Speedway. It will be televised live on ESPN. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast.
"California is a cool area," White commented. "There's L.A., Santa Monica and all that's around there. It's pretty cool to visit. Hopefully I'll get out there a day or two early and have a chance to check it out. We're excited to have HEADRUSH back on our Toyota this week. Hopefully we'll give them a good run."
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