Matthews, North Carolina – John Baucom drove the #86 MAP Quality Engineering Mustang to a 4th place finish in Sunday’s exciting Long Beach Grand Prix, matching his 4th place finish in the 2004 LBGP. “The car was fast from the moment we unloaded it,” said Baucom. “The chassis improvements we made during the off season gave us a neutral car that was much easier to fine-tune to the track. And, the off-season engine development made a significant difference in the horsepower and reliability.
We are now able to run a cam that is much more aggressive than anything we have been able to use in the past.”Qualifying sixth, Baucom was able to stay with the lead pack as it broke away from the rest of the field, and moved into 5th position by lap 12. Perhaps the most exciting racing in the early laps was the duel between Baucom and Tomi Drissi, who battled nose to bumper, lap after lap, making contact several times. “It was clean, fun racing with Tomi at the beginning. I am sure the large crowd at Long Beach enjoyed our battle,” said Baucom.
A late caution set the stage for a restart with 15 laps remaining. “Unfortunately, our tires were all but gone by then, so John couldn’t challenge for the lead,” said Crew Chief Allen Culpepper. “I want to thank our sponsors, MAP Quality Engineering, SoftwareToolbox, and DieCast Registry for being part of the Baucom Motorsports team for the third year now. We are very grateful for their support and involvement,” said Baucom. The long Beach Grand Prix will be televised (tape-delay) on SPEED Channel on Sunday April 17th at 2:00 pm EST.
The next race in the Trans-Am Series is at Portland International Raceway on Sunday June 18th.For more information on Baucom Motorsports, please visit www.baucommotorsports.com , or contact us at [email protected] .
