In baseball, if a batter gets a hit once every three at-bats, he’s considered a superstar. In auto racing, the numbers and expectations are a lot higher. Mike Mason swung and missed failing to make the race in his first-ever attempt to qualify for a USAR Hooters Pro Cup race three weeks ago at Jefferson, GA. This weekend, Mason hopes to raise his batting average to .500 by qualifying for the Lucas Oil 250 at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL. “In racing, you’re expected to make every event and it was a big
disappointment to not make the race in our first attempt at Jefferson,” said Mason of the Peach State Speedway event where he just barely missed the show by .08 seconds. “We did the same thing last year in the Davey Hamilton SRL Touring Series. We missed the race our first time out. We had to thrash to get the car done both times just to get to the racetrack and both times it bit us. This time, we’ll be ready to race at Lakeland.”
Mason, 18, has spent the last three weeks easing into his freshman year of college and testing his No. 75 Team ASE Ford Taurus. Mason, who raced his way through the California Late Model and Touring Series ranks before moving from the Bakersfield, CA area to North Carolina earlier this year, tested at Concord (NC) Motorsports Park and USA International in preparation for this week’ s race.
“We had two really good tests,” said Mason. “At Concord, I got a much better feel for the car and the radial tires. At Lakeland, we got valuable experience on the track we’re going to race at this weekend. I feel a lot more comfortable in the Team ASE Ford and it showed both places. I’m really looking forward to going to Lakeland this weekend, making the show, and then doing the best we can in the race.”
Mason and his Team ASE Ford will take the green flag in the Lucas Oil 250 at
Lakeland Saturday, September 3, at 7:30 p.m. The event will be televised on a
taped-delayed basis on The SPEED Channel on Saturday, September 10, at 10
p.m. Eastern Time.
