Mark Reed and his Food 4 Less Motorsports team hope to continue their positive momentum this weekend in the Food 4 Less/MDA 150 at Irwindale Speedway. After finishing second to Matt Crafton at Mesa Marin Raceway on July 1st, Reed survived the Ford L.A. Street Race with a 5th place finish. "We would love to close out the month of July with another top-5 finish", said Reed. The preparation for the 150-lap race on Saturday night has been intense. "Our team always wants to do well, but there is an added incentive when our sponsor is also the title sponsor of the race", said Reed.
The preparation for the July 29th race started several months ago. Many of the Food 4 Less vendors participated in a program that included a ride with Mark Reed on the track at Irwindale Speedway last Tuesday and a VIP night at the races Saturday night. This program generated a contribution in excess of $50,000 to the Muscular Dystrophy Association. "We had over 75 people attend the ride-along", said Reed. "There wasn't one person who didn't enjoy the opportunity to ride in a real race car". In addition to riding in the cars from the Frank Hawley Driving School, the guests got to take a turn in the Irwindale Speedway race simulators. There will be over 200 people attending the VIP hospitality event at the track Saturday night. "I hope the people who got a ride in the racecar last Tuesday will have a better appreciation for what is happening on the track Saturday night", said Reed. "They got to feel the speed, but they didn't get to see what it is like when you're racing in a pack of over 30 cars".
When Reed was at Irwindale Speedway last Tuesday, he and his team also took the opportunity to test their 2000 Chevrolet Monte Carlo. "We were happy with the results from the test session", said Reed. "It is hard to compare the times from the other cars that tested here. Several of the teams elected to test at night under the lights. We were testing in the middle of the day on one of the hottest days this summer".
Mark Reed and his team will skip the next two events on the NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series schedule. "Our next race will be back at Irwindale Speedway on August 19th in our Winston West car", said Reed. "We are really looking forward to that race. Our 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix has been very competitive in the 3 Winston West events we have participated in so far this year". Reed qualified 3rd for the race at California Speedway in April behind Winston Cup veterans Johnny Benson and Ken Schrader.
