MECHANICAL FAILURE DISAPPOINTS HEAVNER FANS AT HICKORY
Written By: RyanHeavner.com
May 5th, 2010 (NEWTON, NC) The Wix Filters 250 marked the third stop on the USAR Pro Cup Series schedule Saturday night. The Hickory (NC) Motor Speedway event was a bit of a homecoming for Pro Cup rookie Ryan Heavner, who resides in nearby Lincolnton, NC.
Heavner received and overwhelming crowd response when introduced as the driver of the #14 Elite Auto Collision Chevrolet, as the fans in attendance cheered on their hometown favorite.
Ryan and the Kirk May Racing team had a car all weekend that they were happy with. That culminated in a respectable 16.20 second qualifying lap that placed Ryan 13thon the starting grid.
“We were happy with our starting spot,” said Heavner. “It’s a decent starting position, and we’ve got 250 laps to work our way to the front.”
Unfortunately, Heavner would never get to take the green flag, much less lead the way in The Wix Filters 250.
The command to fire engines was given, and the field rolled into turn one behind the USAR pace car for the first time. That’s when a freak twist of mechanical fate ended Ryan’s night before it ever got started; rear-end failure side-lined the Elite Auto Collision Chevy without ever making a lap.
“God had different plans for me tonight, and it was not to race for some reason,” stated a dejected but up-beat Heavner. “I still want to thank Elite Auto Collision and Kirk May Racing for this opportunity. I’m sorry that things didn’t work out tonight for all these fans that were pulling for us and for Elite and KMR, but we’ll just stick to our motto and keep praying until something happens!”
Team owner Kirk May was disbelieving of the total mechanical failure experienced by one of his two USAR Pro Cup teams Saturday, but a talk with the product manufacturer shed some light on the subject.
“All 12 bolts sheared off of the ring gear,” stated May. “When we called [the manufacturer] they said there had been a recall. We just didn’t get word about the problem in time.”
There will be only a short two-week period for Heavner and KMR before they return to Pro Cup Series racing at Rockingham (NC) Speedway on May 15. It will be Heavner’s first trip to “The Rock,” and he hopes to gain some valuable experience there.
“A lot of legends have been made at The Rock, and we look forward to running there,” commented Heavner. “This weekend was a big disappointment, but we can’t wait to get to Rockingham and see what we can do there. It’s a great facility, and a series with the class of USARacing Pro Cup will no doubt put on a great show there.”
Please be sure to stop by www.ryanheavner.com to stay on top of Ryan’s latest news and results.
Ryan would love to meet you at a race track soon. You can visit www.usarprocup.com to check up on the USAR Pro Cup Series schedule, event logistics, news, and more.
Marketing professionals and small business owners interested in associating their brand with a rising star in a prestigious racing series with a massive fan base are encouraged to contact Tonya McCallister at McCallister Precision Marketing by email at [email protected], or by telephone at (803) 361-6199. You can also log on to www.marketwithmpm.com for contact options. A multitude of sponsorship packages for various budgets are currently available, so let Ryan’s on-track performance and off-track personality sell your goods and services for you!
To contact Ryan Heavner, or for more information, please contact Michael Hughes with Z3 Sports Management by email at [email protected], or by telephone at (334) 382-4488. Other contact options are also available at www.z3sports.com.
Ryan Heavner and Kirk May Racing would like to thank all of their team partners for the 2010 racing season. These include; Elite Auto Collision (Athens, Georgia), Dupont, Lawing Marble, McCallister Precision Marketing, LJ DeZigns, and WaltersWebDesign.com.