CHAMPION CREW CHIEF: Mark McFarland
Wins Title In First Year Working With Rhodes
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Mark McFarland is no stranger to championship battles.
In 2011, McFarland, a crew chief in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East since 2009, and driver Mat DiBenedetto were in the hunt for the championship. They won their first race together that season but would ultimately settle for fourth in the final championship standings.
CHAMPION DRIVER: BEN RHODES | CHAMPION OWNER: HARRY SCOTT JR.
This season, he paired with Turner Scott Motorsports and rookie driver Ben Rhodes. The result was five victories, six poles, 11 top fives and 13 top 10s in 16 starts en route to a title and a trip to the NASCAR Night of Champions in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“It felt great,” said McFarland about winning his first series crown as a crew chief. “You feel like you’ve accomplished a lot. You set goals for yourself and then you achieve them. It felt like a relief, for one, but then just feeling really proud of everyone on the team.”
Prior to his career as a crew chief, McFarland competed in Late Models at Southampton and Old Dominion, collecting more than 100 feature wins and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series championship in 2003. He also competed in the Hooters Pro Cup, earning seven wins, and in the NASCAR Nationwide Series with JR Motorsports.
McFarland met Rhodes in February when the team tested at New Smyrna (Florida) Speedway prior to the season opener. He had a positive first impression of the young driver.
“At first he was kind of goofy. He showed up and we got to know each other a bit during the test. He’s a real goofy kid, but down to earth, really focused and a real well-raised kids. He’s probably one of the most focused drivers I’ve ever worked with.”
The season began with a fourth-place effort in the season opener and a 15th-place finish at the Battle at the Beach. The team was able to rebound quickly, however, picking up a podium finish the next time out before winning their first rave together at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in South Carolina in the fourth event of the season.
“Once we figured out Ben’s style of racing and what he needed, we took off from there,” said McFarland. “After the first couple of races, I knew we had a chance to win, we definitely had the equipment and the driver to win.”
Beginning with Greenville, the team would win five of six events. McFarland credits communication and focus from his driver as the main factors in their success.
“”His strong point is knowing how his car needs to feel in practice,” said McFarland. “A lot of times he’d call me at night, after we tested or raced, and talk about things we needed to work on to get better. He’s one of the most focused drivers I’ve ever worked with.”
“I learned a lot from him this year. He’s got a lot of talent and will be a forced to be reckoned with in the (NASCAR) XFINITY Series and (NASCAR) Sprint Cup Series in the future.”
Sources: John Tejeda/NASCAR PR