Kumpen Finishes 26th in History-Making Debut at Daytona International Speedway
2014 NASCAR Whelen Euro Series champion Anthony Kumpen headed to Daytona International Speedway with high expectations of continuing on his Nexteer Road to Daytona program – the path designed by the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series and Nexteer Automotive to bring European drivers to race in NASCAR in the US. Kumpen would make history in his superspeedway debut, becoming the first ever NASCAR Whelen Euro Series driver to race at Daytona International Speedway. Precision Performance Motorsports brought a fast No. 46 LeasePlan Chevrolet Camaro and Kumpen had a strong showing throughout the three practices, qualifying, and the 120-lap race. Unfortunately, he got caught up in the aftermath of an early on-track incident, causing damage to the front bumper cover of the Camaro, ultimately relegating him to a 26th-place finish.
Hasselt, Belgium-native Kumpen exceeded expectations on practice day as the NASCAR XFINITY Series season-opening race weekend got underway at Daytona International Speedway. In the day’s three scheduled practice sessions, Kumpen gained speed in each round finishing 26th, 17th, and seventh, respectively. This speed carried over into qualifying, where he had to qualify in on speed against a stout field where eight cars entered in the event would not make the starting lineup. Rolling off 23rd for his one-lap single-car run, Kumpen shot immediately to sixth-fastest, guaranteeing his spot in the 300-mile event.
Kumpen would start the PowerShares QQQ 300 from the 29th position. He hung back early in the race, drafting with a three-car pack behind the field in an effort to avoid incident. Unfortunately, on Lap 7, the front end of the No. 46 LeasePlan Chevrolet Camaro was struck by debris from a multi-car wreck that happened ahead of Kumpen. The caution flag flew and Kumpen took his Camaro down pit road and to the attention of the Precision Performance Motorsports team. They patched the hole that remarkably had not caused any internal damage, took four fresh Goodyear tires and fuel, and returned to the track.
After the green flag flew, Kumpen found himself in the middle of the front pack, drafting in three-wide conditions and racing as high as the sixth position. But as the field spread out, Kumpen and crew chief Mark Setzer became more aware of how extensive the front-end damage was to their Camaro. The hole in the grill created handling issues and made it difficult for Kumpen to keep up with the field. Late-race pit strategy allowed Kumpen to gain valuable positions in the final laps of the PowerShares QQQ 300 and he was able to finish the race in the 26th position.
Anthony Kumpen Quotes:
“The experience was amazing. When you get out there in your first draft, as a European driver, you don’t know exactly what to do. But as I got more comfortable, I was able to draft in the top-10. I got a good push from the 22 and I was really excited and scared as we were running three-wide. Unfortunately, we caught a piece of debris. But luckily, that was the only trouble we got into during the race. Overall, the team did amazing and that car was awesome all weekend long. I am really happy with what we have achieved here. This is such an amazing opportunity for European drivers to come over to the United States and learn through Precision Performance Motorsports. I will now get prepared for the start of the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, but hope to return to the XFINITY Series over the summer.”
Sources: Cortney Dryden/Precision Performance Motorsports PR