Kumpen Finishes 22nd After Wild PowerShares QQQ 300 at Daytona
China Grove, N.C. (February 27, 2017) – Two-time NASCAR Whelen Euro Series Champion Anthony Kumpen had an impressive showing in his second career race at the Daytona International Speedway, battling for a top-10 finish in the closing laps of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season opener at the wheel of the No. 46 LeasePlan Chevrolet Camaro fielded by Precision Performance Motorsports. His run was unfortunately stopped 15 laps short by a multi-car incident, which the Belgian caught while running in the front pack. Front-end damage forced Kumpen to retire to the garage and finish the PowerShares QQQ 300 in the 22nd position.
In what was only Kumpen’s second-ever race on a 2.5-mile superspeedway, Kumpen proved how effective the NWES Road to Daytona program is in providing NASCAR Whelen Euro Series’ drivers with the best opportunities to race in NASCAR in the U.S. and all the tools to battle with the sport’s best drivers. Kumpen utilized this experience to avoid an onslaught of incidents and race solidly in the top-15 throughout much of the 300-lap event.
“It was great,” said Kumpen. “We survived the big one in the first stage and we kept a good pace, managing our car as planned for the rest of the race to be there at the end. We have been in the top-10 and we were working for the final dash to the checkered flag, but we got caught in that multi-car wreck. It is unfortunate, but it happens. It’s part of racing at Daytona and I am really happy because we did a great job and we had a blast! The NASCAR Whelen Euro Series is doing something amazing with its program. It is the place to be to have chances like this and I can’t thank NASCAR, NWES, Whelen and all the partners enough for the Series and the program.”
“The Precision Performance Team has once again put together the best value in XFINITY Series racing for this event,” said team owner Richard Gdovic. “I am very proud of their efforts. Every time our team brings a car to the race track, we expect to be the top performing part time team and the best value for our driver’s and their sponsors. Anthony had another great performance with our team while his sponsors and family enjoyed the hospitality and behind the scenes experience the Precision Performance Team is well known for.”
Kumpen’s attention will now turn completely towards defending his European crown against the strong NWES competitors, beginning with the April 8-9 season opener at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, Spain.
Sources: Cortney Dryden/Precision Performance Motorsports PR