Richard Mitchell and Mac Hill Motorsports [#56] have altered their BGN schedule for the 2002 season. Mitchell, who was originally set to make his BGN debut at Richmond on May 3, will now attempt the race at the 1.333 mile Nashville Superspeedway on Sat. April 13. “There are a number of reasons why we are substituting Nashville for Richmond,” Mitchell said, “but the biggest factor is that we are trying to spread the season out a bit for our team. The last time we raced was at Daytona at the beginning of Feb. If we waited for Richmond, that would be almost a three month gap between races.” The Coach USA / Mountaineer Gaming / Forest River Motorhomes team also has added the June 8 Nashville BGN race to its slate in place of the ARCA RE/MAX event at Pocono Raceway. Other scheduled BGN races include: Chicagoland (July 13), Michigan Int. (Aug. 17), Richmond (Sept 6), Dover (Sept. 21) and Atlanta Motor Speedway (Oct. 26). Mitchell, a two-time NASCAR Northeast Regional champion, will also contest a six-race ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. With a seventh-place finish in the Daytona 200 ARCA RE/MAX opener already under his belt, Mitchell will compete at: Lowe’s Motor Speedway ( May 18 & Oct. 12), Michigan Int. (June 15), Pocono (July 27) and Talladega Superspeedway (Oct. 5). The team recently acquired two Chevrolet Monte Carlos from Terry Labonte and Eddie Sharpe, and are in the process of having them updated to 2002 BGN specifications. Dan Begle has been retained to construct the engines for both the ARCA and NASCAR programs.(Mac Hill Motorsports PR)(3-21-2002)
UPDATE For West Virginia driver Richard Mitchell, competing in the Pepsi 300 NASCAR BUSCH Series race at the 1.333 mile Nashville Superspeedway on April 13 is a dream come true. Mitchell, a West Virginia University mechanical engineering graduate and a two-time Northeast Regional Weekly Racing Series (WRS) champion, is a virtual poster boy for NASCAR’s nationwide entry-level program. In an era when fewer and fewer drivers are advancing to the motorsports major leagues through the short-track ranks, Mitchell has used the NASCAR WRS as a springboard to the nations second ranked race series. “The BUSCH Series will be a major test for our Coach USA / Mountaineer Gaming / West Virginia Tourism team,” stated Mitchell. “There are 30 good drivers racing in this series every week that are capable of winning. We also know that sponsorship, money and having the necessary resources are key ingredients to being successful at this level,” Mitchell added. “Our plan is to compete in seven races this year to test the waters and gain experience, then come back next season with a budget that will permit us to run the full schedule competitively.”(Mac Hill PR)(4-4-2002)
