Monday

Tim George Jr. Has Solid Finish at Rain-Soaked Tire Kingdom 150

Tim George Jr.

George Jr. opened the weekend with Friday’s practice at the first road course of the season in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards. After making six practice runs, totaling 29 laps, the No. 31 was 11th fastest overall.

Following practice, George Jr. and the No. 31 RCR team had a solid qualifying run, securing the eighth starting spot in the 32 car field. “We had a good qualifying run for the No. 31 RCR University of Miami – Buoniconti Fund Chevy,” George Jr. said. “We picked up almost a second from our practice times, which is good. The guys really worked hard to get the car where it needed to be set up wise.”

With cloudy skies and rain in the race day forecast, George Jr. and the RCR team prepared the car for whatever Mother Nature sent their way.

Once the green flag dropped, cars bottled up on the chicane causing George Jr. to fall back to 20th position. With 74 laps to race, a strong car and a confident driver, this was just a minor setback for the No. 31 RCR Development Team. George Jr. quickly made his way back up to the front of the field and was back in the top-10 by lap 20.

On lap 23, the No. 31 machine came down pit road to get rain tires. The remaining 47 laps of the race were plagued by rain. Since track conditions were less than ideal, George Jr.’s road racing experience helped him keep his No. 31 RCR University of Miami – Buoniconti Fund Chevrolet in the top-10 for the majority of the day and as high as fifth with 10 laps to go. Finally, a downpour cut the race five laps short of its intended length, with Justin Marks taking the checkered flag.

“I felt like we easily had a top-five car, but the weather conditions brought new obstacles to the race,” said George Jr. “Once the rainfall was steady, I had a hard time seeing the track, which made things difficult. It was the first time ARCA ran on rain tires, and getting a top-10 with a great cause on the hood during such a historic event was awesome,” the RCR Development driver reflected. “The eighth place finish was decent, although I wanted a top-five for my RCR team because they worked so hard all weekend in the rain. However, I am proud of the top-10 finish for this team and the Buoniconti Fund, and our finish put us eighth in the point standings.”

Tim George Jr. was honored to have his alma mater on his car for this race and to be able help the Buoniconti Fund in raising awareness and money to help cure paralysis. “I was honored to drive the UM – Buoniconti Fund RCR Chevy at the inaugural race for PBIR. Tons of UM fans and Alumni showed up to support,” said the 2006 UM graduate. “I am happy we had a good finish, so my share of our winnings will help the Buoniconti Fund in their efforts to cover the Miami Project’s operating expenses.” George Jr. will race the No. 31 RCR University of Miami – Buoniconti Fund Chevrolet again at Iowa Speedway on July 10th, continuing his effort to raise funds and awareness for the Buoniconti Fund.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards will be back in action on April 11th at Salem Speedway. On track activities will begin Saturday at 12:30 PM, and the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 will start on Sunday at 2:15 PM.

- Richard Childress Racing Press Release