WRIGHT CITY, MO- Racing at a new track is a daunting task, but by watching 17 year-old Jake Griffin, you’d never know he had never raced at Gateway Motorsports Park. When the track opened for first practice Saturday morning, it was Griffin’s first chance to turn competitive laps at the 1.25 mile track in and the #63 Vatterott Educational Centers / Dirty Hand Tools / Jefferson’s Chevy. After making great progress in the two practice sessions, mechanical trouble ended the team’s night early in the Drivin' For Lineman 200.
“You never want to have mechanical trouble,” says Griffin, “but you really don’t want to have it in front of the hometown crowd.”
MB Motorsports is the only Missouri based NASCAR team, so when the Camping World Truck Series comes to Gateway Motorsports Park, it gets to race in front of friends, family and fans.
"Not only is the team's fan base here in St. Louis, but so many of our sponsors are, too," adds Griffin. "We had guests from Vatterott, Excel Bottling / Ski Soda, Back Auto Auction, Jefferson's Restaurant with us at the track, which was great. We also did a contest on Twitter with Dirty Hand Tools, so even though our night ended early, we had a lot of fun and were able to get our marketing partners some exposure."
Jake Griffin will return to the #63 MB Motorsports Chevy on August 17th at Bristol Motor Speedway in the UNOH 200. "Bristol is one of the tracks you always dream of racing at," according to Griffin. "So this is going to be really special." Griffin will also drive for the team in the season finale at Homestead - Miami on November 18th.
"Jake's only 17 years-old, but you'd never know it racing with him," notes team owner Mike Mittler. "He'll turn 18 just two days before we go to Homestead, so he'll get a chance to race on his biggest track yet as a birthday present."
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