Leicht Motorsports opened the new racing season by collecting a pair of top-five finishes during Saturday’s Hickory Motor Speedway season opener.
The team owned by Eugene and Rebecca Leicht fielded entries for McCallister Precision Marketing clients Brandon Lemke and Mason Ludwig in Saturday’s 50-lap limited late model feature at the historic .333-mile asphalt oval. The race, part Hickory’s Big 10 Limited Late Model Series, saw 19 cars on hand to compete.
Lemke and Ludwig, both of whom tested at Hickory on Friday, were in the hunt throughout the day at Hickory. Lemke qualified seventh for the 50-lap feature while Ludwig, making his debut for Leicht Motorsports, qualified ninth.
The pair didn’t stay in those positions for very long. Lemke broke into the top-five by lap 15 with Ludwig hot on his heels in the sixth position. Lemke soon advanced to fourth and found himself battling Monty Cox for the third position as the laps wound down.
It took the rest of the race for Lemke to dispatch Cox, but he finally did so during a final dash to the finish and took the checkered flag in third. Ludwig was right behind them and gave Cox a run for his money, but crossed the line in fifth.
Those finishing positions were unofficial and for good reason. Track officials soon disqualified initial race winner Tyler Gregory for losing a piece of lead weight during the race. As a result of the disqualification, Lemke was credited with a runner-up finish while Ludwig earned a fourth-place result.
Lemke, who is beginning his second year with the Leicht Motorsports squad, couldn’t help but express his excitement following his strong start to the 2018 season.
“We were running fourth for most of the race just about the whole race after starting off in seventh and we were able to get third there at the end, but that became second after post-race tech,” said Lemke. “Our car was fast all day long. What a great way to start the season. Thanks to the Leicht Motorsports Development Team, MPM Marketing and Champion. It feels great to start off the season in such a positive way.”
Ludwig, who was making his debut for Leicht Motorsports on Saturday night at Hickory, was thrilled with his effort.
“A top-five is a great way to start our season with Leicht Motorsports,” said Ludwig. “We worked hard all day to make sure I had a great car for the race. We started ninth and managed to work our way through the field to finish fifth, but we ended up fourth after the DQ in inspection. We’re one happy team and I’m one happy driver. Thanks to the Leicht Motorsports Development Team, MPM Marketing and Champion for all of their support today and hopefully we can keep this momentum going.”
Team co-owner Eugene Leicht spoke highly of both of his young drivers following their top-five efforts Saturday night.
“Brandon and Mason drove excellent races. They were patient and got everything the track and their cars gave them, so I couldn’t be happier with our results,” Leicht said. “I’ve got a great team working on these cars and a great marketing team at MPM Marketing, not to mention my wife Rebecca, who I couldn’t do this without. Now we just need to go back out there and do this again. With Brandon and Mason at the wheel I don’t see that being a problem.”
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McCallister Precision Marketing helps up-and-coming racers with career advancement and promotion while also helping companies form strategic plans for their sales and marketing needs. McCallister Precision Marketing also helps race teams secure sponsorships and build relationships within the motorsports industry. For more information on McCallister Precision Marketing, visit www.MarketWithMPM.com, email [email protected] or call 803-361-6199.
