SCARBOROUGH, Maine – Bobby Timmons III of Windham, Maine, finished a career-best third in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Pro Series 100 at Beech Ridge Motor Speedway in Scarborough, Maine, on Saturday, June 29. Timmons started seventh in his second career start in the marquee event of the season for the Pro Series division, and he patiently logged laps inside the Top-10 until first cracking the Top-5 at the 75-lap mark. He capitalized on a late-race restart to gain much-needed track position and pull out the podium finish. It was the first race in a four-day span for the driver of the Mulkern Racing No. 48 Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep/Timmons Machine Dodge, as Timmons returns to Beech Ridge for the Miller Lite 50 on Tuesday, July 2.
WHO: Bobby Timmons III, Windham, Maine
TEAM: Mulkern Racing No. 48 Southern Maine Chrysler Dodge Jeep/Timmons Machine Dodge
CREW CHIEF: Bobby Timmons Jr., Windham, Maine
WHAT: NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Pro Series 100
WHERE: Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
STARTED: 7th
FINISHED: 3rd
NEXT RACE: July 2, Miller Lite 50, Beech Ridge Motor Speedway, Scarborough, Maine (.333-mile oval)
********
BOBBY, WHEN THE RACE STARTED, DID YOU THINK YOU HAD A CAR CAPABLE OF FINISHING THIRD?
No. I had the car to win, I think. DJ (Shaw) was good – he was good all day – and I thought I was going to be better than Dale (Shaw), but his car came to him. We just got behind on the eight-ball. I spent more laps than I would have liked trying to get around Billy (Rodgers), and by the time I got by him, the leaders were gone. I drove the wheels off the thing.
I caught Kelly (Moore), the right front was chattering, the right rear was not staying on the race track. I thought to myself, ‘If we get a (late) caution, I don’t know if we’re even going to finish.’ Sure enough, we got a caution. I don’t know what happened (to Kelly), but he didn’t go. My dad was hollering ‘Clear, clear, clear! Go get it!’ on the radio. I tried to drive underneath Dale, and I got a very good look at the scoreboard, and I figured we were just going to have to finish third.
WOULD A CAUTION EARLIER IN THE RACE HAVE HELPED YOU?
If I could have gotten in the right line. I was always in the wrong line – the 73 got by me, the 8 got by me. I was better than them, but they were all racing side-by-side out there. You just couldn’t go anywhere. They weren’t do anything wrong, but it got frustrating having to sit there.
It’s hard to believe that in a short-track Saturday night race, track position really is that big of a deal.
But we’re third, we’re in one piece, and we’ll go get it on Tuesday. I’m ready to win one of these things.