TELFORD, PA. – November 20, 2014 – When it’s all said and done, few challenges in sports can match that of competing on the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series tour.
“Running the Outlaw circuit is one of the most fun, yet difficult things I think you can ever do,” said Paul McMahan, driver of the Bairs Tree Service/Nyce Crete & Landis Block & Concrete/All Star Performance sponsored machine. “Between the travel, the competition and the general grind of racing over 90 nights a year, this series will wear you down. Plain and simple. The flip side of that is the fact that if you walk up and down the pits at any of our races and ask anyone, this is circuit they want to be on. This is where they want to be. This is where the best of the best come to race. We all want to be beat the best. That’s why we keep coming back each and every year.”
McMahan began his second fulltime season as the driver of the Chad and Jenn Clemens #51 in 2014. With veteran crew chief Barry Jackson watching his machine every lap, the California native kicked off the season with strong finishes in Florida before moving on to Las Vegas Motorspeedway, where McMahan grabbed the first of five wins on the season.
“Our season began with a string of excellent finishes,” said McMahan. “To come out of the box with speed and podium finishes is very important. Winning at Vegas was huge because it was in front of a big crowd and we had Chad and Jenn there so it made it all the more special.”
The #51 team was a formidable as the tour traveled on the west coast before venturing to the Midwest.
“Our car was so good throughout the spring,” said McMahan. “Winning at Haubstadt (Tri-State Speedway) was a culmination of sorts. It is one of my favorite tracks and to finally get a win there was something special, especially since my family was there.”
If his win at Haubstadt was special, McMahan’s next win at Limaland Speedway in mid-July was a dream come true.
“Winning the Brad Doty Classic was one of the biggest moments of my career,” McMahan said of his win in the annual race that honors a legend of sprint car racing. “I looked up to Brad as a kid. To stand there in victory lane with him, my family, my car owners and crew was a moment I’ll remember forever.”
The wins kept coming as McMahan mastered the opening night of the Ironman 55 at Federated Auto Parts Raceway at I-55 just a few weeks later. This set up the Nashville, Tenn. resident for another strong run at the famed Knoxville Nationals at Knoxville (IA) Raceway.
“Winning at I-55 was great,” commented McMahan. “Heading into Knoxville, we knew we wanted to win the big race. It’s our goal as sprint car racers every year. We qualified first once again on our qualifying night like we did last year. We made it through our qualifying night and started the 50 lap finale 5th. We finished 6th. It was solid but ultimately, we wanted more.”
The second west coast swing tested the CJB team as they chased down Donny Schatz and Daryn Pittman for the series title. Throughout the waning months of the season, the Barry Jackson led crew kept the #51 in prime contention. This was evident as McMahan went back to victory lane for the fifth and final time of the season at Deer Creek Speedway in Minnesota.
“It was special to grab another win on our way back from the west coast,” said McMahan. “We struggled a little bit in late August and early September. I wished we could go back and do Gold Cup (Silver Dollar Speedway (over again but you can’t it’s just apart of our season. It represents a whole body of work. Good and bad. After coming back east, we tried some new things, setup wise, toward the end of the year and I think we picked up some great knowledge.”
As the dust settled at the Bad Boy Buggies World of Outlaws World Finals at the Dirt Track at Charlotte in early November, McMahan and the CJB team put together one of their finest seasons ever: five wins, 43 top-5’s, 76 top-10’s, 10 quick times and over 130 laps led.
For McMahan, it was a year of accomplishment and triumph. However, the veteran driver and his team have unfinished business heading into 2015.
“We achieved a number of goals in 2014,” explained McMahan. “On the other hand, we have more that we want to do and more that we know that we can do. We want to come out strong and we’ll kick off our 2015 season down in Arizona with the Winter Heat Challenge Series at Cocopah Speedway. I’ve know Greg Burgess (Cocopah Speedway Promoter) for many years and he is putting together a huge show with five races for us. We’re going to test some things out and get a good start on the year. We want to double our win count for next year. We want to win two or three of the six Outlaw shows at Williams Grove Speedway. We want to win the Knoxville Nationals and the Outlaw title. These are goals that almost every team has but achieving them means you are the best. In 2014, Donny Schatz was the best. We want to get there. That’s our goals for the next year.”
Before they shift their focus to 2015, McMahan and the CJB crew have one last thing to do before 2014 ends.
“We need to thank our partners,” said McMahan. “Without their support, we couldn’t do what we love to do. We hope to continue to provide them with outstanding exposure and press in 2015. We need to thank our fans as well. The fans make all of this worth it. They support us and purchase the tickets that make this sport go around. We hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season and we can’t wait to see what 2015 brings.”
UP NEXT: McMahan and the CJB crew have wrapped up the 2014 season and will kick off the 2015 campaign at the Winter Heat Series at Cocopah Speedway near Somerton, Arizona, January 2nd thru the 10th.
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ABOUT CJB MOTORSPORTS: CJB Motorsports is a winged, 410 sprint car team that competes on the World of Outlaws STP Sprint Car Series tour with driver Paul McMahan. Founded in 2005, the Chad and Jenn Clemens owned organization has worked to establish a standard of excellence in short track racing through fielding competitive entries and providing exceptional exposure for marketing partners. The team is based out of Telford, Pennsylvania.
ABOUT R&R MEDIA GROUP: Armed with state-of-the-art technology and savvy multimedia experts, R&R Media Group represents an opportunity to push your organization to the next level. From well-crafted press releases to eye-catching videos, attention grabbing audio and outstanding service, our St. Louis based company can create custom media solutions for any need. Follow R&R Media Group online on Facebook and Twitter.
CJB Motorsports would like to thank the following partners for making racing possible: All Star Performance, Bairs Tree Service, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Butlerbuilt Seats, Factory Kahne, Fastener Specialties, FK Rod Ends, Henry Dunn Insurance, Joe Gibbs Driven Racing Oil, Kenny’s Components, Kinsler Fuel Injection, Kistler Engines, KSE Racing Products, Lincoln Welders, Nyce Crete and Landis Block and Concrete, Motorsports Designs, Outerwears, Pennsy Supply, Race Gear X, Saldana Racing Products, Schoenfeld Headers, Simpson, Ti22, Top Flight Wings, Weld Racing and Winters Performance Products.
