BROOKLYN, Mich. — Audio and official team release by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Boomtown Sim photo —
After a wild night that saw a pair of speeding penalties for two RCO-Boomtown Sim drivers, the team rallied back to post two top-five results in Monday night’s =RSR= Full Throttle Cup Series stop at the Michigan International Speedway.
While Pedro Mojica led the final 15 laps of the Click It or Ticket! 180 and survived a green-white-checkered restart to take his second FTCS victory of the 2015 campaign, rookie Anthony DeBaro led the Boomtown contingent by fighting through the late-race scrum to record a runner-up finish — his career-best result in the series.
The result was somewhat of a surprise for DeBaro,who was one of two Boomtown drivers pinged for speeding on pit road early in the race and had to rally from the tail of the field to land on the podium.
“I’m pumped up about this, great finish. That was an intense, respectful race and I can’t believe I was able to rebound from the speeding penalty early on to come home second,” DeBaro said. “Just that in itself was amazing. It would have been tough to get to Pedro, but we gave it our all and this is a huge night for me. As a rookie, I couldn’t ask for any more.”
DeBaro’s teammate Mitch Rollo used a solid pit stop at lap 30 to take the lead for 19 laps when the cycle of service concluded at lap 41, but got into the backstretch wall after a restart at lap 60 and allowed David Comstock’s No. 14 Monster Energy Chevrolet to pass him on the inside.
Despite slight damage to his machine, Rollo did not give in, however — powering back late in the race to record a fifth-place finish, his second top-five effort of 2015.
“I screwed up, hitting the wall and letting Comstock by,” Rollo admitted. “We had a top-three car, but a top five will do. It’s disappointing, because I can really feel how close we are to breaking through and getting one of these, but we were at least able to salvage a solid finish and we’ll head to Dover and look to improve on it there.”
Team principal Corbin Himstreet was on the losing end of the late race coin, as he spun the tires in the outside lane on a restart inside of 15 laps to go, clipping Comstock as he came down the track and sparking a 15-car pileup on the frontstretch that collected both of those machines along with Matt LaCross, William Kempf, Stefan Marinak and others.
Himstreet would be credited with a 30th place result at the checkered flag.
The fourth Boomtown Sim driver, Christopher Hurlow, battled all night long but was collected in several mishaps not of his own making and finished 35th.
RCO-Boomtown Sim Racing will return to the track with a four-car assault on Monday, June 22 for the =RSR= Full Throttle Cup Series Autism Speaks 180 from Dover International Speedway.
For more information on RCO-Boomtown Sim, follow the team on Facebook.
Listen in to post-race comments from Anthony DeBaro following the conclusion of the =RSR= Full Throttle Cup Series from Michigan:
