CONCORD, N.C. — Audio and story by Race Chaser Online Managing Editor Jacob Seelman — Andy Lyons/Getty Images North America photo —
Brennan Poole has certainly made the most of his debut NASCAR XFINITY Series Season driving for HScott Motorsports with Chip Ganassi.
Poole, 24, has made 15 starts at the controls of the No. 42 DC Solar Chevrolet for owners Harry Scott Jr. and Chip Ganassi, already with a best finish of ninth in his series debut at Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in March.
Looking to build further on that early mile-and-a-half success, the Woodlands, Texas native comes to Charlotte Motor Speedway hoping to wind down his 2015 campaign with a bang. While he did not race at CMS in the spring, his teammate Kyle Larson drove the car to a running position inside the top five before tagging the wall late and fading to end up 33rd.
Now, Poole looks to tackle one of the toughest tracks on the circuit as he seeks his first career win at the NASCAR national series level, and says it will take a lot of factors playing into his team’s hands in order to be successful in Friday night’s Drive for the Cure 300 (8 p.m. ET, NBCSN, PRN, SiriusXM).
“I think we just have to make smart decisions all night and put ourselves in a position at the end to make something happen,” Poole said of what it takes to be successful at CMS. “You know, we had really good speed in the first practice [on Thursday], but tried some things looking for more speed and fell behind in the second practice. [Overnight] we went back to where we started, and now we’re looking forward to the race.”
“I think at the beginning you’ll see a couple yellows before we get into some really long green flag runs, and then at the end it’s gonna get pretty hectic.”
Poole’s team currently sits 15th in the XFINITY owner’s championship with five races remaining in the season, with just a race’s worth of points separating him from both 14th and 16th in the team standings, and the driver says that those factors will come into play as the final races of the season winds down.
“You know, we’re coming down to the end of the season and everyone’s trying to get some extra spots to get a few extra points because the owner points are so tight with some of the teams. It’s gonna be pretty wild, but I think it’ll be a lot of fun.”
The young Texan is excited to come back to Charlotte with a race car to drive, noting that it is a “high point” in his rookie year at NASCAR’s second-highest level and one that he hopes to build on heading towards the upcoming year.
“Charlotte’s always pretty cool. My friends are all out here, our shop is out here, and it’s cool to be here in this environment so close to home,” Poole smiled. “It’s just been a really cool year in general. I’m really grateful for the opportunity I’ve had; I’ve got a great teammate in Kyle [Larson] and I’ve been able to lean on Jamie McMurray a bunch as well. It’s been fun, really. We put this deal together really late, in January, so to be able to accomplish the things that we have — I’m proud of that. We’ve still got a ways to go yet — we want to contend for wins every week and I feel like we’ve just been on the outside of that — but I feel like we’re headed in the right direction and hopefully we can keep building on it for next year and go after a championship.”
“[Chasing the points] is something I really want to do. From everything I’ve heard with the team, everyone’s been real happy with me but obviously I’m not happy with 11th every week. I want [a chance] to improve on that and contend for wins. I’ve got a couple of races left to show what I’m made of, so I’m going to put it all on the line and see what we can do. It’s been awesome to represent DC Solar as well so hopefully we can continue that relationship.”
“I had no idea though, that from my UARA late model days I would be doing what I am right now,” said Poole, the 2011 UARA-STARS Series champion and two-time Most Popular Driver. “It was always a dream of mine to race in NASCAR … and I always felt in my heart that I would get an opportunity if I worked hard enough. Now we’re here and I’m just grateful that everyone at HScott took a chance on me. I’m hoping to keep improving and repay them for that with some strong results going forward.”
For more on Brennan Poole, follow him on Facebook, on Twitter @BrennanPoole or visit his website at www.brennanpoole.com.
Listen in to the full cut of Race Chaser Online’s conversation with Brennan Poole prior to Friday night’s Drive for the Cure 300:
About the Writer
Jacob Seelman is the Managing Editor of Race Chaser Online and creator of the Motorsports Madness radio show, airing at 7 p.m. Eastern every Monday on the Performance Motorsports Network. Seelman grew up in the sport, watching his grandparents co-own the RaDiUs Motorsports NASCAR Cup Series team in the 1990s.
The 21-year-old is currently studying Broadcast Journalism at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, S.C., and is also serving as the full-time tour announcer for both the United Sprint Car Series and the Must See Racing Sprint Car Series.
Email Jacob at: [email protected]
Follow on Twitter: @Speed77Radio or @JacobSeelman77
Follow Race Chaser Online: @RaceChaserNews
