CTSCC: Fall-Line Motorsport claims first victory of 2014 at Daytona

Daytona Beach, FL - It was a fantastic day at Daytona International Speedway for the Fall-Line Motorsports IMSA Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSCC) team at the 2014 season-opener. BMW Perfromance 200. The three BMW M3s had been quick in the practice sessions earlier this week but didn't get the chance to show their capability in qualifying.

However, the race gave the six drivers the opportunity to shine on the 3.56 mile track and after some shuffling of the final grid, the #48 took home the FIRST win for Shelby Blackstock and Ashley Freiberg. The #46 of John Edwards and Trent Hindman finished second and although the #47 of Steve Bertheau and Spencer Pumpelly crossed the line in second but were given a penalty and were classified 19th.

This was Blackstock's first CTSCC victory in his third season in the series and it comes at a track where he captured the pole position in his first year. Blackstock's previous best result came at Kansas last year with a third-place finish. His impressive drive yesterday showed tremendous skill and poise for a young driver who has much less experience behind the wheel than his competitors.

Ashley Freiberg drove the opening stint and turned heads as she made her way from P12 to P5 before handing the wheel of the #48 over to Blackstock. This was Freiberg's first race with Fall-Line and her first race in the CTSCC series and with this victory she becomes the first female overall winner at Daytona International Speedway, a remarkable achievement.

Fall-Line Motorsports BMW drivers: P1 Best time: 1:55:796

Shelby Blackstock (#48 Starstruck/ TRUECar): "Today was a great race! The team did a great job in the pits and it got us through the field to the second spot. Luckily the winning car did not pass tech so we won the race!!! One-two for the Fall-Line team! Very impressive!"

Ashley Freiberg (#48 Starstruck/ TRUECar): "I am so proud of Shelby (Blackstock) and all the guys at Fall-Line Motorsports for working so hard this week. What a great start to the season for Fall-Line and BMW to be able to win in the first race of the season at Daytona. I am so thankful right now for everyone who has worked so hard to put me in the car for this event, and truly can't even fathom that we won today. To also be the first woman in history to win overall at Daytona is the cherry on top. Thank you Fall-Line Motorsports, TRUECar, Bell Helmets, and all of my supporters for believing in me and making this happen. This is only the beginning."

Not to be overlooked today was the pair of John Edwards and Trent Hindman who drove the highest starting Fall-Line car from 3rd position. Hindman started the race and turned the car over to Edwards from the lead. Edwards drove an inspiring race and turned the fastest lap overall. In the closing laps he made a move on the #96 heading into turn one that didn't stick and cost him two positions, letting teammate Blackstock by. This move ultimately cost him the win. Only drivers as competitive and driven as this duo would be disappointed with finishing second.

Fall-Line Motorsports BMW drivers: P2 Best time: 1:55:047

John Edwards (#46 Trim-Tex/ Cirocco Ozzimo/ Atlas Acon/ DFL Interiors): "Well, it was a great day for BMW and for the entire Fall-Line team finishing 1-2. It was bittersweet for me since I basically threw it away trying to pass the #96 but I went for it and I stick by that decision. I would try that move again in the next race if I had the chance. It was still a great day for us, a solid way to start out the year points-wise and a great day for the whole team."

Trent Hindman (#46 Trim-Tex/ Cirocco Ozzimo/ Atlas Acon/ DFL Interiors): "We had an amazing race, I had a great time out there! John (Edwards) did a fantastic job bringing the car home and the 1-2 for Fall-Line today is fantastic! Big thanks to our partners TrimTex, Criocco & Ozzimo, Atlas Acon, and DFL Interiors. Great start to 2014!"

The #47 car had the farthest to go to get to the front, but driver's Steven Bertheau and Spencer Pumpelly made it happen. Bertheau made up valuable track position before Pumpelly got in the car. Pumpelly crossed the finish line in third place but IMSA deemed a pit lane violation that sent him back in the field.

Fall-Line Motorsports BMW drivers: P19 Best time: 1:55:609

Steve Bertheau (#47 Sargent & Lundy): "We had an amazing race. It is too bad that we had so many yellow flags near the end. All three Fall Line teams were on top. A shoot out between the three of us would have been a real thriller!"

Spencer Pumpelly (#47 Sargent & Lundy): "The team did a fantastic job. Steve (Bertheau) and I had a strong car that was able to come through the field and challenge for a podium. I'm not sure exactly what our penalty was for but it's a disappointing way to end the race. If the series wasn't happy with the order on the restart I would have been happy to reposition myself before going green. It's too bad because Steve Bertheau drove a great first stint to set us up for a podium finish."

Michael Harvey, Fall-Line Motorsports Team Manager: "Great day for the Fall-Line BMWs and after a very interesting race it is fantastic to have Shelby (Blackstock) and Ashley (Freiberg) celebrate their first win. The whole crew did a truly amazing job this week and to start the new season with a 1-2 finish at Daytona is incredible and a true testament to the dedication my guys have to our program. This was a true team effort with all three cars finishing on track in the top three positions with Spencer (Pumpelly) and Steve (Bertheau) in 2nd and Trent (Hindman) and John (Edwards) in 3rd. Unfortunately we incurred a penalty for the 47 car which moved them back a little, but still a great day for the Fall-Line BMWs at the BMW Performance 200."

Fall-Line Motorsport