BNS: McCarthy/Pritchard Motorsports February update

McCarthy/Pritchard Motorsports, which fields Chevrolets for NASCAR Busch North Series driver Joey McCarthy, continues its off-season preparations for another full-season assault on the tracks of the northeast. Following a campaign where McCarthy qualified for every race, recorded one top ten finish, finished fifteenth in points, and wound up as the runner-up in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings, the team's ready to impress even further.

Mannings USA will again be backing the team after McCarthy and team co-owner Jim Pritchard met with company officials. McCarthy came away from that meeting smiling.

"They were great," he said. "Last year they were indispensable to this team, without them there was no way we could have gone to every race. They took a lot of stress off, and we're very happy to have them back."

The team is also constructing a new shop to house the team. Moving from the garage used previously to a 2,000 square foot facility will make working on the three cars much more comfortable and organized.

In the meantime, work continues on the cars. Two of the three now have new sides hung on the bodies, with the third car being prepared to run just on the two road courses and serve as a backup short-track car. One of the team's engines has been freshened at Ritter Performance Machining with the other two nearing completion. After a January trip to race team auctions in North Carolina, the team has restocked its parts inventory with body parts, radiators and other mechanical pieces.

The 2001 season tested the McCarthy/Pritchard Motorsports team, and it earned a passing grade. Now, McCarthy wants to move to the head of the class.

"Now that we've been to every track, and we're more familiar with the weekly race procedures," he said, "I think we'll be a lot better prepared at the track and a lot more comfortable on the track. We proved we could run in the top ten a number of times last year, and I think we can be a top ten team on a consistent basis now."

McCarthy, a newlywed as of a month after the 2001 season ended, will begin his 2002 season with an autograph-signing appearance at the Racearama trade show held in West Springfield, Massachusetts in the first weekend of March. The first on-track appearance for the team will be on April 21 at Lee USA Speedway in New Hampshire.

-www.mccarthy-pritchard-motorsports.com-