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Archive > September 2008Skerlong
and Muniz Searching for Speed at Miller
Sunrichgourmet.com 1000
September 19, 2008
CARL SKERLONG, #14 King
Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Practice 1
Finish Position 7th
Time 2:29.040
Speed 108.357
Qualifying 1
Finish Position 6th
Time 2:30.185
Speed 107.531
Carl on qualifying: Driving at Miller
this weekend is a different scenario than last
weekend in New Jersey. The track here is a long
one, and its hard to find a good lap time
when youre losing speed. We still have some
work to do this weekend in order to find our way
back to the top, but we are working hard and
giving our best to do it for tomorrow and
Sunday.
Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Practice 1
Finish Position 10th
Time 2:29.317
Speed 108.156
Qualifying 1
Finish Position 11th
Time 2:31.177
Speed 106.826
Frankie on qualifying: Im really
looking forward to qualifying tomorrow morning.
Im hoping Ill be able to redeem
myself after todays session. I was just
outside of the top ten, but I know Im
capable of being in the top 8. Unfortunately, I
didnt get it done today, but Im glad
I have another shot at it tomorrow.
Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at
www.pcmracing.com
Skerlong Takes Winning Momentum to
Salt Lake City, Hard Charging Muniz Chasing
Another Top-Ten Finish
(September 17, 2008)
Event: Sunchaser 1000
Round: 10 of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the
Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Where: Miller Motorsports Park, Salt Lake City,
UT 4.5 mile permanent road course
When: September 21, 2008 at 2:30 pm MT
Drivers: Carl Skerlong #14 King Taco and Frankie
Muniz #41 PCM/USRT
Maiden Victory: Carl Skerlong earned
his first Atlantic victory last weekend at the
Mazda Formula X event - the inaugural Atlantic
race at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
Skerlongs perfect weekend resulted in 35
championship points, the most possible. He was
fastest in every session, he earned a point for
provisional pole, he earned another for winning
the pole and he also set the fastest race lap
en-route to his flag-to-flag victory.
Hard Charger: When the green flag
falls, you can be sure Frankie Muniz will gain
positions. Muniz has charged through the field,
gaining positions in every even this season
except the season opener at Long Beach where he
defended his starting position. He is also one of
just a few racers in Atlantic to have finished
every event this season.
Championship Standings: With his recent
victory, Skerlong is ranked fifth in the
championship with 165 points. He is just one
point behind fourth and 17 points out of third.
His goal is to reach the top-three and he has got
two races to achieve it. So far this season,
Skerlong has scored two pole positions, one
victory and four podium finishes. Since he signed
with Pacific Coast Motorsports last winter, Muniz
made it clear his goal was to finish in
the top-ten in the championship and he is on his
way. Muniz is ranked 11th, just 13 points out of
the top-ten. He has proven to be consistent this
season, two more strong races and he will reach
his goal.
Carl on Miller Motorsports Park: I am
so excited to get back in the car. The win last
weekend gives us a lot of momentum heading into
Miller Motorsports Park this week. The track
there is awesome, but it is so long that you have
to be precise and it will be important to get the
car dialed in very quickly, because one mistake
or one bad lap costs so much time. Our sessions
are not that long, so every lap counts. I am
looking forward to it.
Frankie on Miller Motorsports Park:
Ive been looking forward to this event all
season. Miller is a really cool track, fast and
wide. We had another good run last weekend and I
am so enthusiastic right now. I am really
enjoying racing, we are progressing week in and
week out and that is very rewarding. Ive
said all season that I want to finish in the
top-ten in the championship. If I can do that in
my third year of racing, against some of the best
young racers in the world, I think that would be
a huge accomplishment, so that is what I am
focused on. I will be searching for a good
qualifying run and another top-ten finish at
Miller this weekend.
Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at
www.pcmracing.com
Skerlongs Perfect Performance
Sweeps New Jersey Debut for First Atlantic
Victory, Muniz Scores Another Top-Ten
Mazda Formula X
September 14, 2008
Millville, NJAfter dominating every
session throughout the weekend, Carl Skerlong
earned his first Atlantic victory and his second
pole position of the season today at the Mazda
Formula X event at New Jersey Motorsports Park.
It was also the first victory of the season for
Pacific Coast Motorsports and the first ever
victory for Shane Seneviratne whose US
RaceTronics team prepares the Mazda/Swift
Atlantic cars.
After starting on pole for the second time
this season, Carl Skerlong had a strong start and
pulled away from Markus Niemela who started
second. By the seventh lap, Carl was already over
two seconds ahead of Niemela, and maintained that
margin, under hot and humid conditions until he
took the checkered flag in the #14 King Taco car.
Skerlong also claimed the fastest race lap
(1:11.533) and gained three bonus points (fastest
lap, prov. pole and pole) in addition to the 34
points he scored for the victory.
Frankie Muniz racing on his home turf drove a
great race that led to his second top-ten finish
this season. Muniz was in a heated battle for
tenth position with Simona de Silvestro of
Newman-Wachs racing throughout the last 30
minutes of the race. Despite de Silvestros
hard-charging, Muniz prevailed in front of his
home crowed and claimed the top-ten finish, which
moved him up to 11th place in the championship.
This weekend was a huge victory for the US
RaceTronics/PCM Atlantic team, and the team hopes
to keep the momentum going for continued success
in Salt Lake City next weekend and the season
finale in Atlanta.
CARL SKERLONG, #14 King
Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Race
Finish Position 1st
Time 1:11.533
Speed 109.561
Carl on the race: This was the best race
ever. It was immensely physical and therefore
very difficult, but it was a lot of fun. To be
first in every session this weekend and to win at
a track that no one has raced on yet is just
incredible. I want to thank Mazda and Cooper
Tires for putting on an amazing race, and I want
to send a huge thank you to everyone at PCM. The
crew just did a fantastic job this weekend with
the King Taco car. I couldnt be happier
right now.
Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Race
Finish Position 10th
Time 1:13.025
Speed 107.322
Frankie on the race: I am so happy with
my result. Physically, this was the most
challenging race I have ever competed in. I was
battling with Simona (de Silvestro) for the last
30 minutes of the race; she would gain on me,
then I would have a less than perfect lap, but I
was still able to stay ahead of her. This is the
third top-ten finish of my career, and finishing
in the top-ten has been my goal all season.
Ive also moved up to 11th in the points
which brings me one-step closer to finishing in
the top-ten in the championship. Thank you to the
whole team at PCM, and especially Tyler, for
getting me to where I am this weekend.
Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager: This
weekend is what I would call a perfect storm.
With Carl, we ran at the top in every session. A
lot of credit goes to Burke Harrison for rolling
the car off the transporter and giving it an
amazing setup, and also to Lee Bentham for
getting Carl up to speed on a new track. Carl has
such a great personality, and the whole team
loves him very much and is so proud of him.
Frankie did an outstanding job all weekend. At
times, he was even racing right behind the
championship leader, Jonathan Bomarito. The
further up he moves in the field, the tougher it
gets, and hes been proving with every
improvement that he is a real professional
racecar driver. I want to thank the crew for
doing an excellent job this weekend. We are so
proud of everyone at PCM and US
RaceTronics.
Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner: First of all,
the fact that this was the first win for Carl is
just incredible. Carls car was dominant all
weekend, claiming first in every session. The
team has had its struggles to get to this point,
so we needed this win badly. The timing is
perfect. I want to give props to the crew for
sticking in there all season and making this
happen. Frankie was terrific out there today and
it is very exciting to watch him compete and
improve every weekend. Im very proud of the
entire PCM/US RaceTronics crew, it was a terrific
weekend.
Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at
www.pcmracing.com
Skerlong Scores Provisional Pole,
Muniz Starts the Day Sixth Quick
Mazda Formula Zoom Zoom
September 13, 2008
CARL SKERLONG, #14 King
Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Practice
Finish Position 1st
Time 1:10.802
Speed 110.692
Qualifying
Finish Position 1st
Time 1:10.801
Speed 110.693
Carl on qualifying: I am so excited to
take the provisional today. Im always fast
in practice sessions, but to do it in the session
that counts is just incredible. Im so happy
to have been fastest in every session this
weekend so far, and Im hoping to keep it
that way in the race. I want to give a big thanks
to the team, especially my engineer, Burke
Harrison, and my driver coach, Lee Bentham,
because theyve been fantastic, and I
wouldnt have been able to do it without
them. I know I have the car to win, but its
up to me to do it.
Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires
Practice
Finish Position 6th
Time 1:11.577
Speed 109.493
Qualifying
Finish Position 11th
Time 1:11.890
Speed 109.017
Frankie on qualifying: After ending up
sixth in a great practice session this morning,
Im not happy with my qualifying result this
afternoon. I got held up behind two of the slower
cars which affected my lap times. I used a lap to
gap myself from those cars, but I ended up just
catching up to them when I did a fast lap which
really frustrated me. The good news is that I was
only .2 away from P8, so being that close is
going to be great for the hunt in the race
tomorrow. I want to thank all the guys for being
here and working hard for me this weekend.
Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at
www.pcmracing.com
Sunday race is homecoming for Jersey
boy Muniz
By PATRICK BUGANSKI Staff Writer
September 13, 2008
MILLVILLE -- As a television and film actor,
it was easy for Frankie Muniz's family to see him
work, but this weekend will provide the 22-year
old New Jersey native's family the first chance
to see him in his new career as a racecar driver.
Muniz drives in the Atlantic Championship
Series, the highlight event of this weekend's
Mazda Formula X event at the New Jersey
Motorsports Park.
"This is where I'm from, this is my home,
so it's cool," Muniz said Friday between
test sessions at Thunderbolt Raceway.
Muniz was born in Wood-Ridge, Bergen County,
but moved to North Carolina when he was 4. He
later returned with his family when he was 10 to
be close to New York and pursue an acting career.
When he was 13 and landed his role on FOX's
"Malcolm in the Middle," he moved to
Los Angeles. The majority of his family still
resides in Bergen County, though.
"My whole family is coming out,"
Muniz said. "My grandparents, my sister, my
cousins, aunts, uncles, which is kind of cool
because it's the first time they're ever going to
see me race. It's the closest we've ever come to
them. All my family should be here Sunday for
race day, which should be fun."
Moving forward, his family should have plenty
more opportunities to see Muniz race and fewer,
if any, to see him on screen.
"I'm not trying to be an actor right
now," Muniz said. "I'm not saying that
I won't ever act again. I'm focusing on racing
100 percent, and I think you have to. The only
way you're going to get better is by being in a
racecar all the time."
Muniz currently is 12th out of 28 drivers in
the series point standings, and he's one of just
two drivers to finish every race this year. In
fact, he's finished at or ahead of his starting
position in every race.
The Atlantic Championship works as a
developmental series for the Indy Racing League,
which Muniz has aspirations of reaching. He said
NASCAR is an option for his future, but he
prefers open wheel racing and road courses, and
would rather move on to IRL. Other options would
include Grand-Am or the American Le Mans Series.
Muniz began racing in 2004, when he drove in a
Pro/Celebrity race at the Long Beach Grand Prix.
He went to run with Formula BMW before joining
the Atlantic Championship in 2007. Muniz has been
a quick study behind the wheel despite the lack
of a racing background.
"The things he's learned in acting as far
as what he needs to do within himself to be a
better actor has come out on the race
track," said Carl Skerlong, Muniz's teammate
with Pacific Coast Racing. "You have to be
able to take criticism, that's the only way
you're going to get better."
Muniz originally heard about the Millville
circuit about a year ago, when he was looking for
a place for his former team, Jensen Motorsports,
to test. But with the track not opening until
this past July, Muniz hadn't seen the track until
now.
"I've been really excited about it,"
Muniz said. "It's great. It's very fast.
It's beautiful. It's going to be a lot of fun to
race on."
New Jersey Native, Frankie Muniz
Excited for Home Race Debut, Skerlong Focused on
Maiden Victory
(September 12, 2008)
Event: Mazda Formula Zoom Zoom
Round: 9 of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the
Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Where: New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ
2.25 mile temporary street circuit
When: September 14, 2008 at 1:00 pm ET
Drivers: Carl Skerlong #14 King Taco and Frankie
Muniz #41 PCM/USRT
New Jersey Native: Frankie Muniz grew
up in the Garden State and for the first time,
will race in front of several of his family and
friends. Those close to Frankie are very aware of
his determination and ability to focus as they
grew up watching him on the big screen. However,
they will see a different side of Frankie, a
different type of determination and focus this
weekend, when the see him hit speeds over 150 mph
at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, a brand new
facility just over two-hours from Frankies
home town of Wood Ridge.
Testing has Started and Carl is Quickest:
Carl Skerlong debuted quickest this morning at
the New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Atlantic
teams are participating in a promoter test day
today, giving everyone the opportunity to learn
the brand new track, before qualifying tomorrow.
There are four sessions today.
PCM Online Team Members: Pacific Coast
Motorsports recently activated their online team
member program. Fans who sign up at
www.pcmracing.com are invited to private meet and
greet sessions with the Atlantic and IndyCar
drivers at each event. In addition to garage
tours, ticket give-aways and discounts on
merchandise. Join the team today!
Frankie on testing: Im very
happy things so far. The car felt amazing. I
really enjoy driving on this track; its
fast, smooth, and a lot of fun. Its
difficult to pass though, so I need to make sure
I qualify well; hopefully I can qualify in the
top ten and finish the race in the top five. I
want to say thanks to Mazda for putting on this
terrific event.
Frankie on his home race: I'm so
excited to be racing in New Jersey this weekend.
It's my home state, so this is like a home race
for me. My whole familygrandparents, aunts,
uncles, cousins, and momwill be here for
the race on Sunday to support me. It's really
exciting to have a nice, professional racetrack
here in New Jersey. I want to be racing here for
a number of years to come."
Carl on testing: Im excited
to be racing here in New Jersey this weekend. The
track is very fast and very fun. Its going
to be tough to race on because there arent
very many places to pass, if any. I was fastest
in the first testing session this morning, so
hopefully I can stay at the top all
weekend.
Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at
www.pcmracing.com
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