Former Nationwide Series Driver Finds New Niche

Mark McFarland’s racing career veered off track in 2006.
His fast detour back to success and happiness includes a stop at Bristol Motor Speedway tonight.

The 30-year-old Winchester, Va. native enters the Hooters Pro Cup Food City 150 with three wins and the series points lead.

“Leading the points is awesome,” said McFarland, at a press conference at BMS last week. “I’ve been real happy with the way car is running, and I’m just having a good time.”

Times were not so good back in 2006. After recording just one top-10 finish in 21 Nationwide Series in the U.S. Navy Chevrolet, McFarland was fired by car owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr. 

After excelling at the weekly racing level and being labeled as a future star, McFarland was not prepared for the sudden taste of failure.

“It was tough,” McFarland. “I still talk to (Earnhardt) Junior a lot and we’re still good friends.
“It was just something they had to do sponsor-wise to make the deal keep going. There might be another chance there.”

In the modern NASCAR world, businessmen can virtually dictate to owners who and what they want to represent their product. With sponsorship packages reaching the $25 million mark in Sprint Cup and $10 million in Nationwide, there is little room for error or mediocrity.

Drivers know the stakes are high, yet it doesn’t soften the blow to the ego.

“When that deal went down with JR Motorsports, it was kind of hard to even come back to the race track for a while. I had to get all my stuff together,” McFarland said.
Enter Pete Knight and his Knights Racing Team.
“Pete called and wanted me to drive for him, so I was like ‘Yea, I’m going to do it. It’s been a good decision,” McFarland said. “We’ve had a lot of fun together.”

That fun run for has included five wins over the past two season Entering tonight’s event at BMS, McFarland has a 44-point margin over Michael Ritch in the Hooters Pro Cup Southern Division standings.

“Everything was coming out of Pete’s own pocket there for a while, but we were able to get a good sponsor with Sears which really helped,” McFarland said. “Pete gives me everything we need equipment wise.”

While McFarland still has ambitions of rejoining the NASCAR carnival, he has found a comfort zone with the Pro Cup gang.

“There is a lot of balance in this series,” McFarland. “A driver that has just one car and a small crew can run with the guys that have multicars here. With the rules package, you are not allowed to do much. Most of the stuff you buy right on the shelf, then put it on the car and race it. It’s kind of Late Model stock racing.”

As for the adjustment from the Nationwide Series to Hooters Pro Cup, McFarland settled in quickly.

“You never lose anything as a driver, I don’t think,” McFarland said. “It’s like riding a bike. You always want to do it.”

Of course, nothing satisfies a racer more than winning. After his struggles in the top-heavy Nationwide Series, McFarland took the selective route.

“There were a couple of [Nationwide] deals that I could have taken that probably wouldn’t have went anywhere because of bad equipment,” McFarland said. “I stepped back a level to where I knew that I had the best equipment out there.
“I think it was the right decision. Nowadays, you’ve got to have all the best to run with the top notch [Nationwide] teams.”

The moral support of friends has been vital in the resurgence of McFarland.

“I had a lot of good friends that helped me get back,” McFarland said. “Several of those guys were at Junior’s team with me and they left when I left.
“”You see who your good friends are when something like that happens. They stuck with me and are still with me today.”

McFarland plans to draw off his notebook tonight at BMS.

“I finished third here in a Hooters in 2005, and we were leading the race last year when we blew a motor,” McFarland, who has made two Nationwide starts at BMS. “I’ve got some track time on the old and new (concrete) surface here.
“These Hooters car are fun to drive around this track because they have so much grip. You can run almost wide-open.”

At this point in his career, peace of mind seems override the fame for McFarland.

“We may put together a couple of [Nationwide] races here and there, but we’ve been concentrating solely on the Hooters series and trying to win this championship,” McFarland said. “If we keep working hard, we will be there at the end.”

With a championship trophy on the mantle, McFarland may eventually travel back to a faster path in NASCAR.

“[Knight’s] goal as an owner is to move up, so you never know,” McFarland said.

Fast Facts

What: USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series Food City 150

Where: Bristol Motor Speedway

When: Tonight at 5:45

Who: Benny Gordon is the defending race winner…The list of former Pro Cup greats includes current NASCAR drivers Brian Vickers, Scott Wimmer, Joey Logano and Regan Smith.

(276) 645-2544.