Rum Bum Racing Ready for Strong Finish in New Jersey

Rum Bum Racing Ready for Strong Finish in New Jersey

Championship target with two rounds remaining…

Millville, N.J. (18 July 2011) – Rum Bum Racing has delivered twof successful race outings in the two previous rounds of GRAND-AM Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge competition with drivers Nick Longhi and Matt Plumb scoring a pair of podium finishes at Road America and Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. As the team travels to New Jersey Motorsports Park this weekend for the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 and Round 9 of the 10-race championship, Rum Bum Racing sits second in the championship standings – just 25 points out of the lead.

And with only two races remaining for 2011, capturing maximum points becomes all the more crucial. With all eyes looking toward a championship title, Rum Bum Racing looks to grab those valuable championship points as the team returns to a track that has suited them well in the past.

While the Homestead-Miami round is one that is close to the Rum Bum Racing heart as a home event, this weekend’s New Jersey event is one that both Longhi and Plumb can call a back-yarder, with Plumb growing up in Eastern Pennsylvania before settling in Rhode Island, with Longhi based just outside of NYC in Nyack.

In last year’s Garden State 250, Longhi scored the team’s best qualifying result of the year in his debut performance behind the wheel of the No. 13 Rum Bum Racing BMW M3 and after starting from the fourth position, Longhi and Plumb ran consistently among the top-three throughout the event and scored their third podium of the year with a second place finish as the duo closed the 2010 season on a very hot streak.

Longhi and Plumb both know the quick way around the 14-turn, 2.25-mile New Jersey road course with Plumb holding the honor as the first driver to ever win a professional race at the circuit in 2008.

“New Jersey Motorsports Park is a challenging track, but I really like racing there and with the momentum we’ve been building over the last few rounds, I think we have everything in place for another good run this weekend,” said Plumb, who will have an extra helping of friends and family on site during the weekend. “We need to do everything right, and just hit our marks perfectly to get the points we need to move forward. The Rum Bum guys have given us a great car, every time out, so I’m optimistic about the weekend.”

Rum Bum Racing enters the weekend with confidence – already holding four podiums and five top-five finishes under their belt this season. The Florida-based team has also led laps in five of the first eight races for a season total of 135 laps so far.

Last year saw the team finish the season in triumphant fashion with a string of podium finishes in the final three races. The Rum Bum squad looks for a similar showing as the season comes to a close.

“We’ve made up tremendous ground in the championship over the last few races and the goal this weekend is just to capture as many points as possible,” said Longhi, who has regularly shown equal parts team spirit and great race pace in the recent rounds. “For me, I just want to qualify up front to hopefully avoid any problems at the start of the race and have a clean opening stint before turning it over to Matt to work his magic. We’ve got a hill to climb still points wise, but we just have to concentrate on doing our jobs as well as we can and see where it all ends out.”

Rum Bum Racing will take to the track on Thursday, July 21 for a promoter test day followed by official practice on Friday. Qualifying will take place Saturday, July 23 at 10:10 AM (ET) prior to the start of the B+ Foundation Heroes 200 at 2:45 PM (ET).

SPEED will show the 2.5-hour race at 3:00 PM (ET) on July 30.

Quick Stats,Rum Bum Racing:
2010- 3 wins
2011- 3 poles, 2 wins, 4 total podiums

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