DAYTONA BEACH, FL - (December 20, 2009) Leilani Münter was 7th quick in her #59 NextEra Energy Resources Dodge on Sunday afternoon testing at Daytona International Speedway with a speed of 181.77 mph. Mark Gibson Racing gained valuable information that they hope to bring with them back to Daytona for the race on February 6. The team tried out several different suspension packages throughout Saturday and Sunday and finally found a set up they liked on Sunday afternoon.
"I was happy with the test overall. We were able to make a lot of changes to the car, some worked others did not. But that is why we go to the test," said team owner Mark Gibson, "We still have a lot of work to do before the race to close the gap on the Toyotas. I feel the engine program is our strong point. Now we just have to get the areo package worked out on our Dodges. After seeing the bodies on some of the top ten cars I realized we have some work to do. As a team I thought we worked very well together. We had some new crew members along with people who have worked for MGR for years. Everyone fit together as if they had worked with each other all along."
"Leilani did a great job. She gave great feedback and could feel the changes we made to the car. Her enthusiasm was great and she kept the team pumped up all weekend. Parker (Kligerman) was the same way - he was just glad to have the opportunity to drive the car and that outlook carries over to the team," added Mark, "Having NextEra Energy on board for the test was great. We learned so much about what their company is doing and also the things that we all need to do to not only save energy but to help our environment. Leilani is a great ambassador for Nextera and the green movement. Hopefully we can help educate the race fans about what we need to do to help save our environment."
"Throughout the weekend we tried a lot of different set ups for the car and by Sunday afternoon, Mark Gibson and the team had really figured out what package we needed under the car," said Leilani, "They are great guys and they gave me a great car to drive. It's so much fun being out there in quality equipment. I had a lot of fun drafting with Danica Patrick and Bobby Gerhart, and that's a pretty good crowd to be hanging with out there. We are really happy with our test and very hopeful we can come back for the race in February," said Leilani, "I can't thank NextEra Energy Resources enough for giving us the opportunity to test Daytona, it was incredibly valuable to us as a team to kick off the 2010 racing season with a successful test."
View Our Photo Gallery From Daytona Testing
Daytona Timing and Scoring:
Dec 20 |
Sunday Daytona Speeds (Leilani 7th Quick of 29 race cars)
Dec 19 |
Saturday Daytona Speeds (Leilani 28th Quick of 63 race cars)
Weekend |
Overall Daytona Speeds (Leilani 20th Quick of 60 race cars)
Related Articles:
Insider Racing News |
Leilani Münter More Than Ready for Success
Element of Speed |
Fast Girls, Fast Cars
Daytona News Journal |
There Are 9 Other Women Here
Dec 19 Daytona Update |
Leilani 28th Quick of 63 Cars Testing Saturday
Dec 18 Daytona Update |
Rain At Daytona Ends Testing on Friday
Related Video:
ARCA Series Video |
ARCA Drafting Sunday
ARCA Series Video |
Interview with Leilani on Friday
YouTube Video |
Leilani & Danica Drafting Sunday
Racing One |
ARCA Drafting Sunday (At time :40 #59 Münter is behind #88 Patrick)
SPEED TV |
ARCA Drafting Saturday (At time 2:03, Leilani is the lead car, followed by #88 Patrick & #51 Buescher)
