Read article on www.gotransam.com or by clicking here
Darin Mock is taking on a new track this weekend in the TA2 Class Trans Am Series race, but it’s in a very familiar place.
Mock grew up in the Charlotte area where his dad, Butch, had a NASCAR Cup Series team for years. This weekend, the driver of the No.
51 AAN Adjusters Ford, will take on the road course of Charlotte Motor Speedway with practices, qualifying and racing taking place from Thursday to Sunday.
This will be Mock’s first time racing the CMS layout, but he’s not alone.
“This is the first points race for Trans Am at Charlotte, which means a lot of teams will be learning as they go, too,” said Mock, pilot of the Mike Cope Racing machine. “It kind of evens out the playing field and has us all at the same level for the race.
“I’m going to have a lot of friends and family at the track. So, you definitely want to do better with them in attendance.”
Mock is also looking to improve on his recent 16th-place finish in the first series race at Sebring. As a rookie, the 19-year-old driver is looking to gain pointers on the track, points in the series and his Rookie of the Year goal.
“We’re looking to have a good, clean weekend from start to finish this weekend,” Mock said. “This is a great team and I know we have what it takes to be successful.
“If we can have a solid practice and get a good feel of the car on the Charlotte track, it will go a long way for us. That will help us in qualifying and the race. We want to keep the No. 51 AAN Adjusters Ford in good shape throughout the weekend.
“Since this is a new race track to almost all of us, I had to rely on the simulator to learn what I could and I have spent a lot time on it to get ready. That gave me a pretty good feel of what to expect, but nothing beats actual time on any track.”
Since the last race at Sebring in early February, aside from the aforementioned time on simulator prepping for Charlotte, Mock has been getting ready for this race keeping busy working and playing lead guitar on Wednesday and Sunday in the Hickory Grove Baptist Church band.
“It’s definitely going to be a good thing to sleep in my own bed,” he said. “My focus is going to be learning as much as I can, earning as many points as possible and racing for the Rookie of the Year title. Those are my overall goals this year, but we have to get there one race at a time.
“If we can do that, this Mike Cope Racing team will have a good day and bring our car home in one piece. I’m really looking forward to this race before we start heading to other ones across the country.”
To follow and read more about Darin Mock, check out his website For the four-day event, tickets to see Mock and the MCR No. 51 AAN Adjusters Ford team in action are available through www.GoTransAm.com
About AAN Adjusters AAN Adjusters is an independent nationwide adjusting firm offering daily and catastrophe claims assistance to insurance carriers. Contact AAN Adjusters for all your claims needs www.AANAdjusters.com.