Howard Nabs First Top-10 Finish at Mansfield

Shelby Howard wheeled the No. 13 Bobcat Chevy Silverado to a 6th place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Ohio 250 at Mansfield Motorsports Park on Saturday.

The finish was Howard’s first in the top-10 this season, and capped a solid weekend for him at the half-mile track, located an hour from ThorSport Racing headquarters in Sandusky.

“I feel really good for this team, to come in here to our home track and perform in front of our fans the way we did,” Howard said. “It means a great deal to me. These guys have been working so hard for me, and it’s a nice payoff for them. I believe it’s a sign of things to come for us.”

Howard led the early practice session for the race at MMP, and qualified 9th. He led laps in the race, and spent most of the day in the top-10.

“Our Bobcat Silverado was pretty darned good when we unloaded here, and we definitely had one of the best trucks in the race,” he said. “I think we had a top-three truck for sure, but we only took two left side tires on our pit stop, and our right front was getting a little chewed up there toward the end. The truck got a little tight. But we kept battling and worked our way back up to 5th. I got blocked up there with Terry Cook, and lost a spot. Mansfield can be brutal on your equipment, but we came out with a strong top-10 finish and just a little bit of body damage to the right side of the truck, so we’re pretty happy. We’re thankful to the folks at Bobcat for their great support, too.”

Howard’s performance provided a spark for the No. 13 team as they prepare for the AAA Insurance 200 at Dover International Speedway on Friday.

“We know what we’re capable of, and these guys take a lot of pride in their work, so it feels good to get that first top-10 finish as we head to Dover,” said Howard. “I know Dover is a real fast track, and because of the way the track is designed, you can get caught up in a mess there pretty quickly. We’ll go in there and try to stay out of trouble and hopefully come out with another top-10 finish and keep building momentum.’