Max McLaughlin “Excited” To Get 2017 Season Going
Column By: BOBBY CHALMERS / RPW – WEEDSPORT, NY – Using the word “excited” to explain how Max McLaughlin is feeling as he heads into the DIRTcar Nationals which are less then two weeks away would be an understatement.
That’s not only because he’ll have the opportunity to strap in a brand new Teo Pro Car out of the Heinke-Baldwin Racing shop, but he’ll also have one of the heads of Teo, Matt Hearn, as his new crew chief. “Mad Max” is chomping at the bit to get the season started.
The eighteen-year-old driver is entering his second full season on the Super DIRTcar Series in 2017, but it will be his first behind the wheel of a Teo. Last season, Max ran a machine from the Troyer stable, but with the entire HBR team changing chassis makes within the last year, he’s ready.
The main excitement for Max, however, is teaming up with Hearn. While 2017 marks the first time his new head wrench has sat atop the pit box in five seasons, the knowledge he has for these cars is what intrigues McLaughlin.
“I’m really excited for this,” Max said. “He (Hearn) will be a big help. Things just worked out that he came to work for HBR.”
With Hearn assuming the crew chief role, this frees up Max’s dad, former NASCAR XFINITY Series winner, Whelen Modified Tour Champion and 2015 EMPA (Eastern Motorsports Press Association) Hall of Fame Inductee Mike McLaughlin, to assume a bigger role in the HBR organization.
“A lot of times last year, it was just Dad and I,” Max said. “We didn’t know a bunch about the cars and had a lot on our plate. With Matt coming in, it takes a lot of weight off our shoulders.”
For the elder McLaughlin, his extensive background in racing has been a key to his son’s success to date. With him concentrating on the entire organization now, it can only strengthen the HBR team.
“He’s amazing at everything he does,” Max said. “He’s a great fabricator and having him at the shop to build things we need will be a big plus.”
The main thing on Max’s mind for 2017, though, is getting his Textron Off Road #6 machine into victory lane. Besides following the entire tour, he will run regularly at Brewerton Speedway in 2017 while making select trips to both Fulton & Utica-Rome. That’s where Hearn’s expertise comes in.
“It will defiantly make me feel more comfortable knowing I will have a fast, consistent car every time I hit the track,” he said. “Having his setup expertise will allow me to concentrate more on just driving the car.”
The new pairing will kick their season off at the DIRTcar Nationals when cars hit the track at Volusia Speedway Park on Wednesday night, February 22nd.
