Darin Mock Thwarted by Brake Issues at Road America
July 7, 2022
Darin Mock couldn’t have found good luck if the pot of gold from a rainbow was sitting at his feet in Road America this past weekend.
The No. 51 AAN Adjusters Ford Mustang of Mike Cope Racing started 24th and finished 30th in Sunday morning’s race on the Wisconsin road course.
Before the first practice session even began, Mock was off to a tough start. Travel difficulties and cancelled flights prevented him from making it to the first practice session.
With this being the rookie TA2 Class Trans Am Series driver’s first visit to the track, every lap and moment is paramount to learn all he can. The result from lack of practice brought on the 24th-place qualifying starting position.
Then, during the race, a brake failure on the car made the day even more difficult for Mock and team. When you’re coursing your way around a multi-level, 14-turn and 4.048-mile layout, brakes are paramount to one’s success.
“This was just a very odd weekend,” Mock said upon returning home. “I was very much looking forward to sharing the weekend with NASCAR, learning a new track and putting on a good show for the great fan turnout
“The travel nightmares people are reading about are true, we lived them first hand getting up to Wisconsin. I hated it more for my team because it’s just as important for them to collect data we can use in the race as it is me to get the seat time.
“Once we started the race, I was hoping to make up for the lack of practice and our qualifying. Then, with two laps remaining, when I went to pump the brakes…they just weren’t there.”
Not wanting to cause any more damage to the brakes, or get in the way of other drivers, Mock and team elected to bring their Ford Mustang to the garage one lap shy of the checkered flag.
Saddled with a 30th-place finish, Mock was very appreciative of the crowd that showed up to support the Trans AM Series.
“I was pretty pumped to see how many fans were at Road America,” Mock said. “What a great turnout, and it was definitely the biggest one I’ve ever raced in front of in my young career.
“Hats of to the track, Trans Am and NASCAR for putting on a great racing event for the holiday weekend. I’m definitely looking forward to racing there again next year.”
Mock and the Mike Cope Team are now off until the weekend of August 6 when they’ll race in Nashville. For more information and merchandise, log on to www.DarinMockRacing.com
