Darin Mock Ends Nashville Race on Sour Note

August 11, 2022

Darin Mock and the No. 51 AAN Adjusters Ford team of Mike Cope Racing came into the TA2 Class TransAm Series race at Nashville with high hopes for a good showing.

After posting the 15th and 18th-fastest practice times, of 40 entries, Mock felt like he had a good car to take on the specially-built street course in Music City. Not even running over debris on his qualifying run forcing him to start 22nd was a deterrent to how he thought the race could play out.

However, that all came to a crashing end when hard racing with a fellow competitor on the second lap forced Mock in the marbles before making significant contact into the barriers. 

Heavy damage to the back and front end of his Ford forced the 2022 Rookie of the Year candidate out of the race. Saying it was the hardest hit he ever experienced, Mock ended the day with a DNF in 37th place.

“I hate it for the team after the hard work that was put into getting this car ready for Nashville,” Mock said. “Our practices were pretty good, learned a few things on every lap and really felt we could have had a top-15, or at least close to the top-10, starting spot.

“Whatever I ran over on the track cut the tire down and killed those hopes. Before the race itself started on Saturday, it was amazing to see how many people were there. Running the same weekend as Indy Car helps bring out so many fans.

“It was even greater to have the owner of AAN Adjusters and his friends there with us, too. Their headquarters are close by in Knoxville, TN.” 

Unfortunately, the race ended much faster than desired for everyone involved on the demanding track layout. 

“I was going into one of the turns and another car just made an arch that forced me to go way higher than I wanted. This pushed me into the marbles and I was going so fast it just carried me right into the wall.

“The car hit a ton going in backwards and then it turned me around spinning the nose into the wall for more contact. I felt those impacts, for sure. The car was beat up, I was hurting and our day was cut way too short.

“We have a few more races left in the year to get one of those good finishes I know we’re capable of with this team.”

That was the only race for the TA2 Class in August with their next event taking place early September at Watkins Glen.

To follow along and for more information, log on to www.DarinMockRacing.com for news, photos and merchandise.