April 12, 2003 – MGM Motorsports did not have the weekend they expected Houston, TX for the Texas 250.  The team gained much more valuable knowledge and experience from the weekend, however were unable to qualify for the race on Saturday.  The pit crew was also able to gain experience during the race by pitting for the number 10 car of Greg Williams.

The weekend started well with the car going through an optional technical inspection.  There were only a few minor fixes to be made to the car which had been built from the bare chassis.  This allowed the team and car to be ready for the beginning of the four hour open practice held on Friday.  Jeremy was able to run approximately 145 total laps during the practice.  Unfortunately, the car was very tight all day forcing the team to work on its setup Friday night.

Saturday began with two practice sessions where the car was faster, but still too tight.  Crew chief Darrin Jeffrey worked to loosen the car and made progress throughout the day.  Saturday afternoon Jeremy made his qualifying attempt with two good, stable laps with the time of 15.325 seconds.  Unfortunately, this time missed making the race by 0.133 seconds.

Saturday night, the MGM Motorsports pit crew was given the opportunity to pit for Greg Williams who came to Houston without a full pit crew.  Justin Davison, Darrin Jeffrey, Jon Miller, Jeff Mueller and Steve Pumphrey made up the crew who worked with Williams’ crew chief. They were very happy to be able to get experience on pit road.  Their first effort was put a spring rubber in the right rear of the car which went very well with the guidance of Williams’ crew chief.  They were also able to do one stop for fuel and one stop for right side tires during the race.  MGM Motorsports’ crew chief, Darrin Jeffrey, learned how to be better prepared for race car damage as Williams was involved in an accident which tore off his right front fender and damaged the nose piece of the car.  Everyone at MGM Motorsports was grateful for this opportunity and was disappointed to see Williams’ night end in an accident with 62 laps remaining.

The team felt a definite progress from the race in Lakeland, Florida.  This progress ranged from understanding the car to being more organized for the race weekend schedule and work.  They plan to continue this progress forward as the season continues.