NASCAR Xfinity Series: Tim Cowen talks Mid-Ohio race in interview

In the NASCAR Xfinity Series race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Tim Cowen drove the #66 MBM Motorsports Ford to a 26th place finish. Here is what he had to say before and after the race.

This past weekend, the NASCAR Xfinity Series raced at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. Tim Cowen drove the #66 Cowen Logistics MBM Motorsports Ford in the 2018 Rock N Roll Tequila 170. For Cowen, this was his first Xfinity Series race of the season. I spoke with him before and after the race.

Here are my questions to him before the race.

Q: Why do you race at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course?

A: I grew up 30 minutes from the track. 20 years ago when I started racing, Mid-Ohio was one of the first tracks I competed at. Essentially, it is my NASCAR home track.

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NOTE: Tim Cowen has competed at Mid-Ohio in the Xfinity Series since 2014.

Q: What are the expectations for the race?

A: First of all, I want to complete the full race. A good run would be a top 15 finish. Admittedly, I am at a disadvantage because I am competing in a steel-bodied Ford Mustang.

NOTE: When asked if he will race any differently due to the difference in weight, Cowen said no, he will race the same way. Steel-bodied Xfinity Series cars weigh about 150 pounds more than composite bodies. Also, in six previous Xfinity Series career starts, he had failed to finish twice.

Q: How do tires fare at road courses in terms of fall-off compared to oval tracks?

A: In my experience, Goodyear brings a pretty good tire to the road courses. At Watkins Glen, the Cup Series drivers only made two or three pit stops where they changed tires. I think that bodes pretty well for Mid-Ohio.

Q: Why do you like racing for MBM Motorsports?

A: I race on a pretty tight budget. Racing for MBM Motorsports fits within my budget. Carl Long, the team owner, gives 100% effort for each race. Again, referring back to the budget, Carl Long provides me with the best equipment for what I can afford. I hope to bring the car home in one piece.

NOTE: During practice at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Cowen ran the 31st fastest time. He qualified in 33rd place. When the checkered flag flew, he brought his car home in 26th.

A few days after the race, I again spoke to Tim Cowen again to hear his thoughts about his 2018 Rock N Roll Tequila 170 performance.

Q: You wanted to finish the race with the car in one piece with a Top 15 finish. Tell me about those results.

A: My best previous finish at Mid-Ohio was 18th place. I’ve raced this car for the last three years. I own the car, and it is an old Roush car. We ran it with Cowen Logistics and Cowen Truck Line as the sponsors. The team worked hard on it, but it was too loose at the beginning of the race. The team tightened it up for me, perhaps even too tight. We worked on it and eventually got it to handle well. By that point though, I ran out of laps to gain more spots.

Q: What more did you need to snag your goal of a top 15 finish?

A: More laps in the race once the car started handling well! Running a steel-bodied car is a definite disadvantage. Driving with 150 pounds more than other drivers makes it harder to race them. The competition in the Xfinity Series, along with my experience at the track, provided me with a good opportunity to crack the top 15 if I ran a good race.

Q: Chad Finchum runs full-time for MBM Motorsports yet he never raced at Mid-Ohio before the 2018 Rock N Roll Tequila 170. How does that affect you?

A: Fortunately for me, I really know how to race at Mid-Ohio. So Chad’s lack of experience at the track really didn’t affect me. Props to him though, Mid-Ohio is not an easy track to learn. It is a real technical track, with different altitudes, tough turns, and the overall layout. He did a good job though.

Q: Looking back at the race, tell me about your race overall.

A: I spent the first practice session getting acclimated to racing in the Xfinity Series again. For me, one disadvantage is I only race in the series once or twice a year. The other drivers race each other all season, so they know their race cars. Plus, while I drove [the] #66 for MBM Motorsports, it wasn’t easy for them. They don’t know how I communicate with the car as well because I just raced in this race. Unfortunately, the second practice was rained out, so we never got an opportunity to work on the car for the race. Instead, we spent part of the race adjusting the car. MBM Motorsports listened well to my feedback and we made progress on the car. While I finally drove a well-handling car, it was too late to take advantage of the good car. Still, I kept the car in one piece, I finished on the lead lap, and I raced some drivers from bigger-budget teams. All in all, it was a good weekend for the MBM Motorsports team.

Lastly, I would like to thank Tim Cowen for speaking with me. His graciousness in allowing me to hear about his Mid-Ohio experience is admirable, especially considering he has only competed in one race so far this season.

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Bristol Motor Speedway is scheduled to host the next NASCAR Xfinity Series race. Timmy Hill will drive the #66 MBM Motorsports Chevrolet in that race, the Food City 300. The race is scheduled to take place on Friday, August 17. It is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. ET, and NBC Sports Network is scheduled to broadcast it live.

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