LOUDON, N.H. – Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Mike Christopher Jr. ended his day at the track frustrated.
Christopher’s first efforts behind the wheel of NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series ride left him perplexed. Christopher was 27th in practice out of 36 Trucks on Friday and then 29th in qualifying.
Saturday, when the series debut was complete, the emotion from the Wolcott driver was far different than seen Friday evening.
Christopher, driving for Halmar Friesen Racing, drove to a 13th place finishing in his Craftsman Truck Series debut in the Team EJP 175 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“It feels good,” Christopher said. “The number one thing that I lost time on was the restarts. It was a little hard to hear and feel when the thing is ready to shift. I think I figured it out on the last two. So I figured out shifting a little bit at the end. Overall I had a ton of fun. Passing trucks and figuring it out was a blast.”
Corey Heim won the Team EJP 175 at NHMS.
Christopher said the 13th place exceeded his expectations going into the day.
“[13th], that sounds good to me,” Christopher said. “Better than 15th and a little bit worse than 10th. 10th would have been wow and 15th would have been kind of normal. I feel good about it.”
Christopher ended the day Friday in Loudon seeking out advice on how to find a feel in the Truck that he was searching for. He said he wasn’t sure exactly what changed from Friday to Saturday.
“I didn’t have that feeling anymore,” Christopher said. “I don’t know if it was just something clicked. It’s not like the confidence came in. The entry felt better. I don’t know. Maybe it’s racing around other people and realizing what the pace is and slowly gaining confidence with the braking and all that. Maybe that was part of it. I did expect to be a lot hotter and I’m not, which is good. I’ve got this cool shirt on that worked incredible.”
Saturday’s run just made Christopher want more.
“I’ll be trying to put more deals together for sure,” Christopher said.
WATCH: Mike Christopher Jr. Talks In The Garage After His NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Debut
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The Christophers, Icons of racing, have been successful for decades. The Christophers are prime examples of integrity, love of family, and faith in God. The Christophers , my cousins and friend. So proud of them.