Lucas Oil Products Driver Robert Stout Signs with McCumbee McAleer Racing. Set to Compete in 2017 Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup

April 18, 2017|

Team News

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BROWNSVILLE, Ind. (April 17, 2017) – After a successful stint in the first official Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich series test session in March, former World Challenge Touring Car Champion Robert Stout has signed with McCumbee McAleer Racing to drive the No. 28 Mazda MX-5 Cup car for the upcoming 2017 season.

John Doonan, Director of Motorsports, Mazda North American Operations and Stout have been long-time friends and during a conversation between the two in the offseason Doonan suggested Stout look at competing in the Battery Tender MX-5 Cup series. “After some review we worked out the details with MMR team principles Chad McCumbee and Stevan McAleer to test at Barber Motorsports Park and things couldn’t have gone better,” said Stout. “Chad and Stevan were a pleasure to work with and the crew was just as good. They have a professional presence at the track which is very important to us as we will proudly represent our long-time partners Lucas Oil Products, Lucas Oil Racing TV, SC Fuels and Impact Race Products. It will be a very tough series with great competition fielding 30 plus cars and I can’t wait to get right in the middle of the action.”

New for 2017, the BatteryTender MX-5 Cup series is sanctioned by the IndyCar series. Eight of the 12-races this season will be run on IndyCar weekends. Two races will run during the SVRA events at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the final two will run alongside the IMSA series at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.

The spec series cars are all identical in power and performance bringing the race back to car set-ups and the drivers. The pure ability to drive fast will not necessarily win you a race, with so many cars and drivers extremely close on speed – it really comes back to the race craft of the drivers making this one of the toughest series in the country.

“We are very excited to firm up our 2017 campaign with Robert and couldn't be more pleased with the test results at Barber,” said Chad McCumbee. “With Robert's experience and successes, I look for us to make a solid run at the Rookie of the Year and Overall Championship in the Battery Tender MX5 Cup. We are proud to carry the Lucas Oil and SC Fuels colors this season and expect to see them on the podium often.”

Stout enters the series with the goal of winning the $200,000 2017 Championship Scholarship and is eligible for the $50,000 “Rookie of the Year” Scholarship that is all part of the “Mazda Road to the 24” #MRT24.

“We know this will be a very tough battle all season long!” said Stout. “There are some extremely talented drivers in this series and the prize at the end can secure a 2018 effort as well. It’s my future as a race car driver and it’s taken very seriously. We’ll give it all we have so let the games begin!”

The Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires season will open at Barber Motorsports Park on April 21-23.

2017 Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires schedule:

Rounds 1 & 2Barber Motorsports Park (IndyCar)April 21-23
Rounds 3 & 4 Indianapolis Motor Speedway (SVRA)June 16-18
Rounds 5 & 6Road America(IndyCar) June 23-25
Rounds 7 & 8Streets of Toronto(IndyCar) July 14-16
Rounds 9 & 10Watkins Glen International(IndyCar)September 1-3
Rounds 11 & 12Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca(IMSA) September 22-24
Global InvitationalMazda Raceway Laguna Seca(IMSA) October 13-15

About Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires:
The MX-5 Cup race cars start as complete MX-5 road cars from theHiroshima, Japan factory before being transported to engineering development partner Long Road Racing in Statesville, North Carolina where they are produced into a race car. The process includes disassembly of the production car, welding and paint of a full roll cage and interior, and assembly of the race car, adding more than 250 motorsports-specific parts. Other components of the car, including the SKYACTIV 2.0 liter engine are sealed to ensure even competition and a cost-effective platform.

The Battery Tender Global MX-5 Cup presented by BFGoodrich Tires is the signature spec series for the Road to 24 (#MRT24), the sports car counterpart to theRoad to Indy (#MRTI).On both paths, Mazda-powered champions earn ascholarship to advance their career.The MX-5 Cup champion earns a $200,000 scholarship.

About Lucas Oil Products:
Founded in 1989 by Forrest and Charlotte Lucas, Lucas Oil Products, Inc. has established itself as one of the fastest-growing lubrication product lines in the consumer automotive aftermarket, featuring a line of engine oils, greases, gear lubes, problem-solving additives, and car-care products. Through innovative product research and development, along with aggressive marketing programs, Lucas Oil has established itself as a worldwide leader in the lubrication industry. Motorsports has always been part of the Lucas Oil culture and the cornerstone of the company's marketing strategy. Such passion for motorsports has inspired Lucas Oil to sponsor many race teams, events and series at all levels, including, NHRA, IRL, ASCS, NASCAR, IHRA and many more. Lucas Oil has also taken ownership and operational control of a number of high profile racing properties, such as the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series, Lucas Oil Drag Boat Series, Lucas Oil Pro Pulling League, Lucas Oil Late Model Dirt Series, Lucas Oil Modified Series, Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland, MO. and the Lucas Oil I-10 Speedway in Blythe, CA.

About Robert Stout:
Robert Stout has been racing for 11 years, seven of those at the professional level of sports cars and oval racing including Grand-Am/Rolex series, Continental Tire series, IMSA, Pirelli World Challenge, King of the Wing Sprint car series (competing in 900HP asphalt winged sprint cars) and the USAC Silver Crown. Stout has driven sports cars across all classes including GT, GS, GTS, ST, and TC.
With a diverse background of motorsports he is also an instructor at the Bondurant High Performance Driving School and the BMW Performance Center West Thermal, CA. honing his skills at least five days a week working with and competing against some of the best drivers in the country. Robert is also very proud to say he’s had the honor of working with some of the elite members of the armed forces including the Green Berets and Navy Seals.

About McCumbee McAleer Racing:
In 2015, North Carolina’s Chad McCumbee joined forces with 2012 Playboy MX-5 Cup Champion Stevan McAleer to form McCumbee McAleer Racing (MMR).
Based in McCumbee’s hometown of Supply, North Carolina, MMR features what is one of the most competitive driver pairings in North American road racing. McCumbee, 30, is a former stock car driver, with four years of NASCAR Camping World Truck and Sprint Cup Series. “Chad’s first ever sports car race was actually the same weekend as my first sports car race in the Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup as team mates under CJ Wilson Racing at Sebring International Raceway,” says McAleer, first-hand witness to McCumbee’s rapid transition to road racing. He has completed this with unusual success, highlighted by a sensational pole position in qualifying at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.
A resident of Cold Spring, New York, McAleer (30) is a native of Glasgow, Scotland who won the 2012 MX5 Playboy Club Championship with CJ Wilson Racing in dominating fashion, and is considered by many as the best MX-5 driver in the country. The four-time Scottish karting champion was again at the wheel of an MX-5 in 2013 and 2014. Competing in the Grand-Am Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Championship with CJ Wilson Racing and ModSpace Motorsports, Stevan has forged a reputation for sheer speed and precise aggressiveness.

Ken Stout Racing is proudly partnered with
Lucas Oil Products:www.lucasoil.com
MAVTV:www.MAVTV.com
Lucas Oil Racing TV: www.Lucasoilracing.TV
SC Fuels:www.scfuels.com
Impact by MasterCraft:www.impactraceproducts.com
FatHeadz EYEWEAR:www.fatheadz.com
Marty Logan's House of Colour:www.martylogan.com
P.C.I. Race Radios:www.pciraceradios.com
MMR: www.mccumbeemcaleer.com
ModSpace: www.modspace.com

Follow Robert Stout:
Facebook: @LucasOilRacingTV
Twitter: @LucasRacingTV
Hashtags: #LORTV
Twitter: @Rstoutracing
Facebook: Robert Stout Racing