Love for NASCAR blossomed in the Lone Star State
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Editor's note: Photo courtesy of Leavine Family Racing.
Texas Motor Speedway puts the "family" in Leavine Family Racing.
Team owners Bob and Sharon Leavine have lived in Texas since 1985, and it's the home of Bob's WRL General Contracts, LTD business. More than that, though, Texas is where Bob Leavine first sat in a NASCAR vehicle at a driving experience. The thrill hasn't left yet.
Members of the Leavine family have since completed more than 2,800 laps at the speedway, which is also site of the team's first NASCAR start. Daughter Melynda and grandson Michael often joined Bob Leavine at the driving experience.
"I loved driving the stock cars at Team Texas," Bob Leavine said. "My wife and best friend got me a driving experience for my birthday and I immediately fell in love with it. I had my family back there two weeks later so we all could drive. We made some great memories together."
The team's first start was in April 2011 at the 1.5-mile track, just 30 days after the group received its first chassis. David Starr qualified for the event that day and finished 38th.
Michael McDowell will continue the tradition this year in Sunday's AAA Texas 500 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN), driving the No. 95 Ford.
"With that much history at this track, we're striving to have an awesome finish," McDowell said. "We've been working hard in 2014 and I'm really looking forward to solid finishes in these last three races."
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