Skerlong and Muniz Searching for Speed at Miller
Sunrichgourmet.com 1000
September 19, 2008

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Practice 1
Finish Position 7th
Time 2:29.040
Speed 108.357

Qualifying 1
Finish Position 6th
Time 2:30.185
Speed 107.531

Carl on qualifying: “Driving at Miller this weekend is a different scenario than last weekend in New Jersey. The track here is a long one, and it’s hard to find a good lap time when you’re losing speed. We still have some work to do this weekend in order to find our way back to the top, but we are working hard and giving our best to do it for tomorrow and Sunday.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Practice 1
Finish Position 10th
Time 2:29.317
Speed 108.156

Qualifying 1
Finish Position 11th
Time 2:31.177
Speed 106.826

Frankie on qualifying: “I’m really looking forward to qualifying tomorrow morning. I’m hoping I’ll be able to redeem myself after today’s session. I was just outside of the top ten, but I know I’m capable of being in the top 8. Unfortunately, I didn’t get it done today, but I’m glad I have another shot at it tomorrow.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com

Skerlong Takes Winning Momentum to Salt Lake City, Hard Charging Muniz Chasing Another Top-Ten Finish
(September 17, 2008)
Event: Sunchaser 1000
Round: 10 of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Where: Miller Motorsports Park, Salt Lake City, UT 4.5 – mile permanent road course
When: September 21, 2008 at 2:30 pm MT
Drivers: Carl Skerlong #14 King Taco and Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/USRT

Maiden Victory: Carl Skerlong earned his first Atlantic victory last weekend at the Mazda Formula X event - the inaugural Atlantic race at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Skerlong’s perfect weekend resulted in 35 championship points, the most possible. He was fastest in every session, he earned a point for provisional pole, he earned another for winning the pole and he also set the fastest race lap en-route to his flag-to-flag victory.

Hard Charger: When the green flag falls, you can be sure Frankie Muniz will gain positions. Muniz has charged through the field, gaining positions in every even this season except the season opener at Long Beach where he defended his starting position. He is also one of just a few racers in Atlantic to have finished every event this season.

Championship Standings: With his recent victory, Skerlong is ranked fifth in the championship with 165 points. He is just one point behind fourth and 17 points out of third. His goal is to reach the top-three and he has got two races to achieve it. So far this season, Skerlong has scored two pole positions, one victory and four podium finishes. Since he signed with Pacific Coast Motorsports last winter, Muniz made it clear – his goal was to finish in the top-ten in the championship and he is on his way. Muniz is ranked 11th, just 13 points out of the top-ten. He has proven to be consistent this season, two more strong races and he will reach his goal.

Carl on Miller Motorsports Park: I am so excited to get back in the car. The win last weekend gives us a lot of momentum heading into Miller Motorsports Park this week. The track there is awesome, but it is so long that you have to be precise and it will be important to get the car dialed in very quickly, because one mistake or one bad lap costs so much time. Our sessions are not that long, so every lap counts. I am looking forward to it.”

Frankie on Miller Motorsports Park: I’ve been looking forward to this event all season. Miller is a really cool track, fast and wide. We had another good run last weekend and I am so enthusiastic right now. I am really enjoying racing, we are progressing week in and week out and that is very rewarding. I’ve said all season that I want to finish in the top-ten in the championship. If I can do that in my third year of racing, against some of the best young racers in the world, I think that would be a huge accomplishment, so that is what I am focused on. I will be searching for a good qualifying run and another top-ten finish at Miller this weekend.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com

Skerlong’s Perfect Performance Sweeps New Jersey Debut for First Atlantic Victory, Muniz Scores Another Top-Ten
Mazda Formula X
September 14, 2008

Millville, NJ—After dominating every session throughout the weekend, Carl Skerlong earned his first Atlantic victory and his second pole position of the season today at the Mazda Formula X event at New Jersey Motorsports Park. It was also the first victory of the season for Pacific Coast Motorsports and the first ever victory for Shane Seneviratne whose US RaceTronics team prepares the Mazda/Swift Atlantic cars.

After starting on pole for the second time this season, Carl Skerlong had a strong start and pulled away from Markus Niemela who started second. By the seventh lap, Carl was already over two seconds ahead of Niemela, and maintained that margin, under hot and humid conditions until he took the checkered flag in the #14 King Taco car. Skerlong also claimed the fastest race lap (1:11.533) and gained three bonus points (fastest lap, prov. pole and pole) in addition to the 34 points he scored for the victory.

Frankie Muniz racing on his home turf drove a great race that led to his second top-ten finish this season. Muniz was in a heated battle for tenth position with Simona de Silvestro of Newman-Wachs racing throughout the last 30 minutes of the race. Despite de Silvestro’s hard-charging, Muniz prevailed in front of his home crowed and claimed the top-ten finish, which moved him up to 11th place in the championship.

This weekend was a huge victory for the US RaceTronics/PCM Atlantic team, and the team hopes to keep the momentum going for continued success in Salt Lake City next weekend and the season finale in Atlanta.

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Race
Finish Position 1st
Time 1:11.533
Speed 109.561

Carl on the race: “This was the best race ever. It was immensely physical and therefore very difficult, but it was a lot of fun. To be first in every session this weekend and to win at a track that no one has raced on yet is just incredible. I want to thank Mazda and Cooper Tires for putting on an amazing race, and I want to send a huge thank you to everyone at PCM. The crew just did a fantastic job this weekend with the King Taco car. I couldn’t be happier right now.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Race
Finish Position 10th
Time 1:13.025
Speed 107.322

Frankie on the race: “I am so happy with my result. Physically, this was the most challenging race I have ever competed in. I was battling with Simona (de Silvestro) for the last 30 minutes of the race; she would gain on me, then I would have a less than perfect lap, but I was still able to stay ahead of her. This is the third top-ten finish of my career, and finishing in the top-ten has been my goal all season. I’ve also moved up to 11th in the points which brings me one-step closer to finishing in the top-ten in the championship. Thank you to the whole team at PCM, and especially Tyler, for getting me to where I am this weekend.”

Shane Seneviratne, Team Manager: “This weekend is what I would call a perfect storm. With Carl, we ran at the top in every session. A lot of credit goes to Burke Harrison for rolling the car off the transporter and giving it an amazing setup, and also to Lee Bentham for getting Carl up to speed on a new track. Carl has such a great personality, and the whole team loves him very much and is so proud of him. Frankie did an outstanding job all weekend. At times, he was even racing right behind the championship leader, Jonathan Bomarito. The further up he moves in the field, the tougher it gets, and he’s been proving with every improvement that he is a real professional racecar driver. I want to thank the crew for doing an excellent job this weekend. We are so proud of everyone at PCM and US RaceTronics.”

Tyler Tadevic, Team Owner: “First of all, the fact that this was the first win for Carl is just incredible. Carl’s car was dominant all weekend, claiming first in every session. The team has had its struggles to get to this point, so we needed this win badly. The timing is perfect. I want to give props to the crew for sticking in there all season and making this happen. Frankie was terrific out there today and it is very exciting to watch him compete and improve every weekend. I’m very proud of the entire PCM/US RaceTronics crew, it was a terrific weekend.

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com

Skerlong Scores Provisional Pole, Muniz Starts the Day Sixth Quick
Mazda Formula Zoom Zoom
September 13, 2008

CARL SKERLONG, #14 King Taco/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Practice
Finish Position 1st
Time 1:10.802
Speed 110.692

Qualifying
Finish Position 1st
Time 1:10.801
Speed 110.693

Carl on qualifying: “I am so excited to take the provisional today. I’m always fast in practice sessions, but to do it in the session that counts is just incredible. I’m so happy to have been fastest in every session this weekend so far, and I’m hoping to keep it that way in the race. I want to give a big thanks to the team, especially my engineer, Burke Harrison, and my driver coach, Lee Bentham, because they’ve been fantastic, and I wouldn’t have been able to do it without them. I know I have the car to win, but it’s up to me to do it.”

Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/Mazda/Swift/Cooper Tires

Practice
Finish Position 6th
Time 1:11.577
Speed 109.493

Qualifying
Finish Position 11th
Time 1:11.890
Speed 109.017

Frankie on qualifying: “After ending up sixth in a great practice session this morning, I’m not happy with my qualifying result this afternoon. I got held up behind two of the slower cars which affected my lap times. I used a lap to gap myself from those cars, but I ended up just catching up to them when I did a fast lap which really frustrated me. The good news is that I was only .2 away from P8, so being that close is going to be great for the hunt in the race tomorrow. I want to thank all the guys for being here and working hard for me this weekend.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com

Sunday race is homecoming for Jersey boy Muniz
By PATRICK BUGANSKI • Staff Writer • September 13, 2008

MILLVILLE -- As a television and film actor, it was easy for Frankie Muniz's family to see him work, but this weekend will provide the 22-year old New Jersey native's family the first chance to see him in his new career as a racecar driver.

Muniz drives in the Atlantic Championship Series, the highlight event of this weekend's Mazda Formula X event at the New Jersey Motorsports Park.

"This is where I'm from, this is my home, so it's cool," Muniz said Friday between test sessions at Thunderbolt Raceway.

Muniz was born in Wood-Ridge, Bergen County, but moved to North Carolina when he was 4. He later returned with his family when he was 10 to be close to New York and pursue an acting career. When he was 13 and landed his role on FOX's "Malcolm in the Middle," he moved to Los Angeles. The majority of his family still resides in Bergen County, though.

"My whole family is coming out," Muniz said. "My grandparents, my sister, my cousins, aunts, uncles, which is kind of cool because it's the first time they're ever going to see me race. It's the closest we've ever come to them. All my family should be here Sunday for race day, which should be fun."

Moving forward, his family should have plenty more opportunities to see Muniz race and fewer, if any, to see him on screen.

"I'm not trying to be an actor right now," Muniz said. "I'm not saying that I won't ever act again. I'm focusing on racing 100 percent, and I think you have to. The only way you're going to get better is by being in a racecar all the time."

Muniz currently is 12th out of 28 drivers in the series point standings, and he's one of just two drivers to finish every race this year. In fact, he's finished at or ahead of his starting position in every race.

The Atlantic Championship works as a developmental series for the Indy Racing League, which Muniz has aspirations of reaching. He said NASCAR is an option for his future, but he prefers open wheel racing and road courses, and would rather move on to IRL. Other options would include Grand-Am or the American Le Mans Series.

Muniz began racing in 2004, when he drove in a Pro/Celebrity race at the Long Beach Grand Prix. He went to run with Formula BMW before joining the Atlantic Championship in 2007. Muniz has been a quick study behind the wheel despite the lack of a racing background.

"The things he's learned in acting as far as what he needs to do within himself to be a better actor has come out on the race track," said Carl Skerlong, Muniz's teammate with Pacific Coast Racing. "You have to be able to take criticism, that's the only way you're going to get better."

Muniz originally heard about the Millville circuit about a year ago, when he was looking for a place for his former team, Jensen Motorsports, to test. But with the track not opening until this past July, Muniz hadn't seen the track until now.

"I've been really excited about it," Muniz said. "It's great. It's very fast. It's beautiful. It's going to be a lot of fun to race on."

New Jersey Native, Frankie Muniz Excited for Home Race Debut, Skerlong Focused on Maiden Victory
(September 12, 2008)
Event: Mazda Formula Zoom Zoom
Round: 9 of the 2008 Cooper Tires Presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda
Where: New Jersey Motorsports Park, Millville, NJ 2.25 – mile temporary street circuit
When: September 14, 2008 at 1:00 pm ET
Drivers: Carl Skerlong #14 King Taco and Frankie Muniz #41 PCM/USRT

New Jersey Native: Frankie Muniz grew up in the Garden State and for the first time, will race in front of several of his family and friends. Those close to Frankie are very aware of his determination and ability to focus as they grew up watching him on the big screen. However, they will see a different side of Frankie, a different type of determination and focus this weekend, when the see him hit speeds over 150 mph at the New Jersey Motorsports Park, a brand new facility just over two-hours from Frankie’s home town of Wood Ridge.

Testing has Started and Carl is Quickest: Carl Skerlong debuted quickest this morning at the New Jersey Motorsports Park. The Atlantic teams are participating in a promoter test day today, giving everyone the opportunity to learn the brand new track, before qualifying tomorrow. There are four sessions today.

PCM Online Team Members: Pacific Coast Motorsports recently activated their online team member program. Fans who sign up at www.pcmracing.com are invited to private meet and greet sessions with the Atlantic and IndyCar drivers at each event. In addition to garage tours, ticket give-aways and discounts on merchandise. Join the team today!

Frankie on testing: “I’m very happy things so far. The car felt amazing. I really enjoy driving on this track; it’s fast, smooth, and a lot of fun. It’s difficult to pass though, so I need to make sure I qualify well; hopefully I can qualify in the top ten and finish the race in the top five. I want to say thanks to Mazda for putting on this terrific event.”

Frankie on his home race: “I'm so excited to be racing in New Jersey this weekend. It's my home state, so this is like a home race for me. My whole family—grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and mom—will be here for the race on Sunday to support me. It's really exciting to have a nice, professional racetrack here in New Jersey. I want to be racing here for a number of years to come."

Carl on testing: “I’m excited to be racing here in New Jersey this weekend. The track is very fast and very fun. It’s going to be tough to race on because there aren’t very many places to pass, if any. I was fastest in the first testing session this morning, so hopefully I can stay at the top all weekend.”

Visit the Pacific Coast Motorsports website at www.pcmracing.com