Mike Laughlin Jr.  Finished 10th in the 2003 Hooter's ProCup Championship

(No. 7 WJ Plemons Ford)

2003 Points Total: 698
Finish at USA Int'l: 34th
Points earned at USA Int'l: 91
Point Positions Gained/Lost: -3
Point Fund Money Gained/Lost: -$6,000
Point Fund Money Won: $20,000
2003 Total Winnings: $66,050

Hooters 300 Recap
For the second race in a row, Mike Laughlin led. Unfortunately, for Laughlin, he wasn't around at the finish this time around. Laughlin had a mechanical failure and finished 34th, dropping him three spots in points and costing him $6,000 in the point fund.

November 21, 2003
The USAR ProCup Series heads to USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Florida on Saturday, November 29th for the running of the year-end Championship Finale Hooters 300. Mike Laughlin, Jr’s number 7 Ford Taurus will once again, be sporting sponsorship from www.finishlineracing.com.

FinishLine Racing School (www.finishlineracing.com) along with it’s sister companies, FinishLine Quarter Midget School (www.quartermidget.biz), True Laser Track (www.truelasertrack.com), and White Buffalo Collectibles (www.whitebuffalo1.com) has sponsored Laughlin Jr. throughout the five USAR Pro Cup Championship Series races.

Laughlin sat in on a recent FinishLine Racing School session and after some laps around the half-mile in a Late Model, Laughlin stated, “I don’t care if you’re just starting or you’ve been racing for 30 years, the Finish Line school can help you. The minute you think you know everything, it’s time to quit.”

Finish Line Racing School - If You Want To Race, This Is The Place!
The FinishLine Racing School headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida; has been rated the finest asphalt, short track race school in the United States. The FinishLine is very unique in the Race School industry as it covers both aspects of race car involvement: The First and “FINISHLINE’S SPECIALTY” is a serious 3 day program designed for the “soon” to be race car driver or even the experienced driver that’s having difficulty getting to the checkered flag. The Second aspect of racing is the “fun fantasy” side - for that they have FinishLine Race Adventures, geared towards corporate Team Building programs.

Private coaching is also offered. Chief Instructor and NASCAR Champion Mike Loescher can travel to a drivers race track and work with the Race Car and Crew. All this comes with a 100% money back guarantee - he makes you faster or you don’t pay- now that’s putting your money where your mouth is!!!

Mike Loescher has been assisting the Laughlin Team for the five race Championship Shoot-out and Laughlin is currently 7th (he finished 21st in the 2002 Championship Series).

FinishLine Racing School conducts classes at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL; New Smyrna Speedway, New Smyrna Beach, FL; Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA; and Lanier National Speedway; Atlanta, GA. For further information visit www.finishlineracing.com or call (386) 427-8522.

7. Mike Laughlin
(No. 7 www.quartermidget.biz Ford)

Championship Series Points—607
Points earned at Peach State—155
Point position before Peach State—12th
Point position after Peach State—7th
Points behind 1st—127

Peach State Recap
Another corner and Laughlin would have won his second Hooters ProCup event of his career. Laughlin took on tires late in the race and nearly pulled off the drive of his life, charging from 18th to second in just 100 laps. He lost by .077 seconds, but you couldn’t tell lost after the event. Usually, Laughlin has a smiley face underneath driving suit. But after his second-place finish, he was all smiles.

Peach State Breakdown in 25-Lap Increments
Start—10th
Lap 25—7th
Lap 50—3rd
Lap 75—2nd
Lap 100—2nd
Lap 125—1st
Lap 150—18th
Lap 175—10th
Lap 200—5th
Lap 225—4th
Finish—2nd

USA International Outlook
Laughlin’s saved his money for the stretch run and it’s starting to pay dividends. He doesn’t have a great record of accomplishment at USA Int’l, posting only two top-five finishes in 20 starts. However, Laughlin is averaging a seventh-place finish in the last three races run there. If Laughlin has any money left in his budget, look for big things in Lakeland.

October 27, 2003

The USAR ProCup Series heads to Peach State Speedway Sunday, November 2nd for the running of the Dan Duncan Memorial Naturally Fresh Foods 250. Mike Laughlin, Jr’s number 7 Ford Taurus will be there sporting sponsorship from www.quartermidget.biz.

Jeff Gordon, Bobby Labonte, Billy Boat and Jason Leffler all got their start in racing in quarter midgets. And Mark Martin picked quarter midgets as the vehicle of choice for son Matt! A Quarter Midget (QM) is a racing vehicle built for children 5 to 15. It is a scaled down version of a midget racecar. The open-wheel, fully suspended cars are built for racing on a 1/20 mile track. These tracks are located across the country.


FinishLIne Quarter Midget Racing School

“In September 2001, I received a phone call about working with four young QM drivers, they had become very frustrated and needed to get back to the basics. I am a Private Racing Coach and travel all over the country guaranteeing to make a driver and race car faster; or they don’t pay and I have always been paid. I have coached everyone from Winston Cup down to the Weekend Warriors. I decided to go ahead and take on the challenge to see if I could change the driving habits of young QM drivers. I was amazed at how much driver feedback I got from the QM drivers! It was because of the success of working with the QM drivers that I decided to start a QM Racing School”, states Chief instructor, Mike Loescher. “The QMA clubs have a free Novice Training program but in order to attend, the parents have to buy a QM, join the club and buy all the safety apparel.... that is approximately $4000.00? That's a very big investment for someone who isn’t sure that QM racing is for their child. Our program is designed to supply all the equipment needed. If the child decides after a day at the track that QM racing is not for them, they are only out $200.00 (the price of the Intro QM Class) and if they do go farther and buy a QM car from us, the school is FREE. This will give “families” a chance to try QM Racing before they spend a lot of money. For those that decide to move into QM racing, it will get the drivers and crews (Mom and Dad) “on the right path”. The Finishline Racing School (FLRS) looks forward to working with all the teams and families involved in America’s #1 Family Motor Sport.

Outlaw Chassis

We have been in the race school business for over 15 years,” states Chief Instructor, Mike Loescher. “I have seen way too many injuries and deaths in stock car racing. So you can imagine my shock at seeing the quarter midget drivers leaning dangerously out of the roll cage.”

“After seeing some children injured in the sport, we felt compelled to design a quarter midget that would hold a “seat” rather than a “cushion” (A cushion is used to help the driver lean, in an “Outlaw Chassis there is no need to lean). “The Outlaw” is safer than other quarter midget’s on the market today.”

“The Outlaw” Chassis is a Cad Cam design that eliminates any implied weight advantage of leaning. So the driver can concentrate on racing and not holding themselves out of the car. Remember, movement in the race car is what hurts you – loose seat belts have no place in motorsports – no matter how small the car is. There’s no need to lean when you drive an “Outlaw Chassis”.

“The Outlaw” features:
Padded Seat
Double Head Rests
Full Roll Cage (1” Tubing versus ¾” on most others)
Rack-n-Pinion Steering (less likely to have broken fingers from the steering wheel)
Aluminum Body
Five-Point Safety Harness
Hunter Gas Shocks
Engine can be unbolted and on the floor in 5 minutes (30 minutes or more with other chassis’)
Full Pedals (less likely to have broken ankles)
Two Roll Bars surround the fuel tank
Choice of roll cage and body color

Racing Apparel

“We visited some QM tracks in March of 2002. A few of the QM parents knew very little about safety apparel but wanted to understand what makes certain types of apparel QMA legal. So I decided that it was my mission to learn as much about safety apparel as I could. I asked the manufacturers to explain about the fiber in fire suits, the linings in helmets, the nylon that seat belts are made of, the importance of having them securely belted in a seat, etc, I wanted to know everything about safety so I could pass my information on to the parents. That way they could make a informed decision. After weeks worth of phone calls and a little arm-twisting we are now able to supply all kinds of safety apparel in "youth sizes” claims Kristal Loescher, assistant QM coach. The list of available Youth apparel is: double layer fire suits: Nomex shoes (starts at size 1) Nomex socks, Nomex underwear, Nomex Balaclava, SA rated helmets and SFI 5 Nomex double layer gloves. ALL IN YOUTH SIZES!! We can now offer all QMA legal apparel in youth sizes.

For additional information visit www.QuarterMidget.biz

12. Mike Laughlin
(No. 7 Finishline Racing School Ford)

Championship Series Points - 452
Points earned at Myrtle Beach - 114
Point position before Myrtle Beach - 12th
Point position after Myrtle Beach - 12th
Points behind 1st - 112

Myrtle Beach Recap
Laughlin went backward, forward and backward again. He led some laps after pitting out of sequence, but paid the price at the end of the night as his tires faded.

Myrtle Beach Breakdown in 25-lap increments
Start-4th
Lap 25-4th
Lap 50-5th
Lap 75-7th
Lap 100-10th
Lap 125-2nd
Lap 150-5th
Lap 175-11th
Lap 200-11th
Lap 225-11th
Finish-14th

Peach State Outlook
Laughlin has plenty of experience at Peach Sate, but his best finishes came five years ago. He finished 10th there earlier this season. He’s another driver that needs a good finish to keep from falling down in the standings.

October 13, 2003
The USAR ProCup Series heads to Myrtle Beach Speedway Saturday, October 18th for the running of the Mark Brooks Memorial Bi-Lo 250. Mike Laughlin, Jr’s number 7 Ford Taurus will be there sporting sponsorship from www.whitebuffalo1.com.

Michael Loescher, the owner of Finishline Racing School, Finishline Quarter Midget School and the True Laser Track alignment system, enjoys collecting Native American Collectibles while he is traveling all across the Country. He started buying Native American items for himself, employees, family and friends. What started as a Hobby has turned into a fulltime business that sells a wide assortment of authentic Native American Collectibles with a large customer base filled with satisfied buyers.

White Buffalo Collectibles, www.whitebuffalo1.com, has a huge selection of collectibles with something for everyone. The inventory includes weapons, artifacts, pottery, Kachina dolls, bead work, jewelry and much, much more. White Buffalo Collectibles is proud to offer items from famous Native American artist’s such as Curtis Bitsui, LaNeAyo, Ben Livingston, Brian Begay, Tim Largo, Clara Vasquez, Bill Rabbit, Darin Bill, Effie Calavaza, Tommy Singer, Alvin Yellowhorse, Ernest Bennally, Lee Bennett,Sam Gray, Calvin Begay, and Tommy Moore.ntire

For more information visit www.whitebuffalo1.com

12. Mike Laughlin, Jr. (No. 7 Finishline Racing School Ford)

Championship Series Points-338
Points earned at Jennerstown-111
Point position before Jennerstown-12th
Point position after Jennerstown-12th
Points behind 1st place-119

Jennerstown Recap
Laughlin lost a lap early in the race and never found his way back to the front. Laughlin dropped as low as 27th and spent the rest of the evening finding his way back to the front. He rallied to a 13th-place finish, but finished a lap down.

Jennerstown Breakdown in 25-lap increments
Start-17th
Lap 25-19th
Lap 50-27th
Lap 75-25th
Lap 100-23rd
Lap 125-25th
Lap 150-20th
Lap 175-18th
Lap 200-17th
Lap 225-15th
Finish-13th

Myrtle Beach Outlook
Laughlin, Jr. has had some good runs and some not so good runs at MBS. He finished second on two occasions, but he also has three finishes outside the top-25. He needs to post another second-place finish at MBS to pull him back within reach of the leaders. Avg. Finish at MBS-14 (8 starts)

September 30, 2003
The USAR ProCup Series heads to Jennerstown Speedway Saturday, October 4th for the running of the Charlie Campbell Memorial Miller Lite 250. Mike Laughlin, Jr’s number 7 Ford Taurus will be there sporting sponsorship from www.truelasertrack.com.

“We started using the True Laser Track System here at Laughlin Race Products over the winter” states USAR driver Mike Laughlin. “Results speak louder than words, last year we finished 30th in the Southern Points and 22nd in Championship Points. This year I’m currently 10th in Southern Points and 12th in Championship Points. The FinishLine Racing School and the True Laser Track has turned my race season around!

Two years of hard work, dedication and testing have gone into the production and accuracy of the True Laser Track (TLT) *patent pending. The old adage of “close enough” no longer pertains to set up. Scrub is scrub and resistance is horsepower. Using the TLT to set up your racecar will make you faster than your competition.

The TLT system is manufactured using 60/61 T6 Billet Aluminum. The precision lasers are manufactured by the same company that the military uses, so rest assured – these are Quality Pieces!

Set your tread width, then use the TLT to square all four corners, center the rear end, align, set toe, lead, off set, roll steer, or any other measurement you need. The Laser is accurate to a few thousandths of an inch!

Adapters are custom made to fit your racecar - Stock Car, Open Wheel, or Drag Car – The TLT is a spindle alignment measuring system that works with any type of race car!
The True Laser Track was invented by owner and Chief Instructor, Mike Loescher of the Finishline Racing School. Mike Loescher will be assisting the Laughlin Team for the five race Championship Shoot-out.

The New Technology is using Laser Accuracy - Plumb bobs and strings are gone forever!!

For more information visit www.truelasertrack.com

12. Mike Laughlin
Championship Series point total - 227
Points earned at Winchester - 123
Point position before Winchester - Tied for 10th
Point position after Winchester - 12th

Winchester Recap
Laughlin had one of his strongest runs of the season at Winchester. He qualified 10th and stayed in there all night long. He ran as high as fourth and finished seventh. It was his best run since his 6th - place finish at Fairgrounds Speedway in July.

Winchester Breakdown in 25-lap increments
Start - 10th
Lap 25 - 6th
Lap 50 - 6th
Lap 75 - 8th
Lap 100 - 4th
Lap 125 - 4th
Lap 150 - 4th
Lap 175 - 4th
Lap 200 - 4th
Lap 225 - 7th
Finish - 7th


Jennerstown Outlook
Laughlin doesn't have a top - 10 finish at Jennerstown. His best finish is an 11th - place finish in 2001 and that may not bode well for his chances this weekend. But if Laughlin can carry over the momentum from Winchester, he could make things interesting. Laughlin is averaging a 14.5 finish at Jennerstown.

September 16, 2003
Mike Laughlin, Jr’s number 7 Ford Taurus will be sporting sponsorship from www.finishlineracing.com in the September 20th USAR ProCup Series race at Winchester Speedway.

Laughlin sat in on a recent FinishLine Racing School session and after some laps around the half-mile in a Late Model, Laughlin stated, “I don’t care if you’re just starting or you’ve been racing for 30 years, the Finish Line school can help you. The minute you think you know everything, it’s time to quit.”

Finish Line Racing - If You Want To Race, This Is The Place! The FinishLine Racing School headquartered in Daytona Beach, Florida; has been rated the finest asphalt, short track race school in the United States. The FinishLine is very unique in the Race School industry as it covers both aspects of race car involvement: The First and “FINISHLINE’S SPECIALTY” is a serious 3 day program designed for the “soon” to be race car driver or even the experienced driver that’s having difficulty getting to the checkered flag. The Second aspect of racing is the “fun fantasy” side - for that they have FinishLine Race Adventures, geared towards corporate Team Building programs.

The School of Hard Knocks is an expensive and dangerous way to learn the skills of racing. Each "knock" eliminates you from competition and requires costly repairs to your car. For less than half the price of one minor wreck, FINISHLINE RACING SCHOOL gives you the finest short track instruction available in America. In the Chassis class you will learn the science of racecar dynamics and chassis set up from Chief Instructor Mike Loescher. The cars you learn in meet NASCAR competition Late Model; Grand American "Open Wheel" Modified and Super Truck specifications. The school also offers Super Late Models, Craftsmen Truck, and a touring modified.

Private coaching is also offered. Chief Instructor and NASCAR Champion Mike Loescher can travel to a drivers race track and work with the Race Car and Crew. All this comes with a 100% money back guarantee- he makes you faster or you don’t pay- now that’s putting your money where your mouth is!!!

FinishLine Racing School conducts classes at USA International Speedway in Lakeland, FL; New Smyrna Speedway, New Smyrna Beach, FL; Martinsville Speedway, Martinsville, VA; and Lanier National Speedway; Atlanta, GA.

CLICK HERE for class pricing

Contact us for more info