West Bound and Down TMC Drivers Complete Western Swing with JR Motorsports race, the primary drivers flew home with the team while the co-drivers handled the return with a quartet of TMC drivers filling in for the first leg. Professional truck drivers are, in a word, professional. Driving is what they do, and the actual process of it is no different than the jobs they do every day for TMC. It’s still really cool, however, to drive one of JRM’s transporters cross-country. The first four drivers who handled the return trip were impressed with the whole thing. That’s saying something, considering the fact that among them, they have 81 combined years behind the wheel.
Two legs of the annual
West Coast Swing for JR Motorsports are in the books, and the seven hand-picked long-haul drivers from JRM partner TMC Transportation have headed back to their respective home bases, secure in the knowledge that they provided a vital service for the North Carolina-based racing team. Early in March, JRM’s primary truck drivers departed for ISM Raceway in Phoenix, Ariz., back in the saddle after a
bruising round-trip run from Charlotte, NC, to Las Vegas and back. It’s an all-hands evolution, and thanks to partner TMC Transportation, it’s a little easier to accomplish. On the trip to Las Vegas, JRM’s primary drivers - Jeff Miles (No. 1), Mark Armstrong (No. 7), Mark Daniells (No. 8) and Chris Burton (No. 9) - and their co-drivers - John Pounds (No. 1), Steven Kenahan (No. 7), Troy Cole (No. 8) and Daryl Matthews (No. 9) - handled the 36-hour run out. After the
The drivers—Matthew Bohl (Vermilion, Ohio), Jesse Beasley (Mt. Vernon, Ill.), Mike Harris (St. Charles, Iowa) and Tony Beres (Des Moines, Iowa)—were chosen out of a hat after being nominated by various department heads at TMC. “A group of department heads throw in names of drivers that they’ve interacted with, guys that have proven themselves and represented the TMC brand for many years,” Beres revealed. “It’s kind of like winning the lottery as names get pulled out of a hat. We get a good, diverse group, drivers from different divisions. The whole fleet is represented.” Beres, a 23-year veteran with
Spring 2019 Edition | Destination: Excellence | 5
