Competing in an industry where image matters and the track waits for no one, the Beaverton, Oregon-based team depends on two Mack Anthem models to haul their Ferraris to racetracks across the continent in style and on time, so they can focus on their high-performance cars and race day preparations.
“Having the old-school toughness that Mack brings, mixed in with the latest technology that makes it safer and a pleasure to drive – it just makes sense,” said Rich Baek, founder and driver for the Vital Speed Motorsports team. “It matches what we do and what we expect.”
“What we do on the track is extremely important and all the steps taken to prepare give us a platform for success,” said Kevin Swartout, director of strategic programs for Vital Speed Motorsports. “We arrive at the track in the biggest and baddest truck, the brightest trailer and the cleanest cars, feeling confident we are ready to compete.”
Combining power, efficiency and comfort with an unmistakably
Mack design, the Mack Anthem model stands out from the crowd. With its bold grille and optimized aerodynamics for improved fuel efficiency, the Mack Anthem gives drivers and businesses the tools they need to command the road.
Uptime is essential for Vital Speed because their cars must arrive according to schedule to prepare for race day, so they partner with Mack dealer TEC Equipment, with locations throughout the Western U.S., for their parts and service needs.
“We’re in a very privileged position to be able to drive absolutely the world’s greatest sports cars for racing,” Baek said. “And I feel like we’re doing the same thing in terms of entrusting all this great equipment to be carried and pulled with Mack trucks. And on top of that, we have TEC as an integral part of keeping our trucks running so that we can have reliable delivery of our products at various parts of the country all throughout the year, which is super important.”
“TEC offers us a one-stop shop,” said Swartout. “It takes a lot of the burden off of us to say they have that aspect, and we can focus on the portions we do.”
Vital Speed Motorsports’ Mack Anthem models feature 505-horsepower Mack MP®8 engines paired with Mack mDRIVE™ automated manual transmissions. Also standard on the Anthem model is Mack GuardDog® Connect, Mack’s integrated telematics solution that monitors critical fault codes, and when it detects an event, proactively contacts Mack’s 24/7 Mack OneCall™ agents. Through Mack GuardDog Connect, several service alerts can be resolved using Mack Over The Air (OTA), which allows customers to make unlimited driver-activated software and parameter updates, improving uptime and simplifying the update process.
Additional RoadLife 2.0 features will air throughout the year. Viewers can watch RoadLife episodes on roadlife.tv, with additional content featured on Mack Trucks’ social channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Well-versed in the demands of the auto racing industry, Mack has served since 2016 as the “Official Hauler of NASCAR.” Through the partnership, Mack Trucks provides a fleet of 10 custom designed Mack Anthem 70-inch stand-up sleeper models spec’d to meet the challenges of the grueling NASCAR schedule.
