The initials UMBC probably didn’t mean anything to a lot of people until last night.
That’s when the University of Maryland, Baltimore County did the unthinkable.
A member of the America East Conference, the school became the first No. 16 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
The UMBC Retrievers trounced the Virginia Cavaliers 74-54 in a game at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
It turns out someone in the NASCAR world had a stake in the game.
John Klausmeier, crew chief on Aric Almirola’s No. 10 Ford at Stewart-Haas Racing, graduated from the school.
Klausmeier, 36, has a degree in mechanical engineering from the university. He is in his first season as a full-time CUp crew chief.
SHR’s Twitter account informed every one of Klausmeier’s alumni status soon after the historic game ended.
So, @UMBC_MBB just made history by knocking off a No. 1 seed. Know who’s an @UMBC alum? Our own @johnklax, crew chief for @Aric_Almirola and the No. 10 team. Congrats, Johnny! #MarchMadness
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) March 17, 2018
.@nascarcasm, drop that Wikipedia stuff. SHR is where it’s at. https://t.co/44UhhUced3
— Stewart-Haas Racing (@StewartHaasRcng) March 17, 2018