The bad luck bug will just not go away for David Starr and the SS Green Light Racing team as the engine in his Build Your Future Campaign/Zachry Toyota dropped a valve 37 laps into the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Coca-Cola 250 Powered by fred’s at the Talladega Superspeedway.
The SS Green Light Racing entry was solid in Friday morning’s lone practice session posting the thirteenth quickest time and backed that result up in the afternoon qualifying session on the 2.66-mile tri-oval track by qualifying the No. 81 thirteenth with a lap of 54.82 seconds at 174.66 mph, giving the Build Your Future Campaign/Zachry Toyota the inside of the seventh row at the start of the 250-mile race.
At the drop of the green the inside lane proved to be the quickest line and David moved up to tenth on lap five, but it didn’t take long for the outside line to gain momentum and as the trucks races side-by-side in a large pack. David was shown in sixteenth on lap ten.
While running fourteenth on lap fourteen David narrowly missed a spinning Nelson Piquet Jr. as the caution flew for the first time. He brought the Build Your Future Campaign/Zachry Toyota to the attention of the SS Green Light team for four ties and Sunoco racing gas and was set for the next green flag run.
David stayed in the top-twenty as the trucks ran side-by-side drafting in two close rows until the second caution flew on lap 36. Crew Chief Jason Miller kept David on the track as the leaders came to pit and the No. 81 was shown as the leader earning a valuable bonus point that may make a difference in the final point standings. David ducked into the pit on the next lap for tires and fuel and rejoined the back of the pack.
On the ensuing restart following the second caution the bad luck that has plagued the SS Green Light team throughout the 2011 season struck again when a valve spring in Starr’s Toyota powerplant broke; the valve dropped down and put a hole in the piston causing a disappointing early ending to the Coca-Cola 250 Powered by fred’s. It was Starr’s fifth DNF of 2011.
“There’s not much you can do except go back and get ready for the next race,” Starr said. “It is what it is and we move on from here. The guys will get the short track truck finished up for Martinsville and we’ll hope for some better luck.”
Starr was credited with 30th in the final rundown behind winner Mike Wallace and dropped one spot to thirteenth in the NCWTS driver’s standings behind leader Austin Dillon. With just three races remaining in 2011, David is now 33 points behind Parker Klingerman for the tenth spot.
The NCWTS teams head to the Martinsville Speedway for the Kroger 200 on Saturday, October 29th.
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