Justin Haley No. 24 Kingman Chevrolet Silverado Gateway Recap

Justin Haley, driver of the Kingman Chevrolet, finished both of Saturday’s practice sessions at Gateway Motorsports Park in the fourth position. In just his second start at the 1.25-mile track, Haley qualified in the eighth position for the 160-lap event.

 

Early in the event, the 18-year-old reported to crew chief Kevin Bellicourt that the No. 24 was turning good everywhere but he could use a little more lateral stability. At the end of the first stage, Haley pitted for two tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment, advancing into the sixth position for the start of stage two.

Just 10 laps into the second stage, the driver told the team he was tight on entry as he began to fall outside the top-10. He dropped back to the 14th position before the yellow flag was shown at the conclusion of the second stage. He visited the Kingman Chevrolet team for four tires, fuel and adjustments to help with the entry.

 

A long green flag run during the final stage allowed the No. 24 team to use pit strategy to gain track position on the final stop. Haley brought his Chevrolet Silverado to pit road under green for fuel only after reporting that he was just a little tight in the center of the turn. A caution with 11 laps remaining allowed Haley to pit for four tires and restart in the 13th position. He was able to advance into the top-10 in the closing laps for his third consecutive top-10 finish.

 

Quote

“The No. 24 team did a great job working through a tough night. We struggled with our handling all night but Kevin (Bellicourt, crew chief) made a great call at the end to pit for tires and we were able to come out of it with another top-10. I’m really proud of the progress this team has made and feel good about what we’re bringing to the track in these next few weeks.”

 

GMS Racing PR