Kaz Grala No. 33 NETTTS Chevrolet Silverado New Hampshire Recap

Returning to his home track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS), for the second time in his NCWTS career, Kaz began the weekend ninth and tenth-fastest in Friday’s practice sessions, as well as qualifying 12th for Saturday’s UNOH 175.

 

Throughout the first 55-lap stage of the race, Kaz battled a NETTTS Chevrolet Silverado that was too tight in the center of the corner but too loose when on the throttle. Holding on to the 11th position when the stage ended, crew chief Jerry Baxter made the strategy call to bring Kaz down pit road for two tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment to try to aid in the Chevy’s handling as well as gain track position. Lining up second for the restart on lap 62, Kaz was able to use the clean air to hold off most of the trucks behind him with fresher tires. Scoring valuable stage points at the conclusion of Stage Two by finishing fifth, Kaz reported that his No. 33 had a neutral feel to it that allowed him to position the truck where he needed to on track. Coming down pit road under the stage break, Kaz got four tires and fuel, returning to the track fifth for the final 57 laps of the race. As a long green run ensued, the handling on Kaz’s NETTTS Chevy began to go away, swinging to the loose-side once again. Battling to maintain his position in the top-10 despite handling woes, Kaz crossed the finish line with a 10th-place finishing position at NHMS.

 

Quote
“As much as I wanted a top-five finish today at New Hampshire (Motor Speedway), I think this was one of the best races I have run all year. We had a solid day of no mistakes. Jerry (Baxter) made a great strategy call to get us some clean air early on, the handling just started to go away on the NETTTS Chevrolet towards the end of the race. These are the types of races we need to have if we want to go further in The Playoffs.”

 

Additional Info
– After the first race of The Playoffs, Kaz is seeded sixth in the NCWTS Playoff Standings, 3 points above the cutoff line.

 

GMS Racing PR