Eggleston Earns a 13 th Place Finish at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Chris Eggleston and the No. 54 Globe Sprinkler / H2O Fire Protection Toyota Tundra earned a 13-place finish is the North Carolina Education Lottery 200 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway over the weekend. Bo LeMastus and the No. 17 Crosley Brands Toyota did not qualify for the race after a rain storm forced NASCAR Officials to cancel qualifying.

 

After the lineup was set by Owner Points standings per the NASCAR rule book, Eggleston was given a 14th-place starting position for Friday night’s race at the one-and-a-half-mile track in Charlotte. On the initial start, Eggleston dropped back a few spots as he was getting a feel for the truck in traffic and the track alike. At the conclusion of the first 30-lap Stage, he was scored 20th. During Stage Two, Eggleston fought tight conditions in the truck. Kevin “Bono” Manion, crew chief, called Eggleston down pit road at the conclusion of Stage Two for adjustments. A quick stop by the No. 54 pit crew allowed the team to gain valuable track position, restarting 16th in Stage Three. During a caution on lap 84 of competition, Manion called for Eggleston to stay out while a majority of the field came in for tires and fuel. Restarting fifth on old tires proved challenging for Eggleston as he quickly fell back in the field, but the pit strategy played into his favor when another caution fell with 22 laps remaining. The team pitted during the late-race caution, restarting 23rd with four new tires and 17 laps remaining. Eggleston was able to work his way to a 13th-place finish in his first race at Charlotte Motor Speedway since 2010.

 

“I feel like we had a pretty solid race. It was certainly a learning experience for me,” said Eggleston. “I was a little timid in traffic and it took me a little bit to get into a rhythm. I forgot how aero-sensitive these trucks are in traffic. Overall, all night was just a learning experience and I’ll be a lot more confident going into the next one. Luckily, pit strategy ended up working out in our favor and we were able to gain some track position there at the end with fresh tires. It was a lot of fun racing there at the end and we will just take what we learned and move on to Texas.”

 

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will be back in action on Friday, June 8, at Texas Motor Speedway (Fort Worth, Texas) where Eggleston and LeMastus are both set to be back behind the wheel. 

 

DGR-CROSELEY PR