Ryan Truex and the No. 83 Burger King / Dr Pepper Toyota Camry team finished 38th at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Sunday night. In a 600-mile event that spanned over four hours, Truex suffered a motor failure just 50 miles short of the finish line, which forced him to become the third driver to retire from the event for a similar issue.
After starting in the 36th position, Truex called into his BK Racing team to ask for more security as he navigated the turns at the 1.5-mile Charlotte Motor Speedway. The team called for a variety of air pressure, spring rubber, and chassis adjustments during their opening round of pit stops in the 600-mile event. With the track temperatures cooling as the sun set, the Burger King / Dr Pepper team continued to make routine adjustments to keep up with the changing track as the race progressed.
NASCAR’s only 600-mile race is known to push drivers, crews and equipment to its limits. By lap 260, Truex had to visit the garage due to a broken left front spindle. One of the items that it takes longer to fix, Truex was in the garage for the better part of 60 laps while the crew replaced the part. Just 60 laps after returning to the track, Truex felt something amiss in the motor, but the engine quickly expired leaving oil on the track. Unable to complete the event, Truex was scored with a 38th-place finish.
“The 600 is always a tough race,” commented Truex. “It’s grueling on everyone, and especially on equipment. Even in last week’s Shootout and All-Star race, which are a fraction of the distance, we saw guys have motor issues, so it’s no surprise that we saw it again tonight. I’m happy with the effort of my Burger King / Dr Pepper team this week. When we had a spindle break earlier tonight, everyone was in the garage working on the car, and did their best to get us back on track as soon as possible. Unfortunately, once we had the motor failure there was nothing more that we could do tonight. However, we’re looking forward to getting to Dover [Del.] next weekend. We’re happy with our short track program, and we’re excited to see what we’re able to accomplish at that one-mile oval.”
BK Racing PR
