Andy Lally drve his Interstate Moving Services Ford to a 21st place finish in his home state this weekend as he and his TRG Motorsports team improved their Top-35 points position for the third consecutive week. Lally’s performance at Watkins Glen allowed him to earn top rookie honors yet again. The race marked Lally’s second career top-25 finish at the 2.45 mile road circuit.
Rain postponed the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen event, which was originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon, to Monday morning. However, the rookie driver was more than ready when the green flag dropped.
“We didn’t perform as well as we wanted in qualifying, which is unfortunate because track position is so crucial at a road course such as Watkins Glen. There just isn’t a lot of room to pass here. We ended both practice sessions in the top-20, but the track changed a lot between practice and qualifying and we missed on some of the adjustments we made. When the race started, I knew I just had to be patient, take advantage of opportunities to pass, and work my way up through the field. We had a solid run, our pit strategy worked great and we ended up with a decent day. I finished 18th here last summer, and would have liked to finish a little better today, but part of that is just me always wanting to get better. The important thing is that we added to our top-35 cushion for the third straight week”
Watkins Glen marked a double-duty weekend for Lally, who also competed in Saturday’s Grand-Am Rolex Series event, where he finished 15th. The TRG Porsche team of Spencer Pumpelly and Steve Bertheau provided for yet another addition to the TRG trophy case as they went on to claim the win in the GT class.
Team owner Kevin Buckler is happy with his team’s performance and improvements.
“This is the 4th straight event we’ve gone to victory lane with our Porsche team. On the cup side of things, we just keep getting a little better each week. Andy earned his best finish since Talladega, earlier this spring. We showed a lot of speed all weekend long. The rain threw us a bit of a curveball. Our team now has to deal with a short week before heading to Michigan. But those guys just keep giving 110% no matter what they’re up against, so I’m sure they will be able to come through yet again this weekend. A lot of guys let their emotions get to them this weekend, so I’m proud of Andy for using his head, keeping the car out of trouble, and bringing us home a solid finish.”
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