Andy Lally looks to continue his current streak of improvement this weekend at Michigan International Speedway. The team’s 21st place finish at Watkins Glen International last weekend helped the team to improve their position in the top-35 of NASCAR’s Owner’s Point Standings for the third consecutive week. The team’s position in the top-35 will give the team a guaranteed starting position in Sunday’s Pure Michigan 400.
The race will be Lally’s second trip to the 2 mile-long D-shaped oval.
“We had a really solid weekend all around last week at Watkins Glen. There were a few curveballs that came our way with the weather and the track conditions, but my guys did a great job handling everything that came our way. The true measure of a team is often related to how well they can handle adversity, and my team has really been doing a fantastic job the last few weeks. I’m happy to be going back to Michigan. We were caught up in a wreck not of our doing earlier this year, so my first goal is to complete all the laps this weekend. I think we picked up on some good things setup-wise in our last visit and have made some huge improvements to our program over the past few weeks. We have limited practice this weekend, so I’m glad that we are in the top-35 and can focus on our race setup this weekend.”
Crew chief Doug Richert has a pair of career victories at Michigan and will be looking to add another solid finish to his resume this weekend.
“Our team has really been on an upswing lately. When you are a small team like ours, sometimes your progress gets overlooked. I just want everyone to know how proud I am of our pit crew, Andy, and everyone at the shop. This is a team sport and a team effort. It’s an awesome feeling to see this team beginning to mesh. Our results on the track are improving every week and I feel that is a direct result of the effort this team is putting in.”
Team owner Kevin Buckler also noted the team’s recent improvements and is looking forward to the weekend as well.
“We have had a good three weeks in a row and we’ve definitely gotten a lot better and people are taking notice. You build a team through constant improvement and that’s exactly what these guys have been accomplishing. Everyone is stepping up. Andy is stepping up and developing as a driver. I think the first half of the season, he was still getting his feet wet and learning the ropes and of course, the tracks. Now he has some laps under his belt. He’s qualified in the top-10, run solidly up against the NASCAR regulars and gained a lot of experience. We’re beginning to see how talented of a driver he is and how gifted he is as a learner. We’re at the point now where we are solidly in the top-35 and looking to get to the next level. The only way to get there is to keep putting together races like we have the past three weeks. I’m proud of Andy, of this team, our partners and looking forward to the upcoming weekend.”
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