The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series season is down to its final races and Germain Racing seems to have recovered from a challenging year and is finishing the season in strong fashion. They aimed to continue the trend when they unloaded the No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 for the Veterans Day event at ISM Raceway.
Taking to the track on Veterans Day weekend, Dillon and Germain Racing honored all of the brave men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces by carrying the GEICO Military livery on their No. 13 Camaro ZL1.
Dillon qualified 28th and looked to gain ground when the green flag signaled the start of 312-laps of racing at the newly configured one-mile oval located just outside of Phoenix, AZ. Without hesitation, Dillon was hard on the gas of the GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 and gathered up four positions in as many laps when racing got underway on Sunday afternoon.
As Dillon hustled his way through stage 2, his water pressure skyrocketed, forcing him to carefully wheel the GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 around the track while trying to manage the soaring temperature. Despite the issue, the second year Cup Series driver exercised a veterans calm and maintained his position, not surrendering to the hard-charging cars behind him. The pit crew ultimately removed tape from the grill during a subsequent caution, which resolved the issue for the Welcome, NC, native.
While Dillon did his part on the racetrack, crew chief, Matt Borland, contributed with a successful strategy that kept the GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 running toward the front of the field. The Germain Racing crew also chipped in with quick pit stops and, in the third and final stage, they acted fast when a battery problem struck Dillon with less than 100-laps remaining in the race. On lap 231, during the event’s fifth caution flag of the day, Dillon radioed to Borland that he was battling a voltage issue. During Dillon’s trip to pit road, Car chief, Billy Plourde, acted swiftly when he changed the battery and returned the No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 to the racing surface without the loss of a lap.
Perseverance was the word of the day and, after overcoming multiple obstacles in unwavering fashion, Dillon delivered his GEICO Military Camaro ZL1 across the ISM Raceway finish line in the 19th position. The result accounts for Germain Racing’s seventh top-20 of the year, but, more importantly, it contributes to the team’s string of solid finishes and helps cement their goal of finishing strong as the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season draws to a close next weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
“What a crazy day of highs and lows for our GEICO Military team. My Camaro ZL1 had a great balance through the start and middle of the race, I just needed a bit more drive through the corners,” Dillon said after exiting his No. 13 GEICO Military Camaro ZL1. “Then the battery problem hit us, and we had to switch out batteries during a caution. That could have potentially ended our day, but thankfully the voltage maintained instead of dropping. My balance wasn’t exactly where I needed it in the final stage of the race, but my team kept tweaking it to get it closer. Everyone’s hard work today earned us a top-20 finish. We came to Phoenix wanting to make the most of what we have left of the season, and I’d say that we capitalized on everything we had today.”
Germain Racing will now travel to south Florida for the 2018 NASCAR Cup Series season finale.
Ty Dillon and the No. 13 GEICO Camaro ZL1 will hit the track at Homestead-Miami Speedway for the weekend’s opening practice session on Friday, November 16th, at 1 PM (ET). Qualifying will follow at 6:10 PM (ET).
The Ford EcoBoost 400 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race is on Sunday, November 18th, and it will be televised live on NBC beginning at 2:30 PM (ET). The Motor Racing Network (MRN) will carry the live radio broadcast, along with SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.
PMI PR