Ross Chastain (@RossChastain), driver of the Brad Keselowski Racing (@TeamBKR) Bulldog Ford F-Series, started in the 10th position Friday night at Texas Motor Speedway during the WinStar World Casino 400. It was Chastain’s fifth start for BKR after finishing 16th at Dover International Speedway the previous week.
Chastain moved up quickly in the early stages of the race, eyeing the seventh spot, right as the No. 51 brought out the first caution of the night on lap 43. Crew chief, Chad Kendrick, brought the Bulldog machine to pit road for a track bar adjustment, four tires and fuel, rolling him off in the 11th position.
The No. 18 Truck brought out the second caution due to a spin in turn three. With many teams uncertain whether or not to bring their Trucks to pit road, Kendrick elected to keep the No. 19 out for track position.
Chastain’s night took a turn for the worse on his second pit stop, while under green, on lap 99. Chastain, who was in sixth place at the time, brought his Bulldog Ford F-Series to pit road, complaining of it being tight in the center. Kendrick directed his crew to fill it with fuel, change four tires and make a track bar adjustment. During the stop, there was an equipment failure, which cost the No. 19 Ford six spots on pit road. It was a momentum shift that would damper the rest of the night for the No. 19 team at Texas.
Late in the race, the No. 19 got free in between turns three and four, resulting in Chastain’s race Truck sliding up into the wall, causing right side fender damage. Shortly after, the third caution came out due to an accident involving the No. 19 Bulldog Ford in turn three, Chastain was directed to come to pit road for two rounds up on the track bar, fuel and four tires. Due to a penalty on the restart, the No. 19 was told to make a pass-through, which put him a lap down and in the 13th overall position, after having a very fast Ford all night at Texas.
The No. 19 BKR team now sits 12th in the NCWTS owners point standings, 75 points back from first.
“Another tough night for us. I just hate it for the Bulldog folks, because we had a fast race Truck from the get-go. We had a great start, but once the mishap on pit road took place, our night really went downhill from there. The team will be ready for a big night in Kentucky in a few weeks, I can promise you that.” – Ross Chastain
BKR PR
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