Weller brings home a top-20 finish at Bristol

Jimmy Weller and the No. 08 Geneva-Liberty Steel Chevrolet Silverado team finished 19th at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway yesterday.  After heavy storms passed through the area on Wednesday night, the race was postponed until 10 a.m. on Thursdaymorning.  Making his very first NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at “The World Fastest Half-Mile,” Weller was able to hold on for a 19th-place finish marking his fourth top-20 result of the year. 

 

With his agreement to drive the No. 08 Geneva-Liberty Steel Chevrolet Silverado coming together just days before the race, Weller had just mere hours to prepare for his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Bristol Motor Speedway.  However, when the Hubbard, Ohio native arrived at the track on Wednesday morning, he was ready to go and excited to take on the challenge of yet another new track in his Chevrolet Silverado.  Weller fought with the balance of his truck throughout practice and qualifying, but his crew made several changes after each session, to ensure that Weller would be comfortable in his vehicle when the green flag waved. 

 

The Sunoco Rookie contender rolled off 30th in the UNOH 200 on Thursday afternoon.  He radioed into his crew early in the race to report some challenges with the balance in his truck–namely a tight truck through the center of the corners.  The Geneva-Liberty Steel Chevrolet team took advantage of an early caution period to make a series of chassis adjustments that would help Weller’s truck.  During a second pit stop near the halfway point, Weller’s team took right side tires, and during a third pit stop with 50 laps remaining, Weller’s SS Green Light Racing team applied fresh left side tires. 

 

The No. 08 Geneva-Liberty Steel Chevrolet got better with each pit stop, but really came to life when the new left side tires were applied.  By the time the checkered flag waved, Weller was running the best he had all day and was scored with a 19th-place finish. 

 

“I had a lot of fun today in the No. 08 Geneva-Liberty Steel Chevrolet Silverado,” commented Weller.  “We worked really hard all week and took some huge swings at the truck, but we saw big improvements from practice to qualifying, and again from qualifying to the race.  During the first half of the race, we still fought the truck trying to drive through the corners, but it got much better once we put a different set of tires on.  The truck was really hooked up that last run–it was a lot of fun racing there at the end.”

 

Jimmy Weller PR