Scott Lagasse, Jr. put forth a solid effort in his second start for NTS Motorsports in 2015, earning his second top-10 finish of the year in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS). Although he fought varying handling conditions throughout the 167-lap race, Lagasse and the STEM Scouts team ran in the top 10 for a majority of the night, ultimately finishing eighth at Kansas Speedway.
After earning an 11th-place starting position in the final round of knockout qualifying, Lagasse relayed shortly after the green flag to crew chief Chris Rice that his No. 31 STEM Scouts Chevy was too loose. When the first caution flag of the night waved on lap 12, Rice and the NTS Motorsports crew took the opportunity to bring Lagasse down pit road for fuel and a wedge adjustment, returning to the track scored in the 17th position. With his handling slightly improved but now leaning towards tight, Lagasse had gained two spots by the time the second yellow flag was displayed on lap 42. A quick stop for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment put Lagasse in the 12th position when racing resumed on lap 47. Lagasse was 11th when the field reached the third caution period on lap 67, but a quick two-tire stop had him in the fifth position for the lap-72 restart. After defending his spot in the top five in the beginning of the run, Lagasse had slipped back to 10th when the final caution flag of the night waved. However, the handling on the No. 31 Silverado was much improved, and the NTS crew decided that four tires and tape on the grille would be all the truck needed to compete for the win. Restarting ninth, Lagasse found that the handling wasn’t consistent with the previous run, allowing him to only maintain his position as the laps clicked by. Cutting it close on fuel mileage, the STEM Scouts Chevy sputtered out when the white flag was displayed, and the team was forced to visit pit road on the final lap of the race. However, as other competitors were also running out of fuel as well, Lagasse still drove his No. 31 Silverado over the finish line in the eighth spot.
Scott Lagasse, Jr. on Kansas Speedway:
“We definitely experienced both ends of the spectrum as far as handling went tonight; we were free, then we went a little snug, but I really thought we were going to be great on that final run with just a little tape on the nose. Unfortunately, for some reason, after we made the final pit stop, we just were sliding the nose. I really thought we had our STEM Scouts Chevrolet dialed in. I’m really grateful to Bob Newberry for the opportunity to get behind the wheel of this No. 31 this week, and to the Boy Scouts of America STEM Scouts program for their support to make this race possible. This team is not far off from a win at all. We learned a lot this weekend, and I think it puts us in a great spot to get a victory on an intermediate track soon.”
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