Biffle's late surge breathes life into championship hopes
The first half of Sunday's Sylvania 300 had trouble written all over it for Greg Biffle.
But rallying to finish third and leapfrogging from 11th to fifth in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings has put an entirely new perspective on the No. 16 team's final eight races.
"It was a miracle," said Biffle upon climbing from his Roush Fenway Racing Ford. "That was the most fun I've had in a long time, even though we finished third."
Biffle was mired mid-pack for much of the race, sitting 17th 150 laps into the 300-lap event. He started the day 10th and was still only 10th with 75 laps to run.
Having entered the race 31 points behind series leader Matt Kenseth, Biffle knew he was on the verge of falling out of contention two races into the Chase, particularly on a track where passing was at a premium.
But Biffle closed with a rush to salvage his top-three finish. Although he still lost ground to Kenseth, he didn't lose complete contact, remaining within 38 points of the series leader and moving to within two points of teammate Carl Edwards, who also finished strong to place ninth and move up one rung in the standings to fourth.
"Greg did a heckuva job," crew chief Matt Puccia said. "I'm really proud of him and all of these guys after the weekend we had at Chicago (16th in the first race of the Chase). They redeemed themselves with a good run today and I'm looking forward to the next eight."
Most importantly for Biffle, by race's end, he had a car he felt he could win with.
"We didn't pass anybody in the pits," Biffle said. "We passed them all on the race track. We just got good at the end and our car really, really took off. We were able to drive by those guys to get up to third. When the sun went down and it cooled off, my car picked up a lot of speed."
Biffle and Puccia could only wish the 300-lap race was 15-20 laps longer.
"(This race) was about to (get) good," Biffle said. "The 18 (Kyle Busch) was gonna catch the 20 (Kenseth) in the next few laps and I was probably gonna get to the 18's bumper. I just wish it was a 325 instead of a 300."
Said Puccia: "Who knows what would have happened if we had a few more laps? I think we were a little faster than the 18 and 20, but we ran out of time."
Biffle hasn't exactly been on a roll. He had finished no better than eighth in any of the previous 11 races. And he's led only two of the last 12 races for a total of 30 laps.
But Sunday, Biffle was particularly strong on restarts and made a particularly bold move on the race's final one, vaulting past Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr. to charge from sixth to third. He held off Johnson for position the rest of the way.
"I was doing all I could to try and gain spots," Biffle said. "I was three-wide on the bottom and got that to work a couple of times. (But) it's so hard to get a run off the bottom. The 48 (Johnson) was underneath me and he just couldn't get the throttle down on the bottom.
"The 48 was probably faster than me that first 15 laps (of the final run). He was all over my rear bumper but couldn't really do anything. After his tires leveled off, I was able to drive away from him. I'm sure he's not happy right now, not being able to get by me, having what appeared to be a little faster car."
New Hampshire Motor Speedway has never been one of Biffle's best tracks.
His only career win in 23 career starts at NHMS came in 2008, when he won the first two races of the Chase. Biffle finished 15th at Loudon in the July race.
"This is a track we usually struggle at, but we've been working hard on our short track program, so we'll take it and move on to Dover," Puccia said.
And 38 points behind the series leader, Biffle knows he's still in the hunt.
"I've won the first two Chase races before and then didn't win the championship," he said. "Anything can happen."
Kurt Busch Finishes 13th in New Hampshire
Kenseth gets second straight win
Matt Kenseth turned in another dominating performance at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday.
"I just keep taking it one week at a time," Kenseth said. "I just feel like the luckiest guy in the world to be standing here."
He led 106 laps in the second half of the Sylvania 300 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on his way to his seventh win of the season. It was Kenseth's second straight victory two races into the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
"This guy -- he's done an incredible job this year," Kenseth's crew chief Jason Ratcliff said. "This has been an incredible season for us."
Kyle Busch finished second to Kenseth for the second straight week to give Joe Gibbs Racing its second consecutive one-two finish. Busch took the second spot on a restart that followed a caution with 55 laps remaining in the 300-lap race, and the teammates ran first and second the rest of the way.
"There's a reason we think we're the best, and we're showing it the last two weeks," Busch said.
Greg Biffle finished third, Jimmie Johnson was fourth, and Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five.
"We didn't pass anybody in the pits," Biffle said. "We passed them on the race track. We got really good on restarts there at the end."
Martin Truex Jr. dominated the first half of the race, leading 98 laps before losing the top spot to Kenseth on lap 153. Kenseth lost the lead to Jeff Gordon during a caution that came out on lap 164 when Gordon, along with a handful of other drivers, took two tires and Kenseth took four.
Gordon remained up front until a debris caution with 100 laps to go. Johnson and Kenseth got off pit road first and second to restart on the second row behind
Clint Bowyer and Marcos Ambrose, who stayed out, while Gordon was shuffled back to 22nd after sliding through his pit stall.
Kenseth got up to second on the restart and then took the lead from Bowyer a few laps later. Johnson followed him through to second. Kenseth remained up front for the remainder of the race, joined by Busch in the final 50 laps.
"We needed traffic," Busch said, explaining why he was unable to pass Kenseth for the lead in the final laps. "He wasn't good in traffic, but we didn't get traffic."
Dale Earnhardt Jr. recovered from a pit road issue early in the race to finish sixth. During the first caution on lap 30, Earnhardt had to make a second stop to tighten lug nuts. Already mired back in the field, he pitted for fresh tires while the front runners stayed out during a lap-51 caution. Earnhardt then stayed out several laps after everyone else cycled through green-flag pit stops around lap 110.
After the rest of the field cycled through stops, Earnhardt inherited the lead, giving up the position to pit on lap 130. He fell back through the field again with the stop but gained position back with a two-tire stop during a lap-153 caution. He remained in the top-10 for the remainder of the race and finished sixth.
Brian Vickers finished seventh, Jeff Burton was eighth, Carl Edwards ninth and Truex finished 10th.
NOTES: Sunday's race at New Hampshire was Kenseth's 500th in the Sprint Cup Series.... Only two other drivers have ever opened the Chase with two straight wins -- Biffle in 2008 and Tony Stewart in 2011.... The win was the first for Kenseth at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.... Teammates Kenseth and Busch are also first and second in the points standings.... There were 19 lead changes among 11 different drivers.... The yellow flag waved seven times for 37 laps.
Sylvania 300 results from New Hampshire
Eric McClure Posts 24th-place finish at Kentucky Speedway
With one race under his belt since being diagnosed and treated for acute rental failure, Eric McClure traveled to the Bluegrass State to compete in Saturday night’s Kentucky 300 at the Kentucky Speedway. After posting the 25th fastest time in qualifying, McClure battled handling issues throughout the majority of the event and in the end was credited with a 24th-place finish.
McClure started and maintained the 25th position in the opening laps, despite battling a car that was loose on entry and tight in the center of the turns. When the competition caution flag waved on lap 25, McClure brought his No. 14 Hefty® Ultimate™/Reynolds® Camry to the attention of his crew where they changed four tires, added fuel, and made an air-pressure adjustment in hopes of alleviating the handling issues. As the race continued, the handling worsened and McClure slipped to the 28th position.
When the event’s third caution flag waved on lap 60, McClure again brought his car to pit road for four tires, fuel and an assortment of adjustments to help the car’s drivability. When the race resumed, McClure was scored in the 24th position. Despite losing two positions on the restart, the Virginia driver was able to regain the positions lost by lap 75 and was able to maintain the position through the halfway point of the race.
Shortly after halfway, on lap 105, the event’s fourth caution flag waved. Although the adjustments made during the previous caution period slightly helped the car’s handling, the silver, orange, and blue Camry still wasn’t to McClure’s liking. After visiting pit road twice during the caution period for four tires, fuel, and another chassis adjustment to aid in the handling, McClure returned to the track in the 27th position, one lap down to the race leader, for the lap 111 restart.
As the race continued, the car’s handling changed from being too loose on entry to being too tight in the center of the turns. As a result, McClure lost another lap to the race leader on lap 138. Green flag pit stops began around lap 159 with McClure bringing his car to pit road on lap 161 for four tires, fuel, and a track-bar adjustment. Just as McClure returned to the track, the event’s sixth caution flag waved, trapping the Virginia driver two additional laps down to the race leader. Having just pitted, the Hefty® Ultimate™/Reynolds® car remained on track and took the wave around. When the race resumed, McClure was scored in the 26th position, three laps down to the race leader.
In the final 30 laps, the race was slowed three additional times for single car incidents; McClure remained on track during all three. On the final restart, with 10 laps remaining, McClure was scored in the 25th position and with one to go, he was able to advance one position to finish the Kentucky 300 in the 24th position.
Driver, Eric McClure Quotes:
“Tonight was a battle. We started out okay but then we ran into some obstacles. We had to make an extra pit stop under caution for fuel and then got trapped by a caution after a green flag stop. We just had to fight back all night, but the guys worked hard and we will get some good luck as some point.”
TMI PR
Alex Bowman Races Into the Top 5 at Kentucky Speedway
RAB Racing with Brack Maggard and the No. 99 ToyotaCare Camry with driver Alex Bowman came into Kentucky Speedway with one simple goal, to improve on their tenth place finish at the speedway last June. Their goal became more difficult as the scheduled two and a half hours of practice were cut down to only thirty minutes, after rain interrupted the first session and canceled the second and final session. After recording the 19th fastest lap in the first practice session and qualifying in the 20th position, the No. 99 team were still confident for the Kentucky 300 as crew chief Chris Rice had a strategic plan to get to the front.
The green flag flew on the 200 lap event and the plan that crew chief Rice had in place worked perfectly as Bowman immediately began moving through the field. Rice had purposely kept the No. 99 on the tight side all weekend as he knew the race track would lose grip throughout the nighttime event. With only thirty laps completed Bowman was already knocking on the door of the top 10, running in the eleventh position and consistently completing laps at the same speed the as the top 5. It was evident early in the event that Bowman had a fast car, owner and general manager Robby Benton who is also the spotter for the No. 99 cautioned the rookie driver, telling him to save his equipment for the end of the race. Bowman did just that and ran in the top 10 the rest of the night, through fast pit stops, small car setup adjustments from Rice, and daring three-wide passes on restarts. On the second to last restart of the night, with only 14 laps to go, Bowman made the move that would ultimately set him up for a top 5 finish. In the very first corner Bowman shot to the bottom to make it three wide and went from ninth position to fourth position, and after a fierce battle with the Nationwide Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr., Bowman finished in the fifth position. The fifth place finish was the team's second of the season, and was the 16th top 15 finish in only 27 races so far this year. Bowman also received the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award, and was the highest finishing Toyota Camry.
Alex Bowman: "If you would have told me at the beginning of the night we would have a top 5 finish, and be the highest finishing Toyota Camry I wouldn't have believed you, but my crew chief Chris Rice had a plan this entire weekend. The car setup he utilized just wasn't fast for one or two laps, but over a long green flag run where handling came into the equation we were as good as anyone in the field. I have to give a lot of credit to our RAB Racing pit crew and crew chief Chris Rice, we had a really fast ToyotaCare Camry all night and with the right adjustments at the right time and fast pit stops they put me in position to capitalize on other's mistakes. I had a lot of fun tonight racing some really great competitors, racing really tight in three wide battles and have always enjoyed the track here at Kentucky Speedway, so I will have a smile on my face for a few days. Next week will be a challenge as we just haven't mastered the "Monster Mile" in Dover, Delaware but this will definitely give us some momentum."
With his fifth place finish Bowman was able to gain a considerable amount of ground on the top 10 in the driver point standings, but stayed in the 11th position, 44 points out of 10th position. Robby Benton also gained ground in the owner point standings but maintained his 16th position, only 44 points out of the 13th position. The next race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series is the One Main Financial 200 at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, September 28th. The race will be televised live on ESPN2 and can be heard on SIRIUS Satellite Radio and MRN Radio.
RAB Racing PR
Strong run for Kligerman ends with disappointing finish
Parker Kligerman was on the cusp of a top-five finish, battling side-by-side with Brian Vickers for the sixth spot in the closing laps of the Kentucky 300 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta when Cole Whitt unsuccessfully tried to make things three-wide and sent the No. 77 Camp Horsin' Around Camry into the outside wall down the frontstretch. Unable to finish the race due to the extensive damage, Kligerman and his Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) crew were relegated to a 29th-place finish.
"First of all, I have to congratulate Ryan Blaney on getting the win tonight -- it's cool to see when somebody takes advantage of the opportunity given to them," Kligerman said. "We were battling side-by-side with the 20 down the frontstretch and the 44 decided to make things three wide in a spot on the track where everyone knows you can't go three wide -- not really sure what he was thinking, everybody knows that as you head down into Turn 1 your fighting for that one groove. It's too bad for everybody on this No. 77 Camp Horsin' Around team, we had a strong run going and it was going to be a solid points day until someone just made an idiotic move and ruined it."
Kligerman started Saturday night's race from the 11th spot and had advanced into the ninth spot when the competition caution slowed the field for the first time on lap 26. The 23-year-old communicated that his Camry was "pretty tight" during the run and when pit road opened, he was given a fresh set of right side tires and a full tank of fuel. He returned to the track scored in the eighth spot for the lap-30 restart.
Shortly after the restart, Justin Allgaier dove to the inside of Kligerman and got loose underneath him. The No. 31 shot up the track and pushed the No. 77 into the rubbish near the outside wall. By the time that the talented youngster gathered his Camp Horsin' Around Toyota he had fallen back to the 23rd spot. When a two car accident occurred on lap 38, KBM's Camry was scored in the 20th spot.
Crew chief Eric Phillips summoned his young driver to pit road, where the over-the-wall crew administered a four-tire and fuel stop with a wedge adjustment. Kligerman took the lap-41 restart from the 25th spot and by the time the third caution of the race flew on lap 61 advanced up to the 16th spot. Still reporting that his Camry was "tight center and off," the team made another four-tire and fuel stop and another round of adjustments.
As the race approached the halfway mark, the Camp Horsin' Around Camry ran just outside the top 10. Fluid on the track slowed the field for the fourth time on lap 106 and once again the No. 77 team elected to pit for four fresh tires and a trackbar adjustment. The crew returned their young driver to the track scored in the 12th position for the ensuing restart.
On lap 125, Kligerman broke back into the top 10 for the first time since his incident with Allgaier on lap 31. The Connecticut native had maneuvered his way into the eighth spot just before the sixth caution of the race occurred on lap 163. He reported that his Toyota was "still really tight and got tighter as the run went along." Looking to improve track position for the closing laps, Phillips called for a two-tire stop. With lead lap cars on varying strategies, Kligerman took the lap-172 restart from the ninth spot.
The 23-year-old driver got hung out on the restart and had lost one position when the seventh caution slowed the field on lap 175. On the ensuing restart, Kligerman made a strong charge on the outside and by the time the field crossed the stripe one lap later he had advanced into the sixth spot. He was in a side-by-side battle for that position when a one-car spin slowed the field on lap 182. NASCAR officials radioed that the No. 77 Camp Horsin' Around Camry would be scored in the seventh spot behind the 20 car for the restart. Shortly after the field went back to green-flag conditions, Whitt ended the team's bid for a top-five finish and caused extensive damage to the team's Toyota.
Ryan Blaney picked up his first career Nationwide Series victory in just his 15th series start. Austin Dillon finished 2.017 seconds behind Blaney in the runner-up spot. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points leader Matt Crafton and NASCAR Nationwide Series points leader Sam Hornish Jr. were fourth and fifth respectively. Alex Bowman, driving a KBM Chassis, rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were nine caution periods totaling 44 laps. Six drivers led a lap, exchanging the lead six times. Twelve drivers failed to finish the 200-lap event.
Kligerman remains 10th in the Nationwide Series championship standings with 27 of 33 races complete, 179 points behind Hornish Jr. The Kyle Busch owned No. 77 team ranks 13th in the owner's championship standings, 302 points behind the series-leading No. 22 team.
The No. 77 Toyota Racing team heads to Dover (Del.) International Speedway Sept. 28 for race No. 28 on the schedule. Live television coverage of Saturday's 200-lap event begins with NASCAR Countdown at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN 2.
KBM PR
Pastrana finishes 34th in Kentucky after an early accident
Roush Fenway Racing’s Travis Pastrana and the No. 60 Ford Mustang finished 34thin Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) night race at Kentucky Speedway after an accident forced the team to retire from the race.
The NNS visited Kentucky Speedway for the second time of the season for another race under the lights. Rain midway through Friday’s first practice session ended practice early and cancelled the second session of the day.
On Saturday afternoon, Pastrana qualified his No. 60 Ford Mustang in eighth. Under a setting sun, the NNS cars took the green flag for a 300-mile race at the 1.5-mile course. Pastrana immediately began moving his way forward, jumping up to fifth by Lap 2.
Pastrana remained in fifth, until the Lap 25 competition caution. Pastrana told the crew that his car was just a tick free on entry and a little tight in the center. Crew Chief Chad Norris radioed the No. 60 down pit road to take four tires and fuel, as well as a slight wedge adjustment.
Several teams opted to take two tires, which dropped the No. 60 to 12th for the restart. Immediately after the restart, Pastrana informed the crew that the car was much looser after the first pit stop of the day.
Six laps later on Lap 36, contact from the No. 3 of Austin Dillon sent Pastrana for a spin. The No. 60 came down pit road early, to avoid damage from flat tires. The team bolted on four fresh Goodyear tires and added fuel. Pastrana visited pit road again under this caution for a track bar adjustment to help the chassis.
After the spin and two pit stops, Pastrana restarted 27th. When the race restarted on Lap 41, Pastrana was quiet on the radio as he tried to work his way through the pack. On Lap 60 Pastrana lost control of the No. 60 and spun in the middle of Turns 3 and 4. The nose of the car then made contact with the wall.
Pastrana was unable to drive the car back to the garage and after evaluating the damage, the team retired from the race, ultimately finishing 34th.
RFR PR
In his NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) debut, Jeb Burton impressed with a hard fought eighth-place finish at Kentucky Speedway. The 21-year-old NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) regular and championship contender hit the 1.5-mile track in the No. 34 Arrowhead/Kangaroo Express Chevrolet Camaro with hopes of a top-10 finish, but things took a turn for the worst when the weekend's two practice sessions were drastically effected by rain in the area. With just 20 laps of experience in his NNS car, Burton managed to qualify the No. 34 Camaro in 13th position. After many tight battles in the Kentucky 300, Burton and his Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) team crossed the finish line in eighth place, far exceeding expectations for their NNS debut.
Burton and his team entered the two-day event with knowledge of the Sparta, Kentucky track, having scored a top-10 finish at the speedway months ago in the NCWTS. Competing in a NNS car, however, was something that Burton did not have familiarity with. The TSM team tested in the Camaro at Nashville Speedway weeks prior to their debut but hoped for as much time on the track as possible for Burton to adjust and get comfortable. As the weekend's first practice session approached on Friday, all eyes were on the weather radar as the threat of rain began to increase. With the track green and the weather holding off, Burton and the No. 34 Arrowhead/Kangaroo Express car hit the pavement and began to make adjustments. The weather didn't hold off for long and after only 20 laps on the track, NASCAR called the first practice. Efforts to dry the track were ineffective as more rain moved into the area, ultimately forcing NASCAR to cancel the second practice along with all track activity for the remainder of the day.
Retuning to the speedway under clear skies on Saturday, Burton took a shot in an unfamiliar racecar and managed to qualify in 13th position for the Kentucky 300. As the green flag dropped, the No. 34 car quickly jumped into the top 10 and remained there until a competition caution came out on lap 27. Burton came down pit road to receive four tires, fuel and a small adjustment, restarting outside the top 10. The young driver communicated to crew chief Mike Hillman Jr. that he was extremely tight and it was clear because Burton quickly dropped to 18th position. Hillman told Burton to keep racing hard and they would take a big swing at the adjustments during the next pit stop. Remaining out during the second caution on lap 38, the track went yellow again on lap 62, giving the No. 34 team an opportunity to make changes. After receiving four tires, fuel and making both air-pressure and wedge adjustments, Burton restarted among the top 15 but fell to 17th position, remaining there throughout a long green-flag run.
By lap 107, the yellow flag had dropped again and the No. 34 Arrowhead/Kangaroo Express car visited pit road to receive four new tires, fuel and a track-bar adjustment. After another caution arose, Burton reported that the car was still tight all around but felt like it was coming to life. Hanging inside the top 20, Burton and another competitor made contact during a long green-flag run, forcing the sixth caution of the night to arise. Burton received the free pass from NASCAR and quickly climbed back into the top 15 before another caution on lap 175. Hillman called Burton down pit road to receive four tires, fuel and repair minimal damage to the No. 34's nose.
With 20 laps remaining, Burton radioed to Hillman, "I'm really loose and feel sideways like I did at Eldora. This is fun!" Following two more cautions, Burton managed to gain multiple track positions on the restarts and a top-10 finish quickly became a reality. The impressive 21-year old rookie crossed the finish line in 8th place in his first-ever NNS race.
"This race was a lot of fun," said Burton. "The style and feel is completely different from trucks. I think if we had gotten more time in the car during practice, we could've run in the top five. But hey, for getting only 20 laps in the car before racing it, I think a top-10 finish is a win for us. I'm really thankful for my Turner Scott Motorsports team. Today just showed how hard working and awesome these guys are. We learned a lot, had fun and now we're even more ready for Vegas."
TSM PR
Kyle Larson Faced with a Tough Night at Kentucky Speedway
Kyle Larson came to Kentucky Speedway hoping to rebound from a rough weekend last time out in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) at Chicagoland Speedway. After finishing 10th in his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut at Kentucky Speedway last summer, and earning a seventh-place finish in the first NNS race at the 1.5-mile track this season, Larson and his No. 32 Clear Men team looked for a solid night in Sparta. Unfortunately, Larson experienced a series of issues, first encountering a fueling problem, then pitting for a loose wheel and finally being forced to retire from the race after experiencing a wheel hub failure, which resulted in a 33rd-place finish.
The weekend started off strong for Larson and his Turner Scott Motorsports team, as they had the fifth-quickest time in the rain-shortened practice session on Friday afternoon. With final practice washed out by the rain, the No. 32 Clear Men team wasn't sure what to expect in qualifying on Saturday afternoon. After qualifying 19th, Larson explained to his team that despite being slower than they wanted, he still felt good about their car for Saturday night's 200-lap race.
Larson rolled off 19th in the No. 32 Clear Men Scalp Therapy Chevrolet Camaro, but quickly gained several spots, entering the top 15 on lap four. Larson reported that his Chevy was tight everywhere, but he maintained the 14th position until NASCAR called a competition caution on lap 26. Larson reported that his car was now a little free into the corners, but tight center off, so crew chief Trent Owens called his driver to pit road for four tires, fuel and air-pressure and wedge adjustments. Larson restarted in 15th on lap 31 and found himself in a five-wide battle, where he was able to gain positions. The Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender took over the 11th position on lap 36 when the second caution flag waved. Larson radioed his crew to say that his car felt much better after the adjustments made on the previous pit stop, and Owens made the call for Larson to remain on the track.
After restarting in 11th on lap 42, Larson took over the 10th spot just before the caution flag was displayed again. This time, Owens brought Larson back to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. The No. 32 Turner Scott Motorsports team quickly realized that no fuel had made it into the car and Larson returned to pit road under caution to remedy the fueling issue. Larson restarted in 27th position on lap 69 and worked his way to 21st before radioing his team to report a vibration on lap 72. After explaining that the vibration seemed to be in his right front and was worse in the corners, Owens immediately brought Larson back to pit road to change four tires. The crew discovered that they had a loose wheel, and Larson reported that his vibration was gone after he returned to the track.
Following his unscheduled green-flag stop, Larson was scored in the 29th position, the second car one lap down. The 21-year-old gained a spot on lap 84 and put himself into position to receive the free pass if the caution flag waved again. Owens let his driver know that he was running times as fast as the leader of the race, and Larson set out to maintain his pace. However, on lap 99 Larson reported another vibration and then radioed to say that he had no brakes. Owens called Larson into the garage, and the Clear Men team diagnosed a broken wheel hub in the right front of the No. 32 machine. Unable to finish the race, Larson was relegated to a 33rd-place finish.
"We had a good car, and we were running good lap times," commented Larson. "Unfortunately, we just had another night of bad luck. That seems to be the way things are going for my Turner Scott Motorsports team and I lately. It's great that we keep showing up to the track with such solid race cars, but we want to be able to capitalize on that and get the finishes that this team deserves. Hopefully we'll go to Dover and have better luck there."
TSM PR