RAB Racing and the No. 99 SchoolTipline.com Toyota Camry driven by Alex Bowman survived the multiple green white checkered attempts to finish the CNBC Prime the Profit 200 in the tenth position, the team’s second top 10 in the last three races.
Bowman and the No. 99 SchoolTipline.com Toyota struggled in qualifying with a 21st place effort, but as soon as the green flag fell, Bowman began to move through the field. On lap 46 out of the 200 laps the No. 99 was in 16th place, picking off cars one at a time and being patient for the end of the race. Caution flew with two laps to go and crew chief Chris Rice was one of only three cars to come into the pits to take tires and fuel to assure Bowman could make it to the finish. It was that strategy and Bowman dodging multiple incidents over the course of three green white checkered attempts that brought the car home in 10th place, and winning the Sunoco Rookie of the Race. The tenth place finish was the team’s 9th top 15 finish of the season.
Alex Bowman: “I think if anybody would have told me I’d be sitting in the media center for anything after how we were in practice and throughout the beginning of the race, I would have laughed. Just got to thank everybody at RAB Racing for working really hard and never giving up and gotta thank School Tipline for staying on board. Chris Rice (crew chief) made a lot of really good calls during the race and some people decided to take themselves out at the end and with the strategy that Chris Rice played, taking fuel and tires on the first caution with two laps to go we were there to capitalize on the opportunity and brought it home 10th. It was definitely a nerve racking experience with the multiple green white checkered finishes and all the incidents happening right infront of me, we were fortunate enough to avoid all of them and have enough fuel to finish the race. All the strategy we played to get to that point, all the pit stops during the course of the race that I picked up positions, I just really need to thank everyone who works at RAB Racing.”
Bowman still holds the 11th position in driver point standings, and Robby Benton also maintained the 15th position in owner point standings. Next race for the NASCAR Nationwide Series is the STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway on Sunday July 21st.
RAB Racing PR
