Race Highlights:
Mike Bliss qualified 25th for the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300, followed by David Starr in 29th, Blake Koch in 32nd and Cale Conley in 33rd.
The 300-lap race included eight cautions for 48 laps and one lead change among one leader.
David Starr finished the 300-lap race 18th, followed by Cale Conley in 19th, Mike Bliss in 20th and Blake Koch in 32nd.
David Starr Finishes 18th in the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300
David Starr strapped into his No. 44 BYF/Zachry Camry Saturday afternoon and was ready to take the green flag from his 29th qualifying position. When the caution flag waved on lap 56, Starr was scored in the 24th position and came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. Starr reported that his Camry needed more forward bite. On lap 110, Starr was scored in the 18th position and when the next caution came out the team chose to take the wave around and did not pit. Running 16th on lap 187, Starr was quiet on the radio. Just a few short laps later, Starr received minimal right front damage in an on track incident and would pit on lap 197 for repairs. Starr reported on lap 206 that his Camry was tight through the center and that the car wasn’t turning very well due to the damage. With 20 laps remaining, Starr was scored in the 18th position and would maintain that position to finish the 300-lap race 18th.
Start- 29th Finish- 18th Laps Led- 0 Points- 26 points
Driver QUOTE: “It was a hard fought battle today. Our car handled pretty well in the beginning and the team worked hard to make adjustments. We sustained damage to the right side of the car late in the race and there was little rebounding from that point. It was a tough day, but we are optimistic about Richmond.”
Cale Conley finishes 19th in the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300
Cale Conley and the No. 14 IAVA team unloaded at Bristol Motor Speedway with hopes of improving upon their last finish. Conley used his experience at this track to avoid contact throughout the race and bring home a 19th-place finish. Race day started out on a frustrating note after Conley spun in the first round of NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying and made contact with the wall in turn 2. The No. 14 IAVA crew made swift work of repairs, but Conley was only able to turn minimal laps in the session and would begin the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 from the 33rd position. Conley steadily advanced through the field throughout the 300 laps, breaking into the top 20 by lap 60. He narrowly avoided a number of incidents and finished in the 19th position.
Start- 33rd Finish- 19th Laps Led -0 Points- 25 points
Driver QUOTE: “It was an ugly top-20, but a top-20 nonetheless. We just hung on all-day and survived. We made it to the end and that’s what you get at Bristol when you keep it clean and race conservatively. Considering how qualifying went, we’ll take that 19th place finish and improve upon it next week at Richmond.”
Mike Bliss Finishes 20th in the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300
Mike Bliss started the 33rd Drive to Stop Diabetes 300 from the 25thposition. The No. 19 TriStar Motorsports Camry was experiencing loose conditions as Goodyear rubber began to build up on the .533 concrete track. Bliss maneuvered through the field two spots to 22nd, as the event’s second caution fell for debris on lap 55. He reports to Crew Chief Paul Clapprood that the 19 he really wanted to work the high side of the track, but couldn’t because of the leaders and the loose condition his Camry had acquired. Bringing the red and white No. 19 to pit road for some adjustments, Bliss maintained the 22nd position as the field resumed. By lap 104 Bliss and his Camry slipped three positions to 25th, causing him to radio that upon the start of the green flag run the car was “tight”, but as the tires wore in and the rubber continued to build the car would become “super loose”. The more wear Bliss’ Goodyear tires saw, the more loosely the Camry got. By the next caution on lap 118, Bliss was still marked in the 25th position. Contemplating on whether to pit or take “the wave around”, Clapprood made the executive decision take the wave around. Gaining two positions before the next caution flag flew on lap 175; Bliss said he was unable to turn the car in the middle. A series of cautions occurred as the field logged 200-laps and the No. 19 Camry had “no front grip,” for Bliss. Inching closer to the top-20 Bliss restarted 22nd with 43-laps to go. Gaining two more spots as the event’s final caution flew with 20 to go, Bliss held on, despite having a now “tight” car, to finish 20th marking his second top-20 finish of the season.
Start- 25th Finish- 20th Laps Led- 0 Points-24 points
Driver QUOTE: “I can’t thank my guys enough for all their work over the past week preparing the car. I can’t help but feel like we’re missing something. I need to be better and I look forward to digging in and working hard with them on troubleshooting. No matter what I did, as the race progressed into a long green flag run, the car would be crazy loose and I could barely turn it. I love Bristol and I’m happy we were able to get a top-20.”
Blake Koch Finishes 32nd in the Drive to Stop Diabetes 300
Blake Koch and the No. 8 LeafFilter Gutter Protection team thrashed during practice on Friday afternoon to shake down the Toyota Camry. Koch qualified 32nd for Saturday’s race. Early into the race, Koch was quiet on the radio and was scored in the 30th position on lap 50. When a caution came out on lap 56, Koch brought his No. 8 LeafFilter Camry to the attention of the pit crew for four tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment and an air pressure adjustment. After restarting 28th, Koch quickly got on the radio and reported that his Camry was extremely tight. When the caution flag waved on lap 119, Koch pitted for four tires, fuel, adjustments and to remove tape off the grill. On lap 193, Koch reported that this race reminded him of his race in Phoenix earlier this season. Under the red flag, Koch reviewed his lines with his spotter and was ready to take the green. With 49 laps to go, Koch was scored in the 24th position and would advance two positions to finish the race 22nd.
Start – 32nd Finish- 22nd Laps Led- 0 Points- 22 points
Driver QUOTE: “This wasn’t the day we were hoping for in the LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camry, but I can’t thank my team enough for their hard work. Although this isn’t the finish we were hoping for, I am positive that we can rebound from this next week in Richmond. I can’t thank LeafFilter enough for coming on board this weekend, as well as Celsius, Ingersoll Rand and SaltLife.”
Tristar Motorsports PR
