Ambrose Climbing Points Ladder As He Prepares For Darlington

DARLINGTON, S.C. (May 5, 2009) – If you ask Marcos Ambrose what he would like to check off his list there are two things for certain, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory and a shot at the championship.

Earlier this season, JTG-Daugherty Racing’s goals were simple considering it was their freshman year going up against multi-car powerhouse teams like Hendrick Motorsports, Roush Racing and Joe Gibbs Racing. Now, the team is knocking on the door of the top-12 drivers vying for a coveted spot in The Chase.

“No doubt, we are still outperforming our own expectations and that’s a good thing,” Ambrose said. “I said to my crew before we ever started the year, let’s just try our best to look good and show those glimpses of promise. Then from that, we will be able convert, hopefully, results and get the points thing under control. The focus was about that. We just wanted to run well when we are running.”

Leading into Darlington Raceway with the No. 47 Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota, JTG-Daugherty Racing is 19th in the championship standings -- only 120 points out of 12th place. It’s still early in the game, but Ambrose is keeping his eye on the prize.

“Right now, my crew and I are sitting down here in Daytona for a Goodyear tire test having lunch talking about how we are only 120 points out of 12th-place after 10 races,” Ambrose said. “We never expected to be in this position. We are not getting carried away either. We’ve just got to focus on what we have been doing which is build a solid car for the race. We need to get it fast enough in practice so we can show speed during the race and work out the finish from there. All things considered, we have done well so far. We’ve just had a few reliability issues that have kept us out of the top 12 in points.”

First he recorded a strong 10th-place finish at Bristol and then a fourth-place effort at Talladega Superspeedway where he had no Cup experience. Richmond International Raceway was no different. Ambrose finished 11th in a heavily-damaged car.

“When we loaded our car after the race, it looked like we had finished a race at Martinsville Speedway,” said crew chief Frank Kerr.

This season, Ambrose has one top-five, two top-10, five top-15 and seven top-20 finishes. That’s not too shabby considering he’s in his first full season in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and only in his fourth season of oval track racing.

“We are good on short tracks, superspeedways and intermediate tracks,” Ambrose said. “We’re doing well on all of them. I honestly thought short tracks were going to be an issue for me to get up to speed to learn because I hadn’t raced a Cup car on a short track or even superspeedways for that matter. However, we’ve had our best results at those places.”

“We had a solid finish at Richmond, but we were crashed,” Ambrose continued. “We came back to have a decent finish considering all that we faced. You can bash those cars around and even back them into the fence and they will keep moving. We had good moments and bad moments, but we bounced back from adversity and almost got another top-10.”

The only laps Ambrose has turned at Darlington Raceway is in a JTG-Daugherty NASCAR Nationwide Series entry. He managed to keep the sides on his No. 59 Kingsford car to finish 19th and 10th in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Explaining his relative success at the "Track Too Tough to Tame," Ambrose points to the driving coach that JTG-Daugherty Racing hired when he first came to America.

“Robert Pressley really knows how to get around Darlington and he did a lot to help me learn the unique racing line and mind-set that it takes to get around the place," Ambrose said. "I’m so excited to get to Darlington, but I’m not so sure how I’m going to finish the race. It’s one of those weekends that you just like to go there, but you are not so sure how it is going to work out. It’s a great track. I’ve had one race there on the old surface and one on the new. I’ve had a good taste of what it is all about. It’s a very aggressive place to go. I can’t wait to get there with the Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota.”

Today, Ambrose wraps up his two-day Goodyear tire test and heads on to Darlington.

“Actually, David Reutimann was asked to go to the test first, but I twisted his arm and stuffed him in a locker,” Ambrose said. “I told him he couldn’t go and that it was my turn. I think he’s actually spending time with his family in North Carolina and I’ve chose to come down here to get some more drafting practice for the July race. It’s the second Goodyear test I’ve done. I did one at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Every chance I get, I want to get in one of these cars to get experience. I felt I was weak in my drafting during the Daytona 500. I couldn’t get in the middle of it all; so any chance I can get practice in the draft down here is going to help me.”

“We run through some single-car runs for Goodyear on Monday and today they are putting us together in a pack,” Ambrose continued. “They are going to try some slightly different configurations -- a little bit wider right-side tire that they have in the works for us to see how that feels.”

Live coverage of the Southern 500 is on Saturday, May 9th at Darlington Raceway. It all begins at 7 p.m. ET on FOX and 6:30 p.m. ET on MRN Radio and Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Michael Waltrip Previews Darlington Raceway

What can fans expect to see this weekend at Darlington?
“If fans can’t get excited about what they’re going to see at Darlington Raceway on Saturday night, they shouldn’t even try and watch the Cup race because it is all going to be there. They’ll see lots of speed, running right up next to the wall, competition, tradition and it’s even Mother’s Day. Darlington produces the total package for race fans. I can’t wait!”

The track has gone retro this year after painting the retaining walls white and red to look like it did in the early years. You’ve raced there for 25 seasons. Do you have any Darlington stories that stick out in your mind?
“I remember watching the Darlington races as a kid on television. Wide World of Sports would sandwich my brother Darrell and Bobby and Donnie Allison between ping pong and sumo wrestling. That’s the only way back then to get a taste of NASCAR. You had to get it in a hurry. But, one of my favorite racing stories was back in 1985. I was coming off of Turn 2 and I was driving my rear end off. There was like 50 laps to go and I was so focused. I was into it. Just as soon as I came off of Turn 2, a car drove up beside me. This huge hand went out the window and pointed at me. It was Dale Earnhardt. He was telling me that I had cut him off. I thought to myself, ‘If I could just go down Turn 3 and make a right, I could make it back to Owensboro, Kentucky.’ All I wanted to do was remove myself from the uncomfortable situation. I really didn’t want Dale Earnhardt to kick my butt when I got out of my car after that race. When I think of that story, it makes me laugh.”

Do you expect the track to be different after sitting for a full year after running last year’s event when it was newly paved?
“Last year we saw well over 200 mph speeds going down into Turn 1 during qualifying. Who would have thought that? I liked it when I got there last year and saw how smooth it was, but I knew it was going to be fast and sticky. I think all of the drivers will be relieved a little bit if we get down there and the track is a little bit bleached out. When it bleaches out, and it is not as black, it means it has lost some grip. It will be the same old, tough Darlington, but you won’t have to go over 200 mph down into the corner. Some guys like that especially the guy that won last year – Kyle Busch.”

Michael Waltrip Fast Facts

• NAPA AUTO PARTS driver Michael Waltrip will start in his 736th NASCAR Sprint Cup race when he competes in the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in Darlington, S.C.

• The No. 55 Toyota Camry will once again have the NAPA Adaptive One Brake Pads paint scheme. Adaptive One Brake Pads are designed to reduce noise and brake dust without sacrificing the ‘stop-on-a-dime’ braking power. During the month of May, NAPA is offering a great rebate on a four-wheel brake job using NAPA’s Adaptive One Brake Pads. For details, go to AdaptiveOne.com for all the rebate details.

• Waltrip will compete in his 43rd race at the 1.366-mile track. His best start is sixth (March 18, 2001) in the NAPA machine and best finish is third (April 7, 1991).

• During his career at Darlington, Waltrip has earned three top-five, eight top-10 and 25 top-25 finishes. His average start is 23rd and average finish is 22nd.

• Waltrip has completed 12,463 of 14,088 laps (88.5%) at the track and has led a total of 214 laps in competition.

• Entering this week’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Waltrip is 24th in the driver and owner points standings. The NAPA is guaranteed a starting spot in Saturday night’s race.

EVENT FACTS
Race: 11 of 36
Southern 500
Darlington Raceway

Length: 367 laps/501 miles

Distance: 1.366–Mile Oval

Date: Saturday, May 9

Time: 7 p.m. ET

TV: FOX
Radio: MRN; Sirius XM Satellite Radio, Ch. 128

2008 Winner: Kyle Busch
2008 Pole: Greg Biffle

NOTABLES
Cup Qualifying
Friday, May 8 at 5:00 p.m.
SPEED

Cup Practices
Friday, May 8 at 11:30 p.m. & 1:30 p.m.
SPEED

This Week in NASCAR
Monday, May 11 at 8 p.m.
Only on SPEED

All Times Eastern

Media Alert: Michael once again appears on the NBC sitcom, My Name is Earl. “Inside Probe Part 2” will air Thursday night at 8 p.m.

Vote for Mikey! Fast track Michael into the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race. Sprint customers, vote on your phones by texting “NASCAR” to 7777 to download NASCAR Sprint Cup MobileSM to cast a vote. (Standard text messaging and data rates apply.)

Or, visit http://sports.sprint.com/speed/?id9=vanity:speed

Vote Now! Vote Often!


2009 NAPA AUTO PARTS PIT CREW
** Ryan Langley Front Tire Changer
Chris Hall Front Tire Carrier
Tony Cardamone Jack Man
** Mike Ellershaw Rear Tire Changer
** Eric Wakeland Rear Tire Carrier
Art Harris Gasman
Shawn Soules Catch Can
Ron Otto Eighth Man
** Terry Spaulding Hose and Sign
Craig Harper Gas Runner
Mark Maloney Second Gas Can

** New Crewmembers

Lowes Foods To Partner With Michael Waltrip Racing

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Lowes Foods and Michael Waltrip Racing have teamed up to race for the checkered flag in three races this season at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C. Lowes Foods is proud to be an associate sponsor of the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota and No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota as David Reutimann and Michael Waltrip compete in the NASCAR Sprint Showdown for a spot in the All-Star Race on Saturday, May 16th.

Lowes Foods associate sponsorship will continue with the two Michael Waltrip Racing entries for the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, May 24th. Lowes Foods also announces their primary sponsorship of the No. 99 Toyota Camry driven by David Reutimann in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race on Friday, October 16th.

“Being a North Carolina based company, Lowes Foods is proud to partner with Michael Waltrip Racing and sponsor a car in NASCAR,” said Lisa Selip, Director of Marketing for Lowes Foods. “Lowes Foods customers are NASCAR fans and we are excited for the opportunity to connect with them outside of our stores.”

“It’s great to have Lowes Foods as a Michael Waltrip Racing partner,” said Michael Waltrip, driver of the No. 55 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota and founder of Michael Waltrip Racing. “Lowes Foods is where I do my grocery shopping and I want my fans to know about the quality and variety they offer at affordable prices.”

As part of this partnership, Lowes Foods customers will receive one free entry to Michael Waltrip Racing’s Raceworld USA when a valid Lowes Foods receipt over $25 is presented at the entrance during the month of October. Additionally, Lowes Foods will hold a sweepstakes where two customers will have the opportunity to win a grand prize fantasy trip to the Bank of America 500 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on October 17, 2009, a second place prize, a shopping cart race with David Reutimann worth $500 of free groceries or a third place prize, a $250 Lowes Foods gift card and a Michael Waltrip Racing prize pack.

Founded in 1954, Lowe’s Food Stores, Inc. (Lowes Foods) employs 8,500 people and operates 109 stores in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The company is focused on offering fabulous, fresh foods and groceries at a great value in an environment that is fast and easy to shop. Its customer-service focus has led it to develop innovative services such as Lowes Foods To Go personal shopping service and to offer customers the services of a Corporate Nutritionist. Information about these and other services may be found at www.lowesfoods.com.

Over a decade ago, Michael Waltrip established a modest family-owned NASCAR Nationwide Series team in Sherrills Ford, N.C., called Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR). In 2007 when TRD, U.S.A. (Toyota Racing Development) entered competition in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and Nationwide Series, Waltrip developed a strong partnership with Toyota to field three full-time Toyota Camrys at the pinnacle of the sport while maintaining the integrity of his championship caliber Nationwide team. In the midst of building three NASCAR Sprint Cup teams from the ground floor, Waltrip commenced the construction of a 140,000 sq. ft shop in which his two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams and Nationwide Series team are housed today along with JTG-Daugherty’s No. 47 Toyota Camry.

Ambrose Overcomes Late Race Incident to Post Top-15 Finish at Richmond

Marcos Ambrose and his JTG-Daugherty Racing team scored their fifth top 15 with an 11th-place finish Saturday night at Richmond International Raceway. The team rebounded after Ambrose had substantial damage to No. 47 Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota from being shoved into the outside retaining wall with 94 laps remaining. "Not sure what happened there, but Sam Hornish got into us and then we were in the wall," Ambrose said. "We had a lot of damage to the rear end, but the crew worked on it and didn't give up. Thankfully we were able to stay on the lead lap and have a good finish."

The swift recovery by the JTG-Daugherty Racing team kept Ambrose 19th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series owner points standings and closer to the top 12 cut off for The Chase. The team is now 120 points out of 12th heading into Darlington Raceway this weekend. On Saturday, rain earlier in the day had NASCAR hustling to dry the .75-mile oval before the start of the 400-lap race. The event started as planned, but the first six laps were led by Brian Vickers under caution because the track was still damp. As NASCAR turned the 43-car field loose on Lap 7, Ambrose started from 21st position and was inside the top 20 by Lap 19 running lap times the same as leader Brian Vickers. “We were loose off,” Ambrose said.

By Lap 69, Ambrose was turning laps faster than leader Jeff Gordon. With his sights set on the top 10, the Australian driver marched into the top 15 at Lap 87. Ten laps later under green he was on pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. When a caution occurred at Lap 114, Ambrose was in 11th place when he drove back onto pit road. “The Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota was a little tight, but it was good other than that at the time,” Ambrose said. “It didn’t seem like it was getting full power until the start finish line though.” Following the team changing four tires and making more adjustments, Ambrose restarted 11th on Lap 121. A moment later, Ambrose communicated to crew chief Frank Kerr that he was loose off the corners. As he maintained his top 15 run the car’s handling worsened. The over-the-wall crew took another stab at it on Lap 151 under caution.

Less than 20 laps later, the yellow flag waved again. Kerr and Ambrose wanted to try something different so the crew put on only two tires and made adjustments. On Lap 183, the pit crew was hoping for a caution because Ambrose had no grip. Ambrose slid outside the top 15 eight laps later. The JTG-Daugherty team caught a break and Ambrose returned to pit road at Lap 192. He restarted 15th five laps later, but his car continued to have handling issues. Even though his car was a handful, Ambrose was back inside the top 15. “We were tight in the middle and loose off,” Ambrose said as he entered pit road on lap 213 under caution.

Following a track bar adjustment, pulling a quarter rubber out and four tires, the No. 47 Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota team was scored in 17th place. As the car did not respond to the changes positively, Kerr had the team put the track bar back where it was, put a rubber in the left rear and make a small air pressure adjustment on Lap 274. “The No. 47 Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota was a handful,” Ambrose said. “We would get a handle on it and then we would lose it.”

On Lap 285, the team elected to stay out when the caution flag waved again. “We were really tight through the middle and loose off,” Ambrose said. “We had only run five green flag laps,” Kerr said. “So, we stayed out there.” Shown in 13th place as the field took the green, Ambrose went back to work and was focused on capturing his third top ten of the season. On Lap 306, his efforts were derailed as the No. 26 car of Jamie McMurray and the No. 77 car of Sam Hornish Jr. slid up the track. The contact made to the No. 47 Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota by the No. 77 car sent Ambrose spinning into the outside retaining wall in Turn 2.

There was substantial damage to the rear end of the No. 47 Bush’s Best® Baked Beans Toyota. Ambrose came in on Lap 308, 309 and 311 for tires, repairs and fuel. As Ambrose was leaving pit road on Lap 312, the field took the green. Fortunately, the caution flag was displayed immediately as Martin Truex Jr. and Mark Martin was involved in an incident. Ambrose was back on pit road. After all the adjustments and repairs were made, the 32-year-old restarted 21st on Lap 317. An accident involving Jimmie Johnson, David Stremme and Kasey Kahne on Lap 325 allowed the team to put on four tires and make another track bar adjustment under caution. “It was loose in and tight in the middle,” Ambrose said. “The crew did a great job of repairing the car and they didn’t give up. They just kept working at it.”

With 50 laps to go, Ambrose settled into the top 15. The JTG-Daugherty team had one last chance to work on the car at Lap 358 under caution. “We did what we could to repair the car and we told Marcos to do what he could and that we were not coming back in,” Kerr said. “Marcos did an amazing job. He almost had another top 10 finish. This time with a car that was wrecked. He’s impressive.” Ambrose almost captured his third top 10 of the season by crossing the finish line in 11th-place. Kyle Busch won the event, Tony Stewart finished second, Jeff Burton finished third, Ryan Newman finished fourth and Mark Martin rounded out the top five.

After a two-day Goodyear tire test on Monday and Tuesday, Marcos Ambrose and his JTG-Daugherty team travel to Darlington Raceway for race number 11 on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series circuit. Live coverage of the Southern 500 on Saturday, May 9th begins at 7 p.m. ET on FOX and 6:30 p.m. ET on MRN Radio. The event will also air on Sirius XM Satellite Radio.

Waltrip Finishes 24th in Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway

NAPA AUTO PARTS Driver Remains 24th in Championship Points Standings

RICHMOND, Va. -- NAPA driver Michael Waltrip rallied back from being one lap down to finish on the lead lap and in 24th position in Saturday night’s Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway. Waltrip, driving the Adaptive One Brake Pads paint scheme for his sponsor, battled an ill-handling car during the first half of the race, but by the halfway mark, his car was a top-10 contender. Waltrip’s seventh top-25 finish of the season keeps him 24th place in the championship standings – just 213 points out of 12th and just 75 markers out of 20th.

“All I wanted to do was run a mistake-free race,” said Waltrip who started the Crown Royal 400 in 30th position. “I did that. I just wish my Adaptive One Brake Pads Toyota would have handled better at the end. It pretty much went to pieces as it had no forward bite. It was a top-10 car in my opinion and it’s a shame we couldn’t have gotten that result.”

“Michael drove hard and drove fast,” said crew chief Bootie Barker at the end of the race. “We only had scuffed tires for him to run at the end so he did a heck of a job out there with what we could give him.”

A damp track forced the 43-car field to start the race under caution, but just six circuits later, polesitter Brian Vickers led the field to the green flag. However, it took only two laps for the first caution flag to be thrown as Dave Blaney spun out in Turn 4. Waltrip came over the radio to tell Barker that his car was loose off the corners and not down into the track. Barker put his pit crew to work to make an air pressure change to tighten up the car. Waltrip returned to the track in 41st position.

The next 100 laps saw Waltrip running outside the top-25 and one lap down to the leader Jeff Gordon. Despite the challenge in track position, Waltrip’s lap times in the NAPA Adaptive One Brake Pads Toyota were consistently improving. By the time the third caution flag was thrown on lap 115 for an accident involving Jeremy Mayfield, Barker told his driver he had gained a lot of speed during the last run so more air pressure changes were made. Waltrip went back out in 31st position and Clint Bowyer was the new leader when the green flag was thrown on lap 121.

“We started way far off on the set up in the beginning of the race,” said Waltrip. “But the car was getting much better. Bootie was making good calls on the adjustments.”

Kasey Kahne would bring out the next caution on lap 149 when he spun out on the frontstretch. As before, Waltrip’s car was picking up the pace, but was still loose off the corners. This time, Barker added a wedge adjustment along with air pressure changes. The pit crew completed the stop in 14.2 seconds allowing the Adaptive One Brake Pads Toyota to pick up two positions on the track. The race was back up to full speed on lap 155 with Virginia-native Denny Hamlin in the top spot.

Waltrip’s teammates David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose were running up in the top 15 and the NAPA Adaptive One Brake Pads Toyota was running the same lap times. All Waltrip needed was to get in contention for the Lucky Dog-free pass and that’s exactly what was happening as the race continued on. By lap 300, Ryan Newman was the new leader and Waltrip was racing David Ragan for the free pass. The only challenge for Waltrip was on restarts. It took the NAPA Toyota about 10 laps to get up to speed so Regan was the beneficiary as the next caution came out just seven circuits later when Waltrip’s teammate Ambrose had an accident after Sam Hornish Jr made contact with him. Ambrose’s car was damaged in the rear, but was still able to continue on and remain on the lead lap. Barker opted to keep Waltrip out in favor of track position. When the race returned to green conditions on lap 312, Gordon was once again the leader and Waltrip was scored in 24th position and in line for the free pass. Barker’s call was the right one as Mark Martin, Newman and Martin Truex Jr. got tangled just one lap later.

Waltrip showed his emotions as he cheered over the radio as he was back in the game. This time the NAPA Adaptive One Toyota was brought in for service for just four fresh tires and fuel. The two-time Daytona 500 champion went back out in 22nd place and kept his forward momentum going as he picked up four positions on the track by the time the 13th caution was thrown after Bobby Labonte made contact with David Stremme. The incident also collected Jimmie Johnson and Kahne. Waltrip used the opportunity to come back in for four fresh tires. The race went green on lap 335 with the NAPA Adaptive One Toyota in 16th position.

During this next run, the handling on the NAPA Adaptive One Toyota was once again loose off the corners. Barker felt the track was changing as the night went on but believed Waltrip was better off staying out on the track in favor of the track position. Plus, the large number of caution flags had teams on pit road, including the No. 55, searching for a set of fresh Goodyear tires. Waltrip did the best he could as his car was a handful. The NAPA driver held on as he saw his driver Reutimann and Vickers run into problems in Turn 2. The incident brought out a caution on lap 357. Barker chose to bring his driver in for air pressure and a spring rubber change. The team bolted on four scuffed tires and returned to the track in 24th position. The lack of four, fresh sticker tires appeared to have hampered Waltrip’s attempt to pick up positions on the track. He had to settle for a 24th-place finish.

Meanwhile, Kyle Busch claimed his third victory of 2009 and the Richmond weekend sweep on his 24th birthday. Busch is the first driver since Cale Yarborough to win a Cup race on his birthday. The night before, Busch claimed the Nationwide Series event.

Waltrip’s teammate Ambrose didn’t let his accident on the track faze him as he finished in 11th place. Reutimann didn’t have the same luck as he had a disappointing 28th-place result which dropped him to 13th position in the championship standings.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series once again goes Saturday night racing. This time the Cup boys head to the track “Too Tough to Tame” – Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Broadcast coverage starts at 7 p.m. ET on FOX. It also can be heard on MRN and Sirius XM Satellite radio networks.

Reutimann Finishes a Dissapointing 28th at Richmond

RICHMOND, VA (May 2, 2009) David Reutimann finished 28th at the Richmond International Raceway NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Crown Royal 400 Saturday night after the No. 83 of Brian Vickers washed up the racetrack and spun out Reutimann’s No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota with 43-laps to go. Looking at a sure top-15 finish, the late contact caused Reutimann to lose a lap and valuable championship points in route to the disappointing finish.

Unloading with one of the fastest cars on the track, Reutimann and the Aaron’s team were top-5 in both practices and qualified eighth for Saturday’s 400-lap race at the ¾-mile “Action Track”. Rain peppered the area most of Saturday but subsided shortly before the green flag and allowed the race to get underway as scheduled.

Reutimann fell back to 20th position for most of the first 200-laps as the Dream Machine did not provide sufficient grip through the center and exit of the turns. Crew Chief Rodney Childers ordered several chassis changes during pits stops in the first half of the race, but none of the changes made a big enough difference in the handling until a spring rubber was removed out of the right rear and the car came to life.

Removing the spring rubber and changing only two right-side tires gave Reutimann top-ten track position, which would be where he would ride for the next 100-laps. Still wanting more control through the turns with 50 to go, Childers ordered the Dream Machine down pit road for a final chassis adjustment and four fresh tires, but the pit stop pushed Reutimann’s position back to 17th, further back in traffic than desired.

Only seven laps after the green flag on lap 350 Vickers car pushed up from the bottom lane and spun Reutimann out in turn two. The spin caused the left front tire to go flat and the damage from the contact caused the Dream Machine to struggle with control during the remaining 40 laps. Reutimann would persevere and finish a disappointing 28th. The finish cost Reutimann two positions in the NSCS championship race, dropping him from 11th to 13th.

The next race for Reutimann and the No. 00 Aaron’s Dream Machine will be next Saturday at the Darlington International Speedway in Darlington, SC.