Delaney Notches Top-10 Finish At Lime Rock Park

 

 

            Lakeville, CT (August 15, 2009): Delaney Motorsports worked really hard to improve their road course program this season, and the efforts have paid big dividends.

            Dustin Delaney, driver of the No. 39 Delaney Infrastructure Chevrolet, posted an eighth place finish in the NASCAR Camping World East Series Mohegan Sun 200 at Lime Rock Park Saturday afternoon. The finish was his fourth top-10 of the season and moves him up to seventh in the point standings with only two races remaining.

            “We’re really happy with this finish,” said Delaney. “We had a good car all day and this is our best finish on a road course. We’re headed in the right direction!”

            Delaney started 13^th after posting a qualifying lap of 55.797 seconds on Friday afternoon. Patience was the order of the day as Delaney took the green flag so maintaining his position while things sorted out was the agenda. After the first lap, the team moved into the 12^th position, where they remained for the next 13 laps.

            A caution flag tightened the field for a restart at lap 14 with Delaney moving into tenth when racing resumed. The No. 39 moved up closer to the front as the leaders began a round of green flag pit stops at lap 20, but Delaney himself came in at lap 25 to take on fuel. At lap 30, with most pit stops done, Delaney was running 12^th.

            A long green flag run developed, and with the temperatures soaring at 90 degrees and above, driver stamina became critical. Delaney persevered and continued to move to maintain his position just outside the top-10. The caution finally flew at lap 70.

            “I was waiting for a caution every lap,” said Delaney. “It was exhausting and it was probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It tired me out pretty good with the heat and all.”

            The break was just what the team needed to get refreshed for the final laps of the race.

            Though racing only resumed for another lap, Delaney had moved up to eighth for the green at lap 84. The race was extended to a green-white-checker with Delaney holding on to his eighth place position at the checkers.

            “I’ve definitely learned to be more patient in the car and to know when to go for it and when to wait for it to come to you,” said Delaney. “We had a good pit stop today and we stayed out of trouble, and we came out of here with a solid finish.”

            The NASCAR Camping World Series East hits the track next at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 18^th. For more information on Dustin Delaney, visit www.dustindelaney.com.

 

Bad Break For Kobyluck, Mohegan Sun Racing

At Lime Rock Park

 

            Lakeville, CT (August 16, 2009): Sometimes, no matter how hard you prepare, things just don’t go right.

            Matt Kobyluck and the Mohegan Sun race team were keyed up about the Mohegan Sun 200 at Lime Rock Park this weekend. Not only was Mohegan Sun sponsoring the race, but Kobyluck’s record to date at the 1.53-mile course has been stellar. They were expecting nothing less than a podium finish. After setting fast time in both practice sessions, all indications were pointing to just that. But then the car stalled in the esses on his first qualifying lap.

            Things just went downhill from there.

            Kobyluck’s crew cleaned out the fuel cell, including drying out the foam, flushed out the lines, and changed out the carburetor. They replaced spark plugs and got the car running again. Because the NASCAR Camping World Series East event was an impound race, Kobyluck had no chance to take the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet out for a test drive.

            The team was still optimistic despite a 21^st starting position, but on the first lap of the 200-mile race, Kobyluck’s No. 40 came to a stop in the esses once again. The tow trucks were summoned and Kobyluck went to the pits.

            There, he went 32 laps down while the crew addressed the problem once again. He did return to the track and Kobyluck was fast. He posted the second fastest lap of the day and gained a lap back by passing the leaders.

            “We changed the fuel pump twice and changed the carburetor on pit road. When we pulled behind the wall we discovered there was a problem with the fuel pick up line. It had collapsed,” said Kobyluck. “When we did get back out there, we were running a second or so faster than everybody. If everything had gone right we had a shot at winning the race, but it is what it is.”

            Kobyluck’s bad luck didn’t end there, however. At lap 70, Kobyluck was thrown into a dangerous situation that ultimately ended his day.

            “The back end started coming around a little bit on me after I wheel-hopped it going into the corner on the uphill,” explained Kobyluck. “I got into the tire barrier, and I couldn’t back up so I was sitting there waiting for the local caution. It never came. After the 10 tagged me, it spun me around into the middle of the track. No one slowed down. It was one of the most unsafe positions I could be in. I was very fortunate because I was in the racing groove with my driver side door at traffic.”

            Fortunately, Kobyluck was not hurt in the incident, but the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet was done. There was damage to both the front and rear of the car.

            “It’s extremely frustrating,” said Kobyluck. “We’re out of the championship hunt now. Mathematically we still have a shot, and we will give it everything we’ve got, but with the way the 00 is running it’s going to be hard.”

            For more information on Matt Kobyluck, Mohegan Sun Casino, or Mohegan Sun Racing, visit www.mattkobyluck.com.

 

Moffitt Scores Another Top-10 Finish

For ASM At Lime Rock Park

 

            Lakeville, CT (August 16, 2009): Brett Moffitt was on his way to a podium finish at Lime Rock Park’s Mohegan Sun 200 Saturday afternoon when he went off course on a late-race restart and was relegated back to tenth place for the final laps of the NASCAR Camping World Series East race. Moffitt rallied on the final green-white-checkered start to post an eighth place finish – his seventh of the season.

            “We had a really good car and really good pit stops,” said Moffitt. “I was just a little too aggressive on that last restart and just lost it. Overall, the guys were great and put in a tremendous effort all weekend long.”

            Moffitt got a quick lesson in how tricky Lime Rock Park can be when he hit the tire barrier in the first practice session Friday afternoon. ASM crew members quickly went to work on repairing the damage and had the 17-year-old driver back out on the track for the second practice session an hour later. Moffitt turned the seventh fastest time in practice, and then backed it up with a qualifying effort of 54.541 seconds to earn a fourth place starting position.

            Moffitt held the No. 44 Castle Chemicals Chevrolet in the fourth position through the first turn, but dropped back to fifth when the No. 12 of Jesus Hernandez got by him on lap eight. A full course caution tightened the field back up for a restart at lap 14 where Moffitt was able to regain his position in the top four.

            A cycle of green flag pit stops began at lap 19 when then-leader Matt DiBenedetto came down pit road. Moffitt followed at lap 21 for a quick gas and go. When pit stops were done at lap 30, Moffitt was running second to DiBenedetto.

            The green flag run continued for a lengthy 57 laps with Moffitt holding strong in second through most of that. Like DiBenedetto, however, another fuel stop was in order. The duo came in at lap 62 during green flag conditions. Moffitt reentered the race in fifth and was intent on making his way back up to the front.

            Caution flew at lap 70 tightening the field up for a restart at lap 76. Moffitt took the green in fourth, but went off course in big bend. Moffitt was able to reenter the race, but now he was back to tenth.

            The caution period extended the race to allow for a green-white-checker, where Moffitt was able to gain two spots before the checkers flew.

            For more information on Brett Moffitt or Andy Santerre Motorsports, visit www.brettmoffitt.com or www.andysanterremotorsports.com.

 

Fadden Racing Strong At Lime Rock Park

Top-Five For Olsen; Smith Derailed To 15^th Place Finish

 

            Lakeville, Conn. (August 16, 2009): Mike Olsen posted a top-five finish in the Mohegan Sun 200, a NASCAR Camping World Series East event at Lime Rock Park Saturday afternoon, despite suffering from heat exhaustion in the latter stages of the event. His teammate and regular Fadden Racing driver, Jonathan Smith, was well on his way to a top-five finish, but was relegated to 15^th after late-race contact ended his day prematurely.

            Olsen and Smith both kicked off the event with strong practice times and were among the top-10 fastest cars all day. Olsen followed it up with a qualifying effort of 54.694 seconds to put the No. 61 Jack’s Auto Service Chevrolet in a sixth place starting position. Smith’s qualifying lap of 55.103 seconds was the 12^th fastest time of the day.

            At the drop of the green, Olsen dropped back to eighth after the cars worked their way through turn one, and Smith was able to work his way up to ninth. The two Fadden Racing drivers ran together until lap 20 when Olsen decided to pit for fuel.

            Smith moved up to second as the leaders took their green flag pit stops with the No. 16 Fadden Racing Chevrolet coming down pit road at lap 28. Olsen, meanwhile, was running eighth. Smith returned to the track in fifth place as the green flag laps continued.

            Smith was consistent throughout the 1.53-mile course and held off strong challenges from Eddie MacDonald for several laps before eventually being relegated to sixth place at lap 40. Olsen made it up to seventh by the halfway mark. The two dropped back to seventh and eighth, where they remained for the next 20 laps.

            Ironically, it was on lap 61 that Olsen drove by Smith for the seventh position and it was go time for the two time series champion. He also got by Steve Park to move into sixth before caution came out for the first time since it went green at lap 14.

            “I was really struggling with the heat towards the end of the race,” said Olsen. “The race went green that long run and I didn’t expect that. During the caution it got worse for me.”

            The race went back to green at lap 76 with Olsen moving into fourth. Smith was running sixth when he got involved in a battle that resulted in an accident that would end his day.

            “Going into the short chute in the esses there, the 37 drilled me in the back. That got me all out of sorts going up the uphill. He got to the inside of me and got cleared. I was going down the downhill. The car was still upset from what he just did and then he just drilled right into the side of me and shot me right off. At that point I figured I would just hold on and I’ll get a top-10 out of it. Then all of a sudden, I got hit again. I was pretty frustrated,” said Smith.

             Olsen went back to green at lap 82 and dropped back to sixth, but was able to gain momentum on Jesus Hernandez at the checkers for a fifth place finish.

            “I was going to the bottom to try and protect my position and then the caution came back out and I found out it was for Jonathan,” explained Olsen. “Those guys went to the bottom and I went to the top because I almost got up to Ryan Truex going into one and then I got shuffled into the marbles. I cut back in line and watched the 37 and 12 battle it out and then got a run on them on the frontstretch and got by the 12.”

            The NASCAR Camping World Series East returns to action next month for the Heluva Good Fall 125 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on September 18^th. For more information on Fadden Racing, Jonathan Smith, or Mike Olsen, visit www.faddenracing.net.

 

 

IMPROBABLE SECOND PLACE FINISH FOR MACDONALD AT LIME ROCK

 

 

     Eddie MacDonald’s fortunes appeared to take a turn for the worse halfway through the NASCAR Camping World Series East’s Mohegan Sun 200 at Lime Rock Park. While cruising along in the sixth position, the transmission locked in fourth gear for the remainder of the race. MacDonald piloted the Grimm Construction Chevy forward and into a second place run for the green/white checkered finish on the 86^th lap.

     MacDonald joked about the stuck shifter saying, “I was hoping to have an automatic because I hate shifting and this was the closest thing to an automatic,” before continuing, “It was really lugging down on the restarts and the left and right handers in turns three and four but those were the only spots that really hurt us. Everywhere else we were able to gain or maintain.”

     Two late race cautions forced the green/white checkered finish with MacDonald starting behind race winner Ryan Truex. On both restarts the #81, #61, and the #44 ran inside and outside but MacDonald was able to hold onto the second spot saying, “I was hoping we didn’t have restarts at the end but the car picked up speed even though it bogged down a bit at the green flag and I was able to stay behind the #00 into turn one. The last one was really hairy with cars flying all over the place and it is great to finish second.”

     Crew chief Rollie LaChance planned to bring the #71 into the pits to fix the stuck gear after attempts to work it loose inside the cockpit failed but the team never got the chance when no caution flags flew until lap 71. It was decided that it was too late in the race to pit, so MacDonald muscled the car for the remaining 15 laps.

     “It would have been interesting if we were able to get it fixed. With the car I had, I think we could have won the race. The car was great during the race. Rollie and the crew did a great job making adjustments after our practices. I just didn’t like the way it was going so Rollie made the right moves. I can’t say enough about our team. They are all volunteers and do an outstanding job every race. When you have people that dedicated and just love racing, it really makes me try that much harder.”

     MacDonald was seventh fastest in the first practice then falling to thirteenth in the second and final one. He qualified ninth (54.873sec/100.377mph) then started eighth on the 1.53mile road course when the #7 car went to the rear. MacDonald moved to fifth by the second caution flag on lap 12 and was content to run there. “The #18 was flying so we were just riding out there maintaining our position. We wanted to stop sometime after lap 20 for fuel and then we were good to go but just before the halfway mark the tranny got stuck in fourth gear and then the fun began,” laughed MacDonald.

     Despite the mechanical problem, MacDonald was able to run in the sixth position and into third by lap 67. The #18 was forced to the pits after tangling with two lapped cars on the backside of the track. When the green flag waved on the lap 77 restart, MacDonald was in the second spot and had to hold off road course specialist Jason Holehouse. Another caution two laps later forced the overtime.

     After the race MacDonald was quick to add, “None of this would be possible without Rob Grimm and Ron and Becky Bennett from NEMO New England Mechanical Overlay and all the other people who have helped so much. We have two races left at Loudon and Dover and those are tracks we have run well at so hopefully we can end the season contending for the championship. We are in second place by 50 points and we’ve learned that anything can happen. Just look at today.”