James Buescher in top five at Iowa Speedway

[NickHolt]

JAMES BUESCHER/NO. 31 WOLF PACK RENTALS CHEVROLET POST-RACE RECAP

 

VENUE: IOWA SPEEDWAY (.875-MILE OVAL)

CIRCUIT: NASCAR CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES

RACE: LUCAS OIL 200 (RACE 10 OF 25)

DATE: JULY 11, 2010 (200 LAPS, 175 MILES)

 

START: 14th

FINISH: 5th

 

 

RACE RECAP:

· After a month-long hiatus from on-track racing action, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series kicked off the beginning of its nine-week stretch yesterday at Iowa Speedway. Rain showers damped the .875-mile mid-morning, but as the green flag flew, the sun shined brightly.

 

· During Saturday evening’s qualifying session at the Midwestern short track, Buescher claimed the 14th starting position with a lap of 23.856 seconds. Despite this starting position ending the three-week streak of top-three qualifying efforts, Buescher was optimistic about getting to the front of the field during the scheduled 200-lap event.

 

· Starting the Lucas Oil 200 from the outside of row seven, Buescher quickly reported that his No. 31 Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet was “loose on the bottom but tight one lane up” on the race track. The first caution of the afternoon waved on lap 40, as Buescher was scored in the 12th position. Crew chief Michael Shelton called Buescher to pit road for four fresh tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment to help the “loose in” handling condition. A quick stop by the Turner Motorsports pit crew allowed the 20-year-old to restart in ninth-place on lap 46.

 

· Within one lap, Buescher had moved into the seventh position as another green flag run ensued. As the field spread out, Buescher told his Wolf Pack Rentals team that his Chevrolet was “tight off turn four and still loose on the yellow line.” The second caution slowed the field on lap 76 with the Texas native in the sixth position.

 

· The race resumed on lap 81, with Buescher one spot shy of the top-five positions. The weather conditions started to change at this stage of the event, as the sun came out and the temperatures drastically increased. With the track temperature rising, Buescher’s Chevrolet kept getting tighter and tighter with every lap.

 

· Another caution was displayed on lap 105 with Buescher scored in the seventh position. Taking a chance, Shelton called for his pit crew to put the first set of four tires back on the truck (had 35 laps on them), add fuel, and make an air pressure adjustment. This strategy left Buescher as one of the only competitors with a set of sticker tires still left to put on in the second half of the race. Buescher restarted on lap 113 from eighth-place.

 

· Once the field went back to green flag conditions, Buescher radioed to his Wolf Pack Rentals team that he was having battery issues, as the voltage was lowering at a quick pace. Buescher turned off all of his fans inside the truck, as the team was waiting on a caution to come out to change the battery.

 

· The much-needed caution the team was waiting for came on lap 144 for an accident in turn three. Buescher came to pit road for left side tires, battery change and fuel. The next time by, Buescher returned to pit road for fresh right side tires. Restarting from 13th-place on lap 150, Buescher gained seven positions to sixth-place in just ten laps.

 

· Running lap times two/tenths quicker than the leaders, Buescher broke into the top-five by lap 169. Another caution came on lap 173 as Buescher reported of a tight handling condition with his Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet. Despite a last lap caution sending the race into a green-white-checkered finish, Buescher fought to bring home a fifth-place finish.

 

Austin Dillon won the Lucas Oil 200. Johnny Sauter, Matt Crafton, Ken Schrader, and Buescher rounded out the top-five finishing positions.

 

FAST FACTS:

· The caution-flag was displayed seven times, accounting for a total of 42 laps.

· This was Buescher’s third top-five finish for Turner Motorsports (Dover, Charlotte, Iowa).

· Buescher and the No. 31 Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet will return to racing action at Gateway International Raceway, this Friday, July 16th. Live coverage can be seen on SPEED beginning with the Set-Up show at 8:30 P.M. Eastern, as well as the live radio broadcast heard on MRN Radio and Sirius-XM Satellite Radio.

 

JAMES BUESCHER QUOTE:

 

HOW WAS YOUR RACE?

“I am very proud of all of these guys on this Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet team. We battled back from having battery issues with 40 laps left to finish in the top-five. We probably never had a top-five truck throughout the weekend, but you can’t ever stop fighting in this series. Everyone races so hard that you can’t quit until you see the checkered flag. Everyone at Turner Motorsports is doing a great job and we’ll get us a win here soon. Thanks to all of the fans for coming out this weekend too. Iowa definitely always has a great crowd and we appreciate all of the support.”