Jason Bowles and his MacDonald Motorsports team were in need of a strong finish, and that is exactly what they got Saturday afternoon in the Kentucky 300. With new partner Thrush & Son Complete Home Improvement and HI-Technologies on the No. 81, Bowles recovered from a pit road penalty to register a 16th place finish.
“The car was pretty good all day and we had a great shot at another top-15 finish,” said Bowles after the race. “Everyone on the crew did a great job and the pit-stops were solid all day as well. I really want to thank the Thrush family for everything this weekend. They run a first class organization and their C.H.I.P. software product is an excellent tool for any home improvement company that wants to save time and money.”
After practicing 17th, Jason qualified the Thrush & Son/HI-Technologies No. 81 23rd on the grid for the race. The car showed speed right away, as Bowles advanced into the top-20 in the opening laps.
On the lap-30 competition caution, crew chief John Monsam made the call for two tires. A great pit-stop moved Bowles up to 14th position for the restart. After the green, Jason continued moving forward, advancing up into 12th spot.
On lap 87, Bowles was making his way onto pit road as Taylor Malsam went spinning through the front stretch grass right behind him. The yellow came out, closing the pits 0.1 seconds before Jason crossed the commitment line, resulting in an End of the Longest Line penalty.
“The pit-road penalty was tough because I was already committed to pit-lane and couldn’t do anything,” explained Bowles. “It put us a lap down and behind for the rest of the race. Luckily I have a great team behind me and we kept pushing for the remainder of the race to get a solid 16th, just what we needed right now.”
Bowles remains 14th in the driver standings following the race weekend and heading into Dover. The MacDonald Motorsports No. 81 sits 22nd in the owner standings with six races remaining on the season.
MMPR
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