TriStar Motorsports Post-Race Report: Daytona International Speedway

Race Highlights: 

 

Blake Koch qualified 22^nd for the Subway Firecracker 250, followed by David Starr in 25^th, Cale Conley in 37^th and Eric McClure in 39^th.

 

The 100-lap race included seven cautions for 24 laps and nine lead changes among five drivers.

 

Blake Koch finished the 100-lap race 18^th, followed by Eric McClure in 24^th, David Starr in 29^th and Cale Conley in 32^nd.                       

   

Blake Koch Finishes 18^th in the Subway Firecracker 250

Blake Koch and the No. 8 Celsius Healthy Energy Camry qualified 22^nd for the Subway Firecracker 250 on Saturday afternoon. By lap two, Koch had worked his way up to 17^th and when the first caution came out by lap three Koch stayed out. The second caution flag came out shortly after that and the team continued to stay out on track. On lap 23, Koch came on the radio and reported that his Camry was good, but it was becoming “snappy loose” in turn four. Koch was running 26^th at the halfway mark and he was quiet on the radio. When a late race caution flag was shown, Koch came to pit road for fuel only. On lap 92, the No. 8 Celsius Camry was caught up in the “big one”. Koch sustained damage and the No. 8 Celsius crew made repairs under caution. Once the green flag was shown, Koch was involved in a second incident on track, which caused heavy damage to the left side of the No. 8 Camry. The team made quick repairs and got Koch back out on track for the green-white-checkered finish. Koch brought the No. 8 Celsius Healthy Energy Camry home in the 18^th position.

 

Start- 22^nd         Finish- 18^th       Laps Led- 0      Points- 26 points

                                                   

Driver QUOTE: “What a race. We started off really good and moved through the field in the draft. One mistake put us in a position on track where we were caught up in “the big one” and that is what affected us the most. I am really proud of my team for putting together a great Camry. I have to thank Celsius Healthy Energy Drinks for coming on board this weekend and I am looking forward to moving onto Kentucky this weekend.”

 

Eric McClure finishes 24^th in the Subway Firecracker 250

The 14^th Annual Subway Firecracker 250 presented by Coca Cola served as Eric McClure 19^th start at the 2.5-mile super-fast superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Fla.  After rolling off 39^th, McClure knew he had some ground to make up and only 100-laps to do it. As the field rounded for lap-2, McClure’s Hefty® Easy Grip Cups Camry got “out of shape”, while in the draft, causing the driver to use his maneuvering skills; but not without sliding the splitter across the apron first. In luck, the caution came out one lap later due to a separate incident. Crew Chief Rick Ren called McClure to pit road to assess the damage and to make a chassis adjustment.  Restarting 37^th McClure knew he only had a few laps until the competition caution on lap 20. It was no long after the field took the green when another caution fell on lap 14; NASCAR deemed this caution the event’s competition caution. While running 32^nd McClure radioed to his team that the Hefty® Easy Grip Cups Camry was losing front grip, making it hard for the car to turn. Ren asked him to “hang on” and the team would get him some fresh Goodyear tires as soon as they could. McClure working with teammates came in for a green flag stop on lap 56, for fuel and four fresh tires.  Upon pealing out, McClure exited through too many pit boxes and resulting in him serving a pass through penalty.  As the event neared the final laps, all that the Virginia driver had to do what hold on and see how the end would pan out.  Surviving through numerous cautions and a green-white-checkered finish, McClure brought the Hefty® Easy Grip Camry home in the 24^th position; earning his eighth top-25 finish at Daytona International Speedway.

 

Start- 39^th    Finish- 24^th     Laps Led -0      Points-20 points

                                                   

Driver QUOTE: “First of all I can’t thank Hefty® enough for their continued support in my career. Working with Rick Ren and my new team at TriStar Motorsports has been refreshing to work with and we continue to make gains each weekend. I am disappointed with my pit road violation that set us back a few spots, but in hindsight was probably a blessing because being back a couple spots kept us out of those wrecks in the end. I am eager to take another swing next weekend in Kentucky, in hopes to get my guys the finish they deserve.”

 

David Starr Finishes 29^th in the Subway Firecracker 250

After a rain delayed start to the July Fourth Subway Firecracker 250 at Daytona International Speedway, David Starr rolled off the grid in the 25th position. By lap three, when a caution came out, Starr had gained momentum and had progressed to 18th. With three cautions by lap 14, Starr radioed the car was handling well and did not feel any adjustments were needed. Crew Chief, Greg Conner, called the No. 44 Zachry Camry to pit road for fuel only during the competition caution on lap 15. Starr continued to advance through the field and was scored in the eighth position on lap 37. The car remained consistent favoring the lower groove and pitted for right side tires and Sunoco fuel on lap 56. As the fourth caution flag waved, the Zachry Camry opted to stay out to gain track position and as the field came to green, Starr was posted as 15th on the scoreboard. Starr’s performance remained solid and consistent until the final two laps, when an accident collected the No. 44 Zachry Camry ending the day with a 29th place finish.

Start- 25^th        Finish- 29^th      Laps Led- 1      Points- 15 points

                                                   

Driver QUOTE: “Our Zachry Camry ran awesome tonight! The car was really great on the track. It was definitely a collaborative effort by my Zachry Racing team. Crew Chief, Greg Conner, and all of the guys on our team did a great job. The strategy was good. The pit stops were good. We were aggressively patient all night. Coming down to two laps to go, we had a good run on the outside and the inside car was leading and tried to block our lane. It was chaos. The good Lord was riding with us during that wreck and I don’t know how we got through it. It wasn’t me driving. It was like the song, ‘Jesus Take the Wheel’. I thought I could get our Zachry Camry to the lead or at least in second or third. It’s was so close but it is just part of what we do. My feelings are hurt right now but it’s all good. We will race next weekend in Kentucky. Thanks to Zachry and my team for a good race tonight.”

 

Cale Conley Finishes 32^nd in the Subway Firecracker 250

Cale Conley and the No. 14 IAVA crew tackled a handful of issues throughout the Subway Firecracker 250 weekend at Daytona International Speedway. Starting the race from the 38th position, Conley immediately began to move through the field. Unfortunately following the first caution, Conley got loose in Turn 3, spinning but avoiding contact with the outside wall. He took four tires and fuel and restarted from the 36th position. A few laps later, Conley got caught up in a multi-car incident, making slight contact with the wall. He came to pit road for repairs and rejoined the race, running as high as 29th before a right rear tire went down causing him to wreck with 20 laps to go. Conley brought his IAVA #VetsRising Camry to the garage to repair a broken radiator. The crew made swift work of repairs and he was able to finish the race in the 32^nd position.

 

Start -37^th       Finish- 32^nd      Laps Led- 0      Points- 12 points

                                                   

Driver QUOTE: “I was so excited to get back to Daytona. Everyone has a chance here. Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that can go wrong here too and we got caught up in a number of them throughout the night. I won’t let this affect the momentum our team has been building and we’ll carry it to Kentucky.”

TMI PR