Race Highlights:
David Starr qualified 23rd for the US Cellular 250, followed by Blake Koch in 24th, Cale Conley in 25th and Eric McClure in 31st.
The 250-lap race included eight cautions for 41 laps and six lead changes among four drivers.
David Starr finished the 250-lap race 22nd, followed by Cale Conley in 23rd, Blake Koch in 24th and Eric McClure in 26th.
David Starr Finishes 22nd in the US Cellular 250
As the cars rolled off the grid for the start of the US Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway, David Starr took the green flag in 23rd position. Early in the race, Starr reported the No. 44 Zachry Camry was tight. Crew Chief Greg Conner encouraged Starr to keep hitting his marks as he was running fast laps. As a caution came out on lap 74, Starr said the handling of the car was “not bad at all and good on entry”. With no adjustments needed, a pit stop for four tires and fuel, the No. 44 cycled back to the field to restart 24th. Starr continued to hold steady in 24th position and had dropped to 25th when another caution came out on lap 143. Under the yellow, Starr mentioned the Zachry Camry had become tight through the center and needed to rotate better but requested the car remain the same on entry. With that feedback, the Zachry Camry came to pit for four tires, fuel, two rounds down in the right rear and came back to the green in 23rd position. As the race progressed, Starr alternated between 24th and 23rd, falling three laps back from the leader. The call was made to stay out during a caution on lap 202 to take the wave around. Starr continued to battle for position but copied not gaining ground due to several cautions nearing race end. Starr crossed the finish line 22nd at Iowa Speedway.
Start- 23rd Finish- 22nd Laps Led- 0 Points- 22 points
Driver QUOTE: “We fought being tight through the center of the corners all night in our Zachry Camry. Here at Iowa you need to be able to roll through the center to have momentum down the straightaway. Our expectations were higher for the race, but it was a good effort by the entire No. 44 team”.
Cale Conley Finishes 23rd in the US Cellular 250
Cale Conley and the No. 14 IAVA team headed back to Iowa Speedway this weekend to compete in the U.S. Cellular 250. Conley narrowly missed transferring info the second round of XFINITY Series qualifying and would begin the 250-lap event from the 25th position. The race began with a number of long green flag runs and Conley settled in to the 24th position for the majority of the first half of the race. With 30 laps to go, Conley caught the tail end of a competitor’s wreck causing slight damage to the back bumper of his IAVA Camry. The TriStar team was able to make swift work of repairs and he returned to the track in the 24th position. With six laps remaining, Conley was able to race his Camry as high as 21st. Unfortunately, two green-white-checker finish attempts saw him lose a couple positions and he ended the race in 23rd.
Start- 25th Finish- 23rd Laps Led -0 Points- 21 points
Driver QUOTE: “That was a long race and I felt like my car had potential. It was good on long runs but terrible on short runs. Unfortunately, the race was all short runs and we couldn’t maintain position.”
Blake Koch Finishes 24th in the US Cellular 250
After qualifying 24th Saturday afternoon, Blake Koch was excited to get the US Cellular 250 underway. Early in the race on lap 24, Koch was running in the 24th position and by lap 31 he reported that his Camry was tight center and tight off. On lap 67, Koch came on the radio and said that his Camry was starting to get loose on entry. When the caution flag was shown on lap 76, Koch brought his Camry to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. On lap 123, Koch reported that his Camry was loose in and tight off and 10 laps later the caution flag flew. The No. 8 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camry came to pit road under caution for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. With 47 laps to go, Koch reported that he could feel the adjustments, but they were not helping the car the way that he needed them to. Koch brought the No. 8 Camry home in the 24th position.
Start- 24th Finish- 24th Laps Led- 0 Points- 20 points
Eric McClure Finishes 26th in the US Cellular 250
With a slight set back in NASCAR XFINITY Series qualifying at Iowa Speedway, Eric McClure rolled off 31st for the 7th Annual US Cellular 250 Powered by New Holland. In the first long green flag run, McClure was fighting a tight handling Reynolds Wrap® Toyota, making it challenging to gain track position. McClure studied the different lines, trying to make his No. 24 work in the high or middle grooves. When the first caution fell on lap 75, it was the opportunity for the Reynolds Wrap® crew to make changes. Restarting 29th the field settled in for another long green flag run. As the laps wound down, McClure radioed that “the car is too tight to carry speed in the center of the corners. A caution on lap 143 is where the Reynolds Wrap® team took the biggest swing. Along with four tires and fuel, the team made a chassis adjustment. Restarting 27th McClure said the car was “a tick” free, but it was turning better the longer we run. With numerous cautions and two attempts at a green-white-checker finish, the Reynolds Wrap® Camry handled like a “dream” for McClure allowing him to solidify a 26th place finish.
Start -31st Finish- 26th Laps Led- 0 Points- 18 points
Driver QUOTE: “I am really proud of my team’s effort. We really struggled early and the first long run really hurt us. We started making adjustments and the car was very competitive for the last half of the race. We did do any wave around and kept working, so the finish does not reflect the gains we made.”
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