TriStar Motorsports Post-Race Report: Road America

Race Highlights:  
Blake Koch qualified 22nd for the Road America 180 Fired up by Johnsonville, followed by David Starr in 27th, Eric McClure in 28th and Cale Conley in 31st.
 
The 45-lap race included three cautions for 11 laps and nine lead changes among six drivers.
 
David Starr finished the race 20th, followed by Blake Koch in 21st, Eric McClure in 23rd and Cale Conley in 37th.  
   
David Starr Finishes 20th in the Road America 180
Qualifying for the NASCAR XFINITY Series was cancelled due to rain in the Elkhart Lake region. The field was set according to the NASCAR Rule Book placing David Starr in the 27th position to start the Road America 180 Fired Up by Johnsonville. By lap 6, Starr had advanced to 23rd. Concentrating on hitting his marks, he was very quiet on the radio and did not report any issues with the handling of the No. 44 Zachry Camry. Pitting under green flag conditions, Starr came to pit on lap 14 for four tires and fuel but did not request any adjustments to the car. He exited the pits returning to the field in 25th. Starr later reported the car was loosing the rear and lacking forward bite in the right turns of the course. On lap 24, Crew Chief Greg Conner called the Zachry Camry to pit for four tires, one pound out of each and fuel; cycling back to P25. Per calculations, it was determined the Zachry Camry would be a lap short on fuel. With the green flag delayed for the restart, it was decided to bring the No. 44 back to pit road for a splash of fuel to ensure there would be enough in the tank to finish the race. Starr rejoined the field in 24th. With a series of green flag pit stops for most of the field, Starr was able to advance to ninth and soon thereafter to fifth. With a late in the race caution, the No. 44 was scored fourth with three laps remaining in the race. On the restart, Starr received some contact from the rear and took the checker flag in 20th.
Start- 27th         Finish- 20th      Laps Led- 0      Points- 24 points
                                                   
Driver QUOTE: “It took awhile to get acclimated to running a new road course, but I had a lot of fun racing at Road America. The Zachry Racing Team made great strategy calls through out the day and we were looking at a top 5 finish. Unfortunately, we were bumped off the track with a few laps remaining and filtered back to 20th. All in all a good day and a great effort by the Zachry team.”
 
Blake Koch Finishes 21st in the Road America 180
After Mother Nature dampened qualifying at Road America, starting positions were based off of Friday’s practice speeds, which put Koch in the 22nd starting position. On lap seven, Koch was scored in the 19th position and was gaining positions each lap. Koch radioed in on lap 10 to ask the team for more forward drive. The No. 8 LeafFilter Gutter Protection team pitted for four fresh tires, fuel and adjustments on lap 14. By lap 20, Koch came back on the radio and reported that his Camry still needed more forward grip and more lateral bite. On the second stop of the day, Koch brought his Camry to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. This pit stop put the No. 8 Camry in position to take the lead on lap 35. Koch’s team ensured him that his was good on fuel and to only save fuel under caution for the potential green-white-checker finish. On the final pace lap before going back green, Koch was forced to give up the lead due to no power in his No. 8 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Camry. The team came to pit road and found a battery issue. The No. 8 crew got his Camry fixed and got Koch back out on track, still on the lead lap. Unfortunately there were not enough laps left in the end and Koch brought home a 21st place finish.
Start- 22nd    Finish- 21st      Laps Led -5      Points- 24 points
                                                   
Driver QUOTE: “It was such an awesome feeling to lead the race. We had a caution and we were restarting first with three laps to go and I was going to give it my best shot to put my Camry in victory lane for my LeafFilter guys. A battery issue ruined our chances, but it was still a great experience”
 
Eric McClure Finishes 23rd in the Road America 180
In his sixth consecutive start at Road America, Eric McClure started the 6th Annual Road America 180 Fired up by Johnsonville from the 28th position. Without completing a lap the field fell under its first caution. Experiencing issues with his steering wheel, McClure brought the Reynolds Wrap® Camry to pit road to switch out steering wheels. As the field crossed the start/finish line on lap 12, McClure came to pit road for four tires and fuel. Working his way through the field, McClure gained three positions by lap 20. Making his final green flag stop of the event, the Reynolds Wrap® Camry came to pit road for service on lap 29. A late caution with 10 to go, McClure was marked in 17th. Loosing spots on the restart McClure fell back to 25th. A last lap incident set the Reynolds Wrap® Camry back to 25th and McClure made last lap maneuvers to gain back the spots he lost to finish 23rd.
Start- 28th        Finish- 23rd      Laps Led- 0     Points- 21 points
 
Driver QUOTE: “I’m disappointed in our finish.  We had a great racecar today.  We put ourselves in position to finish well. We got knocked off course on the last restart, and then I overdrove some areas and lost a couple of spots.  Very disappointed in myself at the end.”
                                              
Cale Conley Finishes 37th in the Road America 180
Cale Conley and the No. 14 IAVA team ventured north to Road America this weekend to compete at the last road course of the NASCAR XFINITY Series season. Saturday morning’s qualifying session was cancelled due to rain, forcing Conley to start the 45-lap event from the 31st position. After the green flag flew for the Road America 180, Conley quickly began to advance position. With 30 laps to go, Conley radioed to crew chief Eddie Pardue that his Toyota Camry was potentially overheating. He pit the next time by and the IAVA crew seemed to get the situation under control. Unfortunately, with 20 laps to go, Conley’s spotter noticed smoke and fluid coming from the car and made the call to take the Camry behind the wall immediately. Upon further inspection, the mechanical issues were enough to not risk Conley returning to the track and potentially blowing an engine. Conley ended the Road America 180 early in the 37th position.
Start -31st        Finish- 37th     Laps Led- 0      Points- 7 points
                                                   
Driver QUOTE: “What a frustrating weekend. I felt like I improve from the first practice session to the next and was looking forward to qualifying before it was cancelled. Once the race started, I felt like I was able to race through the field and just wish I had the whole race to do so.”

TMI PR