Kaz Grala No. 33 Kiklos Chevrolet Silverado Las Vegas Recap

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In: NASCAR Truck Series News

Showing speed early on in Saturday morning’s practice sessions at Las Vegas Motor Speedway (LVMS), Kaz finished final practice fastest overall and went on to qualify 14th for the Las Vegas 350.

 

When the 146-lap race began, Kaz fought his way to seventh place and ran there until the caution came out on lap 37 for the conclusion of Stage One. Crew chief Jerry Baxter called the No. 33 down pit road under the break for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to tighten up the Kiklos Chevy. Unfortunately though, after a miscommunication on pit road resulted in a lengthy stop, Kaz restarted 14th for the start of Stage Two. However, on the restart, Kaz did his best to maneuver around an accident but got slight damage to the right front of his Chevrolet Silverado. The No. 33 team fixed the damage on pit road, keeping Kaz on the lead lap.

 

Restarting 16th on lap 48, Kaz worked to make up track position during the second stage, ultimately finishing 11th at the break. Coming to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment to try tighten the Kiklos Chevy up, Kaz lined up 11th for the start of the final stage. Making his way into the top-10 as a long green flag run ensued, Kaz reported that his No. 33 was continuing to swing to the free side the longer he went. Coming to pit road under green on lap 124, Kaz got four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment to aid in his Chevy’s handling for the remainder of the race. As pit strategy played out, the caution came out on lap 133. Restarting fourth with 7 laps remaining, Kaz crossed the finish line with a fifth-place finish in his LVMS debut.

 

Quote
“I said from the beginning that it would take solid top-five runs to make it through the first round of The Playoffs and that’s what we had tonight. There were a couple issues early on, but the No.33 team gave me a fast Kiklos Chevy and we were able to get a good finish. This was the best truck we’ve unloaded with all season at a mile-and-a-half track and it makes me optimistic about the rest of the year; we just have to get through Talladega first.”

 

Additional Info
– After the second race of The Playoffs, Kaz is seeded seventh in the NCWTS Playoff Standings, 8 points below the cutoff line.

 

GMS Racing PR

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