After qualifying 22nd for Wednesday night’s UNOH 200 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Brian Scott had maneuvered his way into the top 10 by the halfway point of the 200-lap race until he lost several positions when his lane got bottled up on a lap-169 restart. By the time the next caution occurred on lap 189, the Dollar General Tundra had fallen all the way back to the 19th position. Scott was scored in the 18th position for the green-white-checkered finish, but was able to gain one more position over the race’s final two laps to register a 17th-place finish in his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start for Kyle Busch Motorsports (KBM) this season.
“We dug ourselves in a little hole in qualifying, but we battled back and thanks to a great stop by the guys had worked our way into the top 10,” Scott said. “Then, we gave it all back when my lane got bottled up on one of the last restarts and I lost a bunch of spots. It was a tough night, but I have to thank KBM for the opportunity and all the sponsors who made it possible — Dollar General, Shore Lodge, Toyota, M&M’s, Flexco and Advanced Payment Services”
Scott got out of the gates quickly – improving six spots by the time the field had completed 10 circuits around the .533-mile oval. As the race continued under green-flag conditions, he had settled just inside the top 20 when he communicated to crew chief Eric Phillips that his Dollar General Tundra was “really loose.”
The Idaho native was scored in the 17th position on lap 81, when a single-car accident brought out the first caution of the race. When pit road opened, the KBM over-the-wall crew administered a four-tire stop, added wedge to the left rear of the truck, filled it with fuel and returned their driver to the track scored in the 12th position.
The race restarted on lap 87, and two laps later Scott had maneuvered the No. 18 Toyota into the top 10. He communicated to Phillips that the adjustment had provided his truck with more stability, but possibly too much as he was now experiencing a tight-handling Dollar General Tundra.
The Nationwide Series regular settled into the top 10, where he ran until Todd Bodine collected the wall in Turn 3 on lap 160 and brought out the race’s fourth caution. Already having enough fuel to make it to the end of the race, and with track position at a premium, Scott was ordered to remain on the track.
Shortly after the lap-169 restart, Scott found himself in the wrong lane, as things got bottled up and he began losing positions. Three laps later he was scored in the 13th position, and by the time the next caution occurred on lap 187, the Dollar General Tundra had fallen back to the 19th spot.
With only three lead-lap cars behind them, the team elected to come down pit road for a four-tire stop – with an air pressure adjustment – and returned to the track scored in the 19th position. After going back green on lap193, another caution slowed the field two laps later and set up a green-white-checkered finish. Scott was scored in the 18th position on the restart, but was able to improve one spot by the time the field took the checkered flag.
Timothy Peters led all 204 laps en route to his second Truck Series win of 2012. Peter’s Red Horse Racing teammate Parker Kligerman finished 0.465 seconds behind him in the runner-up spot. Ross Chastain and Joey Coulter finished third and fourth, respectively, and Brendan Gaughan rounded out the top-five finishers.
There were six caution periods for 43 laps. Nine drivers failed to finish the race.
With 13 of 22 races complete, the No. 18 Tundra team remains 11th in Truck Series Owner’s point standings.
The Dollar General Racing team will be back in action Friday Aug. 31, when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series travels to Atlanta Motor Speedway in Hampton, Ga. for the Jeff Foxworthy’s Grit Chips 200. The race begins at 8:00 p.m. ET, with SPEED’s live coverage commencing with the NCWTS Setup Show at 7:30 p.m. ET.
KBM PR
