Whitt Crosses Bricks Securing a 12th Place Finish in Moen No. 72 at IMS

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In: NASCAR Cup Series News
Cole Whitt driver of the Moen No. 72 crossed the bricks securing a 12th place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400.
 
Notes:  12th Place Finish
-Marks Whitt’s best finish of the 2017 Season
-His Best Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
-Best Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series finish for TriStar Motorsports at Indianapolis Motor Speedway
 
Stage 1:  Laps 1-50
  • Started 34th , finished 33rd
  • Caution Lap 11:  Running 37th. Whitt relayed handling was “Way, way tight, especially on exit”. Whitt pitted for four tires, fuel, pulled packers and rubber, round in the right rear. Cycled back to the field 33rd when NASCAR displayed the Red Flag calling drivers to pit road to exit their cars and seek shelter for inclement weather.
  • After the race resumed, Whitt was running 34th and relayed the Moen No. 72 was losing grip each lap. He came to pit under the Competition Caution and Crew Chief Frank Kerr made the call for four tires, fuel and removed a packer from the right front. Whitt restarted 31st
  • Stage 1 Completion Caution:  Finished 33rd. Whitt reported the handling was inconsistent and lacking overall stability. He pitted for four tires, fuel and removal of left front packer. He took the green flag restart for Stage 2 in the 29th position.
Stage 2:  Concluded on Lap 120
  • Caution Lap 58, Whitt came to pit for fuel only
  • Running 31st, with the next caution on Lap 72, Whitt said the handling of the Moen No. 72 had become “way tighter”. With that feedback, Crew Chief Frank Kerr called him to pit. With four new tires, a packer added and a chassis adjustment, Whitt restarted 31st.
  • Caution Lap 77: Whitt stayed out
  • Stage 2 Completion Caution:  Finished 30th. Whitt relayed the Moen No. 72 “lacked grip, front and rear sliding”. He pitted for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. He rejoined the field to start Stage 3 in the 28th position.
Stage 3:  Concluded on Lap 167
  • The field had just regained speed when an incident brought out another caution on Lap 108. Having just pitted a few laps earlier, Whitt stayed out on track.
  • Caution Lap 112:  With others pitting , Whitt was posted 16th on the leaderboard. With one lap remaining under caution, Crew Chief Frank Kerr had him pit for four tires and fuel. He returned to the field 27th.
  • As the race progressed with a long green flag run, as others pitted under green, Whitt stayed out and was posted as high as 13th on the leaderboard. Crew Chief Frank Kerr repeatedly reminded Whitt to be easy on the throttle to maximize fuel consumption.
  • A timely and much needed caution on Lap 150 allowed Whitt the opportunity to pit for four tires, fuel and ½ round out of the left rear. The caution was extensive enough to bring out a red flag and stop the field for 20 minutes.
  • There were two additional cautions as the race returned to green prior to the caution on Lap 164, when Whitt narrowly escaped a multi-vehicle accident that collected eight competitors which caused another red flag and stopped the field.
  • The green flag was displayed on Lap 166 when the field stacked up on the restart causing another multi-car incident. Whitt avoided contact and assured Crew Chief Frank Kerr that his tires were not damaged and could finish out the race.
  • Whitt rallied and crossed the bricks to bring home a 12th place finish in the Moen No. 72 for the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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