Whitt finishes 30th after sustaining damage in on-track incident

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Cole Whitt and the No. 26 Speed Stick GEAR Toyota Camry team finished 30th on Saturday night at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.  After starting the race in a backup car and sustaining damage to his left rear fender near the halfway point of the race, Whitt was able to recover for his 16th top-30 finish of the season. 

 

Returning to Bristol Motor Speedway for the second time this season, Whitt had to start at the rear of the field after being involved in an accident during qualifying on Friday afternoon.  With severe damage to his Speed Stick GEAR Toyota, Whitt’s BK Racing team rolled out their backup car and forfeited their 34th-place qualifying effort.  Early in the event, after reporting that his car was sliding the nose through the center of the corners, Whitt worked with his BK Racing team to devise a plan for adjustments throughout the opening stages of the race. 

 

Nearing the halfway point, Whitt sustained damage on his left rear fender that caused a serious tire rub.  Shortly thereafter, Whitt’s tire cleared the fender allowing the Sunoco Rookie contender to continue at speed.  Needing only minor adjustments to make it to the checkered flag, Whitt crossed the finish line in the 30th position.  

 

“While our Speed Stick GEAR Toyota Camry team didn’t have the weekend we hoped for, I’m still proud of our effort,” commented Whitt.  “Unfortunately, we had to start the race in a backup car from the rear of the field, but luckily it didn’t get us too far behind.  With the lap times so quick at Bristol, it’s really tough when you run into problems.  With the fender damage and tire rub, we just lost a bit too much time.  However, given the strength of our backup car, it’s easy for me to see that we’re still getting better every week.  I’m looking forward to the next few weeks with races at Atlanta Motor Speedway and Richmond International Raceway.” 

 

BK Racing PR

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