Making his second-career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) start at Iowa Speedway on Saturday night, Dylan Kwasniewski and his No. 42 Rockstar Energy Drink team looked to continue to build on what they learned from their previous trip to the 0.875-mile speedway in May. Kwasniewski started the weekend by earning a top-15 starting position during NASCAR’s knockout qualifying, placing the Rockstar Energy Drink Chevrolet 14th on the starting grid. After battling a loose Chevrolet for a large portion of the night, Kwasniewski and his Turner Scott Motorsports (TSM) team were able to stay on top of the ever-changing track conditions and come home with a solid ninth-place finish, Kwasniewski’s second top 10 of the year.
Following the drop of the green flag, Kwasniewski settled into the top 15 and reported to his TSM team that his Rockstar Energy Drink Chevy was free on entrance and exit, but they were not far off from having a very good racecar. Kwasniewski was scored in the 13th position when the first caution of the day came out on lap 26 for debris in Turn 1. Electing to stay out, Kwasniewski restarted 12th on lap 31 and maintained his position until the second caution of the night came out on lap 52. During the caution, crew chief Scott Zipadelli called Kwasniewski down pit road for four tires, Sunoco Racing fuel and an air-pressure adjustment. After stalling coming off the jack, Kwasniewski restarted 19th on lap 58. Despite the setback, Kwasniewski wasted no time working his way towards the front, cracking the top 10 during the long green-flag run on lap 86. Kwasniewski continued to maintain his position until the third caution on 109. Zipadelli again called Kwasniewski down pit road for four tires, fuel and another air-pressure adjustment. After a lightning-quick pit stop by his crew, Kwasniewski gained three spots on pit road, restarting seventh on lap 117. Kwasniewski maintained his position inside the top 10 during the long green-flag run until a late-race caution came out on lap 243 for a spin on the frontstretch. Following the leaders down pit road, Kwasniewski came in for four tires only. With some teams taking on a two-tire strategy Kwasniewski restarted 12th for the final three-lap shoot out. Proving that tires were key, Kwasniewski passed three cars in the final laps, coming home with a solid ninth-place finish in his Rockstar Energy Drink Chevy.
Dylan Kwasniewski on Racing at Iowa Speedway:
“What a great race. I can’t thank Scott and the guys enough for all the hard work they put into the Rockstar Energy Drink Chevy. The car was fast right off the truck on Friday, and we kept making small adjustments to really fine tune it all weekend. I am excited to get another top 10 and hopefully this is something that we can build on for the rest of the year. I am looking forward to getting back with the No. 31 guys next weekend at Watkins Glen and hopefully coming home with another solid performance.“
TSM PR
