FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Elkhart Lake, WI (June 22, 2014) – After a delay in the start of the Gardner Denver 200 at Road America on Saturday due to rain, the NASCAR Nationwide Series drivers were eager to take the green flag and turn 50 laps around the 14-turn road course. All three TriStar Motorsports drivers finished the race in the top-20. Post-Race results below:
Mike Bliss Finishes 10th at Road America
Mike Bliss qualified 17th for the Gardner Denver 200 at Road America on Saturday morning. Bliss was ready to race the first road course race of the season. On the first lap of the race, Bliss had already advanced two positions and was gaining on the cars ahead of him. Running 12th, Bliss reported that his No. 19 Camry was a “little tight” when turning right. When the first caution flag was shown at lap 13, the No. 19 Camry came to pit road for four tires and fuel, no adjustments. Bliss went off the track on lap 20, but recovered and returned to the track with no damage. The No. 19 crew put on Goodyear rain tires at lap 25 and with six laps to go, Bliss was scored in the 19th position. The caution flag was shown with two laps to go, which meant that the Gardner Denver 200 would have a G-W-C finish. Bliss battled his way around the track on the last lap to bring home a 10th place finish!
Carlos Contreras Finishes 15th at Road America
Carlos Contreras and the No. 44 38 Special/Voli/Ingersoll Rand Camry had a rough start to race day when the team was unable to make a qualifying run due to a gear issue. Determined to overcome adversity, Contreras started 35th and by lap two, he was scored in 23rd. Under the first caution at lap 13, Contreras came to pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment to help loosen the car. With 30 laps to go, the No. 44 Camry was running 18th and would pit on lap 25 for rain tires. Contreras came to pit road with around 11 laps to go for fuel only. With seven laps to go Contreras was scored in the 11th position. Due to the intense G-W-C finish, Contreras finished his first race with TriStar Motorsports in the 15th position.
Eric McClure Finishes 20th at Road America
Eric McClure and the No. 14 Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® Camry qualified 23rd for Saturday’s Gardner Denver 200 at Road America. McClure was happy with the cars handling after qualifying and by lap eight, McClure had advanced one position to 22nd. Under the first caution, McClure brought the No. 14 Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® Camry to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment. At lap 25, the No. 14 Camry was scored in 20th and the team came to pit road to put on a set of rain tires. On the restart, McClure had to start from the rear of the field after a penalty on pit road. With 15 laps to go, the No. 14 Camry was scored in the 24th position and would advance four positions to finish the race in the 20th position.
About TriStar Motorsports NC, LLC: TriStar Motorsports NC, LLC current fields Toyota Camry’s in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Mike Bliss, Jeff Green, Hal Martin, Eric McClure and Blake Koch. Located in Mooresville, North Carolina, TriStar Motorsports has competed in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series since 1989; fielding cars for some of NASCAR’s premier drivers including Bobby Hamilton, Greg Sacks, Phil Parsons, Mike Wallace, Jason Keller, Reed Sorenson, Tony Raines and others. To find out more information about TriStar Motorsports please visit www.tristarmotorsportsnc.com, like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
