FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Sparta, KY (June 28, 2014) – The TriStar Motorsports teams are heading home after a long, successful week at Kentucky Speedway. All three teams took part in the NASCAR Nationwide Series test session on Wednesday. Below are the post race results for the John R. Elliott Hero Campaign 300 Presented by Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over:
Blake Koch, No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Camry Finished 19th
Blake Koch and the No. 44 TriStar Motorsports Camry qualified 21st for the 300-mile race that was taking place later that night. Koch felt strong about his car and knew that he could wheel his Camry to at least a top-25 finish. When the green flag dropped, Koch felt the car was a little loose, so when the first caution flag was shown, Koch brought his Camry to pit road for four tires, fuel and adjustments. These adjustments seemed to help the cars handling, but on their next stop the team made additional adjustments. At the end of the race, Koch reported that his car was loose in, tight in the middle and loose off. After battling 300-miles, Koch brought home a 19 th place finish.
Eric McClure, No. 14 Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® Camry Finished 24th
Eric McClure and the No. 14 Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap ® Camry were ready to race under the lights at Kentucky Motor Speedway on Friday night. McClure qualified 30th and was ready for the drop of the green flag. Early on, McClure reported that his Camry was really loose and he needed more rear-end security. The No, 14 pit crew made a track bar adjustment on the first stop, to help the cars handling. After 148 laps, McClure was scored in the 25 th position and would advance one position to finish the 300-mile race 24th. McClure is looking forward to racing on a superspeedway next weekend.
Mike Bliss, No. 19 Trane Camry Finished 34th
Mike Bliss and the No. 19 Trane Camry had a good test session on Wednesday afternoon and knew they had a fast car for their practices, qualifying and the 200-lap race. Bliss advanced to segment two of qualifying and ended up qualifying 24th. Hoping to finish better than their starting position, Bliss was fast and determined to get through the field. Unfortunately, Bliss ran into gear issues around lap 40, which sent him to the garage for repairs. This put Bliss multiple laps down and once he returned to the track, he had the determination and the drive to get some of those laps back. He brought home a 34 th place finish. Bliss and TriStar Motorsports appreciate Trane/Ingersoll Rand coming on board for the Nationwide race in Kentucky.
Next weekend: The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads to Daytona International Speedway for the Subway Firecracker 250 under the lights on July 4th.
About TriStar Motorsports NC, LLC: TriStar Motorsports NC, LLC currently fields Toyota Camrys in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for Mike Bliss, Jeff Green, Will Kimmel, Blake Koch, Hal Martin, Eric McClure and David Starr. 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 .