Mansfield, OH (August 16, 2014)-Having not raced the Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® car since June, Jeff Green headed to the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course to compete in Saturday’s Second Annual Nationwide Children’s Hospital 200, his third of five scheduled races in the No. 14 Camry this season. Qualifying 17th, the former series champion ran in the top-15 most of the 90-lap event and was scored in the second position with 20 laps remaining when the throttle hung open on the car sending it head-on into the tire barrier. With damage too severe to repair, the team was credited with a 29th-place finish.
When the green flag fell, Green quickly advanced two positions and, when an early caution flag waved on lap four, he relayed to the team that the overall balance of the car was good. As a result, he remained on the track and was scored in the 15th position on the lap nine restart. Over the next 15 laps Green continued to advance his position, despite batting a now loose-handling car on the right-handed turns. When green flag pit stops began on lap 26, Green gave up the 13th spot to bring the Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® Camry to pit road for four tires, fuel, a small chassis adjustment to help the car’s handling, and to remove tape from the front grille. When Green returned to the track he was scored in the 24th position. Two laps later the event’s second caution flag waved and, when the race resumed on lap 32, the TriStar Motorsports team was scored in the 14 position.
Advancing three positions on the restart, Green cracked the top-10 on lap 39 and, by the halfway point of the race, he was scored in the eighth position. Five laps later, Green was tagged from behind by another competitor and sent spinning. Although he was able to continue on, he slipped to the 21st position. One lap later, the event’s third caution flag was waved for a stalled car on the track. This allowed Green to bring the No. 14 Camry to pit road for four tires, fuel, and another chassis adjustment to help with the car’s still loose-handling condition. When the race resumed on lap 54, the Owensboro, Kentucky native was scored in the 19th position.
Determined to get back into the top-10, Green quickly began picking off positions. By lap 56 he had worked his way up to the 15th spot and re-entered the top-10 on lap 60. With several teams making their final green flag pit stops, Green stayed the course, knowing he would have to pit for fuel later in the event. By lap 67, he was scored in the second position. Unfortunately for the team, with 20 laps remaining, the throttle “stuck” on the No. 14 Camry, sending it nose first into the turn five tire barrier. The Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® machine sustained significant damage and , in the end, the team was credited with a 29th-place finish.
Jeff Green Quotes:
“I’m so proud of everyone at TriStar Motorsports for the Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® Toyota that they gave me at Mid-Ohio. It was fast right off the truck which helped us in the race. Everything was working out for us until we had our problem with the throttle hanging, but all in all I’m still proud of everyone. We left with our heads held high and overall it was a great weekend for us. I’m just sorry we didn’t make it to the end. I’m looking forward to returning to Richmond with the Hefty®/Reynolds Wrap® team and hopefully we can have a good showing there, too.”
