Scott Lagasse Jr.
No. 11 America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet
Kansas Lottery 300 Post-Race Report
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2008
Event: Kansas Lottery 300
Track: Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, KS
Pole Sitter: Kevin Harvick, 31.354 sec.
Lagasse Jr.’s Qualifying Position: 14th, 31.754 sec.
Race Winner: Denny Hamlin
Lagasse Jr. Finishing Position: 20th
Career Best Finish for Lagasse Jr. in the Nationwide Series at Kansas
(September 27, 2008) Kansas City, Kan. – In just there second week together Scott Lagasse Jr. and the America’s Incredible Pizza Company race team were able to overcome some handling woes and bring home a 20th place finish. The 20th place finish is a career best for Lagasse Jr. in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the team is hoping to improve on that even more in the closing races in 2008.
CJM Racing and Lagasse Jr. looked forward to coming into Kansas Speedway after a not so kind weekend occurred at Dover the previous weekend. The team and new driver knew that Kansas would give them a better opportunity to gauge the chemistry and performance side of the program.
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Lagasse Jr, with guests from America’s Incredible Pizza Company.
(Photo Credit: Phil Cavali 2008) |
“Dover is a tough track. Especially if it’s your first race together so we were anxious to get to Kansas and see where we were at. Kansas is a mile-and-a-half track and not so much beating and banging goes on there. It gave us an opportunity to talk things through and figure out Scott’s driving style,” explained crew chief Todd Gordon.
Two practice sessions started out the race activities on Friday afternoon. In both sessions, the team and driver focused on the handling and getting the America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet race ready for Saturday. By the final session the No. 11 turned the 29th quickest lap in race trim with a 33.068 second run, 163.300 mph.
The decision to not make a mock qualifying run in practice did not effect the qualifying effort Lagasse Jr. made the following day. The No. 11 America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet hit the track seventh Saturday morning and was able to turn the 14th quickest lap out of 48 cars.
Two practice sessions started out the race activities on Friday afternoon. In both sessions, the team and driver focused on the handling and getting the America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet race ready for Saturday. By the final session the No. 11 turned the 29th quickest lap in race trim with a 33.068 second run, 163.300 mph.
The decision to not make a mock qualifying run in practice did not effect the qualifying effort Lagasse Jr. made the following day. The No. 11 America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet hit the track seventh Saturday morning and was able to turn the 14th quickest lap out of 48 cars.
The handling continued to pester Lagasse Jr. as the race resumed. A quick stop was made under caution on lap 30 for a wedge adjustment and fuel only. The America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet restarted in the 13th position and had hoped to hang on to the top spot until the car became a handful. Lagasse Jr. dropped 11 positions in five laps due to a loose handling car that began to wiggle getting into the corners.
Todd Gordon brought the America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet down pit road a total of six times to try and solve the handling issues. The remaining pit stops were made on laps 40, 93, 149 and 163. Multiple adjustments ensued with everything from air pressure adjustments to closing off the right front shock. The crew never gave up and worked hard to find that balance for Lagasse Jr.
As the race wore on, the No. 11 was displayed anywhere from the 32nd to 20th position. The 20th position is where Lagasse Jr. would find himself in the closing laps and would be credited with as the checkered flag flew. The top-20 finish signifies a career best for Lagasse Jr. in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
The NASCAR Nationwide Series will enjoy some down time as next weekend is an “off weekend”. Racing action will resume in two weeks as NASCAR will race at home at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Look for the America’s Incredible Pizza Company Chevrolet on Friday, October 10th at 7:30 pm on ESPN2.
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