A Recap of the Weekend Past
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) returned to action this past weekend at the Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International road course.
Todd Gilliland and the No. 38 Crosley Brands Ford F-150 team finished fourth on Saturday afternoon in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event.
Michael McDowell and the No. 34 CarParts.com Ford Mustang team finished 21st on Sunday. Anthony Alfredo and the No. 38 Bence Motor Sales Ford team came home 26th.
TODD GILLILAND. NO. 38 CROSLEY BRANDS FORD F-150. FINISHED FOURTH.
For the second consecutive race, Gilliland and the No. 38 Crosley Brands Ford F-150 team finished fourth. Gilliland led 18 of 61 laps before weather forced NASCAR to call the race early. It was disappointing as Gilliland won Stage 1 and finished eighth in Stage 2. He was racing back through the field when the race was cut short for rain.
Gilliland started on the outside of the front row. He took the lead quickly and pulled away. The No. 38 Crosley Brands Ford was the best of the field in Stage 1 and Gilliland easily took the Stage win. After pitting, Gilliland raced back up to eighth at the end of Stage 2 and was poised to race for the win.
Weather moved into the area with Gilliland running fourth and ready to pass for third. Instead, the race was called early.
Gilliand is now seeded fourth as the NASCAR Camping World Series Playoffs begin on Friday, August 20 at WWT Raceway in Madison, Illinois.
GILLILAND ON WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL
"For sure, we're disappointed because we really wanted that win. I don't know if we were going to win it, but I know that we were going to be ones fighting for it. I was ready to get into third and the first three trucks were all close.
"But, it's another great job by this Front Row team. They just keep bringing great trucks to the track and we had great strategy to get us into the top-five.
"Now the Playoff start and I can't wait. We can win this championship for all our partners and for the organization. It's going to be tough, but I know that we are capable. I'm ready to go."
MICHAEL MCDOWELL. NO. 34 CARPARTS.COM FORD MUSTANG. FINISHED 21
Michael McDowell and the No. 34 CarParts.com Ford Mustang team finished 21st after starting 25th in Sunday's NASCAR Cup Series main event. McDowell and the CarParts.com team showed speed to get into the Top-20, but just didn't have enough to contend for a top-10 finish. McDowell stays ranked 12th in the Playoff standings.
The team used pit strategy to finish 16th in Stage 1. McDowell felt the car was good in the bus stop portion of the road course, but the car needed help throughout the rest of the track. The team made changes and McDowell was able to race back to 25th at the end of Stage 2, but McDowell knew he just needed a little more adjustments in the car.
The team made another round of adjustments to help in the final Stage. McDowell gained more positions, but not enough to get back into the top-15.
MCDOWELL ON WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL:
"We all wish that we had a better race. Our CarParts.com Ford Mustang looked great, we all felt good, but we just didn't have the speed to be up in the top-10. It may not look like it on paper, but we really weren't that far off. We needed to do some little things better to get more speed in the car or better track position. We will keep working and be back this weekend for another road course at Indianapolis."
ANTHONY ALFREDO. NO. 38 BENCE MOTOR SALES FORD MUSTANG. FINISHED 26
Anthony Alfredo and the No. 38 Bence Motor Sales team rebounded from a punctured tire to finish 26th in Sunday's race. Alfredo suffered a punctured tire just before the end of Stage 1. He was forced to pit and was left last on the field.
The team then methodically moved up from 37th the rest of the day. They used strategy to put Alfredo 14th to start Stage 2, but on older tires. Alfredo maintained 28th and finished 27th at the end of Stage 2.
The final Stage, Alfredo was again strong. He ran quick laps and moved up to 26th. He fought hard for a top-25, but just missed it at the end.
ALFREDO ON WATKINS GLEN INTERNATIONAL:
"We were set back at the end of Stage 1. It put us off sequence and down a set of tires. But, we were running good laps. So, it gives us momentum as we move into this weekend at Indianapolis."
-30-