Thank you sir, may I have another...

Start - 10th | Competitors - 13| High - 3rd| Low - 13th | Finish - 6th

Martinsville Speedway is a far stretch from the high banks of Talladega which we ran just a few races ago. In the last couple of weeks the NASS Lightning drivers have been on a tear. Sending them to the tight confines of this 1/2 mile oval is not typically what the doctor would order. Known for numerous cautions and its penchant for generating hot tempers, this small Virgina track always provides a challenge.

Speaking of challenge, the AMSOIL team was up to the task with high hopes and expectations as the ECI Express rolled off the starting grid in 10th place this week. Starting near the back was a strategy move because of the way pit stalls are assigned. The enthusiasm was dashed early as a fellow competitor turned right into the lane of the AMSOIL Pontiac on the backstretch of the first lap. Both cars careened off the fence and before lap one was in the books, the AMSOIL Pontiac was damaged and off the pace.

On the next restart several cars got together in turn one and more damage was inflicted. The rest of the event was a combination of pitstops to keep the tires fresh and caution after caution. All-in-all, the yellow cloth was displayed 14 times during the race with some 20 lap segments interspersed among the cautions. There was one 38 lap segment which helped move the race along toward the latter stages.

Good pitwork put the AMSOIL car in 3rd place with 47 to go. Fresh tires and a renewed confidence were quickly dashed however as last weeks winner, Scott Olsen got into turn one too hot and spun the 39 Pontiac. Finding himself in 11th position after the melee, Inglin clawed his way back to sixth place in the 20 or so green flag laps that ensued to the finish.

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Martinsville continued.

Kevin Inglin - "It was an auspicious start to the race and pretty much set the tone for the rest of the evening. I'm not sure what the 69 was thinking but he just plain turned right in the middle of the backstretch. It was lap one for god sakes and my car was trashed after that. He apologized for the contact but I'm thinking his spotter needs some glasses. After that, the car just didn't have the RPM's in the straightaway. It's never good to know that you'll have to try to hang on for another 199 laps! After that it was like we had a bulls-eye on the car. I got hit on pretty much every side. Of course one or two of them were my fault; one time I can recall the car broke loose a bit and we got shoved sideways. No one was giving any room tonight; it was almost like everyone thout it was the last lap. I can say we didn't get into anyone and we raced pretty clean tonight. I'll have a clear conscience.

Chalk it up to a typical short track race. Martinsville is so odd. You come off the corner like there is rubber band sling-shotting you to the other end, but you have to jam the brakes on to stop and make the corner. It all happens so fast.

I'm happy to have climbed up to sixth. The 27 shipped us late in the race and we were really set to challenge for the win. The two cars in front of me had worn tires and the next car with fresh tires behind me was several cars back. Even with the damage, we ran some laps quicker than the leader at the end.

The crew did a good job tonight and we'll take it. Next week we head to Atlanta. Not sure what our chances are and we'll just have to wait and see how it turns out. If no one plants a fender on us, we might be able to compete for another top five or grab another win before the seasons out".

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