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To Tame for Texas... | More >> | 2004 Recap Archive | 2003 Race Archive

Start - 9th | Competitors - 23| High - 4th | Low - 14th | Finish - 8th

Everything's bigger in Texas, at least that's what they say. Well big ideas are suitable on occasion but sometimes the little ideas would serve one better. Read on and you'll understand.

The ECI Express team didn't get to practice for Texas and had limited track time in happy hour. Speed was no where to be found as 15th was the best that could be mustered in practice. Undaunted, Kevin poured the coals to it and ran his fastest lap of the day in qualifying. Lining up on 9th on the grid, the team decided upon a decidedly more aggressive strategy for the evening. Texas does have a bit of draft factor and hanging with the lead pack was imperative or you'd find yourself a half lap behind. In addition to the draft, there is plenty of room to race and long green flag runs are commonplace.

The intuition was correct as the AMSOIL team kept pace with the lead pack and hung in during the first segment of the race which lasted 63 laps. The AMSOIL chauffeur had climbed to fourth place before the team decided to call him in for service. The crew chief called the stop on lap 60 and as luck would have it the yellow flag would come out while the car was being serviced on pit road. The team lost a lap in the process but they never got down. Biding the their time, Kevin seized the opportunity presented to get back on the lead lap when the caution waived on lap 67.

The caution waived for the final time on lap 95 and the team setup for the final run to the finish. Hoping to run green to the checkers, everyone expected a climb to a top five. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way and the ECI, Eastern Outerwear, Chevy had to settle for eighth. The strategy was to hang on to the back of the lead lap pack and save something to challenge at the finish. It wasn't to be however as the conservative approach didn't play out like the first race segment. Kevin struggled trying to hang onto the draft and with no help, he dropped off the draft and had to run the car hard draw back up again. This resulted in worn tires and nothing was left for the anticipated charge.

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Overall it wasn't what the team was looking for but if this is a bad day, then that's ok as a top ten is just as hard to come by sometimes as a top five.

Kevin Inglin

"I've said it before and I'll say it again, I just can't get going on these quad ovals. I made the mistake of thinking approaching the Texas as if it were Atlanta. I know now that that's a bad assumption. If you loose the draft here, you'll end up a half-a-straightaway behind. Also, it seems the tires don't fall of in the same way. In Atlanta the car drops off gradually. Here it seems as if they go away quicker. If you loose the tires and you're not in the draft, you're toast.

The long green flag runs were expected but we were caught behind once again. Our game plan was to divide the race into three segments. We pitted on lap sixty and prayed that a caution wouldn't come out. The distribution would have put us on the track for a longer period of time with fresher tires but I no sooner pulled into the pit box and the caution came out. At least we were only one lap down. Thanks to Norm Adkins for letting us back on the lead lap there. Norm passed us early in the race, man he was fast. He pulled up and let us go by and we appreciate it.

I'll take the blame for the inability to go forward in the end. They say hindsight is twenty-twenty. If I could run that last segment over again, I know we could've pushed our Chevy further up in the finishing order. In the middle of the draft was the place to be. Running behind the group didn't provide enough pull. Just played it too conservative this week. We'll have to get up on the wheel a bit more if we're going to climb higher in the point standings.

We lost a bit of ground on the points but kept the damage to a minimum. Unfortunately for our teammate, Dan Bailey, his night went south again. Dan's been tearing 'em up in the Thunder division but can't buy a break over here on the Lightning side. Hopefully they'll get the monkey off their backs and the Patriot Motorsports combo will get some one-two finishes this year.

We get a week off for easter so we'll see ya in Martinsville. "