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Raucous Richmond ... | More >> | 2004 Recap Archive | 2003 Race Archive

Start - 12th | Competitors - 17| High - 1st | Low - 14th | Finish - 6th | analyzer report

What's not to like about Richmond. It's a blazing fast three quarter mile oval that thinks it's a super speedway. With a sweeping front stretch and tight corners, it's the quintessential complement to Martinsville and Bristol. Multiple grooves and differing pit strategies make for a dynamic, challenging race. The ECI Express didn't find much joy in the practice charts as at the end of the session they were sitting thirteenth in a group of the sixteen teams who took to the track. Qualifying didn't go much better as the car just didn't stick. The result; a disappointing twelfth place starting spot.

The first couple of segments of the race were non eventful as Kevin rode around, conserved tires and bode his time. A lap ten caution slowed the group for a moment but then a long green flag session resulted. Kevin was on a different strategy from everyone else as he kept the AMSOIL Chevy in fourth gear throughout the first half of the race while others were shifting into third to get a run off the corner. Incidental contact on lap forty-one between Kevin and his teammate Dan Bailey sent Dan spinning in more ways than one.

Unfortunately for Kevin, the incidents wouldn't end there. Another warp incident occurred on lap eighty-two when Kevin and Jeff Mahan were running side by side. There was also contact when Randy Mitchell spun on the apron after a restart on lap one-twenty. From this stage, Kevin hung in there and methodically tried to make his way into the top ten. This is where the race gets interesting. The middle segment looked as if there was going to be a fuel strategy to consider. Many drivers ducked in as the field took the one to go signal on lap one-twenty-five. Those drivers were good to the finish, Kevin included.

The strategy wouldn't pan out too long however as a late segment caution pretty much meant everyone had to duck in for tires or be left behind in the final charge to the finish. A quick decision from the AMSOIL crew put Kevin back out on the track for the final restart in fifth. The team decided on only two tires but Kevin had to fend off a bunch of hard chargers too the finish.

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Raucous Richmond... | << back | 2004 Race Archive | 2003 Race Archive

The final fifteen laps were nail biting indeed and Kevin held everyone off but Norm Adkins. Scott Olson threw all that he had at the AMSOIL driver and even drew along side on several occasions but couldn't muster the pass. He was actually ahead in turn two on the last lap but slipped ever so slightly and Kevin drew ahead at the finish.

.Kevin Inglin, the pilot of the AMSOIL Chevy had this to say after the run:

"I'm plum worn out. I worked hard for that finish and really had my hands full there at the end. We decided to take two tires there at the end and I knew it meant that I had to hug the bottom and protect my position as best I could. I ran fourth gear the whole race and I gotta tell you, after that last restart I was a sitting duck. I figured out how to shift down quick-fast, and in a hurry. I was getting killed up off the corner and if I didn't shift then I probably would have ended up in way in the back. I decided early on not to shift as I didn't want to risk blowing the motor like we did in Talladega. I guess that was a bit conservative but I must say that on that one long green flag run I was reeling in the leaders while running in fourth gear. Maybe if we didn't have as many cautions as we did, then I could have had an advantage over time.

Speaking of cautions, I'm not looking forward to the team meeting back at the shop on Monday. I hope that Dan knows that I didn't spin him on purpose but after the year he's having I can picture the scene.... Dan standing on a chair screaming obscenities and gesticulating wildly in the air as he recounts how his own teammate shipped him for no good reason. I guess I'll have to take my lumps come Monday.

I would have preferred a top five but we pulled in another top ten and after finishing sixteenth and fifteenth in the last two weeks we'll be happy with a sixth. The next two weeks we tow into Charlotte for the NASS All-Star race and the Coke 600. Its another one of those quad-oval deals and we'll just have to deal with it. The All-Star race is always fun and we're looking forward to that. Hopefully Lowes will be kind to us on Memorial weekend too. Until next week.... "