Tanked at Tally(part 2)... | More >> | 2004 Recap Archive | 2003 Race Archive
Start - 8th | Competitors - 19| High - 1st | Low - 16th | Finish - 12th | analyzer report
In what would be a repeat performance, the AMSOIL ECI Express team of Kevin Inglin was dealt a major blow in the chase for the championship. Similar to the spring race, the motor expired once again while running in the lead draft with three quarters of the race in the books. In the April race the AMSOIL Chevy only made it 49 laps; this time it went 67.
Running strong and trying to stay out of trouble, the ECI Express was heading for what would have been a major turning point in the Chase point situation. Multiple drivers had problems mid way through the race and Kevin was tucked in tight to the lead draft and biding time for the finish. The blown motor would put an exclamation point on the restrictor plate tracks as finishes of 14th, 13th, 15th, and 12th were indicative of how poorly the plate track program has gone this year. There's no reason trying to make sense of the way it's gone this year but one thing's for sure, next year will surely require a review of the plate races.
Two early incidents in this race may have led to the demise of the Chevy's power plan. Early in the race, Kevin held the car back some in order to allow a fellow competitor to drop in line. Hugging the yellow line he inadvertently clipped the apron broke loose and scooted across the track and into the outside retaining wall. It was only a slight brush with the wall and not much damage was incurred. It was however enough to drop him off the lead pace until a timely caution let the crew do some cosmetic repairs.
The next contact however was a bit more significant and might have been directly related the engine woes. Several cars got together exiting turn four and Kevin had no choice but to cut it hard and try to squeeze between the spinning cars in the low and and the barrier on the outside. The AMSOIL mount made it through but heavy contact with the fence cause significant right side damage.
Once again the crew was pressed into service but the damage was done and in the end the official results indicated a camshaft failure on the thirty-nine.
