JANI-KING 200
MEMPHIS MOTORSPORTS PARK
MILLINGTON, TN
This was only Chriss second return to Memphis Motorsports Park having only raced there once the previous season. Chris was looking forward to a goods starting position in the Jani-King 200 but struggled in the first hot lap session with a time of 24.111 that was only the 21 st fasted time turned.
In the second hot lap session he turned in a faster lap, 23.948, a speed of 112.744 mph, but that was only good for the 24th position. In the 3rd hot lap session Chris brought his time down to 23.478, 115.001 mph, which was 12th, fasted for that session.
The crew did some drastic changes to the car in getting the car prepared for qualifying in hopes of improving their time. Chris was the 21st car out for qualifying and turned in a super time of 23.242, 116.169 mph that put him in the 7th starting position.
At the start of the race Chris held on to a top 10 position for the majority of the race. He moved on up to the 5th and 6th positions for the majority of the race. During his pit stop his clutch went out costing him valuable time as the crew had to push the car to get it going.
Chris continued to stay in the top 10 and was content on a 10th place finish when a caution flag was thrown with only 2 laps remaining for a spin on the back stretch by the car of Bill Plemons.
When the flag was thrown for the restart of the race it was to be a green, white and checkered. Coming out of corner 4 the lapped car of Peter Cozzolino slid sideways causing a muti-car pileup and sending Chriss 05 Chevrolet Monte-Carlo on its roof and sliding crossed the start- finish line. ASA did not throw the caution and the leaders raced to the Checked Flag with Chriss car sitting in the middle of the front straight -away along with the cars of Greg Stewart and Richard Fincher. Fortunately the field of cars made it through the mess without hitting one of the disabled cars.
Chris registered a 12th place finish moving him up to 13th in drivers points with 5 races remaining.
Chris left Memphis pretty unhappy with the way the season has been going. .
Chris is hoping for a better weekend at Minnesota as he tries to get his backup car together for next weekend.