Sunday
Brian Scott, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry Talladega Superspeedway Post Race Report
Press Release
Aaron’s 312 at Talladega Superspeedway
April 16, 2011
Race Highlights:
* Brian Scott qualified the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota in the 23rd position for the Aaron’s 312, while his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Joey Logano and Kyle Busch started seventh and 22nd respectively.
* It was a field of two-car drafts in the 124-lap race at Talladega Superspeedway which made the race and racing extremely unique. Drivers were switching radio channels to talk to other drivers while spotters moved around on the roof to stand with the team’s drafting partner. It also was the culprit of the majority of the 11 cautions as drivers continued to get accustomed to this new style of restrictor-plate racing.
* Scott started the event extremely loose when he was the front car of a two-car tandem. He got too loose on lap 29 while drafting with Logano but kept the car off the wall. The team changed tires and made a wedge adjustment to tighten up the No. 11 Toyota. Scott was able to continue drafting in the top 10, but on lap 87 a multi-car wreck broke out and the No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota received extensive right-front damage. The No. 11 crew fixed the car and got Scott back out onto the track.
* Scott remained in the top 20 and told crew chief Kevin Kidd the car felt fine. But once again the car received right-front damage following a restart on lap 114 when Scott got shoved from behind and into the rear of the car in front of him. The team assessed the damage during a red flag and sprang into action, repairing the car and keeping Scott on the lead lap. That caution set up what would be the first of two green-white-checker attempts. Scott was able to avoid the final incident to cross the stripe in the 11th position.
* There was a record 56 lead changes in the Aaron’s 312 which would end under caution. Scott’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Busch took home the trophy, while Logano finished second.
* Scott remains eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings following his 11th-place run at Talladega Superspeedway. It was his best finish of his two career starts at the 2.66-mile track. He now sits 27 points out of the top spot, and just 18 out of the top five.
“This two-car drafting is crazy. We worked at it all day and worked on the Shore Lodge Toyota all today. It was really unstable at the start of the race when I was being pushed. I know I made a lot of friends today because I could push so well, but they just weren’t around at the end. I got caught up in a few things, but the guys killed it on pit road and fixed the car up.
They did a great job all day. I know they are working on the finishing order now, so we may get a top 10 out of this who knows. I know I don’t have the same experience as a lot of the guys out here, but I learned a lot today from veteran guys like Kyle (Busch) and Michael (Waltrip). It was really helpful and should be information that will make me that much better when we go to Daytona in a few months. Now we will take this car back to the shop to get it ready for Daytona and keep moving forward.”
- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release
Article Tags: Aaron's 312, Brian Scott, JGR, Joe Gibbs Racing, Joey Logano, Kevin Kidd, Kyle Busch, Michael Waltrip, NASCAR Nationwide Series, Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway, NNS, No. 11 Shore Lodge Toyota Camry, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway
