Catchfence

Brian Scott Post-Race Recap

Bubba Burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway

April 29, 2011

Race Highlights:

* Brian Scott had his best qualifying effort of the season at Richmond International Raceway on Friday. Scott started on the second row for the Bubba Burger 250 after turning the third quickest lap around the .75-mile short track in qualifying. His Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kelly Bires and Denny Hamlin qualified eighth and 11th respectively.

* Scott struggled with a tight-handling Shore Lodge Toyota throughout the 250-lap event. He told crew chief Kevin Kidd on lap 64 it got tighter as the run continued. Scott had a close call on lap 82 when the No. 22 car pitted early and pulled up onto the track and into Scott who was running seventh at the time. The No. 11 car didn’t appear to suffer too much damage, but the crew checked it out on its first pit stop less than 20 laps later when Scott brought the No. 11 Toyota down pit road under green-flag conditions. The No. 11 Sprint Cup pit crew made a right-side chassis adjustment, put on four fresh tires, packed it full of fuel and assessed the damage.

* The first yellow flag of the race was displayed on lap 123 with just eight cars remaining on the lead lap and Scott sitting 11th in the running order. He pitted for another trackbar adjustment and to have the grill cleaned on lap 125 to get the water temperatures down that had been running hot. He restarted in the 15th position, as several cars remained on the track for the wave around back onto the lead lap.

* Scott continued to run in the top 20 and was 11th with 50 laps to go. The leader put him a second lap down on lap 213, and Kidd came over the radio to tell his driver to “save fuel.” Teams would begin pitting that needed fuel around lap 235 while Scott continued to be easy on the throttle to make it to the checkered flag without pitting. Unfortunately the team was unable to see if the strategy by Kidd would pay off when the caution flag waved on lap 244. Kidd was forced to call Scott down pit road for fuel for the green-white-checker finish. He crossed the stripe in the 15th position.

* Scott’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and Virginia native Hamlin took the checkered flag for the 250-lap race, while Bires finished 30th. There were only three cautions and six lead changes in the Bubba Burger 250 on Friday evening.

* Scott remains eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings following his 15th-place run at Richmond International Raceway and is just three points behind seventh place.

- Joe Gibbs Racing Press Release