We ended up 26th on the starting grid which was disappointing and I was determined to do a better job in the race. My crew chief, Jason Overstreet, did a fantastic job with our pit strategy and got us into the top-10 before the halfway point of the race. We ran as high as fifth but began to lose the handle just a tad as the race wore on. Everyone was driving very aggressively and there was a lot of contact out there. I was hit from behind and knocked up the racetrack and was "freight trained" by about 6 or 7 trucks and when I finally got back in line, we were well outside of the top-10. We finally were able to bring home an 18th place finish which was a little disappointing but all in all it was a solid day for the Construct Corps racing team. Next week is Dover, another track I've never even seen. Sometimes it can be tough being a rookie but one was able to bring home the victory at Mansfield, maybe we can do it at Dover. Thanks for everyone's support, hope to see you at a race soon!
I'm excited to make my first entry in the Construct Corps Racing blog for 2008. We're 5 races into the season and it's been quite a crazy ride so far. As a rookie in the Craftsman Truck Series, you are forced to really elevate your game and make a step up in aggression, speed and commitment to be able to race with these guys. We're right in the thick of the battle for Rookie of the Year and had a pretty strong run yesterday at Kansas. Before we get to that, a quick rundown on the 2008 season so far: Daytona: The Construct Corps Tundra made its debut at the biggest race of the year and after being fastest in pre-season testing, we had high hopes. We ran strong all night, running mostly in the top-5 before getting caught up in an accident that ruined our chances of victory. We did manage an 8th place finish and top rookie honors. California: This was a tough day. We started out very loose and I lost it early and hit the wall. After making repairs behind the wall, we rejoined the race but finished well down in the order Atlanta: A decent run that probably could have been better but we had a few hiccups that impeded our progress. We had some problems on a pit stop that put us behind but we got a top-15 finish and made up a few spots in the points. Martinsville: My NASCAR short-track initiation was a tough one to say the least. It's a tough track and a long tough day when you're new to the place and the pace of racing at the short-tracks. And that brings us to Kansas. Our speedway program is pretty strong and Toyota continues to bring great horsepower to the racetrack. We were less than great in the first practice but we able to get the set-up where we needed it right at the end of happy hour and I was excited to qualify. We went out after the Indycars qualified and the track was in different shape. It kind of caught us out and I was tight on my lap and I qualified 17th, a bit slower than I had expected. In the race we struggled early with a bad set of tires and went down a lap to the leaders. We rebounded and fought hard to get back on the lead lap which we were able to do by the halfway point. From that point on we were tight in the middle of the corners but did some fantastic racing all race long and had a lot of fun. We ran in the top-15 for the rest of the race and were able to bring the #9 Tundra home in 11th place. We maintained our position in the overall points standings and learned a lot to apply in a few weeks at Lowe's Motor Speedway. I'll be posting post-race reports on ConstructCorpsRacing.com after each race this year. Thanks to everyone for your support of the Construct Corps Racing team, I look forward to meeting you at a race soon! Justin Marks |
