Phoenix: Brian Scott race report

SCOTT TAKES 11TH AT PHOENIX; IDAHO NATIVE JUST 13 POINTS OUT OF TOP FIVE HEADING INTO NCWTS FINALE

AVONDALE, AZ (November 13, 2009) -- The good news for Brian Scott is that he passed fellow competitor Colin Braun in a fierce battle for the fifth position in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series points chase with an 11th place finish in Friday night's Lucas Oil 150 at Phoenix International Raceway. The bad news for Scott is that Johnny Sauter jumped both Scott and Braun and now holds a 13 point advantage for the fifth spot heading into next weekend's NCWTS finale. After the Phoenix race Scott's Xpress Motorsports crew discovered that a left rear shock absorber had failed and hampered Scott's performance in the event.

Scott qualified his No. 16 Albertsons Toyota Tundra in the 8th position for Friday night's event and held his spot over the first 30 laps. When the caution flag fell on lap 32, Scott radioed his crew that his truck seemed to "want to roll over on the right front." He ducked down pit road for four fresh Goodyear tires on lap 35 and Sunoco fuel on lap 36. His crew also made a series of chassis adjustments including track bar, wedge and air pressure changes to aid the handling of his Toyota. Scott came into the pits in the 7th spot and exited in 9th. Over the next 45 green flag laps Scott seesawed positions ranging from 7th to 10th. Scott struggled with the handling of his truck informing his crew that he was "loose on entry." When the caution flag once again flew on lap 89, crew chief Jeff Hensley ordered his driver down pit road for "wholesale changes." Scott pitted on lap 92 for tires and 93 for fuel and significant chassis adjustments -- two rounds on the track bar and two rounds down in the left rear. Scott restarted the race on lap 96 in the 12th position and quickly moved up to 10th.

Unfortunately on lap 128 Scott was pinned in on the frontstretch by a lapped vehicle and the result was a loss of four spots. Over the next 15 laps there were two more cautions. On the race's last restart Scott was battling the No. 81 driven by Tayler Malsam when the two collided on lap 149, bringing out another caution as the leaders took the white flag. Malsam's ensuing spin and contact with the turn four retaining wall brought out the yellow flag that ended the event.

"We were hoping for a much better run tonight," Scott said in the garage area after the event. "We had high hopes after practice and really had a pretty good truck going into the race. It looks like our battle for fifth in the points race is going to go down to the wire at Homestead. Johnny Sauter, our Xpress Motorsports team and Colin Braun are all right there. We just need to go to Homestead and have the kind of run that we know we are capable of having."

Kevin Harvick won the Lucas Oil 150 and Ron Hornaday Jr. captured his fourth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship. Kyle Busch was second, Aric Almirola third, Hornaday Jr Ford 200 at Homstead-Miami Speedway.

-credit: xm