Texas II: Brian Scott race report

SCOTT SADDLES UP TO 7th AT TEXAS; COSTLY LATE RACE MISHAP ON PIT ROAD BLOCKS BID FOR TOP-FIVE FINISH

Fort Worth, TX (November 6, 2009) -- NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Brian Scott had them right where he wanted them in Friday night's Winstar World Casino 350 at Texas Motor Speedway. Scott took advantage of a very strong No. 16 Albertsons Toyota Tundra and drove his way from his 15th starting position all the way up to the fourth spot heading into the last round of pit stops. Scott looked to be ready to race for the win until a lap 91 altercation with a lapped truck on pit road cost the Idaho native eight positions and eliminated any chance for a top-five finish. Scott and his Xpress Motorsports teammates maintained their spot in the NCWTS points chase now standing in the sixth position only 39 points out of the top-five.

"We had a really good Albertsons Toyota Tundra all night," Scott said in the garage area after the event." I had to fight for track position at the drop of the green. We didn't have a perfect truck at the very start of the race. My crew chief Jeff Hensley and everybody on the Xpress Motorsports crew made all the right adjustments and in that next run, man we were hauling. We were fast. After we got tires the next caution after that, we were flying. I think we were fast as any truck out there. We drove out to fourth. We had a great four tire pit stop. Came back in and pulled out of the pits after our gas stop and a lapped down truck pinned us in the pits and we gave away all the track position. It is disappointing because we had such a good truck and I think we might have had something there for them at the end."

Scott qualified his Albertsons Toyota Tundra in the 15th starting position touring Texas Motor Speedway's 1.5 mile oval in 30.613 seconds which translates into a speed of 176.396 mph. When the event's first caution flag fell on lap 17, Scott came down pit road for fuel only and exited pit road in the 8th position. Scott maintained his standing in the top 10 over the next 40 laps. He pitted under caution for fresh Goodyear tires on lap 57 and for additional Sunoco fuel and a series of chassis adjustments on lap 58, that placed him 11th on the ensuing restart. At that point Scott's Toyota came to life and he quickly picked his way through the pack moving into the top 10 within a few laps and then all the way to the top-five by lap 75. He moved into fourth with a pass on Mike Skinner on lap 78 and was closing on third when the race's last caution flag fell on lap 88 for Mario Gosselin's spin off of turn four. Scott once again ducked down pit road for tires on lap 90 and for fuel on lap 91. As he exited his pit after the fuel stop Scott nearly collided with the lapped truck driven by Tim Andrews who was just reaching pit road. Scott was pinned behind Andrews and the delay cost him at least eight positions exiting pit road, that placed him 11th on the final restart. Over the last green flag run Scott picked off four positions but was unable to make up the lost track position and finished in the 7th spot. It was Scott's 13th top-10 finish of the 2009 NCWTS season.

"We had a legitimate shot to win this race," Hensley said to his crew after the race. "Brian drove a heck of a race and our Toyota Tundra was really fast, especially after we were able to get in cleaner air. The guys on this Xpress Motorsports team did a whale of a job on pit road and put us in position to capitalize. Unfortunately that deal on pit road with the No. 36 truck really hurt us."

"I can't say enough about the job all these guys on this Xpress team did tonight," Scott said. "I am proud of every single one of them. We had a good truck, a really good truck after we made some adjustments. I just can't wait to get to Phoenix. We had a great run there last year and if we can continue to get good trucks then we can make some noise over the last two weeks of the season."

-credit: xm