Bristol II: Danny O'Quinn race report

O'QUINN JR. FINISHES 16th IN HEILTRAILER.COM FORD AT BRISTOL

Solid-Finish Moves No. 27 Back into 10th in Nationwide Series Owner Points

BRISTOL, Tenn. (August 21, 2010) --Danny O'Quinn Jr. brought the No. 27 HEILtrailer.com Ford Fusion home 16th in the Food City 250 Friday at Bristol Motor Speedway. The 16th-place finish was the Virginia native's best NASCAR Nationwide Series finish since registering a top 15 in the Sam's Town 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park in October of 2007.

"I really would've liked a top 10, but it was a solid run and the No. 27 HEILTrailer.com Ford Fusion went home in one piece," said O'Quinn Jr. "We ran on the lead lap all night long and it helped Baker Curb move back into the top 10 in owner points. I think that I proved that when given the opportunity to run the full race I can run competitively. I'd like to thank Heil Trailer International for their support and Baker Curb Racing for this opportunity."

O'Quinn Jr. started the race from the 21st spot and was running 19th when the first caution of the race occurred for debris on lap 56. He communicated to crew chief Jeff White that the No. 27 HEILtrailer.com Ford Fusion was really loose in the early stages. He brought his Ford Fusion down pit road where the Baker Curb Racing crew put on four fresh tires, made a trackbar adjustment and filled it with fuel. The Virginia native was scored in the 17th position when he returned to the track.

When the next caution occurred on lap 82, White elected to keep the No. 27 on the track in an effort to gain track position. O'Quinn Jr. was scored in the 11th position when the race restarted on lap 91. The 2006 Raybestos® Rookie of the Year quickly yielded spots to cars on fresher tires but communicated to White that the HeilTrailer.com Ford Fusion got better on the longer green-flag runs and remained in the top 20.

Another caution occurred on lap 117 and O'Quinn Jr. brought his No. 27 HEILtrailer.com Ford Fusion down pit road for four fresh tires, a full tank of fuel and two rounds of wedge. When the race restarted, he was scored in the 20th position. As the race progressed past the halfway mark, the Virginia native communicated to White that his Ford Fusion remained free in the center of the corners. The sixth caution of the race occurred on lap 219 with O'Quinn Jr. running in the 19th spot. He came down pit road for four scuffed tires and an air pressure adjustment and returned to the track in the same spot.

On lap 226 the No. 27 HEILtrailer.com Ford Fusion received some minor fender damage as O'Quinn Jr. weaved his way in and out of a seven-car accident in Turn 4. After examining the car from pit road, crew chief Jeff White concluded that the damage wasn't severe and elected to keep his driver on the track.

After the eighth and final caution was cleaned up, O'Quinn Jr. restarted the race scored in the 14th position on lap 240. He battled side-by side with Josh Wise for 15th spot for the final 10 laps but ended up having to settle for a 16th-place finish.

-source: bake curb racing