Dover II: Marc Davis race report

Marc Davis finishes a commendable 23rd at Dover for R3 Motorsports

CHINA GROVE, N.C. (Sept. 27, 2010)-- Marc Davis and the No. 23 WHUR 96.3 FM Chevrolet of R3 Motorsports had a good showing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Dover International Speedway on Saturday.

After the two-hour practice session on Friday, crew chief Steve Plattenberger and team were happy with the feedback Davis, 20, gave about the car's performance. When qualifying ended on Saturday, the No. 23 Chevrolet was 30th on the speed chart. The good news was Davis, who was making his first NNS start of the year, and the 17th place starter were separated by 1/10th of a second.

Once the green flag dropped on the one-mile concrete oval, Davis wasted no time showing he was ready to race by vaulting from 30th to 21st on the first lap. From there, he would race in the mid-20s holding his position and keeping up with the leaders.

Saying the car loose from the center off, it wasn't until under the first caution on lap 73 that Plattenberger and crew could pit for tires, fuel, track bar and air pressure adjustments. The R3 Motorsports pit crew was spot on all day and showed it on the first stop by gaining three positions on pit road.

From the restart, Davis took off and picked up three more positions before another caution waved on lap 117. Electing not to pit, the team took advantage of the wave around to gain one lap back and restart in 24th place.

Again, Davis mashed the gas and continued to race hard. A multi-car wreck on lap 134 brought out the red flag for almost 11 minutes for track clean up. Pitting for tires, fuel and adjustments, the pit crew picked up more spots to restart 21st for the lap 141 restart.

Hoping to go the distance to lap 200, Davis and Plattenberger agreed on a set-up that would bring the car to them on the long run. However, another caution slowed the pace of the race and altered their strategy.

Looking to tighten the car up, the handling started to go away in the last stages of the race preventing Davis from picking up more positions. However, he was able to maintain his pace to finish a respectable 23rd in the No. 23 WHUR 96.3 FM Chevrolet for his first NNS race of the season.

Heading to Kansas Speedway next weekend, the No. 23 Chevrolet remains in the top-30 Owner's Points guaranteeing them a starting spot.

Marc Davis quotes: "We could have qualified a little better than we did, but I didn't know just how good that car was going to stick when I dove into the turn. It stuck pretty darn good on both laps. Once the race started, we were very loose until we got to that first stop to make the adjustments.

"From there, we maintained good track position and I was able to wheel the No. 23 WHUR 96.3 FM Chevrolet pretty good around the place. I love this track and it helped the car was as good as it was all day. At the end, we were just too tight to gain any more than what we did to get that finish.

"This team of R3 Motorsports put together a great car, the pit crew was awesome and I was very happy with how things went for us. Big thanks to everyone at WHUR and Howard University for their help. I'm not sure what's next for me, but I'm ready to run this car again if we can get the backing."

-source: r3 motorsports