James Buescher and the No. 31 Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet team entered O’Reilly Raceway Park at Indianapolis for the third of nine consecutive events on the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) schedule. Currently in their first full year of existence, the Turner Motorsports team had an empty notebook at the start of practice on Friday morning. Buescher struggled with the handling of the Chevrolet Silverado but was confident that the team’s hard work would result in success.
After two practice sessions to kick off the one-day show for the Truck Series, the team changed the transmission prior to qualifying as Buescher had issues shifting from third to second gear. NASCAR officials approved the changed, which allowed Buescher to start the 200-lap race from his qualifying position. With a late qualifying draw on his side, the 20-year-old laid down a lap of 22.611 seconds to claim the third starting position.
With the heat continuing to lurk into the night, Buescher took the green flag for the AAA Insurance 200 from the inside of row two. Taking care of his equipment early, Buescher lost two positions before settling into fifth-place. The first caution of the night waved on lap 10, with Buescher rounding out the top-five. The youngster reported to Crew Chief Michael Shelton that his Wolf Pack Rentals Chevy was on the tight side. All trucks elected not to pit, allowing Buescher to restart in his same position on lap 18.
A long green-flag run ensued over the next 70 laps as Buescher struggled to find grip. By lap 55, Buescher was scored in sixth-place, as his Chevrolet wouldn’t “rotate on its own.” The second caution slowed the field on lap 86 as the Texas native told his Wolf Pack Rentals team that his truck was “plowing tight.” Shelton called Buescher to pit road for a “big swing” – four tires, fuel, wedge and air pressure adjustments. The No. 31 Silverado restarted on lap 91 from the eighth position.
Buescher passed a fellow competitor during the restart, placing the driver in seventh-place. Another caution quickly came out on lap 97 for an accident on the backstretch. Buescher remained on the racetrack and took the green flag once again on lap 102 from the sixth position. Holding his ground, Buescher continued to run one spot shy of the top-five. The fourth caution of the night was showed on lap 120 for debris, as Buescher radioed that his truck was loose and tight, but the previous adjustments had helped.
Buescher restarted on lap 125 and in one short lap, had broken back into the top-five. The top-four competitors had pulled away on the track, but the gap was closed for the last time for a caution on lap 142. Buescher told his Wolf Pack Rentals team that his truck needed to rotate better through the center of the corner. Shelton called Buescher to pit road for four tires, fuel, and an air pressure adjustment. Varying pit strategies for two or four tires placed Buescher in 11th-place – the farthest back the young gun had been all night – on the lap 148 restart.
The final 50 laps were caution-free but that didn’t hinder Buescher’s determination to get back into the top-five. Making the high-groove work for his Chevrolet, Buescher continued to gain positions on the .686-mile paved oval. As the checkered flag flew on lap 200, Buescher crossed the finish line in fifth-place – the driver’s fourth top-five finish of the season.
Ron Hornaday won the AAA Insurance 200. Kyle Busch, Matt Crafton, Johnny Sauter, and Buescher rounded out the top-five finishing positions.
FAST FACTS:
The caution-flag was displayed five times, accounting for a total of 29 laps.
Buescher’s third-place qualifying run was his fifth top-three effort in the last six NCWTS events.
Buescher and the No. 31 Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet will return to racing action at Pocono Raceway, this Saturday, July 31st. Live coverage can be seen on SPEED beginning with the Set-Up show at 12:30 P.M. Eastern, as well as the live radio broadcast heard on MRN Radio and Sirius-XM Satellite Radio.
JAMES BUESCHER QUOTE:
HOW WAS YOUR RACE? “I’m very satisfied with our run in the No. 31 Wolf Pack Rentals Chevrolet. We had a truck fast enough all night to be in the top-five so I’m glad we were able to finish there. During the last caution we lost some spots on pit road and had to restart in 11th. So without any more cautions in the final 50 laps and to come home in fifth, I’m satisfied with that. We just need to keep getting better on our pit stops, but the guys have been working hard. We’ll get it better and keep moving forward.”
-TMS-
