JIM INGLEBRIGHT PLAGUED BY LATE RACE CAUTIONS IN THE NASCAR CAMPING WORLD WEST SERIES RACE AT MILLER MOTORSPORTS PARK

Source: Jim Inglebright Media Relations
Date: 08/06/2008

Jim Inglebright may not have had the fastest car at Miller Motorsports Park in Utah, but his crew chief, Rodney Haygood, had his own ideas and decided to carry out his plan.

“Our qualifying effort was not what I wanted”, said Haygood, “placing fourteenth, I knew I needed to concentrate on our pit strategy”. From the drop of the green, Inglebright completed the first lap in the #1 Jelly Belly car crossing the start/finish line in ninth. On lap 10, a caution came out, and on lap 11, with the pits open, Jim came in for his pit stop.

“I knew this was going to be a gamble, but I felt it was a good call, and it was something that we agreed upon before the race began, Inglebright stated”. As the race progressed, by lap 21, Jim gained the lead for the 1st time. “Our fuel consumption was our first and foremost thought, I drove very conservatively, with our crew keeping track of those cars running the faster lap times.”

Inglebright holding the lead 3 separate times with a total of 16 laps led ran into another stumbling block. With two late race cautions, the Jelly Belly team knew their chances were slim. Anthony Domoto, the team’s gasman and Tony Oddo, the engine builder, calculated fuel for the scheduled 41 laps. They gave a margin of two additional laps in the event of a green, white, checkered. “When my spotter called clear by 5 in turn 3 on lap 44, I knew this wasn’t going to hold, my car was beginning to starve for fuel.” By turn 8, the car ran completely out. “We had a great run. I felt bad for the team, but it was at this moment that I realized what a committed crew I have.”

The Jelly Belly #1 team will travel to Irwindale CA to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Series at the Toyota Speedway, the Pipe Careers “200” on August 16th.

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