Michel Jourdain Jr. headed to the newly refinished Las Vegas Motor Speedway not quite knowing what to expect.  The 1.5-mile track had the banking in the turns increased from 12 degrees to 20 degrees and the front and back stretch were now banked nine degrees.

Everyone knew with the increased banking and the new asphalt surface that lap times were going to be fast and the race was going to be interesting to watch.  The team took advantage of the all-day test session on Friday to work on the trucks handling.  With all the practice time, Jourdain, Jr. was able to make it around the track in just 30.877 seconds during qualifying, resulting in a 20th place starting position. 

At the drop of the green flag, Jourdain knew he had a good truck.  He began moving forward through the field, picking off one competitor at a time. Jourdain, Jr. took advantage of the first caution of the day to come down pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment to try and loosen the truck up a little.  His crew helped him out and gained his four positions on pit road, returning him to the track in the 14th position. 

Jourdain was all the way up to 12th when the second caution of the day came out on lap 51.  The truck was a little on the free side so he came down pit road for four tires, an air pressure adjustment and fuel.  It was an attempt at pit strategy since this would have been the last set of tires they would need to complete the 146-lap event, but bad luck struck just 20 laps later.

While attempting to pass the No. 13 truck, Jourdain got loose and made contact with the inside wall on the backstretch.  The damage to the front end required the team to take the truck behind the wall for repairs. Jourdain was able to return to the track and complete the race, crossing the finish line in the 30th position.

"During practice, we just couldn't get the truck handling very well," said Jourdain.  "It was tight during qualifying, but the changes Matt (Puccia) made during the race were very good and we were able to pass a lot of trucks.  While I was trying to pass Kerry Earnhardt, I lost air on the right rear which caused me to hit the inside wall.  It's such a shame because this was our best truck and we were running so well.  I feel really bad for my guys; they worked very hard and I wanted to get a good finish for them."