Stacy Compton and the Wyler Racing team overcame a tight handling Toyota Tundra on Friday night to claim their second-best finish of the year at Concord, North Carolina's 1.5-mile quad oval of Lowe's Motor Speedway. "We weren't that good when we unloaded, but the guys kept working and working on our SafeAuto Toyota and they were able to get the truck a lot better," Compton explained. "Every week we get better and better. Finishing ninth here is just a sign of things to come!"
Compton went out 13th in qualifying for the North Carolina Education Lottery 200, but after 21 trucks made their qualifying attempts, rain halted the session forcing NASCAR to set the starting grid according to the 2009 Owner Points standings. With Compton's owner, Jeff Wyler, sitting 10th in the standings, Compton took the green flag for the 134-lap race from outside row five in 10th position.
In the opening laps, Compton's Toyota was "a little tight in the center" and "snappy loose on exit". When NASCAR displayed the caution flag on lap 27 for an accident on the backstretch, Crew Chief Marcus Richmond called Compton to pit road for his first pit stop of the night. Compton slid into the box for four tires and an air pressure adjustment, and returned to pit road for fuel, restarting the race from 12th position. Just two laps after the restart, Compton moved into ninth position after a huge wreck on the frontstretch that brought out the red flag, stopping the race for nearly 20 minutes. When the race went back to green flag action, Compton's truck developed a "really bad push" around lap 44, but he continued to run in the top 10.
When the next caution flag flew on lap 89, Compton's truck was "real tight in the center and exit of four". After some radio communication, Compton determined that the push he felt earlier happened because he was driving his Tundra so hard. "I think I drove a push into it," he explained. Compton made his final stop of the night under the caution flag where he took on four tires and an air pressure adjustment, before returning for fuel. Compton restarted the race in ninth position, where he remained until the checkered flag flew.
"We had good calls all night," said Compton. "We had a pretty decent truck. We just kept getting tight. We ran about 10 laps but would just get too tight."
Compton's ninth place finish propelled him into ninth position in the 2009 Championship Title Chase. Compton is just 75 points out of the top five. With five top-15 finishes in only six starts, keep your eyes on Compton when the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series hits Dover International Speedway on Friday, May 29th. "It was a good points day," said Compton. "We just need to build on it. We just moved shops this week and it's been pretty busy. I'm awfully proud of the guys. Every week we get better and better. We will build on it."
