Tayler Malsam and the PC*MILER Navigator team rebounded from a rough couple of weeks to score a top-10 finish in the inaugural NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Iowa Speedway.
Because the NCWTS had never been to Iowa Speedway, teams were given several practice sessions Friday to become acclimated to the track. On Saturday, the No. 81 PC*MILER Navigator Toyota Tundra was the 16th of 39 trucks to take to the track for qualifying. Malsam posted a speed of 135.706 miles per hour during his two-lap run around the .875-mile oval, earning the team fifth place on the starting grid and its best starting spot of the season.
Malsam took the green flag for the start of the race and immediately began to work his way even closer to the front. Running as high as third in the opening laps, Malsam communicated to crew chief Doug Wolcott that he was fighting a loose handling condition with the No. 81 Toyota Tundra. Malsam held down the 11th spot when the first round of pit stops occurred during a caution period on lap 58. Wolcott called for a four tire change and the crew sent Malsam back to the track for the lap 64 restart in the 13th position.
Malsam moved into the 12th spot on lap 81 and remained there while working with a truck that was handling loose heading into the corners and tight off. Wolcott called for air pressure adjustments to the right side tires during the next scheduled pit stop, which came on lap 113 of the 200-lap event. Malsam returned to the track in the 10th position and, though he still found himself with a truck that was tight off the corners, he continued to try different lines around the track in an effort to find the fastest and most comfortable groove. With some coaching by his veteran crew chief and spotter, Malsam crossed the finish line in 10th place, his eighth top-10 result of the season.
Malsam moved up two spots in the driver points battle and now stands in 11th place with just 11 points separating him from the top 10 and 141 markers outside of fifth place.
Tayler Malsam and the No. 81 Randy Moss Motorsports team will return to action at Gateway International Raceway on Saturday, September 12.
The Copart 200 will be broadcast at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on SPEED TV and on select affiliates of MRN Radio and Sirius-XM NASCAR Radio.
