Solid run by Mikey Kile in his Nationwide debut spoiled by mid-race accident

LEBANON, Tenn –  This weekend at Nashville Superspeedway,

Mikey Kile partnered with Braun Racing to make his NASCAR

Nationwide Series debut. Driving the No. 10 AccuDoc Solutions

Toyota Camry, Kile put down a solid performance and seemed

poised to bring home a top-20 finish before he was collected in a

mid-race accident that put him over 70 laps down and relegated him

to a 33rd-place finish.  

In two practice sessions on Friday afternoon, Kile displayed patience

and finesse as he made laps to get comfortable behind the wheel of

the Nationwide car.  With guidance from veteran crew chief, Stewart

Cooper, Kile tuned solid laps in both qualifying and race trim.  On

Saturday morning, the young driver took to the track for time trials,

earning a 25th-place starting position for the afternoon race.

Upon taking the green-flag, Kile kept his patience in check and got a feel for the tempo of the race.  Knowing he had 225 laps ahead of him, Kile aimed to run a smooth race and avoid trouble. Throughout the first run of the race, the Westlake, Louisiana-native did just that.  On lap 11, he broke inside the top-20 and maintained the position until the field was slowed on lap 30 for a competition caution. 

While under the caution, Kile reported that the No. 10 AccuDoc Solutions Camry was loose on entry.   Cooper assured his driver that they would make the necessary adjustments during their first stop of the day.  He quickly began calling out instructions to his crew.

As Kile pulled his Toyota into his pit stall, the No. 10 crew changed four tires, added fuel and made air pressure and track bar adjustments. Upon his return to the track, Kile was sitting in the 23rd position.   

Holding his own, Kile again set his sights on the top-20.  His progress was slowed by a lap 42 accident that put the field under caution for the third time.  Kile reported to Cooper that the No. 10 Toyota had grown increasingly tighter.  Cooper assured his driver that they would make additional adjustments during their next stop on pit road. After green-flag racing resumed, Kile continued to battle it out for position among the top-20.  

An accident on lap 100 brought out the yellow flag and allowed Kile another opportunity to come to pit road for service.  Cooper called for a four-tire stop with air pressure and track bar adjustments to help with the persistent tight-handling condition that his driver had reported.  Kile returned to the track in the 23rd position for the restart.

Kile continued his bid for a solid finish over the next green-flag run.  While under caution for a fourth time on lap 126, he reported that the changes made during the previous pit stop had improved the car’s handling balance. As green-flag racing resumed, the racing was tight with a four-wide battle occurring just ahead of Kile.  The battle was brief however, as one driver’s mistake caused a multi-car pileup that collected numerous cars including the No. 10. The AccuDoc Solutions machine suffered heavy damage and was brought back to the garage for repairs.  After assessing the damage, the crew went to work in an effort to get their driver back onto the track to complete the race.  The AccuDoc Solutions Toyota returned to the track 77 laps down and came away with a 33rd-place finish.