SOLID FINISH AT NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY FOR MIKEY KILE AND THE MUC-OFF/BATTERY TENDER TEAM
After a short hiatus from the driver’s seat of the No. 30
Muc-Off/Battery Tender Chevrolet, Mikey Kile returned to the
NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) this weekend at New
Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS). Kile set out to learn
all he could over the weekend, laying down solid lap times
in two practice sessions on Friday and qualifying on Saturday
morning. After a wild race in which Kile spun without making
any contact and was involved in a late race accident, the
28-year-old persevered to bring home a solid 16th-place finish.
Under sunny New England skies, Kile took the green flag in
the 19th position, ready to learn all he could over the next
200 laps. With coaching over the radio from very experienced
spotter, Kevin Hamlin, Kile settled in, running solid lap times and perfecting his line on the race track. By lap 30, he had reported that his Muc-Off/Battery Tender Chevy was tight through the center and needed help rotating through the corner. The afternoon’s first caution was displayed two laps later and Kile came to pit road for four tires, fuel and air pressure adjustments. Making up valuable track position on pit road, the No. 30 crew got Kile back onto the track in the 16th spot.
Learning quickly how tough it is to pass at NHMS, Kile rode around just outside the top-15 for the duration of the next long green-flag run. When the caution was displayed for a second time on lap 93 he was once again called to pit road for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, to counteract the tight through the center condition he was reporting. Taking the restart on lap 99 in the 18th spot, Kile was bumped from behind by the No. 01, spinning on the race track but expertly avoiding any contact. Crew chief Stewart Cooper directed Kile to come to pit road and instructed the crew to replace the one lap-old tires with the set of tires the team used on the first 33 lap run of the race. When the race restarted, the No. 30 was in the 20th spot, but a well timed caution allowed Kile to return to pit road. After determining the tires from the spin were not flat spotted, Cooper instructed the crew to put that set back on the No. 30 Chevy. Kile returned to the race track still in the 20th spot.
Staying out under the next caution on lap 115, Kile restarted the race in the third spot. After another long green-flag period, the caution was again displayed on lap 166. Restarting in the 19th spot on lap 171, Kile weathered several late-race cautions until, following the restart on lap 196, a wreck occurred just in front of the No. 30 which was listed in the 13th position. Sustaining heavy damage after being hit from behind, Kile wheeled the his Chevy down pit road several times while under the caution so the Muc-Off/Battery Tender crew could make repairs. Returning to the track for the final green-white-checkered finish, Kile crossed the finish line solidly in the 16th spot. His top-20 finish at ‘The Magic Mile’ marked his career-best in four NNS starts.
“I definitely learned a lot this weekend. As I make the transition into the Nationwide Series, that’s really what we are looking to do - learn. After all the adversity we faced during the race, I am proud to bring home a solid top-20. These Turner Motorsports guys worked so hard all weekend and that’s all I can ask for from my crew. I want to thank Muc-Off and Battery Tender for their continued support, and we will be back in Nashville to improve on this week’s finish.”
Next Stop: The NASCAR Nationwide Series teams head to Music City next weekend for their second stop of the season at Nashville Superspeedway. The green flag will drop for the Federated Auto Parts 300 at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday July 23rd, with live coverage on ESPN and MRN radio affiliates set to being at 7 p.m.
