MIKEY KILE BRINGS HOME ANOTHER SOLID FINISH AT NASHVILLE SUPERSPEEDWAY
Taking the wheel of the No. 30 Muc-Off/Battery Tender
Chevrolet for the second consecutive weekend, Mikey Kile
was ready to build on what he learned in New Hampshire to
bring home another solid finish as he makes the transition in
the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Running a smart and solid
race under the lights in Music City, Kile survived another wild
night of racing to bring home a career-best 15th-place finish.
The 28 year-old driver will take a one week hiatus from the
seat of the No. 30 before returning to Nationwide Series action
in two weeks at Iowa Speedway.
As temperatures soared into the high 90s, Kile put in two
practice sessions on Friday and prepared to qualify and race
on Saturday. As the sun began to fade behind the grandstands, the Nationwide Series drivers strapped in for a long night of racing. Starting from the 19th spot, Kile was ready to work with his experienced crew chief, Stewart Cooper, learning the ins and outs of the ‘new’ Nationwide Series car.
As the field took the green flag, Kile immediately reported he was free on entry and through the center of the corner. Over the course of the first long green-flag run, the free condition persisted and, on lap 57, Cooper called Kile to pit road for his first pit stop of the night under green-flag conditions. The Turner Motorsports crew changed four tires with adjusted air pressures, added fuel and made a track bar adjustment. When the caution was displayed on lap 81, Kile was in the 18th position and still reporting a free condition. He came to pit road for four tires, fuel, track bar and wedge adjustments.
As the field took the restart, with Kile running in the 17th position, he reported the changes had made his Chevy too tight, saying he could not get through the center of the corners. On lap 127, the No. 11 made contact with Kile as the two were engaged in a heated battle for position. The contact sent Kile sliding through the infield grass, but with expert-like handling, he was able to avoid spinning or making any contact. He came to pit road where the crew changed four tires, added fuel, pushed a spring rubber into the right rear, and cleaned off debris from the front grill. After making one lap around the track, Kile had to return to pit road so the team could cool the engine, which had began to overheat due to debris on the grill from his slide. Kile took the restart in the 19th position.
Kile’s free condition persisted through the night, but the rookie impressed his team with his hard, but clean, racing. He raced Nationwide Series veterans for position for the remainder of the evening, eventually bringing home a career-best 15th-place finish, to one up last week’s 16th-place finish in New Hampshire.
“I really want to thank all my guys at Turner Motorsports. It was really hot this weekend, but they never gave up and continued to encourage and help me. I feel like I am learning a lot every time we race and I think that shows in our continually better results. I want to thank Muc-Off and Battery Tender for their continued support, and I am excited to come back in Iowa and bring home another solid finish in this No. 30 machine,” said Kile.
Next Stop: The NASCAR Nationwide Series teams head to Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis for the last time next weekend for the Kroger 200. The green flag will is scheduled to drop at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday July 30th, with live coverage on ESPN2 and MRN radio affiliates set to being at 7 p.m.
