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Full Slate of Racing over Memorial Day Weekend
25/05/2009
Gifford Pilots Shell Chevrolet To 10th And 11th-Place Results On Memorial Day Weekend
They all piled up in front of me and I got hit in the right front.
Ryan Gifford and his Shell-sponsored Team Dillon Racing crew had a full slate of racing over the Memorial Day weekend, which included stops at The Dirt Track at Lowe's Motor Speedway and South Boston (Va.) Speedway.
Unlike most races where teams make a qualifying lap, starting spots for Friday night's FASTRAK Late Model Challenge heat races were decided by drawing numbers. Gifford overcame a poor starting spot to finish third in his heat race, affording him a transfer spot into the 25-lap feature at The Dirt Track at LMS.
Starting from the 15th position in the feature event, Gifford raced his way up to sixth over the first 23 laps. With two laps remaining, another driver made contact with the Shell Chevrolet, causing him to slide up the track and lose several positions. The 20-year old was able to maintain control of his No. 29 entry and crossed the finish line in 10th.
The race was won by Gifford's TDR teammate Austin Dillon, who led all 25 laps of the event. Dillon's younger brother, Ty, finished sixth in his heat race and was unable to secure a spot in the feature event.
"The qualifying draw really didn't help us," Gifford said. "I was able to transfer, but I would have liked a better starting spot in the feature. The car was good, though. On one restart, I was able to pass about four cars on the outside, which was a lot of fun. It was a solid run for us, but I'd have loved to have gotten a few more spots. I do want to congratulate Austin and the Team Dillon guys on their win."
The next night found TDR moving from dirt to asphalt as the team competed at South Boston Speedway in Virginia. After qualifying 13th for the 150-lap Late Model event, Gifford ran into trouble about 10 laps into the race when a number of competitors wrecked in front of him. As he tried to avoid the incident, a car slid down and hit the right front of the No. 29 machine, knocking the car's front end out of alignment.
"I was just trying to ride and take care of my car in the early going," Gifford said. "They all piled up in front of me and I got hit in the right front. By the time the guys reset the toe-in and got me back out, we had lost a lap and that kind of killed our chances for a good finish."
About two-thirds of the way through the race, a competitor slowed in front of the Shell machine, causing Gifford to collide and spin out the other driver. The Winchester, Tenn.-native was able to continue and passed several more cars in the closing laps to post a respectable 11th-place finish.
Gifford and his crew return to South Boston Speedway this weekend, where he'll make his second career NCWES start for Richard Childress Racing's driver development program in the May 30 Camping World Series 150 event at the legendary four-tenths-of-a-mile oval.
"I'm excited about getting another start in the Camping World Series," Gifford said. "I feel like we've got a good set-up package from our first start at Tri-County Speedway, and I think we'll be a lot faster right off the truck at South Boston. I just want to have a clean race, make all the laps and learn as much as I can. If I can stay out of trouble, I think we have a real shot at a good finish."
The Camping World Series 150 NCWES race will air on a tape-delayed basis on SPEED, Thursday, June 4 at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.