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Team Barely Misses Field for Scorcher 100
21/08/2009
Ryan Gifford and his No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team visited Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. on Wednesday and Thursday, August 19-20, for the Scorcher 100.
We had a lot of fun at Bulls Gap...
Ryan Gifford and his No. 29 Shell-Pennzoil team visited Volunteer Speedway in Bulls Gap, Tenn. on Wednesday and Thursday, August 19-20, for the Scorcher 100 – "A Salute to America's Coal Miners!" Unfortunately, Gifford was unable to earn a starting spot for the feature event, despite strong showings in his attempts.
Gifford entered Wednesday evening with a disadvantage to some of the other competitors. While many racers spent Tuesday evening taking part in a practice session at the dirt track, Gifford and his Team Dillon Racing crew were finishing up a test day at North Carolina Motor Speedway in Rockingham, N.C., and were unable to attend the session.
The starting field for the event was set based on the finishing results in four heat races held on Wednesday night, with the top-four finishers in each race receiving a transfer spot into the feature event.
Gifford finished seventh in his respective heat race, out of the running for a transfer spot. That meant he would have to try and race his way into the feature by finishing well in one of the two "last chance" B-Main races on Thursday.
Rolling off from the sixth position in the second B-Main, Gifford was running fourth on lap three of the 12-lap event when he and another competitor made contact. Gifford described the incident by saying he got "doorslammed" as he and another driver raced side-by-side. His Shell-Pennzoil entry suffered slight damage in the incident and Gifford lost one spot on the race track, crossing the finish line fifth. Since only the top-three finishers from each of the B-Main races were awarded a starting spot in the feature event, Gifford and his hard-working crew were done for the night.
Team Dillon Racing was represented in the event, though. Gifford's teammate, Austin Dillon, rolled off from the 14th starting spot on his way to an impressive seventh-place finish. The race was won by Watertown, New York's Tim McCreadie, who pocketed a cool $20,000 for the victory.
Gifford and his TDR crew will enjoy a few days off before heading to Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., for an Asphalt Late Model race on Friday, August 28.
The following weekend finds Gifford competing in the fourth NASCAR Camping World Series event of his young career at Iowa Speedway in Newton, Iowa. The Central Iowa Building and Construction Trades 125 takes place at 8 p.m. Central Daylight Time, Friday, September 4, and is scheduled to air on a tape-delayed basis on SPEED, Thursday, September 10, at 3 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (Check your local listings to confirm date and time).
Ryan Gifford Quote: "We had a lot of fun at Bulls Gap, but it wasn't too much fun to not make the field. I felt like we were good enough to get a transfer spot in the B-Main, but someone got into us and hurt our Shell-Pennzoil Chevy a little. On a positive note, the test at Rockingham went really well and I think we'll be good for the Camping World race in Iowa in a few weeks."
Ryan Gifford Quote: "We had a lot of fun at Bulls Gap, but it wasn't too much fun to not make the field. I felt like we were good enough to get a transfer spot in the B-Main, but someone got into us and hurt our Shell-Pennzoil Chevy a little. On a positive note, the test at Rockingham went really well and I think we'll be good for the Camping World race in Iowa in a few weeks."