A cut right front tire in the early stages of Friday night’s Quaker Steak and Lube 200 relegated NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor Bobby Hamilton Jr. to a 21st place finish. Hamilton Jr.’s Fastenal Dodge was forced to make a green flag pit stop on lap 12 for two right side tires putting him almost two laps down. Despite a valiant team effort to regain his lead lap status, Hamilton Jr. was unable to climb back into a contending position.

No. 18 Fastenal Dodge Lowe’s Race Recap

• Hamilton Jr. qualified his Fastenal Dodge in the 29th starting position.

• When Marcus Ambrose and Jack Sprague tangled on lap four, debris littered the frontstretch foreshadowing Hamilton Jr.’s impending misfortune.

• On the ensuing restart on lap 11, Hamilton Jr. radioed his crew and informed them that he had a cut right front tire. He brought his Fastenal Dodge down pit road on lap 12 for two right side tires under green flag conditions. When he exited pit road Hamilton Jr. was caught one lap in arrears of leader Mike Skinner and out of sequence with the remaining field.

• On lap 35 Hamilton Jr. was caught in heavy traffic with both Skinner and Kyle Busch in close pursuit. Two laps later Busch passed Skinner for the lead and then passed Hamilton Jr. to put him two laps down.

• Hamilton Jr. informed Crew Chief Danny Rollins on lap 42 that his Dodge was “really, really, really tight.”

• During the second caution period on lap 49, Hamilton Jr.’s No. 18 truck came to the attention of his Bobby Hamilton Racing crew for four fresh Goodyear tires and a load of Sunoco fuel. The crew made a chassis adjustment, going up on the track bar to help loosen up his Fastenal Dodge. He restarted in the 29th position.

• Hamilton Jr. pitted again on lap 87 for another set of tires and fuel and another chassis adjustment – a round of wedge in the right rear. He restarted in the 25th position.

• On lap 94 Hamilton Jr. apprised his team that the chassis was “a whole lot better.”

• With 34 laps to go Hamilton Jr. tangled with Mark Martin causing damage to Hamilton Jr.’s right front fender. He was forced to pit for repairs on lap 104.

• Over the closing 30 laps Hamilton Jr. picked up five spots to finish in the 21st position.

“After we adjusted the truck it was pretty good,” Hamilton Jr. said following the event. “The Fastenal Dodge was loose at the beginning of a run early on in the race and then it wanted to chatter the right front at the end of a run. There was debris all over the track after that first caution and it cut down our right front tire on the restart.”

Kyle Busch won the Quaker Steak and Lube 200 in front of an estimated crowd of 45,000. Terry Cook, Todd Bodine, Ted Musgrave and Ron Hornaday Jr. rounded out the top five. The next event for the NCTS competitors is slated for May 27th at Mansfield Motorsports Speedway in Mansfield, OH.