Dodge driver Scott Lagasse Jr. has driven several challenging race cars in his young career, but Friday night’s entry in the Sam’s Town 400 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race was his biggest challenge to date. Along with his fellow Bobby Hamilton Racing teammates, Lagasse Jr. battled a wicked loose No. 04 Hemi Dodge the entire night. After several attempts to tighten up the chassis Lagasse Jr. was forced to settle for 29th position at Texas Motor Speedway. 

No. 04 Hemi Dodge Texas Race Recap

• Lagasse Jr. qualified his Hemi Dodge in the 36th starting position.

• In the opening laps of the Sam’s Town 400 Lagasse Jr. made his way up to the 33rd position, but was experiencing a loose race truck.

• The first caution waved on lap 23 for a spin in turn four. Crew Chief Randy Seals radioed for Lagasse Jr. to come down pit road for four tires, fuel and a major air pressure adjustment to aid the loose condition. During the pit stop the handle fell off the jack and Lagasse Jr. ran over it on his way out of the pit stall. NASCAR penalized the No. 04 Hemi Dodge for running over the jack handle and Lagasse Jr. was forced to restart at the end of the longest line.

• The No. 04 Hemi Dodge was running in the 33rd position when the second caution waved on lap 35, providing the team with another opportunity to work on the truck. Crew Chief Seals made the call to add fuel and put one round of wedge in the left rear to help the loose condition. He restarted in the 29th position.

• Lagasse Jr. began to slowly gain track position, but another caution waved on lap 51. Once again the No. 04 Hemi Dodge came down pit road, but missed the pit box and had to go around another lap. On the next lap Lagasse Jr. came down pit road to the attention of his Hemi Dodge Racing Team. They performed a lightening fast pit stop changing all four tires, adding fuel and making a major track bar adjustment.  He restarted in 33rd position.

• On lap 55 Lagasse Jr. radioed in, “truck is scary loose and it is not fun to drive.” Spotter Kip McCord assured Lagasse Jr. that he was not the only driver struggling with a loose condition.

• The fifth of seven cautions waved on lap 99. Once again Lagasse Jr. made the journey down pit road to the attention of his team. They changed all four tires, added fuel, made another air pressure and track bar adjustment to fix the loose condition.

• Lagasse Jr. was able to work his way up to the 28th position, his highest position of the night, during the green flag run. On lap 116 the sixth caution waved for a spin. Crew Chief Seals brought Lagasse Jr. down pit road for another major adjustment. The Hemi Dodge Racing Team went over the wall to open up the right front shock absorber in a last effort attempt to fix the loose condition. He restarted in the 29th position.

• Unable to fix the loose condition Lagasse Jr. settled for the 29th position in the Sam’s Town 400 at Texas Motor Speedway.   

Todd Bodine won the Sam’s Town 400 in front of an estimated crowd of 52,000 NASCAR enthusiasts. Mike Skinner, Rick Crawford, David Reutimann and Johnny Benson filled out the top five. The next event for the NCTS competitors is slated for June 17th at the two mile oval at Michigan International Speedway in Brooklyn, MI.