View allAll Photos Tagged backstretch
Ricky Stenhouse Jr, driver of the NNS #6 Cargill Beef Ford is not having a good day. Involved in an accident with the #89 on the backstretch on lap 28, his car was not looking to good. Rick started the Annual 5-hour Energy 200 in 4th position and finished 32nd running. Event 12 6/2/12
Will Take Charge takes a look at his grazing grounds on the Churchill Downs backstretch the week of the Kentucky Derby. 5.2.2013
Winter Memories evoked recollections of her Grade 1-winning dam with a professional debut victory on the turf at Saratoga Race Course on Friday. She joins the New York Watch, which profiles up-and-comers that have recently cleared the maiden ranks at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga, with her page located at www.nyra.com/nywatch/WinterMemories.html.
The juvenile is the eighth foal out of Memories of Silver, who in four starts at Saratoga won the Lake George and Grade 3 Nijana in 1996, and the Grade 3 Ballston Spa Breeders’ Cup Handicap and Grade 2 Diana in 1997. Outside New York, Memories of Silver captured the 1996 Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup and the 1997 Grade 1 Beverly D.
Looking to start her own career on the right foot, Winter of Memories settled in seventh under Jose Lezcano through the backstretch run before she started to thread her way through the field on the far turn. After finding room along the hedge, the gray gradually reeled in the pacesetter, grabbing the lead with a sixteenth to go and opening up to win by 1 ½ lengths. The final time for 1 1/16 miles on the Inner Turf Course was 1:42.58.
“She was very professional and handled herself in good order,” said Jimmy Toner, who also trained Memories of Silver for the Phillips family of Darby Dan Farm. “You’re always hopeful that they’ll live up to expectations, but you never until they run. She showed us what we expected of her. Everything we could possibly ask her to do, she did it.”
In addition, Toner trained Winter Memories’ half-brother War Trace, winner of the 2004 Choice Stakes on the grass at Monmouth Park, and currently conditions her half-sister La Cloche, who won a Saratoga turf allowance on August 8.
Toner was reluctant to compare Winter Memories, by notable turf influence El Prado, to her mother and siblings.
“La Cloche has more of her mother’s demeanor than Winter Memories,” said Toner. “Winter Memories is a pleasant filly to be around and has no bad habits. Memories of Silver was kind of feisty. They are different types of horse.”
But when it comes to affinity for the grass, Winter Memories – who has another stakes-winning half-brother named British Blue – emulates her mother and siblings.
“Because of her breeding and action, we always thought she’d be a grass horse,” said Toner, who added that the gray filly is likely to make her next start in the Grade 3 Miss Grillo at Belmont on October 2.
Many of the industry’s brightest stars embarked upon their careers at the NYRA tracks, including a number of recent Triple Crown race winners. Super Saver, Big Brown, Jazil, Birdstone, Funny Cide, and Empire Maker are all among the Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes victors that kick-started their careers at Aqueduct, Belmont Park, or Saratoga.
The list also includes recent champions Gio Ponti and Indian Blessing; brilliant fillies Flashing, Little Belle, Music Note, and Devil May Care; Quality Road, who has won three Grade 1 races so far in his career, including the 2010 Metropolitan Handicap; and this year’s Travers winner Afleet Express.
View from the highway along the backstretch. Remains of the demolished grandstand are visible in the background.
-------------------
Bowie Race Track opened in 1914. According to Wikipedia, it was "a pioneer of winter racing" in the 1950s. Races inaugurated at Bowie include the Barbara Fritchie Handicap and Native Dancer Stakes. Fierce competition from nearby tracks brought about Bowie's demise in 1985. The track is now a training center (my photos here were taken during training hours on a Saturday morning).
A great article on Bowie from Colin's Ghost: colinsghost.org/2009/01/winter-racing-and-bowie-breed-195...
A Bloodhorse article remembering Bowie: bit.ly/aO2eda
An article on Bowie's current fate: bit.ly/GYSEWT
A Youtube video of horses training at Bowie (January 2012): www.youtube.com/watch?v=9OzXa0WBAoM
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Cars, trucks, and bicycles move people along at the race track.
Not seen, but very popular are golf carts, which also move people along.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Hamlin slowed on the backstretch and couldn't get back to the pits, needing a push from the wrecker. Turned out he had ignition issues.
2014 NASCAR NSCS Championship at Homestead Miami Speedway
Leading most of the way through the race but not winning, Jeff Gordon (24) leads Denny Hamlin (11), eventual champion Kevin Harvick (4) and Joey Logano (11) down the backstretch.
NASCAR star Kyle Busch comes to pit road with a right front tire down after spinning on the backstretch during The STP 400 at Kansas Motor Speedway April 21, 2013. After repairs Kyle returned to the track and finished 38th.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
DARLINGTON, SC - MAY 11: RV's, Campers and haulers are seen parked on the infield as cars race down the backstretch during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Bojangles' Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway on May 11, 2013 in Darlington, South Carolina. (Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)
Looking back toward the backstretch from the middle of the final turn.
The paved loop road sits on the footprint of the original track (use the historic view in Google Earth to see this for yourself).
Commodore Downs opened to Thoroughbred racing in 1973, but had financial problems from the very beginning. It closed in 1983, reopening the following year as a harness track. This venture failed 2 years later. In 1986, the track reopened for Thoroughbred racing as Erie Downs. It closed permanently at the end of the 1987 season. The grandstand was demolished in 1999.
The site is now Phase II of the Fairview Business Park in Fairview Township, PA. The paved loop of the business park sits on top of the original 3/4 mile track. The infield, with its original pond, is now the Fairview Flag Park, which is open to the public for walking, hiking, bicyling, and dog walking.
Links:
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Hope you have enjoyed this week of Saratoga horse racing photos. As this is the end of the week, here is the end of the race. Does this look like the agony of defeat?
Thoroughbred horse Lea and jockey Joel Rosario on the backstretch after finishing sixth in the The Whitney race at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, New York on Saturday, August 8, 2015.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Race official watches as race cars speed by on the backstretch of the small block championship race during the 46th. Annual Eastern States Championships at Orange County Fair Speedway in Middletown on Saturday, October 20, 2007. Times Herald-Record/CHET GORDON
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
The modified race at NHIS last Saturday. Tony Stewart is driving the blue #94 shown in the photo. He finished 9th after a wild ride on the backstretch.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.
Greenville, SC – Hattori Racing Enterprises driver, Brett Moffitt overcame odds to finish 4th and Sergio Pena experienced engine failure to finish 29th in the Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet 150 at Greenville, SC on Saturday March, 31, 2012.
Both cars were fast in practice. Pena topped the charts for both practices of the afternoon. Moffitt was 2nd quick in the first practice and 14th quick in the second practice though they did not do a mock qualifying run.
“The car was real good in race trim,” explained Grimes, IA native, Brett Moffitt. “We just fine tuned it and worked on our race set up during practice.” “We drew the first qualifying position so we are a little worried about that, but the car is good so we will be fine.”
Pena was real happy after practice as well, “My car is fast. I am real happy with the balance and the forward bite. We have a great shot at the pole and winning the race tonight.”
Moffitt was the first car out to qualify and proved he was a car to beat, earning the provisional pole and being the first car to break into the 20 second bracket with a time of 20.980. However, after only six cars, the rain came and qualifying was subsequently cancelled due to weather.
Hattori Racing is a new team so they did not have owner points from 2011. Therefore Moffitt and Pena were relegated to 21st and 22nd starting positions. They earned their starting spots by race wins in 2011. Both had three series wins, Moffitt finished 3rd in the driver point standings, Pena was 5th.
“I’m excited,” Moffitt said. “We have a good car, I can be patient when needed and I know we can work our way through the field.”
Pena, a Winchester, VA native, wasn’t too worried either, “It is what it is. We are starting better than I thought we would, but we have a great car and will be fine.”
When the green flag dropped, the cars paced themselves and waited for the field to spread out. Unfortunately, Pena was the first caution flag of the night when his #1 JMS Toyota Camry lost a motor early in the race.
“It started losing power down the backstretch,” confirmed Pena. “Then just quit all together. It is so disappointing as I had a fast car all weekend long. We had such a good car and I am proud of my team.”
Moffitt started 21st and was mired in traffic the first part of the race. He cracked the top-10 at lap 64 and began to steadily pass car after car until he raced into 2nd position, where he rode for over 60 laps.
“I was trying really hard to save my tires,” Moffitt stated. “I just rode in second hoping to save enough for the end of the race.”
With a restart at lap 127, Moffitt had his chance. He got his nose underneath leader and eventual race winner, Darrell Wallace, Jr. and led lap 128 but Wallace, Jr. got his nose back under Moffitt and put him in the outside lane where two more cars managed to get underneath. Moffitt finished the race in the 4th position.
My (#11) Kobe Toyopet Camry was real fast,” Moffitt confirmed. “But I ran out of tires at the end. I just used up too much coming through the field. If we had started up front where I know we would have qualified, it might have been a different ending. But from where we started, 4th isn’t too bad.”
“I think we are moving in the right direction,” team owner, Shigeaki Hattori said. “We were the best cars in practice and would have started up front had we qualified. The cars performed well as did the teams.”
Hattori Racing Enterprises next heads to Richmond International Raceway on April 26, 2012 for their next event.