LEBANON, Tenn. (August 2, 2009) — J. R. Fitzpatrick and the No. 4 Equipment Express Kevin Harvick Inc.(KHI) team started Saturday nights race at Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway from the eighth position, but a radio gremlin would lead to a mid-race accident and behind-the-wall repairs to the No. 4 truck resulting in a 23rd-place finish.
“We lost the radio the first lap,” said Fitzpatrick following the accident. “I lost several spots on the start due to no communication. We had a really good truck, but I needed some assistance to try and figure out where I was going and what I needed to do. I just can’t seem to catch a break lately.”
The start of the race was delayed slightly by a quick rain shower, but after the delay, the No. 4 team went to work trying to settle into a consistent running position. However, right from the start the No. 4 team realized that they were having radio issues. The No. 4 team could not hear Fitzpatrick from the cockpit, nor could Fitzpatrick hear the team.
NASCAR threw a competition caution on lap 35 to check tire wears on the new tire compound Goodyear brought to the track for the first time. The No. 4 team gave up the 13th position and brought the truck down pit road on lap 37 for the first scheduled stop of the race. The team changed four tires and went inside the truck to diagnosis the radio malfunction. Trying to remain on the lead lap, the team found the problem, a melted connector line to Fitzpatrick’s helmet and brought him back down the following lap for fuel. Spending considerable time on pit road, the team did as much work as they could to the radio connection until they were forced to send Fitzpatrick back to the track to maintain lead-lap status.
However, on lap 43, the window net of Fitzpatrick’s No. 4 truck came down. Fitzpatrick struggled to keep the net up and navigate the 1.333-mile oval. As he tried to multi-task, the truck broke loose sending Fitzpatrick into the wall. The No. 4 would spend 74 laps behind the wall making repairs, returning to the track on lap 117. The team used the remainder of the race to gain Fitzpatrick some seat time. Fitzpatrick finished the race in the 23rd position, 78 laps down to the leaders.
Fitzpatrick’s KHI teammate Ron Hornaday won his fifth straight race and sixth of 2009, followed by Brian Scott, Colin Braun, Timothy Peters and Matt Crafton.
STATS RECAP
August 1, 2009
Nashville (Tenn.) Superspeedway
Race: 14 of 25
Driver: J.R. Fitzpatrick
Started: 8th
Finished: 23rd
Owner’s Point Standings: 19th
Race length: 150 Laps/ 200 Miles
Track layout: 1.333-mile
Shape: D-shaped oval
Number of Race Cautions: 6 for 28 Laps
First Practice: 14th (30.953 seconds; 155.035 mph)
Final Practice: 7th (30.375 seconds; 157.985 mph)
Qualifying: 8th (30.422 seconds; 157.741 mph)
Next on the Truck Series Schedule:
Date: August 19, 2009
Track: Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway
Event Name: O’Reilly 200
Driver: J. R. Fitzpatrick
Sponsor: TBD
Broadcast Time: 7:30 p.m., ET on SPEED; 7:00 p.m., ET MRN Radio