Saturday, March 26
Track: Circuit of the Americas, 3.41-mile road course
Race: 4 of 23
Event: XPEL 225 (42 laps, 225 miles)
Tanner Gray, No. 15 Ford Performance F-150
Start: 28th
Finish: 17th
Tanner Gray qualified 28th for the XPEL 225. In the opening two laps he was up to 13th, but handling began to fade, and he was back to 18th after seven laps.
Jerry Baxter called his driver down pit road on lap nine for tires, fuel and minor adjustments to try and improve rear grip. The No. 15 would rejoin the field in 24th and finish there at the conclusion of Stage 1.
By short pitting the stage, Gray restarted for Stage 2 from the 10th position. He was up to seventh before getting turned around by a fellow competitor, which relegated him back to 28th.
When the caution flag waved on lap 21, the Ford driver pitted for tires and fuel once again. He would restart 18th and finish there at the conclusion of Stage 2.
A caution with three to go set up a green-white-checkered with Gray in the 17th spot. On the first attempt, he sustained heavy nose damage and had to pit under yellow. After repairs, he restarted 24th and under the checkered flag in 17th.
Next event: Blue Emu 200 at Martinsville Speedway in Martinsville, VA on April 7 at 8:00 p.m. ET.
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
