Adirondack PR (July 31, 2005)
Contact: Penny Aicardi
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Stefanik Maintains Point Lead With Fourth Place Finish
Beaver Falls, NY (July 31, 2005): Mike Stefanik, driver of the No. 55 Burnham Hydronics Chevrolet on the NASCAR Busch North Series, Grand National Division, drove to a fourth place finish in the Edge Hotel 150 at Adirondack Speedway after leading two laps at the ½-mile oval. Stefanik’s finish, combined with the bonus points for leading, retains a seven point lead over Matt Kobyluck in the 2005 point standings.
“That was a pretty wild night. I think the fans have got to be real happy with that race,” Stefanik said. “There was a lot of side-by-side action. The car was a little snug all night, but I was able to wrestle a lap away from Matt and lead a lap. I appreciate the five extra points. The car ran good. It got pretty aggressive at the end, but I think when you have a green-white-checker – that’s it – it’s your last hoorah.”
Stefanik started fourth after a qualifying lap of 16.888 seconds (106.585 mph), and dropped back to fifth at the start. The action was tight through the top-five as several cars ran nose-to-tail, but a slow spin in turn two by the No. 77 brought out the second of 11 caution periods that night.
Racing resumed at lap 25 with Stefanik working the lower groove in a success bid for second place. On the following restart, Stefanik hoped to get by then-leader Ryan Moore, but soon had to contend with the challenges of Kobyluck. Kobyluck took over second just before a caution slowed their pace.
“We got on the outside, and we were able to stay out there longer then most. We were battling for the lead – we were battling with Matty for quite a while, and then I battled with Ryan for a while. It seems like I get my tires pretty hot doing that. I don’t know if that hurt us or not doing that. It seems like they were just a little bit better then we were. If they were running 10’s, we were running 9.8’s,” Stefanik said.
A restart at lap 65 saw Kobyluck and Moore creept to the green before Kobyluck jumped out front. Stefanik, meanwhile, dove underneath Moore and grabed second. A red flag was brought out at lap 70, but it didn’t hinder Stefanik’s momentum. When racing resumed, Stefanik challenged Kobyluck for the lead at lap 74 and beat him to the line by a nose. Kobyluck retaliated, however, and reclaimed the point on lap 76.
“The car was a little snug, but when you’re running second or third it’s really hard to say ‘let’s come in for an adjustment’, Stefanik said.
Stefanik continued to be a mainstay in the top-three until the last 25 laps when teammate Andy Santerre made a run on the Coventry, RI-driver. It was a heated battle with Santerre diving underneath Stefanik in the corner to take over the spot.
The final caution waved at lap 144 setting a green-white-checker finish that set up a wild finish for the fans. The top four were running nose-to-tail with Stefanik in third. Ryan Moore squeezed his way into third before the checkers dropped, and Stefanik had to settle for fourth.
“I was on the inside there, and I think Ryan wasn’t sure if he wanted to get down and just settle for what he had. It looked like Andy and Matty were going at it, and I think he (Moore) was undecided whether he was going to try and get in,” Stefanik said. “That kind of messed us up on the last lap. We got a little out of shape. All-in-all, I think it was pretty good, clean, aggressive racing all night long. Obviously, the double-file restarts put a lot of excitement in this racing and this series. I’m happy for Matty – he’s been really strong and running well.”