Tony Raines No. 33 RoadLoans.com Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS Winn-Dixie 200 Race Recap

Daytona Beach, Fla. (July 7, 2007) — After a rain-delayed Winn-Dixie 250 finally got underway early Saturday morning at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, Tony Raines and the No. 33 RoadLoans.com racing team took their 26th-starting position and turned it into a top-20 run in less than 15 laps of green-flag racing.  The RoadLoans.com team overcame two unfortunate mishaps on pit road, as Raines missed his pit stall, loosing positions both times.  Throughout the entire race, Raines looked to play catch-up, while fighting a tight-handling race car.  Raines, who fell back as far as 36th, battled back crossing the start/finish line in the 21st position.  With this run by Raines, the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. (KHI) Chevrolet maintains the fifth position in the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series Owner’s point standings. The team is currently 162 points behind fourth-place car owner Richard Childress and the No. 21 Chevrolet.

Severe weather haunted the entire Daytona Beach (Fla.) area on Friday night, causing NASCAR to reschedule the Busch Series race until Saturday.  Just after 9:00 a.m., on a beautiful Saturday morning, the 43-car field took the green flag.  During the first 19 laps of the race, Raines worked both the high and low lines, trying to figure out where the best groove to race was since rain washed all the rubber off the track the night before.  NASCAR threw a competition yellow-flag on lap 20, to give teams the opportunity to adjust their race cars, and NASCAR’s track support team the chance to survey the track since weather had delayed the event nearly 12 hours.  Crew chief Dan Stillman summoned Raines down pit road for four fresh tires and fuel.  Once on pit road, Raines overshot his pit stall causing the team to loose 14 spots and restart in the 36th position.  When the green flag waved, the RoadLoans.com pit crew watched the No. 33 driver and car work their way through the field picking up nine positions, crossing the stripe on lap 34, in the 27th position.

The caution flew again on lap 51, when the No. 99 of David Reutimann and the No. 66 of Steven Wallace made contact in turn four allowing Raines to head for pit road.

Still fighting a handling problem, crew chief Dan Stillman called for a wedge and air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel. Following the stop, Raines and the No. 33 RoadLoans.com Chevy made an immediate impact on the race.  Driving around on the bottom of the track, Raines found the help he was looking for in Casey Mears, which steamrolled the No. 33 from 33rd to 28th in one lap. Now at the tail end of the lead pack, Raines jockeyed for position with Bobby Hamilton Jr. and Mike Bliss, before settling into the 29th position.  The third caution flew on lap 73, when NASCAR spotted debris on the front stretch.  “It is so tight right now,” said Raines. “Whatever you can do to free me up would be great.” Once on pit road, crew chief Dan Stillman called for another air pressure adjustment, four tires and fuel.  

Over the final 25 laps, the field would be slowed three more times for cautions. Raines, who was still battling a tight-handling car, felt that any changes made on pit road weren’t helping the condition. However in the closing laps, Raines was able to gain a few more positions crossing the start/finish line in the 21st spot.

“I wish we could have been better today, but we fought a tight-handling race car most of the day,” said Raines.  “Dan and the guys worked hard all weekend and I wish we could have done better.”

Next up for the No. 33 KHI Chevrolet: Tony Stewart will drive the No. 33 Old Spice Chevrolet in the USG Durock 300 at Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway.  Live coverage of the event begins Friday, July 14th at 2:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time (ET) on ABC. The race will also be covered live on the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and Sirius Satellite Radio.

STATS RECAP

Date: July 7, 2007
Track: Daytona Beach (Fla.) International Speedway
Event Name: Winn-Dixie 250
Race: 19 of 35
Driver: Tony Raines
Started: 26th
Finished: 21st
Owner’s Point Standings: 5th

Next on Schedule

Date: July 14, 2007
Track: Chicagoland (Ill.) Speedway
Event Name: USG Durock 300
Driver: Tony Stewart

Broadcast Time: 2:30 p.m., ET ABC and MRN Radio