AVONDALE, Arizona -- Starting off the season in fine form, Nick Lynch expertly piloted his No. 29 Mr. Gas Chevy to a top ten finish at the NASCAR AutoZone Elite Division, Southwest Series season opener at Phoenix International Raceway.
With qualifying and practice cancelled on Saturday due to rain and hail, the Grid was set according to NASCAR rules sitting Lynch in the number 7 spot. "We got an hour of practice early Sunday morning," says Lynch. "And right away, we knew our Mr. Gas Chevy was right on."
When the Green Flag dropped a full field of forty-three cars started the 75 Lap Copper World Classic, including Nextel Cup star Kenny Schrader and a number of other well-know competitors.
Showing his skill behind the wheel, Lynch began cutting a path through the field and by Lap 15 he had moved into the top five. "The Lynch Mob crew really had our Chevy hooked up," said the Burley, Idaho native. "We were turning great times and gaining on the leaders each lap. However, unfortunately as we got closer to the end, the car in front of me began to leak oil and we almost hit the wall. Luckily, I was able to save it, but we lost a couple of positions in the interim. But it was certainly a lot better than wrecking."
"Nick did an incredible job of saving the car," said crew chief Junior Joiner. "He brought the car home without a scratch and took a 7th place finish. His performance was definitely impressive."
"We are set for a good season," adds Lynch. "We came out of the race with a total of 146 points which just puts us 19 points out of the top three. Winning the title is really a matter of being consistent and that is what we plan to do. A strong finish at each and every event will definitely give us a good chance of taking the Series crown.
