CONCORD, North Carolina -- Clay Andrews Racing wrapped up their preparation for the upcoming Carquest Auto Parts 300 last night at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. David Gilliland, driver of the No. 84 Hype Manufacturing Chevrolet, made big strides and quickly picked up on the nuances of the 1.5 mile oval. The team’s quick time around the venerable Concord circuit was 29.76 sec. A blown motor late in the evening, however, kept the team from making any qualifying runs.
“We are right where we need to be, as far as shocks and springs,” said Gilliland. “We had 68 laps on our tires when we ran our fast lap. That leaves me very excited about our race setup. It was unfortunate that the motor blew before we could get a read on our qualifying setup”
While Gilliland has no previous Lowe’s experience to compare to, he likes what he sees with the new pavement.
“The track is beautiful,” sounded Gilliland. “It’s nice and very smooth. I am excited to call it my new home track.”
Crew chief Billy Wilburn admitted to being a little more aggressive with the shock and spring package than he had been at previous intermediate tracks. He was pleased with how Gilliland became progressively more comfortable with the setup.
“We made huge gains during the last four runs of the night,” said Wilburn. “We are not sure what happened to the motor. It was unfortunate because everything in it was brand-new.”
“The tires concern me for qualifying,” continued Wilburn. “A lot of guys were having problems on new tires and a full tank of fuel. We will spend the majority of our race weekend practice on qualifying runs. We’ll be fine.”
About Clay Andrews Racing
Clay Andrews Racing is building a reputation as one of the fastest-growing teams in the Busch Series. They have acquired a 28,000 state-of-the-art race shop in Statesville, N.C., and owner, Clay Andrews, has appointed winning personnel.
Motorsports veterans Billy Wilburn, crew chief and Cully Barraclough, team consultant, will lead Gilliland in 2006. Former Nextel Cup winner Jerry Nadeau serves as the team’s advisor. The team is running a partial schedule in 2006 while looking to secure sponsorship for the long-term future.
