LOUDON, New Hampshire -- Andrew Myers defied all odds Saturday afternoon when he drove his No. 4 Toyota of Escondido/Red Line Synthetic Oil Chevrolet to a fourth place finish in the Sylvania 125 at New Hampshire International Speedway. Myers won the POWERade Power Move of the Race Award for his advancement from 41st to fourth and the race marked his best finish this season in the NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series.
With the Busch Pole Qualifying session cancelled due to rain, the starting line-up was determined according to car owner points. Since this was only his second race in the series, Myers was forced to start at the back of the line in 41 st position. However, this didn't stop him from quickly gaining 37 positions, giving him his third top-five finish of the season.
"I was hoping to get a solid qualifying position on Thursday that would put us up front. However, the weather conditions created a minor setback and that definitely created a challenge for us," said Myers. "But I was still confident with my team and the car we had for Loudon. It also provided us with the motivation we needed to get a top-five at today's race."
Driving a strong car all day, there was no need for adjustments or tire changes and Myers only pit stop was for gas on lap 25. However, the rainy weather cut the race short on lap 104 of 125. When the final caution of the race was called, Myers found himself in the fourth position, trailing closely behind the top-three cars. On the green-white checkered flag restart, Myers closed in on Bryon Chew, the third place car, but there wasn't enough time to take the lead on the 1.058 mile oval.
"Our car was strong and in good shape all day. If we were able to race those remaining 21 laps, I think we would have made it to victory lane," said Myers. "We were right up there with the top cars in the end, but on that last lap, I wasn't able to pass them and get to the front. Overall, I am very proud of what we accomplished today and it was a great learning experience for our team."
The next stop for Myers is the Sept. 22 Sunoco 150 at Dover International Speedway. The NASCAR Grand National Division, Busch East Series race starts at 4:30 p.m. EST, airing live on HDNet.
