BAKERSFIELD, CA--It was looking like a top-5 finish for Sammy Potashnick at Mesa Marin Raceway's FOODS CO "200" NASCAR Winston West Series event on Sunday. That is until a pit stop was made at the end of the race where it was realized that there was a cut oil line in the No. 65 Lucas Oil car.
Starting the race from the 12th-place qualifying position, Potashnick quickly steered his way into the top ten. The Lucas Oil Monte Carlo steadily progressed into 5th place within no time. Potashnick was running the same times as the leaders, even with his conservative run as part of the race strategy to save the car and the tires for the end of the race.
A questionable call was made toward the end of the race to pit for right side tires. It was a great pit stop by the SP Racing pit crew but as the team prepared to get Potashnick back into the race, the car was held in the pits by NASCAR. There was oil leaking from under the car and it was then realized that the No. 65 car had a cut oil line. This is where Potashnick and team lost two laps, diminishing their chances to consummate a top-5 finish.
The exact cause of the cut oil line is yet to be determined. Potashnick was concerned at one point when his car bottomed out at a rut on the race track. There was also debris spotted on the race track toward the end of the race, so the exact cause of the cut oil line is hard to positively say.
"It's a pretty disappointing feeling to know that we had a top-5 car and know that's where we should have finished, only to have everything sabotaged by a problem that was out of our control," Potashnick said. "On one hand I could say it's just not fair, but on the other hand it could have happened to anyone-- even the leader. The only way that we can look at it is to say that we've got to continue working as hard as we have been, continue to have our cars set up for top-5 finishes, and be ready for the next race. If we can go on and do our job like we have been, we're going to earn finishes that we deserve. This Lucas Oil team is yet to see some great finishes this season."
Potashnick and team will be preparing for the next NASCAR Winston West Series event which will be at Fontana's California Speedway on April 28. Log onto www.Sammy65.com for the tape-delayed television schedule for all NASCAR Winston West Series events which will be posted upon its release.
