STRONG TEXAS RUN FOR PATTON ENDS IN ACCIDENT

Source: Lloyd Wideman
Date: 10/19/2004

“Physically, I’m still a little sore,” said the New Mexico native. “That was the hardest lick I’ve ever taken during a race. I feel like I got hit by a truck…actually, I guess I did. I just feel bad for the team. We were running a Yates engine this weekend that was running extremely well and I think we had a shot to finish well until the accident.”

Despite qualifying 31st, the team of the #67 Fiddle Back Ford had high hopes for a strong weekend. During the race, pit strategy had Patton running in the top 20 for a large portion of the day. However, late in the race, Bill Lester got loose and run into David Reutimann, putting them both into the wall. Patton checked up to avoid the mess and was hit in the rear by Robert Huffman, who was running full speed.

“Thank goodness that everyone is OK after that incident. Huffman is a class guy,” Patton said. “He came over to make sure I was okay and we talked for a bit. Apparently, his spotter never told him there were trucks in his way. It’s just one of those things, but it is still kind of a bad deal.

“I just hate it for my team,” he continued. “They gave me a great truck and I know it couldn’t be helped, but I still feel bad. I will definitely make it up this weekend in Martinsville.”

Fiddle Back Racing will travel to Martinsville Speedway for the Kroger 200. The event will be broadcast Saturday, October 23rd at 1 p.m. EDT live on SPEED Channel and can be heard on MRN Radio.

See Also .:

• JR Patton Driver Card
• Martinsville Speedway Track Page

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