Bires Grabs Another Top 20 With Strong Recovery At Bristol
Kelly Bires has scored his fourth top 20 finish from five races with a strong comeback in the Sharpie Mini 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway in Bristol, Tennessee today.
Bires scored a hard-earned 20th place at the tough half-mile oval today, driving back through the pack after becoming an innocent victim of a crash on lap 63.
The incident, which was triggered by a spin from Bryan Clauson, saw Bires hit from behind and spun around. The 23-year-old was able to bring the #47 Clorox Ford Fusion back into the pits for repairs to the rear end, before setting out to regain lost ground after showing great car speed in the early laps of the race.
Despite his car still showing obvious signs of damage, Bires moved forward through the field as was in 20th position when rain saw the race red flagged on lap 171.
The race, originally scheduled for 300 laps, was later declared as rain continued to fall, with Clint Bowyer taking the win from Kasey Kahne and David Reutimann.
Bires now sits 11th in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series standings, just 20 points outside of the top 10.
Bires will be back on track next weekend on March 22 in the Pepsi 300 at Nashville Superspeedway, race six in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series.
WHAT HE HAD TO SAY …
Kelly Bires - #47 Clorox Ford Fusion
“We had some rear end damage from an incident but that’s a common Bristol thing,” said Bires.
“There was a wreck ahead of me and I checked up, but the guy behind me drove through me. We were running solid there and I believe we would have been top 10 here, but that just got us behind.
“We had to take tires on that stop and then take fuel only the next time to try and get track position back. We didn’t expect it to go green that long and we got a lap down.
“Our biggest goal coming into this race was to just get out of it clean and to come out of it with a top-20 finish, so this is OK because we can’t control somebody else running into us.
“It’s just Bristol. I know he didn’t mean to do it and I’m sure it won’t be the last time something like that happens here.”
RESULTS: Sharpie Mini 300 at Bristol Motor Speedway
Race 5 of 35 in the 2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series
1. #2 Clint Bowyer 171 laps
2. #9 Kasey Kahne
3. #99 David Reutimann
4. #88 Brad Keselowski
5. #22 Mike Bliss
6. #38 Jason Leffler
7. #33 Kevin Harvick
8. #6 David Ragan
9. #64 David Stremme
10. #7 Mike Wallace
20. #47 Kelly Bires 170 laps
RESULTS: Practice
1. #2 Clint Bowyer 15.752
2. #22 Mike Bliss 15.754
3. #66 Steve Wallace 15.766
4. #32 Kyle Busch 15.774
5. #6 David Ragan 15.792
6. #20 Denny Hamlin 15.795
7. #30 Stanton Barrett 15.829
8. #9 Kasey Kahne 15.842
9. #11 Jason Keller 15.845
10. #33 Kevin Harvick 15.863
14. #47 Kelly Bires 15.909
2008 NASCAR Nationwide Series Standings – After Race 5 of 35
1. Kevin Harvick 751
2. Clint Bowyer 702
3. Carl Edwards 701
4. David Ragan 671
5. David Reutimann 668
6. Mike Bliss 627
7. Mike Wallace 603
8. Brad Keselowski 591
9. Jason Leffler 579
10. Kyle Busch 568
11. Kelly Bires 548
2008 NNS Prizemoney after 5 races:
Kelly Bires: US$168,525
ABOUT BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Location: Bristol, Tennessee
Track Length: 0.533 miles (0.858km)
Race Distance: 300 laps – 159.9 miles (257.33km)
Degree of Banking in Turns: 30 degrees
Degree of Banking in Straights: 16 degrees
NASCAR NATIONWIDE SERIES RECORD BOOK
Defending Nationwide Race Champion: Carl Edwards
Defending Nationwide Polesitter: Steve Wallace
Kelly Bires 2007 Race Finish: 29th
Kelly Bires 2007 Qualifying: 34th
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