Late Race Pit Stop Nets Kobyluck Fourth Place Finish At Greenville-Pickens

Matt Kobyluck, driver of the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet on the NASCAR Busch East Series, has never been one to shy away from a gamble. Saturday night, Kobyluck hoped to use a no-pit strategy to gain an edge on the 30-car field in the An American Revolution 150 presented by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet. But like any good gambler, you have to know when to fold them, and Kobyluck did exactly that when he abandoned the strategy and came down pit road at lap 112 for fresh right side tires.

Kobyluck’s weekend kicked off in frustration trying to get the car set-up in such a way that it adapted to the loose conditions of the track. The team, led by crew chief Perry Waite, spent hours making changes and throwing different combinations into the car. Their hard work paid off with a qualifying effort that yielded the seventh fastest time of the day.

“We knew we had to qualify up front,” said Kobyluck. “We went into it thinking that passing was going to be at a premium. It turned out that

you could use the outside groove to get a run on someone in the race, but going into it, we put a heavy emphasis on qualifying.”

Kobyluck came on strong in the 150-lap event following a lap 42 restart when he made a charge on polesitter Mike Olsen for the second position. The two drivers battled side-by-side for several laps, but caution soon ended the duel. This continued through several caution periods and multiple laps until both drivers were on the front row for a restart at lap 61. When the green flag dropped, Kobyluck used the outside to get a run on Olsen and take over the lead, where he remained for the next 26 laps.

Most of the lead lap cars came in to pit during Kobyluck’s tenure up front, but it didn’t sway the Uncasville, CT-driver from relinquishing the lead.

“I don’t regret it,” said Kobyluck about his late-race pit stop. “Prior to pitting, we were only a tenth of a second slower than we were at lap 10. The car was so good there was no reason to even consider pitting. Then at lap 103, the car went from being so good to crazy loose. I don’t think it was such a bad call to come in then. We had 40 laps to come back through, and the car was so good and so fast after we put on those tires.”

It only took Kobyluck 15 laps to move from the tail end of the field to seventh, and he wasn’t slowing down any time soon. Three-wide battles up front could have proved disastrous for the team, but Kobyluck kept the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet out of the carnage. Kobyluck, who was running fourth for the final restart with five laps to go, hoped to make a bid for the lead. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that way.

“I was in fourth and I told the guys all I needed was five more laps. I could get it done. We had that restart with five to go, and we went to take off and the 44 drove right into the side of the 99, and the 99 got all crossed up. I drove to the bottom, and the 45 and 61 got by me. We should be able to have a clean restart, and be respectful without driving into the side of someone. If you’re going to win, you’re going to win. If somebody is going to get by you because they are a little bit faster than you are, then it’s going to happen. You don’t have to drive into the side of someone to win a race,” Kobyluck said.

The 2006 Busch East Series schedule continues this Friday, June 16th at Stafford Motor Speedway with the running of the TSI Harley Davidson 150. Kobyluck, who won this event last year, hopes to notch his first win of the season on what he considers to be a “home” track.

“We’re really looking forward to going to Stafford,” said Kobyluck. “We run well there, and I think we have an excellent shot at the win.”