May 10, 2006
Florence, SC

Disappointing Night at Florence Motor Speedway

There was some good news at the end of the race for Josh Butler on Wednesday night…and the way the 50 lapper went, he needed it. After qualifying 12th for the Allison Legacy event at Florence Motor Speedway, Josh got a good run high going into turn one on the start and settled into 11th position. He reported quickly that the car felt good and felt like he would have no problem gaining some spots and maybe run his third consecutive race in the top ten. That conversation was barely over when, on lap four, the car behind Josh got into the back of him and spun the Horizon Technologies/Conterra Ultra Broadband #11 down to the inside of the track. Several cars were damaged in the wreck; however, Josh reported that his car seemed to be okay. We felt like we dodged an early bullet in the 50 lap event and started talking about making our way back to the front over the long event…unfortunately, all wasn’t well. It quickly became apparent that Josh’s car was not the same as it was at the start of the race (rear end damage) and that he would spend the next 40+ laps just hanging on to a damaged car…riding around for points. As the checkers flew, Josh came across the line in a disappointing 16th position…far from where everyone felt he could run.

However, as stated above, there was good news. The finish, while tough to take, moved Josh up two positions in the point standings and into the top 10 for the first time this year. Josh now sits 10th in points and is second in the Rookie of the Year standings, trailing only Brandon McReynolds for the top rookie spot.

Josh on Wednesday night’s run: “There’s not much to say about that run…except disappointing. I had trouble figuring out turns 3 & 4 at Florence and even with that we felt like we could have a solid top ten run. I thought, at first, that we were okay after we got hit on lap 4; however, after the restart the car never ran the same. I’ve watched NASCAR guys drive damaged cars around for points before…I only had to do it for 45 laps, I can’t imagine doing it for 400+ laps. The good news is that we’ve made it into the top ten in points…and we’ve got by a lot of rookies since our fist race where we were sitting around 16th in the rookie points. Our goal for this season was to finish in the top ten in points and be competitive (hopefully winning) Rookie of the Year. It’s early in the season still and we’re keeping ourselves in position to reach those goals. Now we have to work even harder to stay in the top ten…and catch Brandon (McReynolds). We’ll be ready for South Boston.”

The Allison Legacy Series takes the next two weekends off, but returns to action on Memorial Day Weekend (Saturday, May 27th) at South Boston Speedway in South Boston, VA.