Grimes, Iowa (April 6, 2010)

Brett Moffitt and his Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) team rebounded well from their disappointing finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race the prior week at Greenville-Pickens Speedway, as well as from a lap 96 bump that caused Moffitt to spin during Saturday's event at South Boston Speedway (South Boston, VA).

Fifth out to qualify, Moffitt set the fast time mark with a time of 16.090 seconds, an average lap speed of 89.497 mph. Moffitt's time held as the fastest until the 16th qualifier, Max Gresham, Moffitt's JGR teammate, laid down a lap time of 16.089 seconds or 89.502 mph, .001 seconds faster than Moffitt's time. At the end of qualifying, the JGR duo had the two fastest times and shared the front row for the start of the South Boston Speedway 150.

From the drop of the green, it was a dominant performance by the JGR teams, with Gresham on the point and Moffitt on his back bumper. Moffitt settled in to bide his time as the early stages of the race developed. By lap 22, Moffitt was approaching lap traffic, and on a lap 32 re-start, Moffitt nosed past his teammate to lead lap 33. Although Graham was able to sneak back by, he and Moffitt pulled away from the field. The caution flag flew again on lap 69, and for the next 26 laps, Moffitt stuck to Gresham's rear bumper, often taking a look on the inside. Caution came out for the third time on lap 96, and as bad luck would have it, the caution was for the #20 Toyota of Moffitt. On the exit of turn four, Cole Whitt, who was running in third place behind Moffitt, bumped the rear of Moffitt's car, causing Moffitt to spin. All cars were able to avoid Moffitt, and a bit of good luck came his way, as the spin did not produce any damage to the #20. Moffitt, relegated to the back of the lead lap cars, restarted the race on lap 100 in the 22nd position. Using his typical cool and calm demeanor, Moffitt basically drove the wheels off the #20 JGR prepared Toyota, moving methodically through the field and avoiding two more caution-causing incidents during the remaining 50 laps. On lap 146, Moffitt passed Eddie McDonald to move into 6th place, but simply ran out of time, nearly recovering from the lap 96 spin to break into the top five. With his 6th place finish, Moffitt climbed from 24th in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East points to 14th, less than 100 points behind Cole Whitt, who sits in first.

After the race Moffitt commented, "I guaranteed you after last week's race that my team would go back to the shop and work hard all week to prepare this week's car, and that is exactly what happened. My Crew Chief Bryant Frazier and my team gave me the best race car I have ever had for the race here in South Boston. The car was outstanding, and I was just riding along behind Max (Gresham), waiting for the right time to make my move for the lead." When asked about the lap 96 spin, Moffitt continued, "It was disappointing to be taken out like that. We had the fastest car on the track, and I definitely think we could have won this one again." (Moffitt was the defending winner of the South Boston 150.) "I did my best to get back through the field, but with only 50 laps remaining, we just ran out of time. I am really looking forward to Thursday's race in Phoenix, especially after the car I had here and the support I got from JGR, starting from Joe Gibbs, right on down to Bryant (Frazier) and the #20 crew. After two weeks of bad luck, I will be elbows up on the wheel in Phoenix."

Moffitt and crew will next compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West "Jimmie Johnson Foundation 100" this Thursday at the Phoenix International Raceway. Moffitt's next NKNPS East event will be at his home track, the Iowa Speedway, located in Newton, Iowa. The Iowa race is scheduled for Sunday, May 23rd.

Brett Moffitt is still seeking partnerships that will allow him to compete in as many 2010 ARCA RE/MAX Series events as possible. For information on sponsorship opportunities with Brett Moffitt Racing, contact Michele Scaglione at: 515.419.8357 or michele@brettmoffitt.com, or Dick Moffitt at: 515.202.2310 or rmoffitt@destinyhomesusa.com.

To follow Brett Moffitt's career and for additional information, log on at: www.brettmoffittracing.com and for information about his team at JGR, log on at: www.joegibbsracing.com.  

Tags: brett moffitt , joe gibbs racing , nascar , k&n , pro series east , south boston speedway , south boston , virginia , va , spin , crash

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