Team Battles Back From Driveline Failure in Qualifying
After a disappointing finish at Lime Rock Park the previous week, NASCAR Camping World Series East rookie Dustin Delaney set out to build momentum at Ohio’s Mansfield Speedway Saturday afternoon. The driver of the #39 Delaney Infrastructure Chevrolet did just that by posting a 16th place finish despite having to start at the rear of the field due to mechanical issues in qualifying.
Delaney started the day out by making the most of his hour and a half practice session and laying down some impressive lap times, but the positive mood didn’t last long when the motor on his Delaney Infrastructure Chevrolet went silent after just one lap.
“We broke a drive line just as we went across the start/finish line on our first lap,” explained Delaney. “We didn’t get a good first lap and we didn’t get a second lap at all.”
Delaney’s official lap time was 17.174 seconds (104.810 mph) and earned him a 24th place starting position in the 26-car field.
Delaney was optimistic for the start, however, and showed promise for a strong run from the get-go. On lap 12, Delaney raced side-by-side with Ricky Carmichael for several laps before Carmichael pulled ahead on lap 15. By lap 38, Delaney was running 14th.
“It’s hard to pass here, and a lot of guys when they want to pass, pretty much move you out of the way,” said Delaney.
Delaney started to drop off as the race ticked off the laps, and when a caution came out on lap 75, the team opted to come in for a wedge adjustment. Again, Delaney would start at the tail end of the field for the restart at lap 80.
Delaney was making his way back through when at lap 93 he spun in turn two. The yellow was not thrown and Delaney was back underway – only now he had lost all the positions he had worked so hard to gain.
“All day we seemed to take one step forward and two steps back,” he said.
The torrid pace of the leaders put Delaney a lap down at one point, but a caution period allowed him to gain it back through the beneficiary, or lucky dog, rule. Delaney used the last 50 laps of the race to work his way up to the 16th place finish.
Delaney Motorsports next appearance will be on September 12th at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. An enhanced replay of the Mansfield 150 at Mansfield Speedway will be broadcast on SPEED September 12th at 1 PM ET.
