Ecosave 200 | Charlotte Motor Speedway
Race Results
Venue: Charlotte Motor Speedway
FINISH: 25th
Start: 24th
NCTS Point Standings Position: 24th
Wright’s Charlotte Speed Sidelined by Tough Luck
Kris Wright and the No. 81 F.N.B. Corporation team finished 25th in Friday night’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. McAnally-Hilgemann Racing brought strong speed to the 1.5-mile oval, earning three top-10 finishes across its entries, while Wright and the No. 81 team battled strong before dealing with late-race misfortune.
Wright battled handling challenges throughout Stage 1, fighting a loose condition in Turns 1 and 2 and tight handling in Turns 3 and 4. Wright made a pass on lap 22 to move into the top-30 and finished the stage in 29th. The team made air pressure and chassis adjustments during the stage break, hoping to improve the truck’s pace and balance.
As Stage 2 went green, Wright made quick work of the trucks in front of him as he leaped into the top-25 on lap 45. Wright fought off his opponents for the duration of Stage 2 to hold position in the top-25. The F.N.B. Corporation team made minor tire pressure adjustments under the stage break and sent him back out to battle in the final stage.
The Pittsburgh, Pa. native continued to show speed early in the final segment, climbing to 22nd on lap 70. Wright was called to pit road on lap 97, but a caution interrupted the F.N.B. Corporation team’s green-flag pit stop, trapping Wright a lap down in 31st. He took the wave around to return to the lead lap and restarted 30th on lap 105. Shortly after going back green, Wright’s right-front tire went soft on lap 113 and made contact with the Turn 2 wall, which forced him to pit road for repairs . Wright scratched and clawed the rest of the way, ultimately finishing the Ecosave 200 25th, four laps down.
Kris Wright Quote:
“I was super impressed with the speed we figured out tonight with our F.N.B. Corporation Chevrolet Silverado RST. After the first stage, I really started to trust the vehicle and we made some really good moves on our way though the field. It’s unfortunate that our night didn’t end how we wanted it to, but we’ve only got four more races this season and the speed we had gives this team confidence that we’ll continue to bring fast trucks to the race track continuing with Phoenix next weekend.”
