Patience Pays Off For Kobyluck At Phoenix
Team Ready To Kick Off Title Bid At Greenville
Uncasville, CT (April 14, 2008): Matt Kobyluck began the 2008 season with an annual appearance in the NASCAR Camping World Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway last week with a tenth place finish. This week, the Mohegan Sun Casino race team is anxious to begin a bid for the NASCAR Camping World Series East title at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. If Phoenix was any indication, luck will be on Kobyluck’s side.
“At one point we were two laps down, but because I was racing the track and my own race, we were able to stay out of trouble and work ourselves back up,” said Kobyluck of his finish in the Jimmie Johnson Foundation 150 at Phoenix. “I was so relaxed the whole night. We were trying different things to make the car better, using the cautions to our advantage, and it worked out real well.”
Kobyluck started the race from 15th, but a flat tire sent him into the pits during green flag conditions. The team went two laps down, but opted to remain in the race. The only strategy: stay in front of the one other car that was as many laps down as he. Several wrecks brought out the caution enough times for Kobyluck to get back on the lead lap through the beneficiary rule, but there were still some very close calls for the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet. At one point, Kobyluck spun completely around but was able to get going under his own power.
“Everything happened in slow motion. I was spinning and people were spinning beside me. I was on the brake and off the brake. When I got done spinning, I was pointed in the right direction. No one could believe it!” Kobyluck explained. “I spun in between all of them and never made contact with any of them.”
Kobyluck’s top-10 was his first at the one-mile track since 2006. He’s hoping the luck that was on his side at Phoenix will carry over for the rest of the season. On Saturday, April 19th, the team opens the NASCAR Camping World Series East season at Greenville-Pickens Speedway. Last season, Kobyluck got caught up in an incident with two lapped cars on the 25th circuit of the race. His day ended in a 21st place finish.
The team has not tested at the historic half-mile, but Kobyluck isn’t concerned at all.
“Greenville is one of those extremely temperature sensitive racetracks. Anything you learn there during the day does not apply at night time,” he said. “Every year we’ve just frustrated ourselves because during the day the track has no grip and then the sun goes down and it’s a totally different racetrack. We’ve had good cars there in the past, and we have a really good short track program.”
An American Revolution 150 presented by Kevin Whitaker Chevrolet will begin at 8 PM ET this Saturday. The race will be broadcast at a later date on SPEED as part of the Racing Across America Series.
For more information on Matt Kobyluck, visit www.mattkobyluck.com