Martinsville, Va. (June 7, 2010): Matt Kobyluck wheeled the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet to a solid fourth place finish in the inaugural UNOH 200 at Martinsville Speedway Sunday afternoon. Rain halted the race 175 laps into it’s 200 lap scheduled distance. It was Kobyluck’s second top-five of the season and moved the team up to seventh in the points four races into the schedule.
“It was a great day for us,” said Kobyluck after the race. “I was hoping that they’d be able to get the track dried out for us in time to finish the last 25 laps because I think we had a car to win today.”
Kobyluck posted two identical qualifying laps of 20.775 seconds to earn the 13th position on the starting grid. The 2008 series champion showed patience running in seventh for most of the first half of the race.
Kobyluck brought the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet to the attention of his pit crew following a caution at lap 63. Crew chief Perry Waite called for a track bar adjustment and added fuel before sending him back out on the track to take the green in ninth.
The Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet was a solid fixture in the top-10 until Kobyluck came down pit road again for tires and a final chassis adjustment at lap 115. They were 15th for the restart, but ready to make their progression to the front.
By lap 131, Kobyluck was challenging Kevin Swindell for the seventh position. It was a tight battle and contact was made between the two. The Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet got loose, but Kobyluck was able to save it and lose only one spot. He was more determined than ever.
The final restart came at lap 174 with Kobyluck in fourth. He advanced to third, but downpours brought out the caution. NASCAR reverted back to the last completed lap before displaying the red flag to allow the track time to dry the track. When those efforts failed, the race was called and Kobyluck was awarded a fourth place finish.
“We’re really happy with this finish,” said Kobyluck. “The guys put a great car underneath me today and I know, with a little more time, we would have had something for the leaders. The rain came just a little too early for us.”
The UNOH 200 will be aired on SPEED on Thursday, June 10. Check local listings for times.
For more information on Matt Kobyluck or Mohegan Sun Casino, visit www.mattkobyluck.com.