David Green, Brewco Kleenex® team finish 29th in Las Vegas

Las Vegas, Nevada (March 13, 2006) –  A good test session this February had David Green and the No. 27 Kleenex® Ford Brewco team feeling confident going into the NASCAR Busch Series Sam’s Town 300 on Saturday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. But grip issues surfaced early in the race, and despite major adjustments and fast pit stops by the Brewco team, the Kleenex® Ford finished off the lead lap, in 29th place.

The No. 27 team started the race with a solid 12th place qualifying run, but problems started early with the car, and by lap 22 Green indicated to crew chief Stewart Cooper that there was a rattling in front of the car and a lack of grip. The first opportunity to make a pit stop came on lap 51, and the Brewco team made trackbar, wedge and tire pressure adjustments to correct the grip issues.

“Our qualifying run was very, very good, but the car’s balance was just a bit on tight side, which had us a little worried for the race conditions,” Green said. “As the race started, the car reacted very well for the first few laps, but then went pushy through the center.  The whole race long Stewart threw everything at the car to help it cut center and keep the back tires into the track on entry. Unfortunately, the changes never seemed to help us regain the grip we needed in the front.”

Pit stops for the Brewco crew were fast all afternoon, and throughout the race, the team continued to make adjustments, even on lap 202 as the race went into overtime with a green-white checkered finish. Despite the changes however, the No. 27 finished the race three laps down in 29th place, putting the Kleenex® Ford in 27th place in the Busch Series points standings for the season.

“This was the most aggravating and disappointing race we have had in a long, long time,” Green said. “Our winter test out there was a great learning experience and with the new 2006 Goodyear tire, we thought we collected the data necessary to help our car utilize all four tires for the whole tire run. 

“We’ll go back and look at the Goodyear data and work to better understand what this new tire wants and needs in our chassis/body combination,” Green said. “It’s a very disappointing start to our season and I know we will all work harder and harder each week to get back on track.”

Green and the Brewco Motorsports No. 27 car head to Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday for the Nicorette 300. Last year the Kleenex® racing team qualified in 20th place and was eliminated from the race - on lap 181 of 203 - due to an accident.