Andy Lally Pocono II Race Report

TRG Motorsports Improves Top-35 Position at Pocono

Mooresville, N.C. (8/8/2011) - Andy Lally brought the Interstate Moving Services Ford home 29th this Sunday. Lally completed 199 of the 200 laps that composed the 500 mile-long event at the 2.5 mile racetrack. The finish is an improvement over the team’s 32nd place finish at Pocono earlier this season.

Lally started 42nd and ran as high as 19th before ultimately finishing 29th. The race was interrupted by a two hour-long rain delay on lap 125.

“We struggled in qualifying but the guys came up with a good plan for the race. I wasn't really sure what to expect but I knew just a couple of laps into the race that we had a much better car then we had before and also a much better car then we raced here in June. I was very happy with our guys and our team’s improvement. We came away with decent points and are looking forward to next week."

Andy Lally, TRG Motorsports Ford

Photo by: Ashley Dickerson, ASP Inc.

The team’s position in the top-35 in NASCAR’s Owner’s Points Standings means that it will be guaranteed a starting position in next Sunday’s race in Watkins Glen, New York; a race that has been circled on the team’s calendar since the season began.

“Watkins Glen is probably the race I’ve been looking forward to the most. It is the closest track to my hometown and it is a road course. We’ve done a lot of testing and put a lot of work into our road racing program. Obviously, I want to perform well every week. But this race really means a lot to me.”

In addition to competing in the weekend’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event, Lally will be returning to his sports car racing roots as he will pull double-duty and also compete in Saturday’s Grand-Am Rolex Series event at Watkins Glen. Lally’s racing resume includes three championships in the Grand-Am Rolex Series. Lally’s teammate in the event will be Duncan Ende. Ende will be seeking back-to-back victories as he and teammate Spencer Pumpelly drove their TRG Porsche to a first-place finish in the GTC class during Saturday’s American Le Mans Series event at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Team owner Kevin Buckler is pleased with the progress he sees in his organization.

“We ran strong today. We finished in 29th position and raced very solid. Andy drove heads up the entire day and we made no mistakes although we still have a ton of areas to improve on as a team. We had something come loose at the end but it ended up just being a scare. That’s the 2nd race in a row finishing in the Top 30 and the No. 71 is just getting better and better. I was very proud of the team today---everyone.”