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Race report

Disappointing finish for Jimmy Weller at Dover

Terminal mechanical failure sends team to Texas hoping for better

Jimmy Weller III

Photo by: Eric Gilbert

Jimmy Weller and the No. 08 Geneva-Liberty Steel / Integrated Metal Products Chevrolet Silverado team finished 30th at Dover (Del.) International Speedway on Friday evening. After a terminal mechanical failure sidelined Weller just 18 laps into the race, the driver was forced to the garage area and out of the race.

In his first trip with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series to Dover International Speedway, rain passed through the area on Thursday afternoon to shorten the scheduled practice sessions to just 23 minutes. NASCAR ultimately made the decision to cancel qualifying on Friday afternoon and utilize the time for teams to work on their cars during a 60-minute practice. Initially concerned with the balance of the Geneva-Liberty Steel / Integrated Metal Products Chevrolet, the SS Green Light Racing team first focused on the setup of Weller's car, before working with the Hubbard, Ohio native on his line around the racetrack. Encouraging Weller to carry more speed through the corners, Weller recorded his fastest lap of the session with less than 20 minutes left in practice.

Weller rolled off 18th on Friday afternoon, as the rulebook set the starting lineup. On lap 17, Weller was entering turn three when another truck drove up the track and made contact with his left rear quarter panel. With the caution flag displayed and minor damage sustained on his truck, Weller drove down pit road for repairs. When the No. 08 Geneva-Liberty Steel / Integrated Metal Products Silverado hit pit road, Weller's truck wouldn't re-fire to drive off pit road. The SS Green Light Racing crew attempted to push start their car on three occasions before pushing Weller's machine behind the wall. With a terminal mechanical failure diagnosed, Weller retired from the event to finish in the 30th position.

"Our Geneva-Liberty Steel / Integrated Metal Products team didn't get the finish we were hoping for today," commented Weller. "My team did a great job working on our truck throughout practice and we were really excited about our chances headed into the race. Unfortunately we had a mechanical failure early in the race, and while the guys did everything we could to get the truck going again, there wasn't anything we could have done differently to prevent the problem. I'm encouraged by the progress that we continue to make every week. I'm happy that I can honestly say that we learned a lot during practice and in less than an hour we got our truck handling to my liking. I'm looking forward to getting to Texas Motor Speedway next weekend where we can continue to work on our mile-and-a-half program."

AB2

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