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From 15th to 41st Just as we got going at Darlington, bad luck hit us
Posted: Friday March 24, 2000 01:50 PM
Hey everybody. The folks at CNNSI.com asked me to write a weekly diary -- and I quickly jumped at the chance. This is my first writing assignment and I'm really excited. Each week, I will do my best to recap my activities, sometimes from on the track and sometimes from off. Last week, I raced in the SunCom 200 Busch Series race at Darlington Raceway and my No. 27 Castrol GTX Chevrolet Monte Carlo was a handful to drive. The minute we hit the track I knew it just wasn't right. My crew did a great job making it better, but it wasn't until late in the race that they found the best setup. I started from the 41st spot and had to fight hard just to hold my position. The car was extremely tight, primarily in Turn 3. Changes were made on every pit stop, but nothing seemed to work. My only chance for a good finish was that the Castrol GTX team, led by my co-crew chiefs Kip McCord and Jason Ratcliff, would find the right combination. With less than 50 laps remaining, they called me into the pits for my final stop. They performed routine service and made one final chassis adjustment. Whatever they did -- it worked. The car felt much better after that. For most of the race I had to get completely off the gas to get through the corners. Now, I didn't have to. I quickly gained positions and moved into 15th spot. I thought for sure that I was going to get a good finish when suddenly, I got hit from behind and slammed into the outside wall. After my car stopped, it belched flames from underneath. At first, I didn't know there was a fire. I was just about to restart the car when I smelled something burning. That was the fastest I've ever bailed out a race car. It ended up not being very big but I wasn't taking any chances. There was nothing I could do to avoid it. I finished in 42nd spot. Next week, I race in Tennessee, my home state. Maybe being home will bring us some good luck. Til next time, Casey Casey Atwood drives the No. 27 Castrol Chevrolet for Brewco Motorsports in the Busch Series. Atwood, a native of Nashville, Tenn., started driving late models at 15 and was a two-time winner in the Busch Series by the time he was 18 years old.
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