Brian Scott and the No. 44 Jewel-Osco/Shore Lodge team headed to the Midwest this week to Chicagoland Speedway, the only trip to the track this season. Scott started out the weekend at a Jewel-Osco in Plainfield, Illinois, participating in a grocery shopping cart race with teammate Aric Almirola. The two drivers each had three minutes in the store to collect as many groceries as possible, with the highest dollar amount in groceries being donated to a lucky contest winner. Scott won the race by just $20, donating $970 in Jewel-Osco groceries.
On the track, qualifying was rained out on Friday, setting the starting lineup for Sunday’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 by the rulebook. Scott and the No. 44 Jewel-Osco, Shore Lodge Ford started 34th and quickly set their sights on moving forward in the field, but the handling of the car was loose into the corners, tight center and loose off. Falling back a lap to the leaders on Lap 29, the team made their first pit stop to make air pressure adjustments and get the handling better.
Scott was working his way into the Top 30 when trouble struck on Lap 120 and a right, rear tire that came apart sent the No. 44 Jewel-Osco/Shore Lodge Ford spinning into the inside wall. The team was able to put four sticker tires on and fix minor damage to the right, rear fender, but not without falling a couple of laps down to the leaders. Scott hung on to the car for the remaining 147 laps and finished in the 31st position and four laps down.
“We had a promising day in our No. 44 Jewel-Osco/Shore Lodge Ford,” Scott said. “It was really unfortunate that the tire came apart and put us a couple of laps down. We tried taking the wave-around, but the cautions just didn’t fall our way today. But we still got a chance to work on our car throughout the race and get a good notebook for our team running at Chicago. We’ll head back to short track racing at New Hampshire next week and continue doing the best we can to get a top finish."
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 400 was a battle for Aric Almirola and the No. 43 Smithfield Ford team from the drop of the green flag. Almirola started the race at the rear of the field and had to fight his way through the field. He initially reported that the Ford Fusion was tight on exit and in traffic. Throughout the run, the car started to turn loose on entry. He went one lap down, and Crew Chief Drew Blickensderfer made big changes during the first pit stop on Lap 49. A caution came out while Almirola was on pit road, and he got stuck two laps down.
The handling struggles continued for the team. The car kept up the pattern of starting tight and turning loose on both entry and exit. Blickensderfer worked with tire pressures and wedge adjustments to help Almirola. Unable to race in the preferred line with how he was handling, Almirola worked with his spotter to find other open lanes to race in and get comfortable.
Eventually finding themselves four laps down and in the 32nd position, the team worked with pit strategies to try to get laps back and improve their standing on the leaderboard. Almirola took the Wavearound during the Lap 193 caution in hopes of a quick caution, but a caution didn’t come. The team had to short pit, losing the lap they had gained back. In a race with few cautions, there were no more opportunities to take the Wavearound and advance their position. Almirola took the checkers in 32nd place and four laps down.
“It was a tough day for us out there,” said Almirola. “Drew (Blickensderfer) and the team worked hard, but we just couldn’t get it handling how we needed it. Our No. 43 Smithfield Ford would start the run really tight through the corners and then would transition into loose on entry and exit. We made a lot of changes throughout the day, but the car didn’t respond with better handling. But, next week we go short-track racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, and it’ll be a whole different game plan."
The next event on the Sprint Cup schedule, which will be the second race of the Chase, is the Sept. 25 New England 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in Loudon.
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