The No. 09 Grime Boss Toyota Camry, piloted by Ryan Truex in his debut with RAB Racing, had a strong run in the early going of Friday night’s O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 at Texas Motor Speedway, but an engine failure left the team with a 32nd-place finish.
Making the first of two trips to the Lone Star State during the 2012 season, Truex and RAB Racing recorded the 23rd- and 15th-fastest times in the two scheduled NASCAR Nationwide Series practices leading up to the Friday night event. After his qualifying attempt on the 1.5-mile quad-oval, Truex posted a speed fast enough to slot into the 19th starting position.
From the drop of the green flag, Truex steadily advanced towards the front of the field, running as high as ninth. Throughout the 200-lap event under the lights at Texas Motor Speedway, the No. 09 Grime Boss Toyota Camry remained solidly within the Top-15. Lamentably, an engine issue persisted as the laps were winding down, relegating the rookie driver to a 32-place finishing position.
“We struggled during the first practice,” Truex said. “But we were able to rebound and get pretty good the second practice. We easily ran top-10 today before our motor startedlaying down. I think we had a car capable of finishing sixth or seventh. I was driving to thelimit there. RAB Racing gave me a great car in this No. 09 Grime Boss Toyota Camry. And I learned a lot working with crew chief Scott Zipadelli. The team and I worked well together; we just didn’t have luck on our side.”
The next stop for the NASCAR Nationwide Series will be Richmond International Raceway on Friday, April 27th, 2012.
