Samsung 500 Report

TEXAS TRACK A REAL LEARNING EXPERIENCE 

FORT WORTH, TX — Wood Brothers Racing spent the majority of the Samsung 500 trying to find the right set-up combination for the No. 21 on the tough 1.5 mile track. The Ford Fusion, driven by Bill Elliott, was a handful right from the start of the race. By the end the day, the team gained some ground with the handling issues and brought home valuable knowledge.

Elliott took the green flag in the 28th starting position and spent the early part of the race trying to find the right line on the race track to run. When he drove the top line, close to the wall, the car would respond with a "loose" condition as he drove into the corner; then a “tight” condition as he drove through the corner and off.  He tried the bottom of the track, close to the yellow line, and the “loose” condition was not as prominent, but was extremely “tight” off of the corner.

The No. 21 team and Ford Racing’s engineers made every effort to adjust the Motorcraft Ford in all directions to assist with the handling, however, the same temperament persisted. On lap 109, Bill reported a “loose wheel” which made the car shake severely. He had to make an unscheduled pit stop during green flag recing. Crew Chief, Mike “Andretti” Smith, guided the No.21 down pit road as the Wood Brothers Racing pit crew made a clean and swift stop and sent Elliott back to the track in the 42nd position and two laps down from the leader. 

After the stop, the crew inspected the wheels they just took off. They discovered that the right front had three small weights missing from the wheel that are used to balance them. The crew discovered the same thing had happened to the right rear wheel which was taken off at the following pit stop 20 laps later.

As the race laps counted down, handling improved on the No. 21 car. Wood Brothers Racing used the remaining laps during the race to try new set-up combinations and gain insight that will ultimately help at similar intermediate tracks such as Lowe’s Motor Speedway. The team’s goal was to finish the race, and Elliott did just that. He took the checkered flag on lap 332 out of 339 in 34th position.

Crew Cheif, “Andretti” Smith, summed up the weekend as a great learning experience. He said with a smile, “Let’s just say that we went to school this weekend and liked our teacher. We learned a lot and will take the knowledge to the All-Star race in Charlotte.” Contributed by Christina Cicci, Wood Brothers Racing

Samsung 500 Results:
1. Carl Edwards
2. Jimmie Johnson
3. Kyle Busch
4. Ryan Newman
5. Denny Hamlin
6. Jeff Burton
7. Tony Stewart
8. Mark Martin
9. Matt Kenseth
10. Clint Bowyer
34. Bill Elliott