Flat Tire Deflates Kobyluck’s Chances At Repeat In Toyota All-Star Showdown

Matt Kobyluck and the Mohegan Sun Casino race team looked forward to a chance at becoming the first repeat winners in the NASCAR Grand National Division’s Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway. A strong practice and solid qualifying effort provided indicators that the team may just achieve that goal. However, trouble arose for the team when a right front tire blew on lap 191 and sent Kobyluck to the pits and to the tail end of the lead lap. With only 50 laps remaining in the race, Kobyluck didn’t have much time to get back to the front. The 2006 All-Star Showdown champion wheeled the car from 18th to fourth before the checkers fell.

The last 50 laps of that second 100 lap session to me really didn’t mean anything. I was more concerned what it was going to be like in the first 50 laps of the next segment.”

When action resumed, Kobyluck made a bid for the lead by driving underneath the 9 car of West Series driver Mike Duncan. The two were side-by-side, but Kobyluck couldn’t quite complete the pass and dropped back in line in second place. The caution flew and put Kobyluck on the front row for the restart at lap 116.

Kobyluck and Duncan went through the first and second turns side-by-side with the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet ahead by just inches heading into three. Duncan pulled out ahead at the line while Logano was trying to move by both of them on the bottom. Kobyluck held off Logano despite his persistent challenges and the trio – Duncan, Kobyluck and Logano – went nose-to-tail for only a single lap before the challenges began again.

  “I came out here to win the race,” the 37-year-old driver said. “Whether I finish fourth, tenth or fifteenth it really doesn’t matter to me. I wanted to win the race and I know we had a car good enough to win the race.”

The action was fast-paced and aggressive from the time the green flag dropped. Kobyluck went three wide in a battle for fifth on the first lap of the event and outdrove several cars for the spot before settling into line.

He ran as high as second in the first 100 lap segment, and pulled into the pits in third for the first mandatory competition yellow.

Onlap 144, Brian Ickler came from behind and went underneath Kobyluck for second and the eventual lead. Kobyluck let them sort it out as he slid back to fourth. A caution tightened the field up for a restart at lap 163 with Kobyluck getting by Duncan for third. The battle, however, allowed Logano and Ickler to pull away. Caution tightened them back up again for a restart atlap 184.

Logano and Ickler led the field to green, but Kobyluck dove to the bottom groove to challenge Logano for the lead. Logano held him off as the 16 went off the pace with a tire down. Kobyluck continued to challenge Logano until an accident in turn two brought out the caution. On the very same lap, Kobyluck blew a right front tire and brushed the wall himself. The flat tire, coupled with the damage that needed to be repaired, forced Kobyluck to give up his 2nd place position and head to the pits.

“The right front went down coming into turn three just as the caution went out,” Kobyluck said. “I made contact with the wall, but not race ending contact. We came in and changed the right front, pulled the fender out as much as we could, and went back out.”

“The car was a little tight right in the center of the corner prior to that first break. We made an adjustment to it, but we didn’t want to go too far. We did that and the car was a lot better, and it was a lot better for the length of time we needed it to be better.k here to add text.

Kobyluck went back to green in 18th place, but only four laps were completed before the next competition yellow. The team wanted to make adjustments but ran out of time making repairs.

“Under the break we tried to get the toe adjusted, change the tire and adjust the fender. It was a lot to do with only four guys being allowed over the wall. We never were able to make another adjustment on the car, which we really needed to do. We just flat ran out of time trying to get the damage fixed from hitting the wall.”

In a single 50 lap segment, Kobyluck worked the bottom groove to his advantage and made it up to fourth. But fourth was definitely not what the team was looking for.

“Everyone was running wide open right from the get go. I kind of expected that because (a win here) is a lot of bragging rights, its money, and everyone wants to showcase what they have. I anticipated it being fast paced and there were a couple of guys taken out of contention. I wasn’t the only one so I’m fortunate enough that we actually finished the race.”

The Toyota All-Star Showdown completes the 2007 NASCAR Busch East Series season. The team will celebrate their fourth place finish in the point standings at the Mohegan Sun Resort and Casino next month at the annual Awards Banquet.