Kobyluck Completes Road Course Sweep With Lime Rock Park Victory

Matt Kobyluck cemented his reputation as the “Road Racing King” in the NASCAR Camping World Series East by posting his third straight win and fourth of the season at Lime Rock Park road course in his homestate of Connecticut Saturday afternoon. Kobyluck put the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet out front after starting from the pole and led 41 of 82 laps before taking the checkers. Kobyluck also won earlier this year at the series only other road course - Watkins Glen International.

“I got a knack for road racing and I proved that this year by winning both road course events,” Kobyluck said. “We have a great package. My guys put together the best car you can possibly have on a road course and that just gives me the opportunity to go out there and let it all hang out. I don’t know what it is about the road course, but I have a lot of fun.”

Qualifying was rained out Friday afternoon forcing NASCAR to line up the field by points. Kobyluck, the series point leader, was awarded the pole position with Trevor Bayne on the outside. At the drop of the green, Kobyluck wasted no time moving to the front of the pack.

The race went green for ten full circuits before the first caution flew. Kobyluck came down the front stretch with pit road closed at lap eleven. After the top three cars went by the entrance, however, NASCAR opened up the pits. Kobyluck led a procession down pit road at lap 12.

“You can’t send the top-three cars by and then open it up for the rest of the field,” said Kobyluck. “Fortunately it played out the way it should have.”

Racing resumed at lap 15 with Kobyluck in the 14th spot. Patiently and methodically, Kobyluck maneuvered the Mohegan Sun Chevrolet through the field and worked his way up 10 spots before the next caution flew at lap 23.

On the restart at lap 31, Kobyluck shot by Scott Bouley and Mike Olsen to take over second. He knew there was little time with the clouds above getting darker and darker. Kobyluck closed in on then-leader Brian Ickler, but didn’t have an opportunity to pass before the next caution flew.

The field went back to green at lap 38 with Kobyluck challenging Ickler on the outside. The two were side-by-side going into one, but Ickler remained the leader. On the same lap, Jason Holehouse hit a tire wall at the entrance to big bend and brought out the caution. The rain began to fall, and the race was put under red flag conditions at lap 48.

After an hour and fifteen minutes, the drivers were summoned back to their cars and the race was back underway at lap 51. Ickler went out front, but Kobyluck made his presence known. Coming into the west bend, Ickler spun his car and Kobyluck took over the lead.

“I didn’t think it was slick at all (after the rain), but apparently it was a little too slick for the 15,” said Kobyluck. “He just made a mistake. I made a move coming into west bend, but it was a fake move. I really wasn’t going to pass him, and he made a mistake. He got in a little too hot, wheel hopped it, then carried the freeness up off the corner, and spun it.”

Once out front, Kobyluck went unchallenged for the remainder of the race and took the checkers 1.636 seconds ahead of runner-up Marc Davis.

“We were only running about 75 percent. We had a lot left to go. It’s great to be in a position such as that,” Kobyluck said. “Back five years ago, I would have never thought I would be in victory lane at a road course. Now we’ve just hit on some things and I know what I want in a car. This is great. We are peaking at the right time and we are building points every week and we’re winning races to boot.”

Unofficially, Kobyluck leads the series points by 135 over Trevor Bayne with only four events remaining in the 2008 season.