Kobyluck Takes Home Top-10 Finish From Thompson

Thompson, Conn. (July 12, 2009): Matt Kobyluck and the Mohegan Sun Casino race team posted a sixth place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Series East’s Pepsi Full Fender Frenzy 100 at Thompson International Speedway Saturday night. The event marked Kobyluck’s only appearance in his home state of Connecticut this year.

“The car didn’t change any from lap one to lap 100. We were too tight in the middle of the track the whole race,” said Kobyluck. “We got out of it what we could. On the short runs we were better than the 38 and on the long runs he was better.”

Kobyluck started the race in third after posting a qualifying lap of 20.474 seconds (109.895 mph) in time trials. At the drop of the green, he wheeled the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet into second but got loose in the corner and fell back to fifth.

Kobyluck maintained his fifth place position with no challenges until lap 39 when the 38 of Alan Tardiff got up to Kobyluck’s door in an intense side-by-side battle. Kobyluck held him off, but Tardiff challenged again on the following circuit and another side-by-side battle developed. Kobyluck continued to close the door on his persistent challenges and held on to the fifth spot until a restart at lap 55 when Tardiff eventually got by.

Kobyluck gained some ground on a restart at lap 68 when he used the bottom groove to go by Tardiff and Matt DiBenedetto to take over the fifth spot once again. A long green flag run strung out the top five, and Kobyluck was able to hold off the advances of Tardiff once again.

Caution tightened the field back up with nine laps remaining in the event. On the restart, Tardiff was able to drive by the Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet and relegated Kobyluck back to sixth. On the final lap, the defending 2008 Camping World East Champion was making a challenge on Tardiff when the 74 of Jarit Johnson got into the mix. Kobyluck and Johnson were side-by-side when they made contact.

“The 38 got free coming off of turn four and I was going under him at the same time. We both went up the track and the 74 was on the outside of me. We ended up just rubbing a little bit, but he (Johnson) ended up getting a flat out of it. It was hard racing with one lap left to go. It’s a product of short track racing.”

Kobyluck took the checkers in sixth and holds on to a fourth place position in the point standings, 50 points out of the lead. The next event for the Mohegan Sun Race team is at Adirondack International Speedway in New York on Saturday, August 1st.

For more information on Matt Kobyluck, the Mohegan Sun Race team, or Mohegan Sun Casino, visit www.mattkobyluck.com.