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Todd Bowsher Salem race notes
Bowsher and Associates Motorsports Finishes 5th April 26, 2005 -- Springfield, OH -- For Todd Bowsher and the ...
Published: Apr 27, 2005, 5:34 AM
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Bowsher and Associates Motorsports Finishes 5th
April 26, 2005 -- Springfield, OH -- For Todd Bowsher and the #21 Safe Auto Insurance team, the Salem weekend was a good example of the ups and downs of a typical race weekend. On Saturday, April 23, the first practice session took place with Todd eleventh fastest. But when it came time for qualifying, the #21 car only posted the 24th quickest speed. This qualifying position put Todd beyond the midway point of the 34 car field. "We were within shouting distance of the top ten in practice. Unfortunately, our worst two laps of the weekend occurred during qualifying. The car just didn't respond to the changes we made," said the driver of the #21 car.
When the race began Sunday, Todd steadily made progress toward the front. By lap 57 he had made it up to the 16th position, but when the #41 of Josh Clemons hit the 3rd turn wall, Todd had nowhere to go. This caused the first concern of race day. With right side damage from this contact, the crew changed right-side tires and pulled sheet metal away. After restarting the race at the end of the lead lap, Todd began picking off positions once again.
By lap 144 Todd had driven to the 7th position. As Todd slowed briefly for lap traffic, a tap from behind caused damage to the left rear of the #21 Ford. While Todd circled under caution, the crew assessed the damage. With no sheet metal rubbing on the tires, Todd decided to stay out so he would not lose the positions he had just gained. When the caution came out again two laps after the restart, Todd chose to pit to change tires and to allow the crew to inspect the car for any damage. As the race restarted, Todd was near the back of the lead lap, which included nine cars. Todd worked his way up to the 6th position on lap 195 of the 200 lap race when all of the excitement began.
With two laps to go, Chad Blount tapped leader Frank Kimmel, causing Frank to cut a tire and fall off the pace to finish 7th. Todd earned his first top five of the 2005 season with a 5th place finish. "Man, it feels good to crack the top five again. We have been running in the top ten at many races, but can't seem to get the finishes we would like. This is what we are capable of running, especially on the short tracks. I am really proud of the way our team rallied on all the pit stops we had to make. Their effort all weekend was outstanding. They had a 'never say die' attitude all throughout this cold weekend," Todd commented after the race.
Along with the 5th place finish came two post race awards for Todd and the crew: the Gladiator of the Race award, which is awarded to the team that made an outstanding effort, and the Hoosier Hard Charger award, for advancing the most positions during the race. The top five finish also elevates Todd from 16th in the year-long points battle to 7th, only 20 points out of 5th place. "We are really pleased to get Safe Auto Insurance their first top five finish and we are looking forward to the Kentucky race. We had two top ten finishes last year at Kentucky and had one of the cars to beat in the spring race," stated Todd. Todd finished 7th and 9th in the 2004 Kentucky races. Todd's career best finish is 4th at the Kentucky Speedway in 2001.
For a day full of highs and lows, the end result was well worth the effort. The top 5 finish at Salem gives the Jack Bowsher and Associates Motorsports team plenty of momentum heading into the May 14 Harley Davidson of Cincinnati race at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta, KY. The race is scheduled to start at 3 PM EST.
-jba-
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