SCC: Utah: Byron Payne race notes

Payne Finishes 12th in Salt Lake City 200

Tooele, UT (09.22.09): Byron Payne, with teammate VJ Mirzyian, and the Next Generation Grand-Am Koni Challenge Championship Series team finished 12th in the Salt Lake City 200 at Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele, Utah this past weekend.

With new sponsors Force Fuel For Earth, United Financial, RedLineTechnik.com, and eprodius.com on board for the event, the team struggled through a few issues both on and off track, ultimately surviving and bringing home a strong finish. The motor in the #129 BMW 330i began to develop a misfire during qualifying, which only gave the Next Generation team one lap in the session, forcing them to start the race from the last position on the grid.

While working his way through the field another ST car came in contact with the #129 BMW, leading to a stop-and-go penalty for Byron. Upon returning to the track, Payne was hit by one of the GS-class cars, but remained on track. Fighting a very loose car, Byron drove his way up to the 13th position during his 1-hour/15-minute stint. The car was then handed over to VJ Mirzyian who drove the car home to 12th place.

-credit: gm