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BUSCH: Mexico City: Transnet Racing race notes
Mission Accomplished For Transnet Racing; Alex Garcia In Mexico MEXICO CITY, MX (March 7, 2007) - - Transnet Racing reeled in a 34th place finish Sunday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez putting a period to a promising inaugural start in the NASCAR ...
Edited: Apr 16, 2008, 12:40 AM
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Mission Accomplished For Transnet Racing; Alex Garcia In Mexico
MEXICO CITY, MX (March 7, 2007) - - Transnet Racing reeled in a 34th place finish Sunday at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez putting a period to a promising inaugural start in the NASCAR Busch Series (NBS).
After missing the first practice and rookie practice as a result of problems with the team's Monte Carlo as it went through NASCAR's technical inspection, owner/driver Alex Garcia started the weekend off with a solid Happy Hour practice effort on Friday, hoping to back it up during qualifying on Saturday.
Unfortunately, an issue with Garcia's safety belt, found in pre-qualifying tech inspection, prevented the No. 98 Chevrolet from making a qualifying run, forcing a 43rd place starting position.
Despite the disappointment of defaulting to the back of the starting field, Garcia and his Transnet Racing crew remained positive and focused on race day, with the goal to complete all the laps and cross the start/finish line.
Garcia wasted no time making a dent towards the front, clicking off one position at a time. As one of the race's fastest cars in the first quarter of the race, the Transnet Racing machine got as high as the 14th position, running one lap in the top 15 before green flag pit stops put the team a lap down on lap 13. Aware of his goals, the former NASCAR Elite Division driver maintained his patience, even after being involved in an incident on lap 23 with the No. 41 of Scott Pruett.
Back on track, Garcia utilized the remainder of the Telcel Motorola Mexico 200 presented by Banamex to gather seat time, learning the car and his competitors.
The No. 98 lost a second lap pitting under green flag conditions on lap 43: with only one practice under their belts, much of the team's four pit stops were dedicated to making changes and adjustments to perfect the car. Regardless, the team was able to keep pace with leaders, making 33 total passes, and Garcia took the checkered flag, completing 80 of an extended 82 laps.
"This is a great start for us," said Garcia, a native of Venezuela. "We had a good start to the day. We had some hiccups along the way, but we finished the race and that was our main goal coming into Mexico. This weekend was a great experience. I learned so much and I think it will really help us throughout the year."
Dixien and OmniSource Corporation, both long-time partners with Transnet Racing, sponsored the team's effort in their debut race weekend. The team also welcomed Hooters Mexico as an associate sponsor in the third ever NASCAR Busch Series race held at Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez.
"On behalf of the team, I would like to say thanks to our sponsors," the former open wheel competitor added. "We came into Mexico with an open mind and we're leaving with a ton of knowledge and support that will pay off for everyone in the future."
Next up for Transnet Racing is the Sharpie Mini 300 from Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday, March 24 with the green flag scheduled to wave at 2:30pm Eastern Time on ABC.
-credit: tr
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