Fontana: Brian Scott race report

SCOTT PUT IN SPIN CYCLE AT CALIFORNIA; ALBERTSONS TOYOTA CHARGES TO THIRD BEFORE UNTIMELY CRASH

FONTANA, CA (February 21, 2009) -- Brian Scott and his No. 16 Albertsons Toyota Tundra were having the type of day that all NASCAR drivers dream about until that dream became a nightmare on lap 24 of the San Bernadino County 200 at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA on Saturday afternoon. Clearly one of the fastest trucks on the racetrack, Scott was charging through the pack like a knife through hot butter. Scott had driven his way from his 13th place starting position to third place when aging driver Mike Skinner spun Scott on the front straightaway and sent the 21 year-old Boise, ID native headfirst in the retaining wall. As a result of the crash, Scott and his Xpress Motorsports team posted a disappointing 29th place finish.

"Well we were coming to the front," Scott said after the race. "We had a really good truck and it kept getting better and better in comparison to the other trucks out there. We were working our way through the field still trying to be pretty easy knowing that it's probably going to be a green flag run. I almost had Mike (Skinner) cleared coming out of turn four and my spotter said he was still there and I was down on the inside. It was like he hooked m y right rear and he got stuck on it because I felt him there and I kept trying to turn down off him and it was like every time I tried to turn down off him it just tried to turn my front around like my back was stuck to him. I knew he wasn't beside me and I just hoped once I knew he hooked me that he'd let off. It's stupid to be driving someone like that 25 laps in. Eventually it was going to happen and we were lucky enough to make it to about the start finish line before he turned us head on into the wall. I guess he couldn't stand it that we were passing him. I hate it for all of our guys. They've worked really hard since January getting these trucks ready. This is the truck from Homestead that we finished second with, it was a good truck and it was running good today -- I think we would have had a shot at it. I hate it for everyone on our Albertsons Toyota Tundra and for all the fans here."

-credit: xm