SALEM, Ind. – KBIII and his No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog team left Salem, Indiana battered and bruised following the Saturday Night short track racing at Salem Speedway. Butler led the race early but heavy damage from the melee that red flagged the race on lap 139 left the No. 22 barely recognizable and 36 laps down to the leader following green-flag repairs in the pit. KBIII took the checkered flag in the 19th position.
“It’s a shame we were caught up in the wreck,” said Butler. “We had an extremely fast car all night. We spun out and had to come in early for tires. This gave us great position to take the lead. I think if we hadn’t suffered the damage we easily had a top-5 car. The guys worked really hard to get the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota back on track so that we could finish the race.”
The No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota first came to pit road under caution on lap 26 following his spin on lap 24. Taking four tires, fuel, and making a track bar adjustment, the early stop gave KBIII track position when the leaders pitted on lap 97. The No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota took the lead on lap 98 and held it for 17 laps.
On lap 140 the race was red flagged for the “Big One” on the backstretch. The No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota suffered major front end damage. The team went to work as soon as the red flag was lifted and KBIII returned the car to pit road. Over the course of 36 green-flag laps, the Aaron’s Lucky Dog team cut off the front fenders, nose, and hood, replaced the radiator and oil cooler, and returned the No. 22 to the track. The Camry ran laps as fast as the leaders and neither gained nor lost positions, finishing the 200-lap race in the 19th position.
“The guys did an excellent job fixing the car and getting it back on track,” said Crew Chief Jonathan Davis. “We beat another car back out that was also damaged in the same wreck. I was really proud of them for stepping up and getting the car back out there in only 36 laps. 36 green flag laps at that.”
KBIII fell to eighth in the point standings with 3490 points, only 15 points out of sixth and seventh-place (positions are currently tied) and 580 out of fifth.
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