Mayfield took the green flag for the start of the event and immediately communicated to his team that the handling of the 360 OTC Toyota Camry was loose going into the corners and tight in the center. Interim crew chief Tommy Baldwin called for four fresh tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment during the first pit stop of the day, which came on lap 20. Mayfield returned to the track in 29th place and lost several spots during the ensuing laps. Baldwin called his driver back to pit road for additional adjustments during a caution on lap 51. Because the team opted not to take on fresh tires, it gained several positions for the restart.
Mayfield ran into trouble when his right front tire blew on lap 225. He made contact with the turn two wall, then lost several laps trying to get to the bottom of the racetrack. When Mayfield was finally able to maneuver his car to the pit area, he took the car behind the wall for repairs. Mayfield later returned the 360 OTC machine to the track in 38th place, 10 laps behind the leaders.
Mayfield struggled with the handling of his 360 OTC Toyota for the remainder of the event, but picked up several positions due to attrition. Mayfield held the 34th position when the checkered flag waved.
The 360 OTC Racing team sticks close to home when it heads to Martinsville (Va. ) Speedway for the Goody’s Orange Crush 500 next weekend. Qualifying will be held Friday afternoon, and Sunday afternoon’s race is scheduled for a 2 p. m. ET start.
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