'The Glen' Learning Experience for Lance Team

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y. - A 27th-place finish doesn't normally renew the confidence of a race team. But considering all the pertinent factors and the adversity they fought through this past weekend at Watkins Glen International, the Lance Snacks Chevrolet team is taking a positive feeling away from the NASCAR Busch Series, Grand National Division Lysol 200.

With new crew chief Greg Ely adjusting to driver Andy Santerre and the rest of the Lance Snacks crew, the team showed signs of being a top-10 contender on Sunday. A late race spinout and a mechanical problem, however, relegated the team to a middle-of-the-pack performance.

"I'm disappointed for me and I'm really disappointed for the crew because the car was a top-10 car, easy," Santerre said. "The guys worked really hard on it and Greg, our new crew chief, did a great job of getting us where we needed to be.

"Unfortunately we spun out and that cost us a bunch. When that happened, the clutch went and that really hurt us the most. If it hadn't have been for the clutch problem I think we could have made up some spots and made it into the top-15. With the clutch gone, I was really just fortunate to finish.

"But the guys put in a valiant effort. It's just unfortunate that I couldn't get them a win here. I know I'm good enough to run up front here at Watkins Glen. It's just disappointing because we had a car good enough to run in the top-10. We'll keep our chins up. I've faced a lot worse adversity. Some day I'm going to get that team in victory lane."

Santerre started 19th but made up several positions and ran as high as fifth before pitting for the first time on lap 27 for four tires, fuel and a slight track bar adjustment. The pit stop dropped him all the way back to the 37th position, but numbers like that can be deceiving on a road course.

By lap 46 Santerre was back up in the 11th position, when he pitted once again for four tires and fuel. He fell all the way back to the 25th spot again, but potentially it was to be his final pit stop of the day.

On lap 56, however, Santerre was spun out in turn one by another car, and he lost nine spots in the running order. That's when he lost the clutch on the Lance Chevy, and any chance for a top-10 finish.

Santerre climbed six spots back to the 26th position before the race's final caution allowed the clutch to cool down. That allowed Bryan Wall to pass Santerre for 26th in the final three laps.

Ely couldn't say enough about the efforts of the Lance Snacks crew, who overcame a failed oil line that caused engine failure following the morning practice on Saturday. The team changed engines, and Santerre went out and qualified the No. 25 Chevrolet in the 19th position.

"It was a learning experience for everybody," Ely said. "But everybody did a great job. The guys worked their butts off for six days getting this car ready and any adversity that came up during the course of the weekend, they just fought right through it.

"We had a good race car and Andy drove the wheels off of it. We made a couple of mistakes here and there throughout the weekend, but we're going to take this and build on it and this team is going to show a lot of improvement over the next few weeks.

Road racing specialist Ron Fellows won the Lysol 200, with Butch Leitzinger .901 seconds behind and Kevin Harvick finishing third.

The Lance Snacks team will travel to The Milwaukee Mile this week for Sunday's Sears DieHard 250.