Salemi scores an 8th place finish at Greenville in the 2006 Season Opener
Rochester, NH (6/11/06)
NASCAR Busch East Series driver
John Salemi started his second
year in the series with a strong run
at the Greenville-Pickens
Speedway and an eighth place
finish on Saturday night. Salemi
and the #15 Waste Management/
BG Environmental/Daddy’s Hot
Sauce/Dennis Ciotti Racing
Products team were able to survive
the scorching temperatures and a
wild closing to the race for their first
top-10 run of the season. The
strong finish gets Salemi’s season
started on the right foot and gives him something to build on in the upcoming races.
John took to the track for the first of two practice sessions before Saturday night’s green flag on Friday afternoon. “We weren’t able to test over the winter, so I really wanted to get a feel for this track and break-in the car a little.” John said. “I ran a good number of laps on Friday and got an idea of what we had. The car was a little loose coming off of the turns, but I felt right away that it was close and we had a great car to work with.” The team used the balance of the practice on Friday and Saturday fighting the loose condition. “The team made some very positive changes on Saturday morning and we quickly picked up a few tenths from where we were Friday.”
Salemi felt that the car was in great shape for the race, but focused next on laying down a solid qualifying lap to earn a starting spot towards the front of the field. “I ran our best lap of the day in qualifying and ended up picking up six tenths from where we were in practice. I put a lot of emphasis on these two laps because track position is going to be important here. This track is narrow and passing is going to be difficult.” John posted the 15th quickest lap in qualifying and would start the race in the top half of the field.
After taking the green, Salemi settled into the top 15 and kept the car out of trouble. “We were still a little loose because the track didn’t tighten up as we had hoped it would. I knew that we needed an adjustment, but we wanted to stay out until the halfway point and put on new tires at the same time.” As John maintained his position on the lead lap, the lead cars in front began to come in. “We moved into the top ten as the others pitted and waited for the halfway mark. Our plan was to have fresh tires at the end and it worked.”
At the midway point, John brought the Waste Management Chevrolet to the attention of the crew for new right side tires and an adjustment. Returning to the race, Salemi quickly felt a difference in the handling. “The team made a great call and tightened me up enough, so I could drive off of the corners.” John had some work to do after the stop, but was able to move #15 car back into the top 10 and into great position for a final run to the checkered flag.
Multiple cautions plagued the closing laps of the race, but John was able to finish in 8th position. “We had a tough battle in the final laps and were able to get by a few cars on the last lap. I’m happy with that finish, giving we were loose the entire weekend. It’s a career best for me, but we are all hoping for bigger and better things during this season. It’s a great starting point and a strong run get the new season going on the right foot. I’m looking forward to Stafford next week.”
John Salemi and the #15 team will be back on the track this coming Friday at Stafford Motor Speedway in Stafford, CT. The TSI Harley Davidson 150 is set to take the green Friday night at 9pm. Sponsorship opportunities are available with the #15 team. For more info please visit the team website at http://www.johnsalemiracing.com or email marketing@johnsalemiracing.com
