Ill Handling Car Leads to 29th Place Finish for Hamilton, Jr.

 The first west coast trip of the 2007 NASCAR season came and went this weekend.  Forty-One NASCAR Busch Series cars ventured to the California Speedway for the Stater Bros. 300 race.  The 2 mile oval can be tough on cars when handling issues come into play.  Unfortunately for the No. 35 McDonald’s Ford, handling was a big issue during the 300 mile event.

Throughout practice and the race, the team never locked in on the right setup for the McDonald’s Ford Fusion. The team tried various chassis setups during practice, but each one seemed to present a new handling issue.  In the Saturday morning qualifying session, Hamilton, Jr. qualified in the 32nd position.

The race began a few hours later for the McDonald’s Racing Team.  With the temperature on the track decreasing, the team hoped for a better handling race car.   Those hopes never came true for Hamilton and the team.  Throughout the race, Hamilton searched for the best line around California Speedway.  Nothing seemed to work and the No. 35 car raced the entire 300 laps between 25th and 35th position.  As the checkered flag waved, Hamilton was credited with a 29th place finish.

“We didn’t come out here to run in 29th position, so this is disappointing for us,” Hamilton said.  “We will go back to the shop and figure out the problem before we head to Las Vegas for the next oval race.  This weekend we go to Mexico City for a road course race.  This will be my first visit to the track and I am looking forward to the road course challenge.”

Matt Kenseth dominated the Auto Club 300 for his first Busch Series win of the season.  Next up for the Busch Series will be a trip to Mexico City.  Racing action is on Sunday, check your local listings for broadcast times in your area.