Bret Holmes and the No. 23 Holmes ll Excavation/Southern States Bank Chevrolet team finished 18th after being involved in a late-race incident at Daytona International Speedway. Holmes started the 80-lap main event from the 14th position and quickly moved into the top 10 by lap 20. While working in the draft, Holmes maneuvered through traffic and was scored in the seventh position when the yellow flag was displayed on lap 43. Crew chief Shane Huffman called the No. 23 machine to pit road for fuel only and with quick work by Holmes’ pit crew, the team gained three positions and restarted fourth for the ensuing restart. Holmes continued to march his way to the front and was running in the third position with three laps remaining when he was hit from behind and sent spinning into the infield grass. Holmes made his way down pit road to the attention of the No. 23 crew to receive repairs. The 21-year-old driver returned to the racing surface as the field was displayed the white and green flags, signaling one-lap remaining in the race. Holmes crossed the finish line in the 18th position.
Start – 14th Finish – 18th Points Position – 18th BRET HOLMES
QUOTE:“We started a little bit further back in the field than we would have liked to today. We worked our way into the top 10 by changing our lines and being patient. We tried not to be too aggressive and bump anyone in the early stages. The No. 23 Holmes ll Excavation/Southern States Bank pit crew did a great job on pit road. We picked up a bunch of spots when we made our stop. We ran in the third spot for what felt like forever, but we showed how strong we were running up there with those three or four cars. We pulled away from the rest of the field for quite a few laps. It’s just extremely frustrating to get caught up in the final laps like that. The same thing happened last year. You just don’t know what gives sometimes. We’ll keep our heads up and keep working hard.”
BHR PR
