Bret Holmes and the No. 23 Holmes ll Excavation Toyota team finished fifth at Pocono Raceway. With inclement weather in the area, qualifying for the 80-lap main event was cancelled. The starting line-up was based off practice speeds, placing the No. 23 team 10th. Holmes was plagued with handling issues during the opening circuits around the 2.5-mile track. The 22-year-old driver visited pit road under caution on lap 29 for four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Holmes returned to the racing surface in the fourth spot. On lap 60, Holmes informed the No. 23 team of a tight-handling condition that was developing during the long green-flag run. As teams began making their green-flag pit stops, crew chief Shane Huffman called the young driver to pit road on lap 67 for right-side tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. Holmes maintained his track position and crossed the finish line in the fifth position, marking his second top-five result of the season.
Start – 10th Finish – 5th Points Position – 2nd
BRET HOLMES QUOTE:
“It’s definitely not hard to smile at this finish. It almost feels like a win for us. This is one of the tracks that I struggle with the most. I studied a lot over the last few days, and it really helped out. We picked up a bunch between practice and the race. We had a solid car today, Shane (Huffman, crew chief) has brought me a solid car every race so far this season. We have a strong team. We’ve gone through growing pains over the last few years, trying to establish our new team. It’s hard to compete with these guys that have run this series for a long time, but we’re in the championship battle. We made up a lot of points today with a fifth-place finish and are now second in the standings. We’re in the running for it, and we’re here to win the championship.”
BHR PR
