Huffman Scores Top 10 for Navy Team on Veterans Day

Shane Huffman

AVONDALE, Ariz. (Nov. 13, 2006) – On a day marked to honor our nation’s veterans, Shane Huffman drove the No. 88 Navy Accelerate Your Life Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS to an eighth-place finish in Saturday’s NASCAR Busch Series Arizona.Travel 200 at Phoenix International Raceway.

Huffman started the day off by qualifying fourth for the afternoon’s race with a fast lap of 27.294 seconds, 131.897 mph.

Once the green flag dropped, Huffman stayed in the top 10 until Lap 58 when the team elected to pit under caution. The crew changed four tires, added fuel and made a track bar adjustment. A problem with a lug nut on the rear left Huffman to restart the race from 12th position on Lap 64. Shortly thereafter, the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet sustained damage to the left front after contact with the No. 33 car.

Sitting atop the pit box, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. offered Huffman advice throughout the race, including suggesting he use the apron of the track in the corners to help the car handle better.

Crew chief Wes Ward called Huffman to pit road on Lap 94 to repair the damage to the left front of the No. 88. The pit crew also changed four tires, added fuel and made a track bar adjustment. Only a few cars pitted on that stop, which shuffled Huffman back to 30th position when the field restarted on Lap 97. The caution flag waved again on Lap 103 and most of the leaders pitted, moving Huffman up to third.

Huffman quickly moved up and took the lead on Lap 113. He raced side-by-side with the No. 2 car for several laps and held on to the top spot until Lap 130. Those laps marked the first time Huffman held the top spot in Busch Series competition.

He kept the No. 88 Navy Chevrolet in the top five until the team pitted for the final time on Lap 171. The crew changed four tires, added fuel and made no adjustments to the car. Huffman restarted in eighth position on Lap 177. The closing laps of the race were marred by cautions, which limited his chance of regaining any positions.

Huffman finished the Arizona.Travel 200 in eighth place, marking the JR Motorsports team’s seventh top-10 finish of the season.

“The Navy team had an awesome run today,” Huffman said. “We had a great car and were able to run up front for most of the day and show the rest of those guys just what this Navy team has for them.

“The finish is good for this team, but it’s also great to give the Navy a good run on Veterans Day. The sailors and all of the service men and women around the world do so much for our country, it’s an honor to drive this car and represent them each week. It means a lot to me to have their support.”

Huffman’s finish allowed the No. 88 team to maintain their 19th-place standing in the Busch Series owners point standings and close in on the teams ahead of them.

Huffman was the highest-finishing Busch Series regular and also the WIX Filters Lap Leader award winner.

Navy Racing in the Media... On Saturday Huffman was interviewed both before and after his qualifying run on SPEED Channel’s live broadcast. Both Huffman and crew chief Wes Ward were interviewed during MRN’s pre-race show. Huffman was also featured on the Nextel Vision Screen before the race. During the race, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. was interviewed atop the pit box by NBC reporters.

Next on Deck... Next Saturday the JR Motorsports’s No. 88 Navy Chevrolet team will complete the 2006 NASCAR Busch Series season with the Ford 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. The race will air live on TNT and MRN affiliates at 7 p.m. ET.