LAS VEGAS, Nev. – One of the fastest NASCAR XFINITY Series cars Saturday at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway didn’t even stand a chance.
Boise, Idaho’s Brian Scott bid to win his first NASCAR XFINITY Series race was denied once again as the No. 2 Albertsons / Sanderson Farms Chevrolet Camaro failed to come up to speed when the green flag dropped in Saturday’s Boyd Gaming 300.
Scrambling to diagnose the issue, Scott dropped like a rocket from the outside pole to last within seven laps and losing a lap teammate Austin Dillon.
Notifying his Richard Childress Racing (RCR) team that he was running “flat” (wide open) all around the 1.5-mile speedway, Scott had to wait until the first caution for Mike Bliss on Lap 14 before bringing his car to pit road.
Unable to find a quick fix to the problem, Scott’s team took his car to the garage where the issue was deemed terminal resulting in a 38th place finish.
“I don’t know what happened,” said Scott. “But, unfortunately, that’s our second engine issue of the weekend. We also had a couple problems last weekend at Atlanta. Procedurally, we’re overlooking something, we’re not doing it right at the shop before we get to the race track and it’s a shame because we do have really fast cars. “
Scott in his seventh year of XFINITY Series competition also experienced engine issues during Friday’s practice session at Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway. The team changed issues before the start of the second practice session.
The backup engine proved to have some horsepower, but not longevity.
“I hate for that Albertsons and Sanderson Farms, it’s the first race with them. We had high expectations, we had a good car, we just gotta figure out what we need to do before we get to the racetrack to keep this type of stuff from happening.”
For the second consecutive week, Scott qualified second.
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
