Braun Racing Scores NASCAR Busch Series Win
Posted July 30, 2007 in Press Announcements | Back to News Archive
Indianapolis, IN (July 28, 2007) – Jason Leffler visited Victory Lane at O’Reilly Raceway Park (ORP) seven times during his days of USAC racing and Saturday night he made a return visit, winning the Kroger 200 and going down in history as the driver who gave Toyota its first NASCAR Busch Series victory.
Leffler started the Great Clips Toyota Camry from the fifth position for Saturday night’s 200-lap race at ORP and from the drop of the green flag it was clear that the No. 38 would be a strong force to contend with. But the road to victory lane would not be an easy one. After climbing to the third spot in the early stages of the race, Leffler hit pit road under caution on lap 47 for his first pit stop of the night. After taking four tires, fuel and minor adjustments Leffler found himself blocked in by the No. 14 car that was pitting in next the pit box, costing him several positions. He restarted outside of the top-10 and began fighting his way back to the front. .
Leffler battled among the top-10 during the next run but faced another set-back when trouble during his second pit stop cost him another five positions. Mired in traffic, Leffler slowly maneuvered his way through the field by primarily running the bottom groove, something he later admitted to learning from last year’s Kroger 200 winner, Kevin Harvick.
The decision that would help seal the team’s fate of victory came under caution on lap 142, when crew chief, Todd Lohse, made the call for Leffler to pit for fresh tires even as the leaders opted to stay out on the track. Having relinquished his track position for the fresh tires was a risk, but Leffler felt positive he had the car capable of getting to the front.
After restarting 12th, Leffler had his work cut out for him over the final 50 laps of the event. With fresh tires and with his car handling perfectly along the bottom groove, Leffler made it look easy as he motored his way up through the field. With 20 laps to go and what Eli Gold would later call the most exciting 20 laps the Busch Series has seen this season, Leffler entered an intense battle with Toyota teammate David Reutimman for the second spot.
Finally claiming the position with 12 to go, Leffler set his sights on race leader, Greg Biffle. A late race caution on lap 191, allowed Leffler to line up behind Biffle for the restart and the rest was history. After jockeying with Biffle for the lead for three laps, Leffler took over the top-spot with two laps to go going on to take the checkered flag. The victory was Leffler’s second career Busch Series win and a first for crew chief, Todd Lohse.
"This is a lot more exciting to come to the end like that, beating and banging and doing those slide jobs,” said Leffler. “I’ve won a lot of midgets, a couple of Silver Crown races here. I love coming to Indianapolis. I consider it my second home. I spend a lot of time here and have a lot of friends. I just can’t say enough about our whole team at Braun Racing and what it means to us to get Toyota their first win in the Busch series. It’s been our goal since the beginning of the year. I’m really happy for Todd (Braun), Great Clips and all of our sponsors for being the ones to do it. I’m really proud to have my name going into the history books as Toyota’s first Busch Series winner.” Courtesy of Braun Racing, Press Release
Note: The Bray Law Firm has acted as legal counsel for Braun Racing since 2004. For more information on the firm's motorsports practice, please contact William Bray at (704) 523-7777.