By Caleb Whisler, Staff Writer
The quest to making the NASCAR Playoffs just became stronger for Dalton Sargeant and the No. 25 team at GMS Racing.
Sargeant made contact with the outside wall on Lap 34. On the previous restart on Lap 27, Sargeant made contact with Todd Gilliland, driver of the No 4 Toyota, on the restart. Because of the contact, the left front fender began to run the tire.
“We had some contact with the No. 4 Truck just after the restart there before the end of stage one. It got into the left front fender. I think that is what caused it to go down in three,” Sargeant stated.
The tire going down was not a big of a deal to Sargeant, but once he made hard contact with the outside wall, that is when the issues occurred. Sargeant believes that the contact broke some of the brake lines in the truck.
As the playoffs are approaching in just six races, GMS Racing is trying to find ways to help improve the performance of the truck. During the final practice on Saturday morning, Johnny Sauter hopped in the truck to help the team.
“It’s definitely a big help. We have been struggling a little bit this season. We are trying to figure out some place where we can improve and get better,” Sargeant stated. “There is nobody better than (Johnny) Sauter. To have him jump into the Truck and try to help out a little bit to see if he thinks where I can do a little bit better. Everything helps.”
The main issue for the team is finding some speed in the truck.
After a rough night at Gateway, Sargeant now sits 11th in the points standings. He is only 63 points away from the playoff cutoff line.