Your car is destroyed, but you’re all smiles. An incredible rally! After that early race crash, did you ever envision finishing 18th?

No, not really. We were in such a deep hole after getting turned early on. I didn’t think we’d stay on the lead lap, let alone finish 18th. The fact that we did makes us pretty happy, considering how the race started.

We had a lot of damage. I could feel everything dragging and stuff flying off. Despite that, we managed to salvage a decent day with what we had.

Kyle Weatherman mentioned that it looked like Ronnie Pool dumped you in that early crash. Is that what you saw?

I haven’t watched it back yet, but that’s what it felt like.

How hard was it to stay in the game, being a couple of laps down and dealing with all that damage?

It was tough. The damage made handling really difficult. The brakes were locking up, and I had to constantly adjust my brake bias. It was all about salvaging what I could with what I had.

On the radio, you mentioned the car wasn’t handling right, and the team agreed. Did you expect it to be that destroyed?

I knew we had a lot of damage, but it was worse than I thought. Battling with the 51, I saw his damage and didn’t realize mine looked just as bad.

Despite the rough start, finishing 18th is a good point haul. Is this a positive momentum builder?

Definitely. Salvaging points is crucial for us right now. Knowing we got decent points despite the rough start is big. Looking ahead, Texas should be good for us. My chief has had success there, and it’s one of my favorite tracks.

Congratulations on salvaging a decent finish and good luck in Texas!