Cunningham Strong at Salem; Sargeant Grabs Third, Lee Ninth in Fall Classicar
MOORESVILLE, N.C. (Sept. 11, 2017) – Running within the top-five for the majority of the race, Cunningham Motorsports drivers Shane Lee and Dalton Sargeant completed a strong showing at Salem Speedway Saturday night with a top-five and top-10 finish. Sargeant took home a third-place finish while teammate Lee finished ninth in the Eddie Gilstrap Motors Fall Classic 200.
Shane Lee, No. 22 Big Tine Ford Fusion
Start: 3rd / Finish: 9th
Lee held the third position for the majority of the first half of the race until he moved into fifth 57 laps in to the 200-lap feature.
The first caution fell on lap 68. Lee reported being free all the way through the corner. He came down pit road for new right side General Tires, Sunoco fuel and adjustments.
Coming off pit road in the seventh position for the restart on lap 73, Lee moved up to sixth before falling back to eighth when the second caution came out on lap 86.
Restarting in the eighth spot on lap 92, Lee made contact with the wall in turns one and two. He came down pit road during a green flag stop on lap 105 for four General Tires and adjustments.
By the time Lee made it back out on the track, he had fallen back to the 14th position.
For the last 60 laps of the race, Lee worked his way back into the top-10 fighting lap traffic and managing tires for a ninth-place finish.
Lee: “We had a really fast, good car for the race and we were able to run with the leaders for a good portion of the race, which is great. Salem is a place you really have to concentrate and if you lose focus and make one mistake, it could end your night. I made contact with the wall at one point during the night and we had to pit for tires and fix the damage, but this 22 team never gives up and we were able to come away with a top-10 finish. We have some work to do at Chicago to regain some championship points we lost this weekend, but I think it’s the perfect track to get those points back.”
Dalton Sargeant, No. 77 Big Tine Ford Fusion
Start: 7th / Finish: 3rd
With just one lap complete, Sargeant broke into the top-five in the fifth position.
On lap 57, he passes teammate Lee for the fourth spot and held that until lap 68 when the first caution came out.
Sargeant came in to pit for right side General Tires, Sunoco fuel and adjustments. With a fast pit stop, he lined up for the restart in the second position.
Remaining in second from the restart on lap 73 until lap 117, Sargeant eventually moved back into third.
He came down pit road one last time under a caution on lap 133 for four General Tires and adjustments, making it off pit road in the eighth position.
With 60 laps to go, Sargeant quickly worked his way up to fourth and into third where he earned his 8th top-five finish of the season.
Sargeant: “Finishing 3rd at Salem Speedway is a good effort for this No. 77 Big Tine team, we had some pretty high expectations for Salem and just came up a little short for the win. I always have a lot of fun racing at Salem and this time was no different. The track is so unique and it’s a pretty special place to be able to come and race. Track position was pretty tough to overcome tonight and we basically just ran out of laps to challenge for the win. We have some of our best race tracks coming up as a team, so we’re all excited to head to Chicago and compete for a win.”
Keep up with Cunningham Motorsports on Facebook and Instagram (@CunninghamRace) and on Twitter (@Cunningham_Race). Head to www.cunninghamrace.com for more news.
You can follow Shane and Dalton on social media as well. Follow Shane on Facebook/Twitter (@ShaneLeeRacing) and on Instagram (@Shane_Lee00). You can find Dalton on Facebook (@DaltonSargeantRacing) and Twitter/Instagram (@DaltonSargeant).
Big Tine is manufactured in Rockville, Ind. and was introduced to the market in 2010. Big Tine is the only feed supplement on the market that utilizes the power of Whitetail InstitutesTM 30-06 mineral and vitamin supplement for year-round support management of a healthy, flourishing herd. For more information on Big Tine, products or where to buy visit us at www.bigtine.com on Facebook @BigTine and on Instagram @BigTineOfficial.
Sources: Katie Wernke/Cunningham Motorsports PR