Owens Finishes 16th Despite Blown Engine

Brooklyn, Mich. (June 12, 2009) – Alli Owens was poised to capture her third-straight top-10 finish this week at Michigan International Speedway, however a blown engine on the final lap of the Racing for Wildlife 200 sent her bid up in smoke.  Despite the power plant failure of the ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota, Owens still finished on the lead lap in 16th place.

For the second week in a row, uncooperative weather forced the ARCA RE/MAX Series to set the starting grid according to owner point standings, which put Owens in 24th place for the green flag.  When the race got underway, Owens didn’t waste any time charging to the front of the pack.  The ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota picked up nine positions on the first lap and broke into the top-10 on lap 23.  Owens worked her way into ninth place before the yellow flag slowed the race on lap 52. Owens’ car was “loose through the corners,” so crew chief Jerry Pitts instructed the No. 19 crew to change four tires, top of the fuel cell and make air pressure  and track bar adjustments. Owens rejoined the field in eighth place following service.

Green flag action resumed on lap 59. Owens held her position in the top-10, running as high as sixth place, until she relinquished her spot to make a final pit stop during a caution period on lap 84.  Owens’ car had become too tight on the previous run, so the ElectrifyingCareers.com crew changed the right-side tires of the No. 19 Toyota and made an air pressure adjustment to loosen up the car’s handling. Owens returned to the track in 11th place.

The race restarted on lap 90 with 10 scheduled laps remaining. As soon as the green flag waved, Owens picked up two positions and moved into ninth place.  A single car wreck brought out the yellow flag before the field could complete one circuit.  The incident involved a lengthy cleanup, which set the stage for a green-white-checkered finish.  On the ensuing restart, Owens engaged in a battle for eighth place and appeared to have a top-10 finish coming her way.  Unfortunately as the ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota was rounding Turn 4 on the final lap, the engine gave up the ghost.  Owens coasted to the finish line and finished in the 16th position.

“It looked like we were going to get our third-straight top-10 today,” commented Owens after the event. “The ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota was running great all day.  We were right where we needed to be at the end of the race to have a good finish.  Unfortunately the motor blew on the final turn of the last lap. It didn’t give any warning; it just let go all at once. Our motors have been strong all year and have been a big part of our success.  Sometimes these things happen. We won’t let this get us down. We’ll be back next time and get the finish we deserve.”