NASCAR Winston Cup Bud at Watkins Glen Report: #16, Ted Musgrave
12 August 1997
#16 Ted Musgrave, Family Channel/Primestar Ford Thunderbird NASCAR Winston Cup Series The Bud at the Glen Race Report Watkins Glen International TED MUSGRAVE RECAP: THE BUD AT THE GLEN WATKINS GLEN, NY - After qualifying miserably in 27th after Friday's first round -- and by 'miserably,' I mean we ran 11th in practice yet didn't qualify there (an overcast sky made for an overly tight car) -- Musgrave fell a bit more to 29th, after second round participants Mike Skinner and Chad Little both qualified faster. While a tough track to pass at, the team nonetheless looked forward to racing on the road course at Watkins Glen. Race day's outlook improved considerably when Crew Chief Ince took a gamble on probable cautions and good fuel mileage by pitting Musgrave a couple of laps early, on Lap 27 (of 90). Even better, caution fell just two laps later, which forced the rest of the field to pit, which consequently left Musgrave at the front of the pack, or at least in fourth place. As the race continued, Musgrave battled Irvan and Jarrett successfully for position before the last pit stop under green, but developed some problems with the brakes: simply put, he didn't have much left during the last third of the race. However, in the end, it only cost him two positions, one to Robby Gordon who finished fourth, and one to teammate Martin, who finished fifth, which left Musgrave just shy of a top-five finish in sixth. This was his best finish at The Glen since finishing 11th in 1992, and by finishing sixth, tied his best road course finishes at Sears Point (CA) in 1994 and 1995. He remains 11th in the overall points standings, 21 points out of 10th and a mere 154 points out of seventh. Next week: Back to Michigan Speedway, site of the first race Musgrave ever scored bonus points for the most laps led. The particularly good part about that is that it happened this year with the same car that we're taking back. For those of you that follow such things, yes, it's JR53, replete with a new nose, star of Darlington, Michigan, California, Pocono, Indy. So look for Ted in a victory lane on a t.v. set near you in the not-so-distant future. By Roush Racing Public Relations