NASCAR-BGN: Moise Experiences Good and Bad at Rock
4 November 1998
ROCKINGHAM, N.C. - Patty Moise and the Rhodes Furniture team were hoping to make the most of a provisional start in Saturday's ACDelco 200 at North Carolina Motor Speedway, but a broken rear axle kept the car out of the race for 35 laps and Moise finished 39th.The Rhodes team began the ACDELCO 200 in the 43rd position, and two early caution periods allowed the Rhodes team to adjust Moise's car. She radioed to crew chief Ronnie Silver that the car was loose. The team made air pressure and track bar adjustments during their first pit stop in hopes of remedying the problem.
Tires are always a big issue at Rockingham and the team changed the first of their allotted three sets of tires on lap 35. Moise's car handled better, which allowed her to hold the car on the bottom of the race track.
The Rhodes Furniture Ford spun on lap 75, bringing out the fourth caution of the day. "I was on the bottom of the track, passing two cars, when the car broke loose and spun sideways," Moise said. "I didn't make contact with any other cars or the retaining walls but I definitely flat-spotted the tires." The team changed all four tires and the Rhodes Ford was back out on the track one lap down.
Moise then rallied to get her lap back by passing race leader Dale Earnhardt, Jr. on lap 96, placing her on the tail end of the lead lap. The team needed a caution to get back in position with the rest of the lead lap cars but on lap 109, a rear axle broke and Moise was forced to go behind the wall for 35 laps.
"I hate it that the rear axle broke like that," Moise said. "We were on our way to one of our best finishes this year. Once the team made adjustments on my car, I could really stick it on the bottom of the track and gain positions."
