ELKHART LAKE, Wis. — With 14 turns and high-speed sections, it’s easy to find trouble at Road America. Journeyman driver Stanton Barrett did during Friday’s opening day for the NASCAR XFINITY Series, but from an unexpected source and without ever turning a lap.
Barrett, preparing for his fourth XFINITY start of the season for car owner Rick Ware, was unable to get on the track for Friday practice ahead of Saturday’s Road America 180 Fired up by Johnsonville (3 p.m. ET, NBCSN, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). There were no issues with the car; instead, a faulty lift-gate motor left the No. 17 entry trapped in the team’s hauler while the crew searched for a solution.
“It’s one of those things, man. It’s a bummer,” Barrett said. “We’ll get it going. We won’t be out on the track, so we just have to get the car through tech (inspection) now. There’s a lot of work to do.”
Barrett said the team spent approximately four hours wrangling with circuitry, switches and wiring in an effort to override the system. When all else failed, Barrett checked the manufacturer’s label to discover that the company — Dings Dynamics Group — was located in Milwaukee, 60 miles south of the 4.048-mile track.
The 42-year-old driver dialed the manufacturer up, saying, “It’s Stanton Barrett. I drive and need some help!” From there, the company helped the team sort out the problem with the assistance of a local electrician.
“Thank God, it worked great,” Barrett said. “An electrician came out and helped us bypass all the systems, too. It was really nice that we found all the resources we needed.”
Coors Light Pole Qualifying is scheduled for Saturday at 12:15 p.m. ET (NBCSN/Live Extra).