Sauter

We suffered our second setback out of the last three races in which engine problems have forced us out of a race. We completed only 81 of the 200 laps due to an engine failure. We were credited with a 38th-place finish at the new Chicagoland Speedway.

I really had a good car. It was a potential top-5 car, but our afternoon ended too soon.

We were one of the fastest cars during the open test day Thursday. We hoped to secure a top-10 qualifying position Friday. I turned a fast lap of 179.354 mph in time trials on Friday afternoon to earn the 11th starting position.

I was driving the Morton Salt-sponsored car for the third time this season. We were looking forward to a good showing for their home track in Chicago.

I knew the early stages of the race would be crucial. With basically only one groove worked into the track, racing side-by-side would be nearly impossible until a second groove could be developed during the race. And, with the new track having lots of grip, speeds reached entering the turns would approach 200 mph.

Early in the race, I moved from the 11th starting position into the top-10 on lap three. By lap 10, I moved into eighth and looked to have a car capable of racing with the leaders. On lap 25, I put the Morton Salt Chevrolet in seventh and continued to put pressure on the leaders.

I maintained the seventh position on the track until our initial pit stop on lap 42 under caution. The pit crew did a great job of quickly servicing the car with four tires, fuel and a minor chassis adjustment. I restarted the race in eighth and looked to mount another charge to the front. However, the action got fast and furious on the restart.

On the restart, the No. 71 car driven by Kevin Lepage checked up just as I was ready to pass. When Lepage slowed, I was forced to go high on the track to avoid an accident. When the Morton Salt Chevrolet slid up the track, a train of cars ducked under me and dropped me all the way back to the 17th position. However, I was able to avoid a major incident and continue toward the front. Then, the unexpected happened.

On lap 80, I reported in to (crew chief) Gene Nead the engine was losing power. When I heard noises coming from the engine area one lap later, I cut the engine off and coasted to the garage. An inspection confirmed that engine problems would eliminate us from the race.

We also took a hit in the overall points with a loss of two positions. After 19 of 33 races, we stand in 17th.

Now, we've got to turn things around and make up the points we've lost. We'll bounce back with a strong run at Gateway next week.

Jay Sauter drives the No. 43 car in the NASCAR Busch Series Grand National Division and will be submitting a weekly diary to ESPN.com throughout the season.