Sauter

I was involved in a late-race accident that ended my pursuit of a potential strong finish at Gateway International Raceway last Saturday night. The weekend started great for us as I recorded a fast lap of 130.974 mph to earn the seventh starting position. I knew starting up front would be an advantage with 14 of the 43 drivers making their first ever Busch Series start.

Also, a mid-afternoon rain shower before the race created different track conditions. Action was sure to be fast and furious.

The evening was hot and muggy. It would certainly be a severe test for me and the other drivers, as temperatures would approach 140 degrees inside the cars.

During the early stages of the event, I maintained a strong top-10 presence while being careful not to abuse either the car or the brakes. Running ninth on lap 46, I made our first pit stop of the race under caution. The Quality Farm Stores pit crew changed four tires and added fuel to get me back on the track to restart in the 11th position.

I moved back into the top-10 on lap 50 and proceed to ninth on lap 61. The Quality Farm Stores Chevrolet began to get loose off the turns around lap 70. With the handling becoming more of a problem later in this long, green run, I dropped back several positions.

The much-needed caution waved on lap 98 and everyone headed for pit road, including us. The pit crew tightened the car up to improve the handling. I restarted in 14th on lap 106.

The car began to loosen up again over the next run. As I exited Turn 2 on lap 160, I lost the handle and hit the wall. The impact damaged the front of the Quality Farm Stores Chevrolet. I was able to drive the car into the garage where the crew began to repair the damage.

On lap 172, I returned to the race. Although not at full strength, I was able to finish the race and post a 25th-place finish.

It was a tough weekend for the Quality Farm Stores team. All of us had high hopes this weekend, but it didn't work out. The car was loose most all night and a real handful to drive. Finally, it got so loose I spun. It was just a rough night. We certainly did not get the desired result for this race.

We maintained the 17th position in the overall standings.

Our next race is at Pikes Peak International Raceway in Fountain, Colo. This was a good event for us last year where we actually led the race for many laps. We are looking forward to a good weekend.

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.