Sauter

We had a pretty tough day in Charlotte last Saturday. It was the kind of day every member of the team would just as soon forget.

We were one of 48 teams who showed up to make a qualifying attempt to earn a starting position. After a two-hour practice Friday morning, qualifying was held under ever-changing weather conditions, sometimes sunny, sometimes overcast skies. We posted a fast lap of 176.097 mph to earn the 29th starting position.

After a rain delay of almost three hours, we were set for the tough test of Lowe's Motor Speedway. The track has the reputation of being one of the most weather sensitive tracks on the circuit. The least amount of cloud cover or bright sunshine can change the characteristics of the track. Therefore, setting the car up can be challenging.

I knew that starting 29th would present several challenges. There were many drivers with little or no experience at the track starting around me. Also, with the track conditions constantly changing, I knew racing the track more than the competition would be extremely important.

Early in the race, I battled a very tight car. The car was so tight we went a lap down to race leader Jeff Burton on lap 43.

	“	This was a long, tough race. My car was tight right from the start, and the guys on this team kept adjusting the car the whole race. Getting the bad break with the caution coming out just after I made my first pit stop really hurt. That deal put us in a hole that we couldn't crawl out of. I guess when it's not your day, that's the way things happen. ”
		— Sauter

We made a green flag pit stop on Lap 52 for two right-side tires and fuel. The Quality Stores pit crew also made a chassis adjustment with the track bar and wedge.

Just as I re-entered the race after the pit stop, the caution flag waved. We lost an additional lap due to unfortunate timing. And, with an ill-handling car, I knew it would be tough to make up those laps.

Mid-race, we were around 30th position and found ourselves with only one other team on the same lap as us.

We made our final visit to pit road on Lap 156 for tires and fuel. It was after this stop where we made our biggest gain working our way up to 28th, which is where we would end up finishing the race.

This was a long, tough race. My car was tight right from the start, and the guys on this team kept adjusting the car the whole race. Getting the bad break with the caution coming out just after I made my first pit stop really hurt. That deal put us in a hole that we couldn't crawl out of. I guess when it's not your day, that's the way things happen.

I do know this team is really looking forward to going to Memphis next weekend. I really like that track and I'm ready for some good ol' short track racing.

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