(MOORESVILLE, NC) - Team Kapusta Racing checked off many accomplishments in its NASCAR XFINITY Series debut Saturday afternoon at Phoenix International Raceway.
With driver Charles Lewandoski behind the wheel of the Olé Energy Drink No. 56 Chevrolet Camaro, TKR qualified for, and competed hard throughout, the Axalta Faster. Tougher. Brighter 200 in its first XFINITY Series entry.
Lewandoski was credited with a 30th-place finish at the drop of the checkered flag, but the gains made both on and off the track could not be measured by solely a finishing position at the end of the team's premiere.
"Even though the end result wasn't what we were hoping for, I'm really proud with what we were able to accomplish this weekend," said Lewandoski. "Thom Kapusta (team owner) built this team from scratch and we built this entire car from the ground up. It had never seen a racetrack until we unloaded it at Phoenix, so to get it in the show and learn what we need to get better from green flag to checkered flag was a huge step for everyone at Team Kapusta Racing."
Lewandoski started 40th on the grid fully understanding the goal for the day; learn for 200 laps. With dozens of guests from Olé Energy Drink in attendance, Lewandoski began moving his way forward. Crew chief Bryan Berry and his pit crew continually worked throughout the day to dial in the No. 56 Chevrolet as Lewandoski picked off several spots through the middle stages of the race.
Following the team's final pit stop inside of 75 laps to go, the Olé Energy Drink car came to life. Lewandoski radioed to his crew that the car was the best it had been all day, giving the Team Kapusta Racing group solid notes to take forward past Phoenix.
When the checkered flag flew, Lewandoski and the entire TKR crew knew they had accomplished many of the pre-race goals for their debut. At the same time, the team was realistic, understanding that there was some work to be done to compete with the established teams of the NASCAR XFINITY Series.
"The support we got in Phoenix from Olé Energy Drink was awesome and I couldn't be more proud to represent them in their home town," added Lewandoski. "We were able to build up a pretty solid notebook to bring to our next race now that we know how our Chevrolet reacts to certain changes through the course of the race. I can't thank Bryan Berry, Tyler Young and the guys enough for all their hard work throughout the weekend to give us a good baseline to build from."
Team Kapusta Racing with driver Charles Lewandoski has a limited schedule planned for the 2015 NASCAR XFINITY Series season. Further details on the team's schedule will be announced soon.
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Check us out at www.teamkapustaracing.com and on Twitter at @TeamKapusta. For more on driver Charles Lewandoski, visit www.charleslewandoski.com and follow him on Twitter, @ChaLewandoski.