3 min read

The Fast Lane | Circuit of the Americas

Race Recap - XPEL 225

Bret Holmes Racing Number 32 truck races at Circuit of the Americas on March 23rd, 2024.

Qualification Stats:

Time & Conditions: 3:00 PM CT | 75 °F | Sunny | 10MPH Winds

As the only road course scheduled for the truck series during the 2024 season, the team was looking forward to the challenges that racing at COTA presented. Bret Holmes and the team paid close attention to the track during practice and qualified P26 with a time of 137.695 seconds.

Race Stats:

Time & Conditions: 12:30 PM CT | 68 °F | Overcast | 3MPH Winds

Starting Position & Results: P26 | P15 | P34 | P29

Overview:

Before the green flag was waved, four drivers were forced to the back of the lineup, pushing Holmes into a better starting position. Holmes thanked his team and promised he’d “learn all day.” Crew chief Mike Shiplett said, “Keep it on the track, and we’ll do everything we can for you in the pits.”
Through the first two stages, Bret advanced through traffic, communicating the truck's handling with crew chief Mike Shiplett. Unfortunately, no amount of effort or hard work could keep the track from taking its toll on the truck, as the team would discover that the swaybar had broken, resulting in a loss of multiple laps.

Stage 1

In the opening laps, Holmes stayed between P21 and P24 as the field made an aggressive push forward.
Communicating the importance of cautionary patience, Shiplett and the spotters helped Holmes maneuver around a pile-up on Turn 11, encouraging him to "put some laps together."
Bret would finish the stage in P15.

Stage 2

Early in the stage, Holmes communicated over the radio that he was beginning to have handling issues. Shiplett encouraged Holmes to keep "hitting his marks," studying the truck's response to the changing track conditions.
After advancing through the field, Holmes radioed the team that "something on the front end" was broken. To salvage track position, the team had Holmes stay the course and pit at the next caution.
The yellow flag was finally shown as Reaume Brother's Racing driver, Lawless Alan, spun on Turn 11. After Bret made his way down pit road, the team discovered that the truck's sway bar was destroyed. After the crew worked diligently to repair the truck, Holmes was served a penalty for "cutting the esses," resulting in a loss of multiple laps.

Final Stage

Hitting the track for the final stage, Shiplett encouraged Holmes to use the laps as an opportunity to learn and gain valuable experience.
As the yellow flag flew a few more times, Holmes drove the No.32 Chevrolet Silverado across the finish line in P29. He apologized for the sway bar issue with Shitplett assuring the driver, "We'll figure out what went wrong."

FAST STATS

Bret Holmes now sits in 12th place with 103 points, -104 points behind leader Corey Heim. Full standings can be located here.
There were a total of 9 lead changes throughout the XPEL 225.
The race saw 3 cautions for 5 laps.
Bret's fastest lap: Lap 10 - 139.229 seconds.
Bret Holmes pitted a total of 7 times throughout the race.
A detailed recap from NASCAR can be found Jayski's website.
Check out photos from the weekend on the official BHR Facebook Page.
Race highlights can be found here.
Read through a detailed recap of Bret's race from Pitpass Network's coverage, here.