MALSAM FINISHES 27TH IN IOWA NASCAR NATIONWIDE RACE

NEWTON, Iowa (July 31, 2010) — Being in the wrong place at the wrong time once again cost Tayler Malsam in Saturday’s NASCAR Nationwide Series race from Iowa Speedway, as the Pacific Northwest native brought home a 27th-place finish in his seventh career series start.

Driving the No. 10 Iron Horse Jeans Toyota for Braun Racing, the 21-year-old from Sammamish, Wash., didn’t get to complete one lap in the U.S. Cellular 250 when he was collected by veteran driver Morgan Sheppard, who got loose and spun exiting turn 4. The resulting damage to Malsam’s right-front fender was repaired on pit road, but he was two laps down at the tail end of the field when he came back out for the restart.

Kyle Busch had the dominant car in the race, leading 208 of 250 laps en route to his 39th career Nationwide Series victory and ninth this season. Busch fell back to sixth during the final round of pit stops under yellow with 40 laps to go — he took four tires while everyone ahead of him went with two — but the defending series champion regained the lead for good by passing Kevin Harvick on lap 225.

Harvick was second, followed by Malsam’s Braun Racing teammate Jason Leffler and series point leader Brad Keselowski was fourth in front of a standing-room only crowd of roughly 55,000. Trevor Bayne, who became the first Nationwide Series driver in 18 years to capture three consecutive poles earlier Saturday, finished fifth.

Even though Malsam told his crew the car was driving fine after being repaired, with the leaders circling Iowa Speedway’s .875-mile oval every 25 seconds he wasn’t able to drive his way back onto the lead lap or stay in the “Lucky Dog” position to get a lap back when the caution flag waved. After a late pit stop for a blown right-front tire, Malsam returned to the track seven laps down and he lost another lap shortly before the checkered flag waved.

In his previous series start at Gateway International Raceway, Malsam finished 18th after being collected in two separate late-race incidents, including Keselowski’s frontstretch spin off the fender of Carl Edwards as the two battled to the checkered flag.

Malsam returns to NASCAR Nationwide Series action with the Zippo 200 at The Glen at 11:15 a.m. (PT) next Saturday at Watkins Glen International. The race will be broadcast by ESPN.