In a race that saw 16 caution periods, for one to manage to survive is a feat in itself.  Kyle Krisiloff and the No. 15 ditech.com/Krud Kutter Chevrolet did just that in Saturday’s Kroger 250 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event at Martinsville Speedway.  Krisiloff placed 23rd in the final running order after having two flat tires and limited radio communication with his Billy Ballew Motorsports team throughout the race.  After being three laps down by lap 10, Krisiloff managed to finish on the lead lap by the completion of the 250-lap event.

“It was a tough day for the Billy Ballew Motorsports team,” said Krisiloff following the event.  “Going three laps down early on in the race was really tough, but to be able to get the No. 15 ditech.com/Krud Kutter Chevrolet back on the lead lap by the end was an accomplishment.  We endured two flat tires during the race so then by the end of the race when we finally got into contention by being on the lead lap and battle for a good finish, we had no tires.  We were out of stuff to race those guys.  We did end up on the lead lap though and I have to be thankful we simply finished.  It got pretty rough out there at times.”

Krisiloff qualified the No. 15 ditech.com/Krud Kutter Chevrolet in the 18th position, his best starting position of the season.  Shortly after taking the green on the tight 0.526-mile paper clip oval, Krisiloff and the No. 20 made contact forcing the left rear tire to go flat.  On lap eight, he brought the machine down pit road at a speed of 30 miles per hour to the attention of the pit crew.  After having trouble getting the jack under the Silverado, they quickly changed left side tires to get Krisiloff back out on the track.  Krisiloff was assessed a pass through penalty after having missed the commitment line before coming onto pit road.  Thankfully, the first caution period waved at the same time and Krisiloff was able to serve his penalty under caution.  The team was also the recipient of the “lucky dog” award, gaining back one of their three lost laps.

By the time the third caution came out on lap 65, Krisiloff and the Billy Ballew Motorsports team had encountered radio communication issues.  Krisiloff could hear the team but the team could not hear Krisiloff from inside the cockpit of his Chevrolet Silverado.  They were all still trying to figure out the problem of communication when Krisiloff brought his machine down pit road.  Crew Chief Richie Wauters did not want to pit just yet, but had no choice when the No. 15 came to stop.  The crew quickly changed four tires and added fuel and sent Krisiloff on his way.  Another penalty for exiting pit road too fast sent Krisiloff to the end of the longest line for the restart.

Unfortunately, for the next series of cautions, the leader had already begun lapping trucks so the chance for the “lucky dog” award seemed bleak.  But with so many caution periods, the award had been granted to all the trucks one lap down when the 11th caution period came on lap 151.  At that time, Wauters decided to bring Krisiloff back in for his last set of tires.  Because the radio communication was infrequent from Krisiloff, when he came to pit road, no adjustments were made to the No. 15 ditech.com/Krud Kutter Chevrolet other than four tires and fuel, although he was complaining of a tight condition.  Krisiloff became the recipient of the “free pass” and got another of his laps back.

Typical Martinsville Speedway racing consists of lots of bumping and banging.  And Krisiloff had his share of bumps and bangs being a lapped vehicle.  Several times on the restarts, Krisiloff would manage to hold his own for a while, racing with the leaders and swapping some paint.  When the caution flag waved for the 13th time on lap 188 for an altercation in turn four, Krisiloff sustained some minor damage and to be safe brought the Billy Ballew Motorsports-entry to pit road.  The crew pulled all the fenders out to keep from suffering any more ill fate.  As it would turn out, they noticed Krisiloff had another flat left rear tire.  Krisiloff had to bring the machine back in for left side tires, although the team was already out of tires.

The 14th caution came on lap 197 and Krisiloff finally managed to regain all three of his lost laps and was now on the lead lap to face battle with the leaders.  Krisiloff had managed to pick up four spots since getting back on the lead lap.  By the 16th caution, Krisiloff was screaming his left front tire was gone.  Another pit stop on lap 237 for four old tires and fuel placed Krisiloff 24th in the running order.  He picked up one more spot when the No. 14 encountered trouble with a few laps remaining.  Krisiloff managed to survive his first trip to Martinsville Speedway and acquired a 23rd finishing position after overcoming several obstacles.

“We were a little tight the whole race, but because of our radio issue, I wasn’t able to convey that to the team,” said Krisiloff.  “That part got a little frustrating.  I was yelling the entire race asking if anyone could hear me and they couldn’t.  That part wasn’t fun.  I’m thankful to be heading to the bigger tracks now after having run here at Martinsville.  I was excited to get to a short track, but after having gone through what we did, I’m ready to get to Gateway in a few weeks and show everyone how well we run at the bigger tracks.”

Krisiloff currently sits 18th in the drivers points standings, while Billy Ballew Motorsports moved to 20th place in the owners points standings.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series takes three weeks off before heading to Gateway International Raceway on Saturday, April 29.