Greenville, SC (April 19, 2008): A flat tire on the No. 40 Mohegan Sun Casino Chevrolet resulted in a 23rd place finish in the NASCAR Camping World Series East opener for Matt Kobyluck after the driver was forced to pit under green flag conditions. Kobyluck went two laps down and was never able to recover.

“We got a left front flat at lap 30,” he explained. “We went two laps down and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get in the position to receive the beneficiary. I’d get close, we’d go back to green, have a long run and a couple more cars would go a lap down, which ultimately push us further away from it. We were fighting that the whole night. I was riding around hoping to get the beneficiary, but it never happened.”

Kobyluck was the third of 39 cars to qualify for the An American Revolution 150, and his early appearance on the historic half-mile oval proved to be the first obstacle of the day. His lap of 21.164 seconds was good enough for 19th fastest. Despite a mid-field starting position, the entire Mohegan Sun Casino race team was optimistic for a strong showing.

That confidence remained even after the green flag pit stop at lap 30. The team knew they could have a chance if they got back on the lead lap. Just one week prior, Kobyluck faced a similar situation at Phoenix International Raceway and was able to climb back into 10th. He was hoping for a comparable result at Greenville-Pickens Speedway.

Though their result was not indicative of their performance, Kobyluck isn’t letting the finish get the best of him.

“It’s not as disappointing as something happening that was within our control. Picking up some debris on the track and getting a flat – there’s nothing we can do about that. We did what we had to do to get as many points as we could. It’s unfortunate to start the season off this way, but we started it off this way last year and came back to contend for the championship all season long. That’s what we’re going to do.”

The Mohegan Sun Casino race team will have a few weeks off to prepare for the upcoming US Cellular 200 at Iowa Speedway on Sunday, May 18th.