Loudon, NH (June 28, 2008): Brad Leighton was poised to win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway Friday evening. The Irving Oil race team gave him the car to do it, and Leighton, making his first NASCAR Camping World Series East start of the season, was driving in his typical winning style.

Following a restart at lap 102, Leighton dove low into turn one, drove underneath Brian Ickler for the lead, and spun exiting turn two after Ickler made contact with his #55 Irving Oil Chevrolet. NASCAR positioned both Leighton and Ickler at the rear of the field, but the eight-time winner at NHMS rallied back to finish 9th.

“I spun and I just kept my foot in it,” recalled Leighton. “We were driving down into one and I held it through turn two. He (Ickler) poked me in the back getting off turn two. We got together, but I didn’t put the backup alarm on. He drove in the back of me and that’s all there was to it.”

Leighton received a past-champions provisional and started the race from the 22nd position after rain washed out qualifying. Leighton was on a tear, and by the end of the first lap, had already made it up to 14th. When the caution was thrown at lap 22, Leighton elected to come down pit road to top off his fuel.

The Irving Oil Chevrolet pitted again on the next caution period and lined back up in the 31st position for a restart at lap 41. Leighton had a long way to go, but he knew he had the car to do it.

When the caution came out at lap 81, Leighton was sitting just outside the top-five. He restarted the race in sixth, and moved into third by lap 90 by driving underneath the 18 car of Marc Davis.

It was on the following restart at lap 102 when Leighton took the lead heading into one. Despite spinning in front of the entire field, Leighton was able to keep the car going. NASCAR, however, decided to send him back for bringing out the caution.

“I think I went down the entire backstretch backwards,” he said. “My radio wasn’t working so I couldn’t understand why I had to drop back when NASCAR reverts to the last completed lap.”

All Leighton’s ground had been lost, but that challenged the driver even more. He drove back up through and by the time the checkers dropped less than 20 laps later, Leighton was in ninth.

“All I know is the guys did a heluva job on the car. We had a car capable of winning. We started in the back and passed everybody twice,” he said. “I do love this place!”

Leighton will return to action on July 12th when the series heads to Thompson International Speedway.