Save Remove Download Share Subscribe Photos / Galleries / Videos September 19, 2014 Doran team manages pit stops, repairs flawlessly for ninth in GS Skullcandy Altima comes from back of the field for top five Tim Bell escapes serious injury after frightening 150-mph crash in 370Z AUSTIN - A race that looked like a complete disaster for Nissan after five minutes turned out far better than anyone expected at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas Friday. The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge (CTSCC) featured two spectacular crashes involving the Doran Racing #14 370Z NISMO of Brad Jaeger and Tim Bell's #28 Bell Racing 370Z NISMO before the completion of one lap. Jaeger was tagged in the side by an Aston Martin at the exit of turn one, spinning the Z into the barrier and down the hill. Jaeger was able to keep the car running and drive it back to pit lane. "The alignment and suspension was all out of whack after the crash, so Kevin (Doran) and his crew had to tug and pull on suspension parts and send me back out each time before I got a lap down," said Jaeger. "I still can't believe Kevin basically got on a knee and eyeballed the alignment. They got a competitive racing car back on the track with all that damage to get a top 10. My hat is off to the crew." Seconds after Jaeger's off track excursion, Tim Bell lost his programmable aftermarket antilock braking system (ABS) at over 150 mph, slid across the damp grass and blasted a tire barrier. Though Bell felt light headed immediately after impact, he was checked out at the track medical center and was smiling afterward. The car was destroyed. "Our on board telemetry said I was still going 137 mph at impact, so it was quite a hit," said Bell. "I am grateful we built a solid race car and invested in a carbon fiber racing seat, because it could have ended up much worse at that speed." During the lengthy caution for Bell's crash, the Skullcandy team changed drivers and put Vesko Kozarov in the #33 Altima 3.5, putting it last in a 50-car field. That turned out to be a great call, as Kozarov steadily picked off cars in front of him until he was up to 15th in Street Tuner class as the rain began to fall on the west end of the 3.4-mile circuit. By the final stop, Kozarov opted for rain tires, gambling he would be faster in the wet than his competition on racing slicks. "I'll bet the crew and I changed my mind five times in one lap over the radio about whether to go with rains or slicks," laughed Kozarov afterward. "For about five laps after the change, I thought we'd made a mistake because cold rain tires didn't have grip. Once they got heat in them I was able to go fast and it worked out pretty well." Kozarov was three to four seconds per lap faster than the cars in front of him over the last 30 minutes of the race until he sat seventh with five minutes to go. The Salt Lake City resident passed two more in the final two laps for an improbable top five finish in the Altima. Perspiring heavily in the humid Texas weather, he smiled as he reflected on the race. "That was a wild race - some of the most challenging conditions I can remember," said Kozarov. "The decisions worked out, so that's good." The Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge race from Circuit of The Americas will air on Fox Sports 1 on Sunday September 28 at noon ET. https://www.facebook.com/nissanperformance # # # Contact Steve Yaeger Nissan Motorsports 615-427-9172 Issued by Nissan Files COTA 2014 Conti recap.pdf (56 KB) Save Remove Download Share Photos / Galleries / Videos Subscribe to Email Alerts Files COTA 2014 Conti recap.pdf (56 KB)