03.30.08 - Haase caught in “Big One” at Hickory
Eight-car melee sours promising PASS debut for Las Vegas teen

HICKORY, N.C. (03/30/2008) – Alex Haase’s first foray into the PASS South Late Model division certainly had its ups and downs. Unfortunately, 2008’s edition of the Easter Bunny 150 may be one to forget.

The Las Vegas native’s day looked promising when, after the second session of practice, he was tenth on the speed charts; however, in qualifying, his lap of 15.277 around the .363-mile Hickory Motor Speedway would only be good enough to put his No. 51H Kyle Busch Foundation Toyota 30th on the time trial charts. Adding a little extra drama to the day, Haase would have to race his way into the main event via consolation races.

Haase finished third in the first consolation race, in which the top two finishers transferred to the evening’s feature, but waltzed to an easy victory in the last chance qualifier, earning the 29th starting spot for the third annual Easter Bunny 150.

After several early-race mechanical adjustments, the No. 51H was steadily moving forward until lap 64, where Haase, along with eight other drivers, were involved in a pile-up on the exit of turn two. Haase’s Toyota ended up under the machine of fellow competitor Brandon Johnson, bringing out a lengthy red flag.

Extended repairs hindered any chance of Haase competing for the win but the 18 year-old did manage to finish in the 21st position, albeit 13 laps down.

Prior to the feature, Haase and the KBM team received the evening’s award for Best Appearing Car for the team’s new metallic blue paint scheme, emblazoned with logos for the Kyle Busch Foundation.

Up Next for Alex
Alex Haase and the Kyle Busch Motorsports team will travel to Dillon Motor Speedway on April 5 for the second race of the PASS South Late Model season.

About Kyle Busch Motorsports
Kyle Busch founded Kyle Busch Motorsports in 2005 and has since toured the nation with his fleet of late models on days when he is away from his NASCAR duties. In 2007, KBM ran a complete NASCAR Camping World West Series schedule with rookie driver Alex Haase. 2008 will see KBM take on a schedule consisting of PASS Late Model races and events at five different race tracks across the U.S.

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