RACE REPORT: BITNILE.COM GRAND PRIX OF PORTLAND

• Making his fourth start at Portland International Raceway this afternoon, Kyle Kirkwood rolled off the grid 19th for today’s 110-lap race. Once the green flag waved, Kirkwood gained three positions before the first yellow on Lap 2.
• Despite facing two separate blocking incidents with the No. 30, Kirkwood stayed focused on moving his way up the field, eventually breaking into the top five by Lap 48 and making his second stop of the day on the following lap.
• Kirkwood attempted to work his way up the field after his second stop, but after his final stop for black tires, the No. 27 JM Bullion Honda struggled for pace and was unable to gain positions. He ultimately finished the day in 20th.

“I was having a really good race by the middle portion of it. I picked off a lot of positions, but we got into a stint where we were running on the blacks and just saw a huge loss of pace. It kind of ruined our day halfway through the race. Up until then, I was very happy and satisfied with how we were moving forward, and I thought we were going to end up in a pretty good position. But as the race progressed, things just got worse. So, back to the drawing board. I’ll be happy to get back to a short oval for the last two races of the year.”