A short day became a long one at the one-mile Dover (Del.) International Speedway Friday for Brandon Whitt and the #38 Cure Autism Now/McMillin Homes Ford F-150 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series team.

He finished 31st in the 200-miler at Dover, finally having to park his truck after 58 laps.

Though starting 18th, Whitt and the Jerry Pitts-led team felt good about their chances in the 200-mile race at the “Monster Mile,” and felt they had the truck to move towards the front. An accident on the frontstretch on just the seventh lap of the race – an accident that Whitt pretty well had missed – turned the day into a long one.

Whitt was set to move high to avoid the wreck in front of him, cocking slightly to the right, but a truck directly behind him slammed through the left front of Whitt’s #38. The damage was severe, sending the Cure Autism Now/McMillin Homes team to the pits for repairs, losing 25 laps in the process. The rest of the day was generally one of turning laps, working for the best possible finish, for as long as they could.

The NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series next moves to the 1.5-mile Texas Motor Speedway near Fort Worth for the O’Reilly 400k, Friday night, June 11. Pole qualifying is scheduled Thursday, June 10.