Max Papis Finishes 4th at Road America

Max Papis and the No. 33 Rheem/Menards team finished fourth after overcoming a pit road penalty.

Starting from the fifth position, Papis reported the Chevrolet lacked rear grip. The Ernie Cope-led team took over the lead on lap 16 before a caution flag slowed the field the following lap. Papis relinquished the lead as he made a scheduled trip down pit road for tires and fuel. Restarting from the fourth position, the Richard Childress Racing driver relayed to the No. 33 crew that the Chevrolet was tight in traffic. The veteran road course driver brought the neon yellow racer to the attention of the No. 33 pit crew for relief on lap 31. Following the stop, NASCAR officials issued a penalty to Papis for equipment that left the pit stall, which forced the driver to bring the Rheem/Menards Chevrolet back down pit road for the stop-and-go penalty.

With 15 laps remaining, Papis worked his way through the field improving 20 positions over the course of five laps. Papis crossed the finish line in fourth-place and brought home a top-five finish in his first NASCAR Nationwide Series start this season.

Max Papis quote:
"It was such an honor to drive the No. 33 Rheem/Menards Chevrolet for Richard Childress Racing today at Road America. We had a really fast car and overcame a pit road penalty to finish fourth, which says a lot about this team and all our hard work. I can’t thank Rheem and Menards enough for all of their support. I had a blast today.”