You can’t blame Team Lowe’s Racing driver Blake Feese if he is afraid to look in his rearview mirror in the coming days after what happened Saturday in the NASCAR Busch Series race at Indianapolis Raceway Park.

The rookie driver saw what probably would have been his best race of the 2005 season ruined by an accident on the five-eighths mile oval. The accident came with a driver behind him making hard contact with his Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet.

Feese's run of bad luck started in the first practice Saturday morning. Feese had just returned to the track when Kim Crosby spun in front of him in turn one. Feese managed to get his No. 5 Lowe’s entry stopped just inches away from Crosby’s stalled car, and was waiting for the track to be cleared so he could continue practice.

Several seconds after Feese narrowly avoided hitting Crosby, the car of John Hayden slammed into the left rear of the Lowe’s Chevrolet, doing heavy damage to Feese’s machine.

“I could see him coming in the rear view mirror and there wasn’t anything I could do,” said Feese. “I was shocked. It was a good five or six seconds after I came to a stop before (Hayden) hit me. There’s no way things like that should happen”

The Lowe’s crewmen hurried to get their backup car on track, but the tight practice schedule at IRP meant Feese was only able to make a few laps before the second practice session ended.

To make sure his backup would be undamaged at the start of the race, Feese had to be extremely cautious on his qualifying lap, which led to him taking a provisional and starting Saturday night’s race in 39th spot.

With virtually no practice in the backup car, Feese and the No. 5 team struggled when the green flag dropped. Feese battled a loose race car and fell two laps down to the leaders before 50 laps of the 200-lap event had been completed.

Rain began to fall around lap 54, delaying the race for more than 90 minutes.

Feese and the No. 5 team started to figure out the handling of their backup car and began turning lap times as quick as many in the top 10.

“I wish we could have restarted the race,” said the 23-year-old Feese. “We were getting better and better as the race wore on. It was frustrating at the start because we didn’t have enough time working with the car. By the midway point we were running pretty decent, but we were two laps down by then, and it’s tough to make those laps up on a short track.”

Feese took the checkered flag in 29th. Martin Truex earned his sixth victory of the season by holding off Clint Bowyer, Reed Sorenson, Jason Keller and David Stremme.

For the Team Lowe’s Racing driver, who had never driven a stock car on the tough IRP short track, it was a respectable night, but far from what could have been if other drivers had stayed off his rear bumper.