Deborah Renshaws No. 75 ARCA car races during the PFG Lester 150 at the Nashville Superspeedway. Clinton Lewis/Daily News

LEBANON, Tenn. It was all smiles for Deborah Renshaw on Friday night at the Nashville Superspeedway. Before the race, Renshaw relaxed and enjoyed the company of family, friends and members of the 101st Airborne out of Fort Campbell. Even in the face of disappointment, Renshaw smiled. Even after her No. 75 Screaming Eagle Ford Taurus went crashing into the turn-three wall and ended her run in the ARCA RE/MAX PFG Lester 150 just 58 laps into it. Even then, she managed to find something positive. We really had a good car. We were really excited and we thought we could have had a really good, top-five finish. Its just one of those deals, Renshaw said. Entering the race, Renshaw and her team battled numerous problems. A bad clutch and a new transmission didnt stop them from putting a fast race car on the track. As the public address announcer bellowed the familiar Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines, Renshaw was more than comfortable with her chances at doing well. We came here, unloaded the car and kind of been fighting a tight situation the past couple days. Weve tried to fine tune a couple things and I think were getting pretty good, Renshaw said. After qualifying 16th, Renshaw wasted no time pushing her questionable car. It responded as she quickly moved closer to the top 10. The vibe was upbeat as she rolled into her first pit stop in 11th place. After her disappointing 24th place finish at Daytona earlier this year, much of which was credited to problems in the pit, everyone around her pit was pleased to see her roll out in 11th. Renshaw moved into the top 10 on lap 39. As the front of the pack weaved through lap traffic, the pace began to slow somewhat. Car No. 39, driven by Jimmy Thiel, had given Renshaw problems for a few laps. Being two laps down, it was visually frustrating for Renshaws crew to see their momentum slowed by a lap car, which is supposed to shuffle over for cars on the lead lap. On lap 58, Renshaw decided to make a pass on Thiel going into turn three. As she made her move, Thiel suddenly slowed down, forcing Renshaw to move up more suddenly then she had planned. The end result: Renshaws back end slid out and into the wall, bringing an end to what seemed like a promising night. I hate it. I havent seen the replay yet, but I have in my mind what happened. Thats just what happens when you start racing with lap traffic, Renshaw said. Basically there were a few laps where he goes into the corner and just stopped. I went on the outside and its just one of those race deals. I hate it. It was the only time of the night Renshaw didnt seem, for a lack of a better word, happy. While wrecks for any driver can bring an end to a week of hard work and seemingly ruin a good thing, it was not a complete loss. All week Renshaw had the opportunity to hang out with the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell. On Tuesday she spent most of the day with the troops and their families. Many troops, like Specialist Dick Ramey from Indianapolis, was in the pit, supporting Renshaw. With a desert camouflage paint scheme and the Screaming Eagle logo on the hood, Renshaw says the experience made the entire week worthwhile, despite the wreck. Weve had a ball, Renshaw said. Its been an honor and Im just so proud to be affiliated with them. The troops agreed. I had a great time, really enjoyed it. I got a chance to see how hard, not only the driver, works, but also how hard the team works, Ramey said. We really got a chance to unwind and the Renshaw family really showed us an unbelievable amount of hospitality. News came in that day, at the track, that many of the troops from Fort Campbell would be deployed today to head to Iraq. Ramey and Specialist Robert Kutruff, who is also from Indianapolis, said he enjoyed and appreciated his time at the track. Its kind of nice to get out of the barracks, Kutruff said. Its a family down here and they extended it to us and it is greatly appreciated.