No. 07: Ray Black Jr. Result: 14th
Team 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet Camaro:
Ray Black Jr. captured his eighth top-15 finish of the season Saturday afternoon in the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 at ISM Raceway.
Black strapped into his No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet for two practice sessions on Friday afternoon. The 07 team ran a total of 30 combined laps in practice with a fastest lap time of 28.672 seconds, which put him 21st quickest on the board. Saturday morning, Black laid down a 27.998 second lap in qualifying, which earned him a 19th place starting position for the 200 lap race in the desert.
The green flag waved and Black fired off. The first caution of the day waved on lap 14 after the 18 car slid up into the wall. The remainder of the stage went caution free and Black was able to move up to the 18th position before the green and white checkered flag signaled the end of stage one.
Crew Chief Jason Miller brought Black to the pits for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to help the balance of the No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet. The second stage was a bit of a struggle for Black and the No. 07 team. Black battled a really loose handling condition throughout the stage and started falling back. At the conclusion of stage two Black was in the 22nd position and a lap down to the leaders.
Miller called his driver to the pits for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to give Black more stability, especially on the long run. On lap 117 the 20 of Christopher Bell spun around, giving the 07 team an opportunity to get back on the lead lap. As the race resumed, Black started picking off cars one at a time. The car was the best it had been all day. The race ended with a 79 lap run to the finish and when the checkered flag waved, Black was able to fight his way up to the 14th position. The result marked the 07 team’s eighth top-15 finish of the season.
Ray Black Jr:
“Really proud of our effort today. We got off a little bit in the middle part of the race, but we never gave up. After some good adjustments the car started coming to me in the last stage and we were able to go pass some of those guys. It’s been a great season for us and I’m looking forward to finishing things out next week in Miami.”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 07 Team:
“Today was another example of what the 07 team really has been doing all year. They may not start the quickest but more times than not, they’re able to hit on something in the race and move forward. Ray did a great job behind the wheel and proud to get another top-15 finish.”
