NCWTS Driver Celebrates Halloween with Pirate Costume and Special Paint Scheme
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (November 1, 2015) – It was a tricky Halloween NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) race this past Saturday at Martinsville Speedway, but rookie driver Ray Black Jr. overcame multiple issues including radio problems and a late-race spin to finish 20th. The driver of the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet also made up some ground in the championship points standings, and now sits just 14 points outside the Top-10.
Black’s race weekend got started off with a special feature on Fox Sports 1 in which he took race analyst Ray Dunlap diving in Key Largo. The pair talked about Black’s diving background, passion for racing, and how the two are similar. Fans who missed the feature can see it again here: http://foxs.pt/1GUzCjJ.
As the Kroger 200 fell on Halloween, one of Black’s favorite holidays, the driver got into the Halloween spirit by dressing up both himself and his No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevy. Black, the only NCWTS driver to dress up, attended driver introductions as a pirate, while his truck featured an orange and black paint job with skeleton divers and a kraken.
“I had a blast dressing up for the pre-race festivities,” said Black. “Halloween is one of my favorite holidays so why not have fun with it! Being a pirate went with the water theme we had on the truck this weekend, so it worked out perfectly!”
As the race began, Black, who got progressively faster throughout the two practice sessions and qualifying, started off the race from the 21st spot. Within the opening laps, it became evident there was a radio issue as Black stated over the radio that he could not hear his spotter or crew chief. He had no choice but to come to pit road during the first caution of the day at Lap 7.
Black quickly began moving back up through the field after the race went green again, focusing heavily on his entry and exit in Turns 3 and 4 and avoiding the multitude of cautions for spins on the track. With less than 30 laps to go, Black got loose coming out of Turn 2 and found himself spinning out. After pitting to fix any damage, Black got back out on the track one lap down. However, the field was not done wrecking just yet, and Black received the “Lucky Dog” free pass when the yellow flag came back out just a couple of laps later.
“We had one tough truck here!” Black explained. “The damage wasn’t too bad after our spin and we were able to get back out there and finish the race, which was great for us. Martinsville is madness, but fun! Glad we were able to use our finish to make a dent in the points as we get ready for the final three races of the season.”
With just three races remaining, Black continues to climb into contention to finish in the Top-10 of the championship standings. He now needs 14 points to secure the 10th spot from fellow competitor Spencer Gallagher.
Black’s next NCWTS race will take place Friday, November 6 at Texas Motor Speedway. A special announcement concerning Black’s Texas race weekend will also be revealed on Tuesday, November 2.
Learn more about Black and his sponsor, ScubaLife, by following them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @TeamScubaRacing and @RayBlackJr.
