Handling was a key challenge during Black’s race weekend. The truck was too snug during the series’ only practice session, forcing the team to make some big changes to it. During qualifying, Black then worked hard with a very loose truck to line up 27th for the Ford EcoBoost 200.
“It was tough to nail down the handling for this truck, but we managed to get it just right in time for the race,” explained Black. “I constantly communicated with the team what I was feeling and what their adjustments were doing to the truck, and we were able to come together and get it ready for the main event. It was really a pleasure to work with this team all season long! I appreciate all their time and effort spent over the past year.”
Once the green flag dropped Friday night, Black made quick work of the field and moved up 10 spots by Lap 50. As the laps wound down, Black’s lap times got faster and matched trucks running in the Top-10. After a strategic call during the third pit stop of the night to take fuel only, Black lined up sixth for what would be the final restart of the night.
Unfortunately, a poor restart by the leaders of the race caused a pile-up to spread throughout the field and resulted in some left rear damage for Black. Despite a little bit of a tire rub, Black persevered through the final laps of the race to secure a Top-20 finish and 11th place in the NCWTS standings.
“I’m so proud of my team and how the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet handled in the Ford EcoBoost 200,” said Black. “We really had a fast truck out there! That was a Top-10 truck for sure, we just got caught up in someone else’s mistake at the end. We managed to stay in it though and kept 11th place in the championship standings, which was our goal for the weekend!”
Keep up with all the latest offseason news on Ray Black Jr. by following him and his sponsor, ScubaLife, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @TeamScubaRacing and @RayBlackJr.
