NCWTS Rookie Driver Finishes 13th in Debut Start at the 1.5-Mile Track
SPARTA, Ky. (July 10, 2015) – Due to a heavy and constant rain at Kentucky Speedway, NASCAR Camping World Truck (NCWTS) rookie driver Ray Black Jr.’s first time around the track also happened to be first lap of the race, as practice and qualifying were cancelled due to the weather. Despite not receiving any prior track time, the driver of the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet took to the track’s characteristics quickly and pulled off a 13th place finish. Black is now just eight points out of the Top-10 in NCWTS championship standings.
The truck’s handling went back and forth throughout the night between being too loose to being too snug. While the team worked on perfecting the ride, they fell a lap down for a short time. After earning the lucky dog position on Lap 133 and getting their lap back, the team was ready to work their way farther up through the field before the checkered flag waved.
“It’s crazy how much can change during a race. Just from lap to lap and turn to turn, something changed on the truck each time,” said Black. “It wasn’t a piece of cake at Kentucky, but it was definitely a fun track – bumps included.”
Black went on to finish 13th after a wreck involving Ben Kennedy caused enough damage to the catchfence that the race had to be called with five laps remaining for the track to make repairs to it.
“It’s a bummer the race finished that way. We were back on the lead lap, and I felt we had a little more to give in the closing laps, “ said Black. “I think we would have earned a Top-10 if we had been able to run out the last five laps. But it was a great night for the team. They put up a great fight, and we made up a lot of ground from the start of the night.”
Black remains in 11th place in the NCWTS championship standings, but made up some ground on 10th place driver, Ben Kennedy. He now is just eight points out of that position.
Black and Team Scuba will return to the track on Wednesday, July 22 to compete in the 1-800-CARCASH Mud Summer Classic at Eldora Speedway.
