NASCAR Driver Enjoys Variety Found in XFINITY Series
FLAGLER BEACH, Fla. (September 21, 2016) – After a busy weekend of double duty at Chicagoland Speedway, driver Ray Black Jr. is ready to get back to solely focusing on the NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) as the competition heads to Kentucky Speedway for the second time this season. The driver of the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet Camaro is looking forward to getting back to the 1.5-mile track, where he last finished 19th, as part of the main show this time around.
“I think it’s going to be a really fun weekend at Kentucky Speedway!” said Black. “To be the only NASCAR series racing out there this weekend and be the main show is really cool. It’s fun having all the focus of the fans like that! You have a chance to make a big impression on people.”
With just a handful of racing left in his rookie season in the NXS, Black has had a solid year so far, collecting seven Top-20 finishes with a season-best result of 14th at Bristol Motor Speedway in August.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time in the XFINITY Series this year,” Black explained. “You really get a variety of tracks to compete on and a nice mix of competition. There’s the top teams and the smaller teams like us in this series, so it’s a challenge each weekend but it makes you feel that much more accomplished when you have a great race. I’ve definitely learned a lot this season and am excited to finish it out strong.”
While the NXS has one of the more unique schedules in NASCAR with its three road course races, Black still thinks a little more variety could be added to the schedule to make the series stand out even more.
“I think adding a couple more different types of tracks to the schedule could be fun,” he stated. “I’d like to see NASCAR add a dirt race to the XFINITY Series and a track somewhere out of the country – like Mexico City! The trucks get to race up in Canada, so why not let us race in Mexico? I think it’d be cool to take NASCAR back there and visit those fans again!”
There won’t be any shortage of fans this weekend, as Black and his SS Green Light Racing team return to Kentucky Speedway for the second time this season with the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Black and the team previously raced there back in July and secured a Top-20 finish even with the unknowns brought about by the track’s repave.
“I’m looking forward to getting back to Kentucky. The pavement is going to be more broken in this time around,” Black said. “I still prefer tracks with an older surface than newer ones, but we did really well at Kentucky a couple months ago on the new surface with no real notes to help us. I’m excited to see what we can do now that we have a good base to start with.”
Catch Black in the VisitMyrtleBeach.com 300 at Kentucky Speedway on Saturday, September 24 at 8:00 p.m. ET. Live race coverage can be found on NBCSN or via the Performance Racing Network.
Fans can keep up with Ray Black Jr. by following him and his sponsor, ScubaLife, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @RayBlackJr and @TeamScubaRacing.
