TALLADEGA, Ala. (May 1, 2016) – It wasn’t the return to restrictor plate racing that NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) competitor Ray Black Jr. was hoping for, as the driver of the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet and his team lost the draft during the Energy Sparks 300 and finished 29th on Saturday.
Black had a solid start to the weekend, working on both single car runs and drafting before finishing sixth in the final practice session. He would go on to qualify 28th for Saturday’s race.
Once the green flag dropped, Black began making his way up through the field, racing as high as 14th at times. After a pitting for four tires and fuel during the third caution of the race, Black was shuffled back and restarted 30th. The No. 07 ScubaLife Chevrolet was unable to keep up with the pace of the main draft, ultimately losing its momentum forward and falling a lap down. Black and the team fought hard for the lucky dog position for the reminder of the race but never got the caution they were looking for.
“That was a tough race for us,” said Black. “Our ScubaLife Chevrolet just didn’t handle well around other cars in the draft. It was like it would just hit a wall or something and the pack would take off away from us. We’ll take this off-weekend to regroup and come back strong at Dover!”
Black and his ScubaLife team will return to the track at Dover International Speedway on Saturday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m. ET. Black finished 11th there in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year and looks forward to grabbing another solid finish at the one-mile concrete track.
Fans can keep up with Ray Black Jr. by following him and his sponsor, ScubaLife, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram at @RayBlackJr and @TeamScubaRacing.
