A bright pink Daystar.com/Set Free No. 81 made it hard to escape the spotlight Saturday for Blake Koch and the team. Unfortunately, they ended the day in the spotlight for the wrong reason, a blown motor. The 25 year old Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender had a strong run going before a loose wheel on lap 48 put him two laps down. Eventually, a broken crankshaft on lap 80 put an end to the MacDonald Motorsports team’s day.
The Daystar.com/Set Free No. 81 Dodge was tight during practice but Blake was still able to get it right up to speed quickly. The first practice session he was 25th on the charts and he improved to 23rd during final practice. For the first time in a month, Blake was able to qualify as rain didn’t interfere and he put down a solid lap, timing in at 27th on the grid.
The race didn’t go as well as the MacDonald Motorsports team had planned. Early on the car was good, but needed some adjustments on the competition caution to move up through the field. The Daystar No. 81 seemed better after the restart but a loose wheel on lap 48 sent Blake to the pits, and two laps down. Recovering from that was not going to be easy but Blake and the team were going to do whatever they could to get the Pink Daystar Dodge back to the front. Sadly, a broken crankshaft on lap 80 ended the hopes for that. Blake and the Daystar team were left to settle for a 34th place finish.
It was only the 2nd DNF of Blake’s young career in the NASCAR Nationwide Series but they are never easy to swallow. Luckily for Blake and the team, they both kept their spots in the point’s standings. Blake remains 23rd in the driver’s standings and MacDonald Motorsports stays at 27th in the owner’s standings.
MacDonald Motorsports PR
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