The NASCAR Nationwide Series made another trip to a 1.5 mile track this past weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Illinois. Blake and his MacDonald Motorsports team were eager to get another shot at it after the motor failure the week prior in Charlotte. Unfortunately, the Daystar.com No. 81 had handling issues all race long. Blake struggled with a loose condition as well as a vibration during the race and came across the finish line with a 27th place result.
Practice on Friday afternoon went great for the MacDonald Motorsports No. 81 team. Blake was quick in both sessions in his first race at Chicago and finished practice with the 21st fastest lap. This proved vital as once again qualifying was rained out, forcing NASCAR to line up the STP 300 according to practice times.
The Daystar Television Network No. 81 Dodge quickly fell back to 27th position and the team attempted to tighten the car up for Blake. A vibration plagued the team all day as well, making it impossible to get any momentum going on the race track. It was a frustrating day for Blake and the team and when the 200 laps were complete, Blake’s No. 81 car was in 27th position. After a couple disappointing results, the week off comes at the perfect time for the team as they will be able to rest and prepare for a long stretch of races.
After another tough run, Blake was still able to maintain his 23rd position in the driver’s standings. However, MacDonald Motorsports dropped to 28th in the owner’s standings. The 81 Dodge will still be locked in to the race in two weeks in Michigan.
This weekend will be a much needed week off for the MacDonald Motorsports guys as the NASCAR Nationwide Series takes a break before running 14 straight weeks. Up next is the Alliance Truck Parts 250 at Michigan International Speedway. You can catch the race Saturday, June 18th at 3:30 pm on ABC.
MacDonald Motorsports PR
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