Driving a pink racecar had no effect on Blake Koch at Charlotte Motor Speedway on Friday night. The 26 year old from West Palm Beach, FL drove his Daystar.com No. 81 Chevy to an excellent 18th place result. The impressive run earned Blake the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award, closing in even tighter on Timmy Hill.
“We had a really strong Daystar.com No. 81 and it just got better as the race went on,” said Blake. “I’m so pumped we were able to get Rookie of the Race in the pink Daystar car and raise awareness for breast cancer.”
Blake had one of his strongest practice sessions all season long on Thursday night, putting the Daystar No. 81 15th on the speed charts. Qualifying didn’t go as well as the team would have hoped but 27th put them safely in the field and ready for 300 miles later that night.
Blake took off like a rocket to start the race and advanced 6 positions to 21st in the first 10 laps. An untimely caution trapped Blake a lap down in the middle stages of the race but the team never gave up. Using strategy and a strong racecar, The Daystar.com No. 81 Chevy earned the free pass award and moved to the lead lap in the final stages of the race. At lap 200, Blake crossed under the checkered flag in 18th place and on the lead lap. Everyone at MacDonald Motorsports was excited and proud of the way Blake and team fought hard for the entire distance, winning yet another Sunoco Rookie of the Race award.
The finish should bring Blake to just 1 point behind Timmy Hill for the Rookie of the Year award with just 3 races remaining. Blake also moved the No. 81 up one spot to 25th in the owner’s standings and maintained his 18th position in the driver standings.
The Nationwide Series now takes 2 weekends off to prepare for the final 3-race stretch to cap off the season. Those races will take place at Texas, Phoenix, and Homestead.
