NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) driver Ray Black Jr. is ready to get back on track after a tough race weekend at Daytona International Speedway with a solid finish in this week’s ALSCO 300 at Kentucky Speedway. The driver of the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet finished 13th during last year’s Camping World Truck Series event and is ready to take on the challenge of a freshly repaved race track.
With the brand new track surface at Kentucky Speedway set to debut this weekend, Black has been paying close attention to what Sprint Cup drivers who tested at the track this past June have said about its handling and ability to lay down rubber.
“I definitely have been listening to what the Sprint Cup guys have been saying about the track,” Black stated. “Everyone is pretty much in the same boat as far as experience out on this year’s track surface, so any information I can get about it before Thursday’s practices will be a huge help. So far it sounds like the track is really greasy and takes a while to get some rubber to stick on it, so it should be a pretty slick race Friday night.”
Black has done well racing at the 1.5-mile speedway with little on-track time before, as last year’s Camping World Truck Series race had all on-track activity rained out prior to the big event. Despite not having any track time prior to the race, Black took to Kentucky Speedway’s unique characteristics right away and secured a 13th place finish, his third-highest result of the 2015 season.
“Our race at Kentucky last year was a great one for the team,” Black explained. “The bumps worked out in our favor since our truck handled them better than some of our competitors, so we were really able to capitalize on that situation. I kind of wish they hadn’t repaved the track since we had such a great run last year, but I’m sure we can step up to the challenge of this new surface and perform just as well.”
The ALSCO 300 will take place on Friday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Kentucky Speedway. Fans can tune in via NBCSN or the Performance Racing Network for live race coverage.
Ray Black Jr. PR
