Team 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet Camaro:
Ray Black Jr. captured his eighth top-15 finish of the season Saturday afternoon in the Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 at ISM Raceway.
Black strapped into his No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet for two practice sessions on Friday afternoon. The 07 team ran a total of 30 combined laps in practice with a fastest lap time of 28.672 seconds, which put him 21st quickest on the board. Saturday morning, Black laid down a 27.998 second lap in qualifying, which earned him a 19th place starting position for the 200 lap race in the desert.
The green flag waved and Black fired off. The first caution of the day waved on lap 14 after the 18 car slid up into the wall. The remainder of the stage went caution free and Black was able to move up to the 18th position before the green and white checkered flag signaled the end of stage one.
Crew Chief Jason Miller brought Black to the pits for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to help the balance of the No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet. The second stage was a bit of a struggle for Black and the No. 07 team. Black battled a really loose handling condition throughout the stage and started falling back. At the conclusion of stage two Black was in the 22nd position and a lap down to the leaders.
Miller called his driver to the pits for four tires, fuel, and adjustments to give Black more stability, especially on the long run. On lap 117 the 20 of Christopher Bell spun around, giving the 07 team an opportunity to get back on the lead lap. As the race resumed, Black started picking off cars one at a time. The car was the best it had been all day. The race ended with a 79 lap run to the finish and when the checkered flag waved, Black was able to fight his way up to the 14th position. The result marked the 07 team’s eighth top-15 finish of the season.
Ray Black Jr:
“Really proud of our effort today. We got off a little bit in the middle part of the race, but we never gave up. After some good adjustments the car started coming to me in the last stage and we were able to go pass some of those guys. It’s been a great season for us and I’m looking forward to finishing things out next week in Miami.”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 07 Team:
“Today was another example of what the 07 team really has been doing all year. They may not start the quickest but more times than not, they’re able to hit on something in the race and move forward. Ray did a great job behind the wheel and proud to get another top-15 finish.”
Team 08 JTM Chevrolet Camaro:
Gray Gaulding scored his seventeenth top-15 finish of the season for Bobby Dotter and SS Green Light Racing after finishing in the 12th position at ISM Raceway Saturday afternoon.
Gaulding fired off Friday afternoon for two practice sessions at ISM Raceway. The 08 ran a combined total of 23 laps in practice with a fastest time of 28.283 seconds, which put him 18th quickest on the board. Gaulding laid down a lap of 27.731 seconds Saturday morning, which earned him a 15th place starting position for the 200 lap race out west.
It didn’t take long for the first caution of the day to wave after the 18 car made contact with the wall on lap 14. The remainder of the first stage went without incident and Gaulding was in the 16th position on lap 45.
Crew Chief Patrick Donahue brought Gaulding to pits for service and sent him back out for the start of the second stage. As the race resumed, Gaulding continued to run where he was in the previous stage. The entire length of stage two went caution free and on lap 90 Gaulding remained in the 16th position.
Donahue called his driver to the pits for four tires, fuel, and slight adjustments to tighten up the No. 08 Chevy. On lap 117 the fourth and final caution of the day waved after Christopher Bell spun around. Knowing they were within their fuel window, Donahue elected to bring Gaulding down for service. After nearly an 80 lap run to the finish, Gaulding was able to advance 4 spots to finish in the 12th position. The result marked Gaulding’s seventeenth top-15 finish of the season.
Gray Gaulding:
“We had a great run today at ISM Raceway, one of my favorite race tracks. I’m very proud of what we did this weekend. Thanks to Bobby Dotter and all my guys for their hard work. This was one of the best race cars we brought to the track. To finish in the top 12 as a little race team, it’s really a big deal. Thank you to JT Marine and all their guests for being here. It was a successful day and we’ll get ready for the last one of the year in Miami.”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 08 Team:
“Gray and the 08 guys had another successful weekend at the track. It was great to see them unload with so much speed on practice day and I don’t think they really had to make too many changes to the car, which is always a good thing. We’ll go home and get ready for one more to close out the season.”
Looking Ahead:
SS Green Light drivers Ray Black Jr. and Gray Gaulding continue their strong seasons as both drivers earned top-15 finishes in Saturday’s Desert Diamond Casino West Valley 200 at ISM Raceway. With only one race remaining in 2019 season Gaulding remains in the 13th position in the point standings. Ray Black remains in the 16th position; however, Black trails the No. 86 of Brandon Brown by only four points for the 15th position in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings. The series will wrap up the 2019 season Saturday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Coverage of the Ford EcoBoost 300 from Homestead-Miami Speedway will begin Saturday November 16th at 3:30 PM ET on NBCSN.
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