Team 08 Panini Chevrolet Camaro:
Gray Gaulding and his No. 08 Panini Chevrolet Camaro team scored a 17th place finish for SS Green Light Racing in his first ever Homestead-Miami Speedway appearance Saturday in the Ford EcoBoost 300.
Gaulding’s first laps on the 1.5-mile paved oval came early Saturday afternoon during qualifying after practice was rained out on Friday afternoon. The 21 year-old driver from Colonial Heights, VA. posted a lap of 33.597 seconds, which earned him a 26th place starting position for Saturday’s 200 lap race.
The first caution of the day came early after Gaulding’s teammate (Ray Black Jr) went up in a cloud of smoke, which ended his day prematurely. Gaulding was able to drive from 26th to 18th in the opening five laps of the race. On lap 14 the caution waved again after the 15 car made contact with the outside wall. Gaulding radioed to crew chief Patrick Donahue that he was fighting a tight handling condition on free roll in the center of the corner. Donahue elected to bring his driver to the pits for a quick wedge adjustment during the caution. Gaulding restarted in the 26th position and was able to drive back up to the 23rd position before the third caution of the day on lap 32. Donahue decided to leave Gaulding on track for the final laps of the first stage. Gaulding restarted in the 12th position on old tires and managed to finish the first stage in the 18th position.
Donahue called Gaulding to the pits under the stage ending caution and serviced the No. 08 Panini Chevy by adding left front packer, four fresh tires, fuel, a wedge adjustment, and an air pressure adjustment. Gaulding would roll off from the 22nd position for the beginning of the second stage. Gaulding was able to work his way up to the 17th position during a 40 lap green flag run in the stage. On lap 89 caution waved after two cars made contact just before the conclusion of the second stage. The caution would serve as the stage ending break with Gaulding in the 17th position.
Despite having a few radio issues, Gaulding was able to communicate to his team that the car was pretty good, he just needed to be freed up a bit more. The 08 crew serviced Gaulding with four tires, fuel, and another slight adjustment. Gaulding restarted in the 13th position before another quick caution waved after debris was spotted on the race track. The race resumed on lap 100 with Gaulding in the 14th position, but after a wild restart the 08 dropped back to the 20th position. On lap 123 the seventh and final caution of the day waved after the 98 of Chase Briscoe blew a tire. Gaulding communicated the car wasn’t bad, but he needed to fire off better. After a blazing fast pit stop, Gaulding would restart in the 16th position with 73 laps remaining. Gaulding made his final stop of the day under the green flag on lap 160. After a 73 lap run to the finish, Gaulding came across the line in the 17th position. The finish put an exclamation mark on a career year for Gaulding.
In 33 races Gaulding was able to achieve: 13th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings (best non-playoff driver), 0 DNFs, second in most laps completed (99.1%), 28 top-20 finishes, 17 top-15 finishes, four top-10 finishes, and one top five finish (2nd at Talladega).
Gray Gaulding:
“I just want to start off by saying how thankful I am to my race team and my team owner Bobby Dotter for believing in this small group to go out and have this awesome season together. This season was a big year for me to go out and prove to myself that I do belong here and I felt that we as a race team turned a lot of heads this year. For me, that was the goal from day one. I had a blast this year and it’s bitter sweet that the season is over; however, I can’t wait for the 2020 season to get started in Daytona. Thank you to all of our partners and fans for their support. It means a lot and we definitely couldn’t make this season happen without them.”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 08 Team:
“Gray and the 08 guys fought hard all day. This track is already challenging and when you mix in no practice time with no previous experience at this track, it makes for a difficult task. I thought Gray handled himself well and was able to deliver a respectable finish. 2019 has been the best year in our team’s history and I’m really thankful for everyone’s hard work. To finish 13th in points and be the best non playoff team says a lot about our program.”
Team 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet Camaro:
Ray Black Jr.’s 2019 season came to an early end after his engine exploded on lap four of 200 in the Ford EcoBoost 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Black was only able to complete 6 laps of practice on Friday before Mother Nature set in at Homestead-Miami Speedway. After final practice was officially canceled, Black’s next time on the race track would be qualifying on Saturday morning. Black clicked off a 33.719 second lap, which earned him a 30th place starting position for the 200 lap race.
The green flag waved and Black quickly began making his way forward. On lap four the No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimneys Chevrolet was engulfed in a thick cloud of smoke as the engine let go. Black dropped to the inside of the front stretch and spun around in the turn one grass before the No. 07 came to a rest. The blown engine ended Black’s day relegating him to a 38th place finish. Despite a rough end to the season, this year marked Black’s best career season in the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The 28 year-old driver from Palm Coast, FL. captured 22 top-20 finishes and eight top-15 finishes in 33 races. Black finishes the year 16th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings.
Ray Black Jr:
“It’s really disappointing to end the season like this with a blown engine; however, it doesn’t take away from how proud I am of this team. We fought hard all season and I can’t thank Bobby Dotter, Jason Miller and all my guys enough for giving me the opportunity to have the best season of my career. I can’t wait to re-group and go at it again in 2020 with this team.”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 07 Team:
“I hate the 07 team didn’t have an opportunity to show what they were capable of today. There’s not much you can do when an engine lets go in that capacity. I’m really proud of what Ray and the entire 07 team were able to accomplish this season. This year has been a lot of fun with some great results. We’ll see everyone in Daytona.”
Looking Ahead:
Drivers Ray Black Jr. and Gray Gaulding concluded the 2019 season for SS Green Light Racing this weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Gaulding was able to capture a 17th place finish on Saturday which secured the 13th position in the NASCAR Xfinity point standings. Unfortunately, Ray Black Jr’s day came to an early end after his engine expired in the opening laps of the race. Despite a 38th place finish, Black was still able to capture the 16th position in the Xfinity Series point standings. It was announced Saturday ahead of the Ford EcoBoost 300 that Ray Black Jr. will return to SS Green Light Racing for the 2020 season. Further information regarding the status of Gray Gaulding and the No. 08 team will be released in the upcoming weeks. The 2020 season will kick off with coverage of the NASCAR Racing Experience 300 from the Daytona International Speedway on Saturday February 15th at 2:30 PM ET on FS1.
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