West Palm Beach, Florida native Blake Koch made his first start on the high banks of the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile for MacDonald Motorsports, with high expectations for a strong run. New sponsor Daystar Television Networks was on the No. 81 Dodge Challenger and the team really wanted to put on a good performance for them.
Everything started out great as Blake was quick right out of the box during Friday practice. The Daystar Dodge was 24th quick in the morning sessions and fastest of all the rookies.
“That was the most fun I’ve ever had in a racecar today,” Blake said at the end of the day. “I can’t wait to get back out there tomorrow.”
Qualifying didn’t go well as the team struggled getting through heights in the tech line. Being the 4th car out, they missed their spot in line and had to be relegated to the tail of the field.
Blake was very strong early on in the Daystar No. 81 and moved up to 31st position after 10 laps. As the race wore on with many long green flag runs, the car just got tighter and tighter and the team was never able to correct it. After some close calls with other spinning cars, and slight contact in the pits with the No. 11, Blake brought the Daystar No. 81 home in 30th position.
This puts Blake 29th in the current drivers standings and 3rd in the Rookie of the Year points. It also leaves the MacDonald Motorsports No. 81 30th in the current owners standings.
Next week, the team heads back out west to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA. Blake Koch will once again be behind the wheel and you can watch the Royal Purple 300 on ESPN at 5:30 pm EST.
-MacDonald Motorsports Press Release
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