Gray Gaulding and his No. 08 team brought a blast from the past look and feel to the race track this weekend for NASCAR’s annual ‘throwback weekend’ at Darlington Raceway. From the bright pink colors of the car to wearing his team owner’s old race suit, Gaulding was all in for throwback weekend. The 08 car rolled off from the 15th position for the 200 mile event. The first two stages consisted of 45 laps. The first caution of the day waved on lap 12 after the 23 car spun around off of turn four. The 08 team stayed on track during the first caution and restarted from the 16th position. The remainder of the stage went caution free and after 45 laps, Gaulding was in the 15th position.
Gaulding started the second stage from the 12th position after a blazing fast pit stop from his crew. It didn’t take long for the action to pick back up as the 86 car went spinning on the back stretch, bringing out the third caution of the day. The racing resumed and Gaulding battled an extremely loose handling racecar for the remainder of the stage. After two stages in the books, Gaulding was in the 16th position.
With just 50 laps remaining, Gaulding started the final stage from the 15th position. Gaulding radioed to crew chief Patrick Donahue that his car was “wrecking loose on the short runs” and he was just barely hanging on. On lap 134 the fifth and final caution of the day waved after the 36 of Josh Williams lost control of his race car. After a ten lap shootout to end the race, Gaulding brought home his No. 08 Bobby Dotter throwback car in the 15th position. The result marked the team’s thirteenth top 15 finish of the season.
Gray Gaulding:
“Another “Top-15″ finish today at Darlington Raceway! Proud to rep Bobby Dotter’s pink #08 and shoutout to all my guys at SS Green Light Racing and our sponsors that helped for a great throwback!”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 08 Team:
““Gray and the team did a great job battling a loose handling race car throughout the day. It brought back a lot of memories seeing that pink 08 car on track, so that was special for sure. We will absolutely take a top-15 finish from Darlington and move on to Indy!”
Ray Black Jr. and his 07 team came into Darlington this weekend after a strong 14th place finish last weekend at Road America. After a solid qualifying effort, Black would start his day from the 18th position. Ray Black Jr. quickly began making his way forward until caution waved on lap 12. At the end of stage one, the 07 was in the 17th position.
Black started the second stage from the 20th position. As cars collided early in the second stage, Black was able to escape without incident. The remainder of the stage went caution free and Black picked his way forward to the 18th position.
Black would start the third and final stage, which consisted of 50 laps from the 17th position. Black’s car fired off well, but couldn’t quite hang on the longer runs. On lap 134 the fifth and final caution of the day waved after the 36 of Josh Williams lost control of his race car. After a ten lap shootout to end the race, Black brought home his No. 07 Isokern Fireplaces & Chimney’s Chevy home in the 16th position. The result marked the team’s fifteenth top 20 finish this season.
Ray Black Jr:
“It was another great day for our team. It’s been nice to get a little consistency going this past month. Can’t thank all my guys enough for their hard work!”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 07 Team:
“Proud of another hard fought day for the 07 team. August has been a strong month for Ray and the team. I’m looking forward to continuing this momentum moving forward.”
Looking Ahead:
SS Green Light Racing drivers Gray Gaulding and Ray Black Jr. remain 13th and 16th respectively in the NASCAR Xfinity Series points standings. With only two races remaining in the regular season, the Xfinity Series will make a stop at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Coverage of the Indiana 250 from Indianapolis Motor Speedway will begin Saturday September 7th at 3:00 PM ET on NBCSN.
SS Greenlight Racing PR
