Koch's First Date with "the Lady in Black" Nets 18th Place Finish
Bedford, TX, May 14, 2011 --(PR.com)-- NASCAR Nationwide Rookie of the Year contender Blake Koch of West Palm Beach, Florida drove to a strong finish Saturday afternoon at the famed Darlington Raceway in Darlington, South Carolina. The NASCAR Nationwide Royal Purple 200 marked Koch’s first time racing at “The Lady in Black” and one wouldn’t have known it as he drove the MacDonald Motorsports #81 Dodge supported by the Daystar Television Network to a strong 18th place on the track that is too tough to tame.
“Darlington is everything it’s made out to be. No matter how many laps I logged or what we did to the race car, I just couldn’t get a handle on that place,” said Koch. “I pretty much left my first date with the Lady in Black feeling like I did when I first got there asking myself how the heck do you get around this place?”
With qualifying rained out, the line up on Saturday was determined by practice times that were logged in the one and only practice that took place prior to the inclement weather on Friday. In his sole practice opportunity, Koch clocked the 26th fastest lap of the day, which placed him 26th in the line up of Saturday’s race.
When the green flag waved, Koch didn’t allow the tough 1.366 mile Darlington oval intimidate him whatsoever. Within the first ten laps of the race the former motocross racer muscled the Daystar Dodge into 23rd where he began racing in the company of some of the top drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on one of the most historical tracks on the circuit.
Although he spent much of the race trying to learn the fastest way around the oval that still baffles some of the sport’s top stars, Koch displayed the perfect combination of patience, poise and aggression for all 147 laps of the race. When the checkered flag waved, he crossed the line 18th in a car without a scratch on it while many others earned their “stripes” off the aggressive Darlington outside wall. Koch finished behind Chris Beuscher who was substituting for Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. Sprint Cup star Kyle Bush was the winner of the event.
“It was great to have my Mom there for Mother’s Day weekend,” said Koch. “I can’t thank Daystar enough for the opportunity to represent them on and off the track. We have been doing so much stuff together off the track and filming different things that will air on Daystar.”
Koch’s finish on Saturday earned him the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award. His debut in Darlington was not only a moment in history for himself, but it also marked a milestone for his MacDonald Motorsports Team. Prior to Saturday, MacDonald Motorsports highest finish at Darlington was 19th, previously posted by Michael McDowell.
This week Koch will head to Dover International Speedway in Dover Delaware for the 5-Hour Energy 200. As he makes his debut on the “Monster Mile,” Koch sits 23rd in the NASCAR Nationwide championship standings. He is currently in the running for the 2011 Rookie of the Year Award in a close battle with Ryan Truex and Timmy Hill.
Blake Koch is proud to carry the sponsorship of the Daystar Television network. The Daystar Television Network is an Emmy award winning faith based network dedicated to spreading the gospel twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week around the globe through all media formats possible.
Daystar is the fastest growing and one of two largest faith-based networks in the world today and can be viewed on all major and secondary satellites and cable systems. Daystar programming reaches more than 81 million homes in the United States and 670 million homes globally.
To learn more about Blake Koch and his Daystar Racing Team, visit their official website at www.DaystarRacing.com
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“Darlington is everything it’s made out to be. No matter how many laps I logged or what we did to the race car, I just couldn’t get a handle on that place,” said Koch. “I pretty much left my first date with the Lady in Black feeling like I did when I first got there asking myself how the heck do you get around this place?”
With qualifying rained out, the line up on Saturday was determined by practice times that were logged in the one and only practice that took place prior to the inclement weather on Friday. In his sole practice opportunity, Koch clocked the 26th fastest lap of the day, which placed him 26th in the line up of Saturday’s race.
When the green flag waved, Koch didn’t allow the tough 1.366 mile Darlington oval intimidate him whatsoever. Within the first ten laps of the race the former motocross racer muscled the Daystar Dodge into 23rd where he began racing in the company of some of the top drivers in the NASCAR Nationwide Series on one of the most historical tracks on the circuit.
Although he spent much of the race trying to learn the fastest way around the oval that still baffles some of the sport’s top stars, Koch displayed the perfect combination of patience, poise and aggression for all 147 laps of the race. When the checkered flag waved, he crossed the line 18th in a car without a scratch on it while many others earned their “stripes” off the aggressive Darlington outside wall. Koch finished behind Chris Beuscher who was substituting for Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne. Sprint Cup star Kyle Bush was the winner of the event.
“It was great to have my Mom there for Mother’s Day weekend,” said Koch. “I can’t thank Daystar enough for the opportunity to represent them on and off the track. We have been doing so much stuff together off the track and filming different things that will air on Daystar.”
Koch’s finish on Saturday earned him the Sunoco Rookie of the Race award. His debut in Darlington was not only a moment in history for himself, but it also marked a milestone for his MacDonald Motorsports Team. Prior to Saturday, MacDonald Motorsports highest finish at Darlington was 19th, previously posted by Michael McDowell.
This week Koch will head to Dover International Speedway in Dover Delaware for the 5-Hour Energy 200. As he makes his debut on the “Monster Mile,” Koch sits 23rd in the NASCAR Nationwide championship standings. He is currently in the running for the 2011 Rookie of the Year Award in a close battle with Ryan Truex and Timmy Hill.
Blake Koch is proud to carry the sponsorship of the Daystar Television network. The Daystar Television Network is an Emmy award winning faith based network dedicated to spreading the gospel twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week around the globe through all media formats possible.
Daystar is the fastest growing and one of two largest faith-based networks in the world today and can be viewed on all major and secondary satellites and cable systems. Daystar programming reaches more than 81 million homes in the United States and 670 million homes globally.
To learn more about Blake Koch and his Daystar Racing Team, visit their official website at www.DaystarRacing.com
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Contact
Daystar Television Network
Rachel Lamb
(817)-675-0048
www.DaystarRacing.com
Rachel Lamb
(817)-675-0048
www.DaystarRacing.com
Contact
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