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  • Several Cup and Xfinity drivers performing double duty roles at Sonoma

    Several Cup and Xfinity drivers performing double duty roles at Sonoma

    For a second consecutive season, Sonoma Raceway is in for a delightful treat as NASCAR makes its annual return to the 12-turn circuit in Sonoma, California, on June 9-11, 2023.

    In a similar approach from last year, two of NASCAR’s top three national touring series will run on the same weekend in conjunction with the ARCA Menards Series West at Sonoma. Compared to a year ago, where the Craftsman Truck Series competition made its return to the circuit for the first time in 24 years, the NASCAR Xfinity Series competition will experience its first taste of the twists and turns in Wine Country this upcoming Saturday, June 10, with DoorDash returning as a title sponsor of the 250-mile event.

    With the return of the highly anticipated racing weekend in Northern California, a host of NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series stars will be attempting to pull double duty efforts within all three series.

    The driver who headlines the double duty role for this weekend’s Xfinity-Cup doubleheader feature is Kyle Larson. The 2021 Cup Series champion and 21-race Cup winner from Elk Grove, California, is scheduled to make his first of two starts this season in the No. 17 HendrickCars.com Chevrolet Camaro for Hendrick Motorsports. His Xfinity start will occur a day prior to climbing aboard his iconic No. 5 Valvoline Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 in the Cup division.

    Aside from being a hometown hero, Larson is no stranger to achieving success at Sonoma. He notched a Cup victory at the circuit in 2021 after leading a race-high 57 of 92 laps and has started on pole position in the last five consecutive Cup events at Sonoma. He has also achieved his share of success on road course venues after winning the last two Cup events at Watkins Glen International, the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course venue in October 2021 and his first Xfinity road course victory at The Glen last August.

    While this weekend is set to mark his first Xfinity start of this season in HMS’ No. 17 entry, Larson has already made one start in the series in May. There, he piloted Kaulig Racing’s No. 10 Chevrolet Camaro entry to a thrilling last lap victory over John Hunter Nemechek at Darlington Raceway. With the Darlington victory being the first for him ever in NASCAR, Larson aims to achieve another accomplishment by adding a Xfinity victory at Sonoma to his racing resume.

    Speaking of the No. 10 Kaulig Racing entry, AJ Allmendinger returns to pilot the entry for a second time this season. The 41-year-old veteran from Los Gatos, California, will be receiving sponsorship support from Gabriel Glas for this weekend’s Xfinity and Cup rides, where he currently drives the No. 16 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 entry for Kaulig in NASCAR’s premier series.

    Of his 16 career victories in the Xfinity circuit, 11 of them have occurred on road course venues, which makes Allmendinger the winningest competitor on road courses in the series. Despite winning on seven different road courses between the Xfinity and Cup levels, including his two Cup victories at Watkins Glen International and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course venue, Allmendinger has yet to achieve a win at Sonoma. In 11 previous starts at Sonoma in the Cup Series, he has led a total of 65 laps, but has only managed to finish in the top 10 twice, with his best result being seventh in 2009. He has managed to start on the front row three times between 2014-16, including on pole position in 2015. With his most recent victory in the series occurring this past March at Circuit of the Americas, Allmendinger strives to extend his road course dominance by checking off another road course venue off his bucket list.

    Photo by Chad Wells for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Joining the list of double duty competitors between the Xfinity-Cup action is Ross Chastain, who drives the No. 1 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing in the Cup Series. The 30-year-old Chastain from Alva, Florida, is scheduled to drive the No. 91 Chevrolet Camaro for DGM Racing sponsored by Skip Barber Racing School, with the event set to mark his third series start of this season after competing at Auto Club Speedway in February and at Darlington in May.

    In three career starts at Sonoma in the Cup Series, Chastain has notched two consecutive seventh-place results, including this past season. He was one of five Cup competitors who competed in last year’s Truck Series event at Sonoma, where he led 19 of 75 laps before finishing fourth while driving for Niece Motorsports. Chastain also has one road course victory stored in his resume, which occurred at Circuit of the Americas in March 2022 on a day where he also notched the first Cup career win for himself and Trackhouse Racing. On the Xfinity side, his best series’ result on a road course venue was at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course circuit, where he finished fourth.

    Ironically, a year after making his 100th Truck career start overall at Sonoma, Chastain is also primed to achieve another milestone start in Northern California. By qualifying and taking the green flag in this Saturday’s event, he will make his 200th career start in the Xfinity circuit. Through 199 previous Xfinity starts, the Floridian has achieved two career victories, one pole, 23 top-five results, 49 top-10 results, 961 laps led and an average-finishing result of 16.7. His best points result in the series is seventh place, which occurred in 2020. During that season, he notched career-high stats in top-fives (15), top-10s (27), laps led (553), overall average-starting result (7.7) and overall average-finishing result (8.2) despite going winless and while driving for Kaulig Racing.

    Veteran Aric Almirola from Tampa, Florida, is also scheduled to pull double duty efforts as he will be piloting the No. 28 Michael Roberts Construction Ford Mustang for RSS Racing on Saturday before driving the No. 10 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing on Sunday. The Xfinity event is set to mark Almirola’s 104th career start in the series and second of the season after he competed at Circuit of the Americas this past March, where he finished 24th while competing for SS-Green Light Racing.

    Through 10 Cup career starts at Sonoma, Almirola has achieved two top-10 results, with his best result being eighth in June 2018. While this weekend is set to mark his first Xfinity start at Sonoma, it will mark his third different series where he has competed at the circuit. In June 2018, Almirola competed in the ARCA Menards Series West event at Sonoma for Stewart-Haas Racing, where he finished second after leading 23 of 64 laps. With his last Xfinity victory occurring at Talladega Superspeedway in May 2017 and his best road course result in the Xfinity circuit being a fifth-place run at Watkins Glen in August 2018, a first road course victory is still something Almirola continues to pursue.

    Photo by Bruce Nuttleman for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Another competitor attempting to participate in double duty efforts is Ty Dillon, who will be piloting the No. 4 Chevrolet Camaro for JD Motorsports. The 31-year-old Dillon and grandson of championship-winning owner Richard Childress from Welcome, North Carolina, is coming off his recent series start at Darlington in May, where he finished 19th while driving the No. 3 Richard Childress Racing Chevrolet Camaro.

    Dillon has made a total of four Cup starts at Sonoma, with his best result being 23rd a year ago while driving for Petty GMS Motorsports. Like Almirola, he has yet to achieve a road course victory to his resume. The closest Dillon came to winning on a road course circuit was during the inaugural Truck Series event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in September 2013, where he was leading on the final lap until he got wrecked by Chase Elliott entering the final corner. His best Xfinity result on a road course venue is third, which was achieved at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in August 2015. With his latest Xfinity victory spanning back to July 2014 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Dillon, who currently competes full time in the Cup Series and in the No. 77 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Spire Motorsports, aims for a momentous boost to his racing career as he fights his way back to championship-caliber form.

    In a youthful career highlighted with an abundance of success and a rapid ascend to the Cup Series level, Ty Gibbs is set to experience another first to his career as he prepares to tackle Sonoma Raceway for the first time ever and twice in one weekend. The 20-year-old reigning Xfinity Series champion and grandson of championship-winning owner Joe Gibbs from Charlotte, North Carolina, will return as the driver of the No. 19 Toyota Supra sponsored by The He Get Us campaign for his third series start of this season.

    While racing on Sonoma’s surface will be new for Gibbs, racing on road courses is something he is familiar with, with some of his success occurring on road course venues. He achieved his first Xfinity career victory in his series debut at the Daytona International Speedway Road Course in February 2021. He then proceeded to win at Watkins Glen in August 2021 before winning at Road America last July following a last lap battle against Kyle Larson. With 11 Xfinity victories achieved, three on road courses, in 53 series career starts, Gibbs, who earned top-five results in two Xfinity starts this season at Circuit of the Americas in March and at Charlotte in May, aims to extend his top-five streak to three and potentially, emerge victorious while continuing his pursuit of claiming this year’s Cup Rookie-of-the-Year title behind the wheel of JGR’s No. 54 Toyota TRD Camry in the Cup circuit.

    Lastly on the Xfinity side, Daniel Suarez becomes the seventh Cup participant for the inaugural Xfinity event at Sonoma as he will be piloting the No. 07 Chevrolet Camaro for SS-Green Light Racing. The 2016 Xfinity Series champion from Monterrey, Mexico, enters the Sonoma weekend with high momentum after notching his first Cup Series career victory at the circuit a year ago and becoming the first Mexican-born competitor to win in NASCAR’s premier series.

    While this season marks his third as a full-time Cup Series competitor in the No. 99 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 for Trackhouse Racing, this Saturday’s Xfinity event is set to mark Suarez’s first start in the Xfinity circuit since racing at Chicagoland Speedway in June 2018. Suarez, though, made his name made within the Xfinity circuit with 84 career starts in the series, a Rookie-of-the-Year title from 2015 and three career victories, including the 2016 championship as he became the first Latin American competitor to win a title across NASCAR’s top three national touring series. His highest Xfinity result on road courses stands at fourth place, which he achieved twice at Watkins Glen and at Road America in August 2016.

    For Sonoma, Suarez returns to the circuit with vast experience. In conjunction with his five total Cup Series start, he competed in two consecutive ARCA Menards Series West events at Sonoma, where he finished 11th and fourth, respectively, in 2017 and 2018. Suarez also competed as a relief competitor for the injured Carson Hocevar and Niece Motorsports during the Truck Series’ Sonoma event a year ago, where he rallied from two laps down after relieving Hocevar early in the event to finish sixth. Given his strength of the circuit, Suarez aims for a repeat victory while pursuing his first Cup victory of the 2023 campaign.

    Photo by David Myers for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    A day prior to the Xfinity Series’ inaugural event at Sonoma, the ARCA Menards Series West division will make its return to the circuit for the 44th time overall as General Tire retains its right of sponsoring the 200-mile event. The lone Cup Series competitor who is entered for the event is Ryan Preece, who drives the No. 41 Ford Mustang for Stewart-Haas Racing. The 32-year-old Preece from Berlin, Connecticut, will be piloting the No. 9 Ford for SHR in the ARCA West region, which will mark his second career start in the series. His lone start in the series occurred at Sonoma in June 2019, where he led a race-high 33 of 57 laps and was in position of winning until he was penalized for a late restart violation and demoted to the last competitor running on the lead lap in 20th place. A former winner across the Truck and Xfinity circuits, Preece has also made two previous starts at Sonoma in the Cup Series in 2019 and 2021, with his best result being 21st from the 2021 season. His best results on road courses within NASCAR’s top three national touring series are a pair of fourth-place runs at Watkins Glen and the Charlotte Motor Speedway Road Course in 2018.

    For Friday’s ARCA West event at Sonoma, Preece will be competing alongside a host of Xfinity Series regulars that include Cole Custer, Riley Herbst, Parker Retzlaff, Kyle Sieg and Sammy Smith, all of whom will receive a head start to their weekend prior to their series’ debut at the Northern California circuit.

    Custer, a former Cup Series Rookie-of-the-Year recipient from Ladera Ranch, California, will retain driving responsibilities of the No. 55 Ford for High Point Racing for a second consecutive week after competing in last weekend’s event at Portland International Raceway. Custer is also coming off a dramatic weekend at Portland, where he notched his first Xfinity victory of the season during an overtime shootout. Herbst, Custer’s Xfinity teammate at Stewart-Haas Racing from Las Vegas, Nevada, will also be returning to the series for a second consecutive week as he will be driving the No. 5 Jerry Pitts Racing Ford.

    Photo by Patrick Sue-Chan for SpeedwayMedia.com.

    Retzlaff, a Xfinity rookie competitor from Rhinelander, Wisconsin, who currently competes for Jordan Anderson Racing, will be piloting the No. 02 Young’s Motorsports Chevrolet for a second consecutive week while Kyle Sieg, a full-time Xfinity competitor for RSS Racing from Tucker, Georgia, will be assuming the No. 46 Ford for Lowden Jackson Motorsports.

    Lastly, Sammy Smith, a Xfinity rookie from Johnston, Iowa, who currently competes for Joe Gibbs Racing, will be joining Hattori Racing Enterprises for a one-race effort in the No. 81 Toyota. Smith, who notched his first Xfinity career victory at Phoenix Raceway in March, has not yet competed at Sonoma throughout his youthful racing career, but he has achieved an abundance of success within the ARCA divisions, with six victories in the ARCA Menards Series, two consecutive ARCA East titles and a single ARCA West victory that occurred at Phoenix last November.

    With Sonoma Raceway serving as the next scheduled event on the 2023 NASCAR schedule and with the drivers’ roster for this weekend’s events set, the weekend commences with the ARCA Menards Series West running the General Tire 200 on Friday, June 9, at 6:30 p.m. ET as the event will air live on FloRacing. The Xfinity Series’ inaugural DoorDash 250 at Sonoma will occur the following day on Saturday, June 10, at 8 p.m. ET on FS1. The Cup Series’ Toyota Save/Mart 350 will cap off the weekend as the series’ top premier competitors compete on Sunday, June 11, at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX.

  • Gray Gaulding part of successful trio in fuel mileage to finish seventh

    Gray Gaulding part of successful trio in fuel mileage to finish seventh

    LAS VEGAS, NV — In Saturday’s Rhino Pro Truck Outfitters 300 for the NASCAR Xfinity Series, it came down to a gamble on fuel mileage strategy. For three drivers who elected to stretch to the last drop, they were all successful. One driver that had the biggest statement at Las Vegas Motor Speedway was Gray Gaulding who finished seventh for SS-Green Light Racing.

    “Yeah, I saved my rear end off,” said a relieved Gaulding. “I did everything I could to make sure.”

    The relief came after extending the green flag pit window to a total of 70 laps, 74 including caution flag laps that began the final run to the checkered.

    “They said it was going to be close, but about 20 laps to go, they said ‘You’re good.’ So I thought I could pick it up a little bit, but the racer in my thought that I needed to save as much as I can, even if they say I might not need to. Luckily enough, I saved enough fuel. The calculations were dead on because I ran out right at the checkered flag. It says a lot about that call, but what a place to do it in Vegas. People roll the dice every day, and we rolled the dice to get in. We got a great finish, but didn’t get in (the Playoffs).”

    The finish became the team’s fourth top 10 of the 2019 season. The last time team owner Bobby Dotter had this many top 10 finishes in a single season was back in 1995 when he drove himself. Gaulding knew he was with an old school team that knew how to get it done the old school way.

    “It’s about the people,” Gaulding was quick to state. “Bobby Dotter is the best owner I’ve ever drove for, and he rolled the dice on me to put me in the car. Look at where they were last year with their old driver, now look where they are today. Not in the cocky or arrogant way, I feel like I’m really doing my job and doing it well, but I know it’s not from a lack of effort from my guys and everybody that works their tails off on these racecars.

    “It’s so fun, I’m having a blast.”

    In the 21-year-old driver’s first full-time season with the Xfinity Series, he missed the Playoffs by just one spot in the points. He was too far back to point his way in, so he knew he was in a tough spot, even back in February at season start. But to be as close as they were, both with points and a few surprising runs throughout the season, was a testament to the fight they have within.

    “You can always be disappointed,” he continued when asked about his thoughts on being the first car missing the Playoffs. “But the thing is; look at where we were in February. Did anyone pick us to make the Playoffs? Probably zero out of a hundred. Nobody even talked about us, thought about us, and the last three months, everybody is starting to watch us. We’re running good, we’re running up front. We almost won at Talladega.

    “At the end of the day, we weren’t supposed to but to be even in the conversation and be there, fighting for a spot, that just says a lot about where the team was last year to now. We’re just going to keep fighting and do what we do best.”

    The team’s quick growth this past year has been multiple avenues. The team’s only other top 10 finishes in recent years were by Xfinity “road ringer” Andy Lally, so the surge has been a surprise to some. Gaulding isn’t taking it for granted but celebrating when he can as they find success during the team’s growth. He can’t put his finger exactly on the reason for their success, but he again quickly pointed to his team.

    “My crew chief Patrick (Donahue) and I gel well together,” he declared showing his gratitude with their teamwork over the season. “We got that love-hate relationship. I love him like a brother. When he does something wrong, I let him know, and when I do something wrong, he lets me know. It makes for a good marriage and a good combination. He’s just got my stuff getting really good week in and week out, especially on the big tracks. We’re down on motor, we’re down on everything. So to be able to show up and to finish in the top 10 on a mile and a half with these big motors, it says a lot about our race cars and what I’m doing.”

    Despite missing the Playoffs, Gaulding is now the highest-seeded driver outside of the Playoffs. He currently has a 21 point lead over Jeremy Clements, and wants to not only say he’s the best outside of the Playoffs but show that his crew can compete against the bigger budget teams.

    “I’m going to my favorite track next weekend (Richmond),” said Gaulding excitedly. “You can count on seeing me up front. I feel like what we learned in the Spring will make it even better next week. That just says a lot about what we’re doing. We’re taking the races we went to the first race and making them better the second time. I’m pretty damn good at Richmond. Richmond is my favorite track on the schedule, along with Bristol. Any short track, I feel like I can make up the difference for the car.”

    There’s a lot of positive vibes going around the team and within the driver, but there’s uncertainty with the 2020 year. Gaulding is hopeful yet optimistic he can prove that he’s right where he belongs.

    “My goal is that I want to be here. I want to be in the same position. Obviously a lot of things have to work out, but I know I can beat these guys. If we had full ECR Engines (Earnhardt-Childress Racing) every week and we had all the tires, I think we can beat the bigger teams. I got a lot of fight in me, and my guys got a lot of fight in them.

    “I think going into next year, we’re going to see a lot of great things happening to me and my race team.”

    We’re all focused on who can spoil the Playoffs with a win to secure their seat for the next round. It’s not a bad idea to also keep an eye on a young and hungry Virginia driver to spoil the Xfinity Playoffs. It’ll be a spoiler that many didn’t predict back in February.

  • Ray Black Jr. Steps Up From Truck to XFINITY and Beyond

    Ray Black Jr. Steps Up From Truck to XFINITY and Beyond

    Last year on Pocono race weekend, Ray Black Jr. was driving in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. This year, Black has taken a step up to the XFINITY Series, driving the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet Camaro for SS Green Light Racing.

    “We did a really good job as a team in the Truck Series last year with a lot of top-15 finishes,” Black said. “We were debating whether to run again in the Truck Series or step up to the XFINITY Series. We figured for the money we were putting in this year and the budget that we had, we could make the XFINITY Series leap, be somewhat competitive and build on that.”

    After deciding to go to the next level, Black has been experiencing the normal vagaries associated with competing in a brand new series.  He has, however, been progressing nicely, from 33rd place finishes in the first two races to his best finish of 17th at Dover.

    Black, however, struggled in the most recent race at Charlotte, suffering an oil line issue which relegated him and his team to a 37th place finish.

    “So far it’s been a roller coaster, Black said of his season to date. “We’ve had some good races and bad ones. Overall, we’ve learned a lot and had a lot of new cars. It’s on the right track and it’s been a good step up for right now.”

    As he has moved up, Black acknowledges that there has been a lot of learning involved in that transition, both on the part of his team and on his own part.

    “As far as my team is concerned, they have done a good job so far with the change,” Black said. “As a driver, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about these cars but there are a lot of things they do differently in the XFINITY Series, with more tires and different strategies. And you have a lot bigger teams in this Series.”

    “I feel like I have a lot more to learn, but that makes it fun.”

    Black has been taking it all in, especially when it comes to the differences between the trucks and XFINITY cars.

    “The biggest lesson I’ve learned is to drive these cars with the aero-dependency,” Black said. “The trucks are more mechanical and with the cars, you are almost driving sideways and that’s the fastest way to do it.”

    “That’s been our biggest hill to climb and I’m definitely not where I should be there. But I’m getting closer.”

    Black is also learning other lessons as he steps up the rungs of the NASCAR ladder, including handling the length race and the fact that some of the Cup drivers are also his competitors.

    “The race is longer too so you have to pace yourself and make sure you are there at the end. I’ve always been good at that, so that is paying off for us,” Black said. “And then I’ve been learning how to race these other guys, especially the Cup guys.”

    “That’s been interesting but you have to race whoever is on the track,” Black said. “But if you get Kyle Busch popping up in these races, the problem is that he laps us all so fast. Getting laps down in these races is the toughest part.”

    “We’re just trying to get more speed so we can race competitively with the guys. We’ll have our chance.”

    Black is also proud to have the chance to make history, with the XFINITY Series racing at Pocono for the first time ever.

    “I think it’s pretty neat,” Black said. “I’ve been here twice in Trucks and these are great races. That front stretch is really long so if you get a good run there, you can make it five wide.”

    “I’ve had some cool experiences here so I think XFINITY coming here is awesome. I think it’s neat and cool to be a part of it.”

    While Black is having a cool experience at Pocono, he is also having some pretty cool experiences off the track. He and his father are currently constructing an international location for the Commercial Diving Academy in St. Kitts.

    “We’ve built a bunch of docks and a marina,” Black said. “That’s the base of it right now. Slowly in a couple of years, we will have an entire center.”

    “Last time I went down, we were building underwater platforms and surveying the area. We had to do some dredging and make it deeper. We also had to build jettys with rocks to tie the boats to. It is a lot of work right now and that’s what I like doing when I’m not on the track.”

    “I love racing but you have to pay the bills too.”

    Speaking of those bills, Black is hoping to pay some as he takes to the track tomorrow in the Pocono Green 250.

    “I want a top-20 finish, at least,” Black said. “That’s a worst case scenario. A top-15 would be really great.”

    “We need to get back on track and make sure that we don’t let the mechanical failure of last week turn our season upside down.”

    “So, I’m going to get right back out there and continue stepping up,” Black said. “It’s been a good transition from Truck to XFINITY for me and I just hope to keep building on it here at Pocono.”

     

  • Ray Black Jr. Under the Sea and On the Race Track

    Ray Black Jr. Under the Sea and On the Race Track

    It is not often that a NASCAR driver marries his passion for racing with a passion for scuba diving. But NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driver Ray Black Jr. has done just that, balancing his love for being on the track as well as under the sea.

    “I grew up scuba diving,” the driver of the No. 07 ScubaLife.com Chevrolet for SS Green Light Racing said. “My father got me into it at a very young age. I was born in Alabama, but we moved to Florida when I was about ten years old.”

    “I got into scuba diving then. I had a good time, enjoyed it and stuck with it. I ended up having my own business from it, like inspections on boats and salvage too. So, I still do some of that when I can.”

    While Black has thoroughly enjoyed his life underwater, he was also bitten by the racing bug in his early teenage years.

    “I just like going fast in just about anything,” Black said. “I started watching racing on TV and got hooked on it.”

    “I got my Dad to get me a race car. It took me awhile to convince him, but he finally did, and we were good at it. We started winning a little bit here and there and he turned the reins over.”

    “I was young and 14 years old. So, he thought it was just a phase. It took a while to convince him but then I think he saw the light.”

    “I went to mini-Cups, a full-body quarter scale race car. I raced that at Orlando Speed World and other small tracks in Florida. I did that for two or three years and then went straight to Pro-Trucks and late models.”

    Although Black loved going fast, he actually took a calculated step away from the sport, regrouping to focus on diving and to assess his career goals.

    “When I turned 18 years old, I stopped racing for two years to focus on diving,” Black said. “I just kept tearing things up and being irresponsible.”

    “So, I’m glad that I had to stop but then had the opportunity to get back into it. My Dad told me if I would learn diving, become an instructor for scuba and commercial, and pay my dues, he would look back into racing if I still wanted to do it.”

    “And then two years later, I turned 22 and he asked me if I wanted to get back into it. And I did. We started doing late models and I started doing a lot better at it.”

    “I definitely felt that I had matured, was more focused and was not taking it for granted,” Black said. “I got a second chance and it’s really rewarding. You start realizing that you can’t tear things up all the time. You start seeing the other side of things and have more respect for it all.”

    Black also feels that he and his team have really come together this year. He is, however, a bit harder on himself as a driver, feeling that he still has room to grow.

    “As a team, I would give us an A grade or maybe an A-minus,” Black said. “The team chemistry is awesome. We have one of the most lively teams out here. We bring a lot of people who go to all the races. They pump everybody up and get everyone going.”

    “We just have fun and make sure that no one is too serious. We’re all here to have fun. Once you make it too serious, it is not enjoyable and it kind of wears on you. I think everyone is having a good time. We like them and they like us. I think we’ve bonded really well.”

    “As a driver, I’m probably a B-plus. I’m not exactly where I want to be, especially because I haven’t been to most of the tracks. It’s a learning curve.”

    One of Black’s major goals is to get into the top-10 in the point standings.

    “I think we’re doing a great job. We’re fighting for a top-10 in points and we’re on the verge of it,” Black said. “There are some circumstances that have held us back. I’m not making excuses but we have blown two motors and you can’t fight those.”

    “You kind of plan for a few bad races but to have those things happen, now we can’t have any mistakes. Other than that, we’re having a good season. Once we get in the top-10 in points, I’ll feel a lot better about it.”

    Unfortunately, Black did not have the race he wanted at Pocono Raceway this weekend. He wrecked trying to avoid the No. 94 of Wendell Chavous. The impact from the inside wall locked up his transmission, preventing him from being able to re-fire and finish the race.

    And while he finished a disappointing 24th, he still maintained his 11th place position in the point standings and will go on to Michigan seeking further movement forward.

    Until then, Black will continue to balance his racing and his scuba diving, believing that the two sports are definitely complementary and synergistic.

    “When you’re under water, you are by yourself,” Black said. “You have a good team above you to help you out but you have to make the final decisions. At the end of the day, it is all you by yourself under the water.”

    “So, that’s like racing where you give all the feedback you can and you let them set you up the best they can. But at the end of the day, you have to perform, make sure you stay out of trouble and finish.”

    “It’s just all focus, mental preparedness and physicality in both sports. Most of it is just staying calm under pressure. So, there are a lot of things that transpire to make it is what it is. And I love it.”

    “It’s cool to be at the helm on the track and underwater,” Black continued. “If there is a mistake, it’s hard to blame anyone but yourself.”

    “You have to step up to the plate and that makes you that much more of a better person.”