Race 30 of 33: Kansas Lottery 300 at Kansas Speedway
Track Details: 1.5-mile trip-oval / 200 laps
No. 08: Gray Gaulding Result: 17th
Team 08 JT Marina Chevrolet Camaro:
The weekend started off with a bit of a scare for the 08 team, as their driver Gray Gaulding was sidelined for both practice sessions on Friday due to health concerns. Thankfully Gaulding was cleared to participate on Saturday morning and would be good to go for the rest of the weekend behind the wheel of the No. 08 Chevy.
Gaulding ran a lap of 30.945 seconds which would put him starting the 200 lap race in the 19th position. The green flag waved and Gaulding began making his way forward. The first caution of the day waved on lap 4 after the engine of Ryan Truex expired. The remainder of the stage went caution free. After 45 laps Gaulding was in the 17th position.
Gaulding started the second stage from the 15th position. On lap 70 the third caution of the day waved after the 22 of Austin Cindric got into the back of Harrison Burton. The contact sent Burton spinning until the 18 car made hard contact with the outside wall. On lap 90 the green and white checkered flag signaled the conclusion of stage two with Gaulding in the 16th position.
The final stage started with the longest green flag run of the day. Gaulding was able to get into a comfortable rhythm and work his way inside the top-15. On lap 146 the fifth caution of the day waved after the 1 of Michael Annett made contact with the wall. With just 16 laps remaining caution waved yet again after a lapped car caused the two leaders to wreck while battling for the lead. After a 5 lap battle to end the race, Gaulding was able to fight his way to a 17th place finish. With just three races remaining in the 2019 season, Gray Gaulding currently sits 14th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series point standings and trails the No. 51 of Jeremy Clements by 3 points for the 13th position.
Gray Gaulding:
“P17! Not a bad day, We’ll take it after having no practice and pretty much no track time this weekend. Just happy to be in the race car. Thanks to the fans, JT Marine, Panini, PURE, Worldwide Safety and everyone that supports our team. We’ll see you for the next one and thanks for all the support guys!”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 08 Team:
“It was definitely an eventful weekend for the 08 team to say the least. Overall, I am pleased with the performance from Gray and 08 guys today. We’ll take a top 20 and get ready for the final three races of the year.”