Race 15 of 33: Camping World 300 at Chicagoland Speedway
Track Details: 1.5-mile oval / 200 laps
No. 08: Gray Gaulding Result: 14th
Team 08 ABA/WorldWide Safety Chevrolet Camaro:
After coming off a solid 14th place finish in Iowa a few weeks ago, Gray Gaulding and his No. 08 team were excited to continue their push for the playoffs this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Gaulding would roll off from the 17th position for the Camping World 300 in Chicago.
Two cautions were displayed during the opening stage of the race. Gaulding radioed to Crew Chief Patrick Donahue that the car was sliding the nose especially across the bumps and he was plowing tight off the corner. The 08 finished the first stage in the 21st position.
Donahue called for adjustments to help loosen up the 08 Camaro for the second stage. A fast pit stop placed Gaulding 17th for the start of stage two. On lap 78 caution flew for the 39 car spinning. Donahue called Gaulding to the pits and put four fresh tires on the 08 Camaro. Gaulding was able to take advantage of the fresh tires and drove to the 13th position by the end of the second stage.
Gaulding restarted the final stage from the 5th position after Donahue’s strategy played out. Caution waved once again on lap 112 for the 39 car spinning. The 08 pitted and restarted from the 15th position. On lap 172 caution waved in the middle of green flag pit stops after the 15 car made contact with the wall. Gaulding was scored 16th and was forced to take a wave around to remain on the lead lap. After a 20 lap shootout Gaulding was 15th across the line, but would officially advance to 14th after the 20 car failed post race inspection. The 14th place result was the team’s sixth top 15 finish of the year. Gaulding remains the first car out of playoff contention and trails Ryan Sieg by 98 points heading into Daytona.
Gray Gaulding:
“It was a great effort by all my guys. Thank you to everyone from WorldWide Consulting and ABA. It’s really cool to have people up here support us. My crew did a great job with fast pit stops. I think we maximized our day today. We never gave up and made some good calls. It was a hot one, but I’m all good.”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 08 Team:
“It was another solid points day for the 08 team. Gray drove a great race and the team did a great job improving the car throughout the day. It’s special to get two solid finishes in Chicago for sure.”