Race 21 of 33: B&L Transport 170 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Track Details: 2.26-mile road course / 75 laps
No. 08: Gray Gaulding Result: 14th
Team 08 GPS PURE Chevrolet Camaro:
After a strong performance last weekend at Watkins Glen International, Gray Gaulding and the No. 08 GPS PURE team came into Mid-Ohio looking to duplicate their road course performance from last week. Gaulding would roll off from the 15th position for the 75 lap race. The first caution of the day waved on lap 5 after Gaulding’s teammate stalled out on track. With four laps remaining in the opening stage, Crew Chief Patrick Donahue played some strategy and called his driver to the pits under green flag racing. The caution waved on lap 20 for the conclusion of stage one. Gaulding was in the 30th position, but would stay out under caution to gain his track position back.
Gaulding started the second stage from the 10th position. The second stage was filled with excitement. On lap 29 the caution waved after the 68 car got stuck in the sand trap. The fourth caution of the day came out after the 90 car sustained heavy damage on the restart. With four laps remaining in the second stage, a multi-car wreck in the key hole triggered the fifth caution. Gaulding was able to sneak through the incident without any damage. The stage would end under caution with Gaulding in the 6th position, which gained the team five valuable stage points.
Gaulding pitted under caution before the start of the final stage. Several cars stayed out on track, which shuffled the 08 team back in the middle of the pack for the restart. Gaulding was able to claw his way forward throughout the final stage. The checkered flag fell and Gaulding brought home his No. 08 GPS Pure Chevy Camaro in the 14th position. The result marked Gaulding’s eleventh top-15 finish of the season. Gaulding remains 13th in the NASCAR Xfinity Series Point Standings with only five races remaining until the 2019 playoffs.
Gray Gaulding:
“It was a pretty wild day, but we still came away with a top 15 finish. We finished P14. I can’t thank all my guys enough for their hard work and for giving me a good race car. It just kinda didn’t play out at the end like we wanted, but we don’t have a torn up race car. We’ve had a good two months of being in the top-15, but we wouldn’t be here without our partners PURE, Panini. It was another solid weekend and we’ll see you in Bristol.”
Bobby Dotter Thoughts on the 08 Team:
“The 08 team brought home another solid top 15 finish today. We were able to capitalize earlier in the race and get some stage points as well. Looking forward to Bristol.”
