Blake Koch Tag

By David Morgan, Associate Editor Leavine Family Racing will end its 10-year run in the NASCAR Cup Series at the conclusion of the 2020 season, team owner Bob Leavine said in a statement released on Tuesday. Citing the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has taken on his team, Leavine noted that the organization would not be in a position to compete after this season, leading to the sale of the No. 95 team to a new owner and his exit from the sport when the final checkered flag falls at season’s end.Read More

By David Morgan, Associate Editor The rollercoaster ride that has been the offseason for Ross Chastain continued on Thursday as he was confirmed to have a full-time schedule in the Xfinity Series for 2019 with both JD Motorsports and Kaulig Racing. Chastain was originally scheduled to race full-time for Chip Ganassi Racing in their No. 42 entry, but sponsorship woes forced the team’s closure and left the Alva, Florida native without a ride in NASCAR’s second tier series. Fast forward to Thursday when Blake Koch, who was going to drive theRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor Less than a week after news broke that he would not be returning to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series with Hattori Racing, Ryan Truex has landed in the NASCAR Xfinity Series for the upcoming 2018 season. On Tuesday, Kaulig Racing announced that Truex would be joining the team to take over their No. 11 Chevrolet on a full-time basis. “I’m extremely excited to be making the move back into the Xfinity Series,” said Truex. “In just two years Kaulig Racing has proved to beRead More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – With a pickup pit crew, at the track that cost him a shot at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series title last year, William Byron won Saturday’s Ticket Galaxy 200 to advance to the Championship 4 race in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Behind him, JR Motorsports teammates Justin Allgaier and Elliott Sadler also qualified for the title race with finishes of 10th and 18th respectively. The JRM trio will join Daniel Hemric in an all-Chevrolet finale, after Hemric ran fifth andRead More

By Rob Gray, NASCAR Wire Service NEWTON, Iowa — Ryan Preece’s short-lived, but ambitious 2017 NASCAR XFINITY Series schedule began three weeks ago at his de facto home track, New Hampshire Motor Speedway. It ended Saturday in the U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway — as confetti swirled and soared to highlight his first career series triumph in Victory Lane. Preece, held off a hard-charging Kyle Benjamin in a green-white checkered finish that came after the third restart in the race’s final 17 pulse-quickening laps. “I thought this race wouldRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor As is the case anytime NASCAR visits the restrictor plate tracks of Daytona and Talladega, the chance of a multi-car crash is high and in Saturday’s Sparks Energy 300 at Talladega, the first multi-car crash of the day struck early, sweeping several contenders up in the melee. Heading down the backstretch on lap 20, last year’s runner-up at Talladega, Brennan Poole, who had already sustained some front-end damage earlier in the race, tried to move into the outside lane, but there was no room toRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor After setting down the fastest time in NASCAR Xfinity Series practice on Friday, Blake Koch and Kaulig Racing were fast again in Saturday’s qualifying session for the Sparks Energy 300 as Koch scored his first career pole with a lap of 52.188 seconds, 183.490 mph. Joining Koch on the front row will be Kasey Kahne, who is driving the No. 88 Chevrolet this weekend for JR Motorsports. Rounding out the top-five starters for Saturday’s race are three of the four Richard Childress Racing entries, withRead More

By David Morgan, NASCAR Contributor Entering the inaugural NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase, not many gave underdog Blake Koch and his first-year Kaulig Racing team much of a chance to make any noise in the playoffs, but the team made a strong run to Phoenix and came up just short of being able to make it into the Championship Four at Homestead. With three top-10 finishes in the first 26 races of the season, Koch earned his way into the Xfinity Series Chase, but many had the driver of the No.Read More

By Reid Spencer, NASCAR Wire Service AVONDALE, Ariz. – It was just another routine Saturday at Phoenix International Raceway for Kyle Busch. But nothing else in the Ticket Galaxy 200 was at all ordinary. All the drama unfolded behind Busch, as eight drivers scrambled for four positions in the NASCAR XFINITY Series Chase’s Championship 4 Round at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Busch led 190 of 200 laps on the way to his 10th NASCAR XFINITY Series victory of the season, his 10th at the one-mile track and the 86th of his career,Read More

By Josh Farmer, IndyCar Reporter & NASCAR Contributor FORT WORTH, Texas — Blake Koch’s roller coaster weekend at Texas Motor Speedway ended with him still in contention for the NASCAR Xfinity Series Chase for the Championship following a 14th place finish in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 11 LeafFilter Gutter Protection Chevrolet Camaro qualified 12th this morning after crashing hard in the opening practice for the NASCAR Xfinity Series yesterday. He fell a lap down early in the 200-lap race asRead More