Returning to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) tour for the first time since New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) in July, Codie Rohrbaugh and his Grant County Mulch (GCM) Racing team eye a top-10 finish in Friday afternoon’s Dover 125.
The family-owned team carries good vibes towards Mile’s Monster Mile this weekend after tuning a season-best 13th place finish at NHMS this summer. Noting the finish was a step in the right direction, the team would like to improve on that even more bookending their third season of K&N competition.
“We needed that run at New Hampshire, so we hope to build off of that this weekend at Dover,” said Rohrbaugh, driver of the No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet. “Dover is a fun place to race, although it can be a beast too. It’s a fast track where momentum is key. For me, I just need to drive it like 125 qualifying laps and hope we’re in a great spot when the checkered flag waves.”
The avid racer will make his third start at Dover. While his debut didn’t go as planned in 2014, Rohrbaugh rebounded with a 17th place finish in the finale last October. Although last year’s race was plagued by Mother Nature with extremely limited practice because of torrential rain, Rohrbaugh is hoping this year he’ll see more track time where he’ll be allowed to dial in his car.
“Last year was unfortunate, but at least we were able to race,” he recalled. “We didn’t get to practice until shortly before the race and then had to get after it. This year, hopefully, we’ll get some time to tune on our car and get it ready to compete.
“Dover’s a place where handling does come into play. And I think we’ll need to adjust it as necessary depending on what the weather does. Being a concrete track, similar to Bristol, the surface seems sensitive to weather. It’s the last race of the season and we’re going to make it fun no matter what.”
Speaking of fun, Rohrbaugh had a blast last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, where he successfully made his ARCA Racing Series debut. Debuting his brand new composite car, Rohrbaugh tested extremely well earlier in the week earning his speedway license. Qualifying 11th for the Crosley 150, Rohrbaugh stayed out of trouble and finished a respectable 13th.
“We wanted to go to Kentucky and learn, but have some fun,” sounded Rohrbaugh. “We accomplished all of that. We learned a lot about the car and most importantly the track. Coming out of there in one-piece, I’m hoping we can go to Kansas Speedway in a few weeks for the ARCA finale too. We’ll see.”
In 12 previous NKNPSE starts, the 22-year-old has a best finish of ninth at Stafford (CT.) Motor Speedway in August 2015. A ninth-place qualifying effort at Bristol Motor Speedway in April 2015 is his best time trials effort to date.
Marketing partnership opportunities are available for the No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet for the remainder of the 2016 ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact [email protected].
The Dover 125 (125 laps / 125 miles) is the 14th of 14 races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice is set for Friday, Sept. 30 from 8:00 a.m. – 8:45 a.m. with a final practice etched in from 9:10 a.m. – 9:55 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 12:35 p.m. The event will take the green flag later that day shortly after 5:00 p.m. The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network on Thursday, Oct. 6 at 4:00 p.m.
Codie Rohrbaugh PR
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