Codie Rohrbaugh NASCAR K&N Pro Series East UNOH 100 Richmond Race Preview

Codie Rohrbaugh NASCAR K&N Pro Series East UNOH 100 Richmond Race Preview

Topics: Codie Rohrbaugh, UNOH 100

Codie Rohrbaugh NASCAR K&N Pro Series East UNOH 100 Richmond Race Preview

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
September 9, 2015

Codie Rohrbaugh, No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS UNOH 100 Fast Facts

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race No. 13, UNOH 100, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Richmond, Virginia

Race Information: Event: UNOH 100, Thursday, September 10 at 7:00 p.m. Local Time Track: Richmond (Va.) International Raceway Qualifying: Thursday, September 10 at 4:05 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 0.875-mile paved oval.

Welcome Back Grant County Mulch Racing: After a three week and one-race sabbatical, Grant County Mulch Racing returns to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East tour for Thursday night’s UNOH 100 at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway with rookie driver Codie Rohrbaugh at the helm.

Last Time Out; Career-Best Finish: In their fourth race of the season, Rohrbaugh recovered from early race setback to finish ninth in the UPMC Health Plan 150 at Motordrome (Pa.) Speedway, the first top-10 finish for the driver and Grant County Mulch Racing.

2015 Year-In-Review: In a limited NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule, Rohrbaugh started his season off with a respectable 13th place finish at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway after starting 10th. At Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, he qualified a career-best ninth, before experiencing late race setbacks to finish 22nd.

In the team’s third race of the season, they returned to New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where they fought through handling issues to post a 19th place finish after qualifying a respectable 16th.

At Motordrome, Rohrbaugh proved that despite adversity, his family-owned team can persevere, collecting his career-best finish in seven K&N races.

Richmond Debut: For the fourth time this season, Rohrbaugh will compete at a new track. In addition to New Smyrna, Bristol Motor Speedway and Motordrome, the team has added to the 0.875-mile paved oval to their roster.

With a successful racing resume on short tracks, the Grant County Mulch Racing team is optimistic about their RIR debut Thursday night.

Winner Winner: During his brief break from K&N competition, Codie Rohrbaugh returned to the Super Cup Stock Series competition in Jennerstown, Pennsylvania, where he scored two back-to-back wins at the iconic Jennerstown (Pa.) Speedway on August 22. Rohrbaugh celebrated the triumphs with family and friends, who watched from the grandstands.

You Went Where?!: While Rohrbaugh is excited to get back behind the wheel of a race car this weekend, the Petersburg, West Virginia native is still reflecting on his recent vacation in South Africa. With members of his family, For two weeks, Rohrbaugh toured the country, hunted and enjoyed some much needed rest and relaxation.

Must Qualify On Time: Poised to make his debut at “America’s Premier Short Track” on Thursday night, the Grant County Mulch Racing driver must qualify his No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS on time. With 37 cars pre-entered for the event, the team must qualify 32nd or better to earn a starting position by speed.

Meet Codie: Rohrbaugh will meet and greet race fans during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East autograph session on Thursday, September 10 from 5:05 p.m. – 6:05 p.m. at Richmond International Raceway’s Gate 4.

Richmond International Raceway Fast Fact: Richmond International Raceway, known as “America’s Premier Short Track,” opened in October 1946. Lee Petty won the first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event in April 1953. The track operated as a half-mile oval through spring 1988 before being reconfigured to its current .75-mile, D-shape for the September 1988 date. Lights were added in 1991. Thursday night’s race will mark the first time the K&N Pro Series East division will compete in the fall as a companion event with NASCAR’s national series.

Chassis Intel: Mark Huff, crew chief Grant County Mulch Racing has elected to bring chassis number 001 to the 0.875-mile paved oval this weekend. This race chassis last competed in the K&N Pro Series East race at Motordrome (Pa.) Speedway last month. New Hampshire Motor Speedway in July. It was also raced in the season-opener at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in February, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in April and New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

Grant County Mulch Racing, Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, Pre-Race Quotes: Codie Rohrbaugh, driver of the No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS:

On Motordrome (Pa.) Speedway: “Man, it felt so good to get a top-10 finish at Motordrome. We elected to participate in the open test session at the track the day before the race and that helped a lot.

“The race wasn’t perfect, but we made best of every situation we found ourselves in. Mark (Huff, crew chief) did a great job to get our No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS handling the best when it counted the most. With our strong finish we’re eager to see if we can do it again at Richmond.”

On Richmond (Va.) International Raceway: “I’m excited to get to Richmond. I’m sure a lot of drivers say that for their first start there, but we have some momentum with our Grant County Mulch team and we’ll be racing in the final two races of the season.

“We’re working hard on next year’s plans, but want to go to Richmond this weekend and have another good finish that could help us long-term and maybe turn some heads in front of the NASCAR XFINITY and Cup crowds.

“It’s looking like it’s going to be one of the strongest fields in a while and I expect the competition to be the closest it’s been all season, but that will be a good challenge for me and our team to give nothing less than 100 percent all the way around.”

On Recent Local Racing Victories: “That felt really good to get back into Victory Lane. It was an off-weekend for us on the K&N tour, so we decided to go back to one of the local tracks and have a little fun.

“It was a double race, so be able to go to do it twice was pretty special. I’m just so thankful for everyone who made it possible. For pap, grandma and the rest of my family for having my back since chasing my racing dream since I was five years old.”

On Future Outlook: “We’re going to Richmond and Dover for sure. Those are two races I’m really looking forward to. We’ll see how everything works out. There’s potential for maybe more NASCAR racing by season’s end. We’ll see.

“We’re hunting sponsorship all the time, so we’ll just have to see how the cards play out. We’ll be fine though. We have a great time with a lot of ambition and goals and we’ll make best of any opportunity we’re given.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Codie Rohrbaugh, Richmond International Raceway NKNPSE Performance Record:

Codie Rohrbaugh will make his eighth career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start this week at Richmond (Va.) International Raceway, no prior starts.

The UNOH 100 (100 laps / 75 miles) is the 13th of 14 races on the 2015 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice begins for the one-day show on Thursday, September 10 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. A final practice session has been etched in from 1:15 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 4:05 p.m. The event will take the green flag just after 7:00 p.m. that night. The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network, Thursday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m.

PHOTO CAPTION: Codie Rohrbaugh, driver of the No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) competition for Grant County Mulch Racing.

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