Codie Rohrbaugh NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Mobile 150 Race Preview

Codie Rohrbaugh NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Mobile 150 Race Preview

Topics: Codie Rohrbaugh, Mobile 150

Codie Rohrbaugh NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Mobile 150 Race Preview

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
12 March 2016

Codie Rohrbaugh, No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS Sports Authority, Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway Fast Facts

NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Race No. 2, Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority, Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, Mobile, Alabama

Race Information: Event: Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority, Saturday, March 12 at 7:30 p.m. Local Time Track: Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway Qualifying: Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. Local Time Track Length: 0.5-mile paved oval.

Back To Work: After nearly a month off from competition, the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East returns to action this weekend at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, the first race at the historic Alabama track for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East tour.

Complete Washout: With practice and qualifying scheduled for Friday, Mar. 11, NASCAR K&N Pro Series East officials were forced to postpone all on-track activities until Saturday due to inclement weather.

On March 12, the series, pending improved weather conditions will practice, qualify and race.

Looking Back: In the first NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) race of the season, Rohrbaugh struggled on race day with the handling of his No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS resulting in a 19th place finish in the JET Tools 150.

Upon further review, the team was able to determine that a suspension failure and a gear issue ultimately contributed to the sour performance in Rohrbaugh’s second start at New Smyrna.

Announcement Coming Soon: In the coming weeks, Grant County Mulch Racing will announce plans for Rohrbaugh to compete in another racing division during the summer stretch of 2016.

Back By Popular Demand: After debuting a new paint scheme last month at New Smyrna (Fla.) International Speedway, Rohrbaugh and his team will keep their bright orange and camouflage look on the track during Saturday’s inaugural Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority.

Hello 2016: After a productive off-season, Codie Rohrbaugh and his Grant County Mulch Racing team returns to the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East series for a limited schedule in 2016 driving the No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS. Veteran industry crew chief Mark Huff will continue to call the shots for the junior year driver.

A Look Back At 2015: Stepping up his NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule from 2014, Rohrbaugh and Grant County Mulch Racing competed in six events earning a career-best finish of ninth at Motordrome (Pa.) Speedway last August. Additionally, the team earned back-to-back top-10 starting spots at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway respectively. Rohrbaugh was also running at the finish of all six races the team entered in 2015.

11th Career Start On Deck: By taking the green flag in Saturday afternoon’s race, Rohrbaugh will make his 10th career NASCAR K&N Pro Series East start. Last season, the 22-year-old improved on his starting position by six spots.

Locked In: Despite having limited owner’s points to fall back, Grant County Mulch Racing and driver Rohrbaugh will be guaranteed to make the second race of the season for Saturday’s Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority. With 25 cars pre-entered for the event, Rohrbaugh hopes to qualify 24th or better and avoid using a provisional for entry into the race.

Meet Codie: Rohrbaugh will meet and greet race fans during the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East autograph session on Saturday, March 12 at 12:00 p.m. on the frontstretch at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway.

Mobile International Speedway Fast Fact: Mobile International Speedway opened in 1965 and hosted open-wheel racing from 1966-68 and numerous NASCAR series throughout 1980s, 90s and early 2000s, including the NASCAR Grand American Series, NASCAR All-American Challenge Series, NASCAR All Pro Stock Car Series and NASCAR Southeast Series. The Alabama track also hosted ARCA events since 2012.

Chassis Intel: Mark Huff, crew chief Grant County Mulch Racing has elected to bring chassis number 001 to the 0.5-mile paved oval this weekend. This race chassis last competed in the K&N Pro Series East race at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway. It also is the same automobile that the team utilized for their career-best finish at Motordrome (Pa.) Speedway last year. Additionally, the chassis competed at 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, Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, Pre-Race Quotes: Codie Rohrbaugh, driver of the No. 7 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet SS:

On New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway: “We really had high hopes for the JET Tools 150, especially after practicing so well during the open test and all. Unfortunately, things happen during the race that are unpredictable and you can’t control. I’m really proud of the Grant County Mulch Racing team for their never give up attitude.”

On Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway: “Overall as a team we seem to do really well at new tracks, so we’re looking forward to Mobile International Speedway this weekend. We need to utilize practice to our advantage and see where we are from there. The weather is going to be sketchy this weekend, but we’re focused and determined to get our season back on track whenever we do to get to race.”

On Upcoming Team Announcement: “We have a lot to be looking forward to this season. With our strong schedule in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East to the new series we’ll be entering soon, I’m very excited about 2016 and continue to be thankful to Grant County Mulch and everyone who makes it possible.”

On 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East Outlook: “We’re just glad to be back on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East tour this season. We’re inching closer and closer to maybe running a full season in the future, but for now we’re focused on the races ahead of us.

“We’ve worked really hard to make sure our car is as competitive as possible, while made some internal and external changes within our organization all with the intent to make us as competitive as possible. We’ll lay out our full plans for 2016 soon, but despite the bad luck at New Smyrna, we’re happy with the direction of our Grant County Mulch Racing team.”

PRIOR RESULTS:

Codie Rohrbaugh, Mobile Speedway NKNPSE Performance Record:

Inaugural event, no prior starts.

The Mobile 150 presented by the Mobile Sports Authority (150 laps / 75 miles) is the second of 14 races on the 2016 NASCAR K&N Pro Series East schedule. Practice is set for Saturday, March 12 from 11:00 a.m. – 11:45 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day at 1:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag just after 4:00 p.m. Saturday. The event will be televised on a tape-delayed basis on NBC Sports Network with a to-be-announced time and date.

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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