GGRT Names Koch As Primary West driver
 |
"Both Richard Childress and I are extremely excited to bring Blake to our team for the 2009 NASCAR Camping World Championship season,” said Offenbach . "Blake brings a great deal of talent and a great personality to our team. He tested with us at the conclusion of last season and his performance was quite impressive."
Driving a secondary car for GGRT back on October 25, Koch entered the final 2008 NASCAR Camping World Series event at All American Speedway in Roseville . Already a Pro Truck and Late Model driver that was in just his sophomore season of asphalt racing, Koch made a strong showing in his NASCAR racing debut at the popular Northern California event. After qualifying fourth, he started on the outside of the second row. After settling into the fourth position, a caution flag on the 20th circuit committed him to the outside of the line up where he fell back to 10th place but quickly rallied back to the sixth position until brake loss ended his night with a respectful 22nd place finish.
"Blake shows great perseverance and patience,” commented Offenbach . "A good driver can come back to the top even when the cards are down. Blake’s determination and talent behind the wheel has all the makings for a future champion.”
Following his impressive run at Roseville and a handful of testing sessions, Koch was named the new primary driver by Offenbach earlier this month and will replace former driver David Mayhew for the 2009 racing season. While Offenbach sees a promising future with his new driver, Koch is just as excited to be joining what he considers a true championship team and is setting his goals high for the season to come.
"I know these are some pretty big goals but I am setting my sights on the NASCAR Camping World Series West Championship and the Rookie of the Year title,” said Koch. "The " Team and Richard Childress have everything in place to pursue a championship. They have the best equipment and the best people behind that equipment. It is an honor to be driving for Jim Offenbach and his crew Chief Steve Portenga. I have all the confidence in the world in this team; they are truly dedicated to winning races.”
Koch had been racing asphalt oval cars for the past two years. Prior to his stint in the Pro Truck and Late Model scene he was successful in motocross for nearly 8 years and was named one of the Nation’s top racers. "My goal is to win races,” said Koch. "And I will do what ever it takes.”