By Bill Sullivan, GGRT Media Relations
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (8-10-10) – Despite falling victim to a collision and a failing tire late in the race, the Golden Gate Racing Team still went home on a Rocky Mountain high Saturday night at Colorado National Speedway as Blake Koch and the San Francisco based team brought the Daystar Television Network #21 Chevrolet that carries the support of Richard Childress Racing to it’s seventh top ten finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West.

“Some times your good and sometimes you’re lucky, this race saw a little bit of both,” said Jim Offenbach, owner of the San Francisco based Golden Gate Racing Team. “The guys that work on this car simply amaze me at times. They know how to overcome a challenge and communicate so well with one another. They are the best.”

Saturday’s event was the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150. The event marked the second time that Koch had competed on the .375 mile track that has become one of his personal favorites on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series Tour. After leading 17 laps there in 2009, the team returned to the rumble in the Rockies with high expectations and nearly met them until lady luck interfered in a not so friendly way.

After turning the fourth fastest lap in final practice, Koch drove the DayStar Television Network #21 to the tenth fastest lap in the field during Coors Light qualifying with a top speed of 80:357 miles per hour. The time was slightly slower then the team had aimed for and placed them midway in the field but Koch proved in 2009 that Colorado National speedway was home to two racing lines and getting to the front was a reachable goal.

“Being the second car on the track for qualifying didn’t help us out much,” said Koch. “But we had a good run on the outside and passed a couple of cars on the first lap to get a good start.”

After working his way into the top five early in the race, Koch began patiently closing in on the fourth place position. Late in the race Austin Self held on to the fourth position and when Koch closed in to pass for the position the two collided to draw a caution flag for a multi car incident on lap 136. Koch skated through the incident without serious damage but was suffering a loss of air pressure in his right front tire that set him back for the final laps of the race.

“When I went to pass for the position he got into me a little bit and it just sent me around,” said Koch.” At that point the right front tire started going down and I was just trying to get as many spot back as possible.”

Following Saturday’s event, The Golden Gate- RCR Team is ranked seventh in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West campaign. The next event on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Schedule is Miller Motorsports Park in Tooele on September 12th.

The Golden Gate Racing – RCR Racing Team #21 is sponsored for the 2010 season by the Daystar Television Network. Koch and this veteran team that is owned by Offenbach with the support of Richard Childress Racing is unique, as it is one of few motor sports venues that has partnered with several successful faith-based organizations. They strive to carry a positive message to the NASCAR community at every event where they compete and along the highways in which their impressive hauler is visible — traveling from race to race in pursuit of the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship.

Associate sponsors on the DayStar Television Network Chevrolet include Tire Kingdom and I Am Second. Additional associate sponsors currently include the Golden Gate Meat Company, Superior Lamb Company, Bay Bio-Diesel/Golden Gate Petroleum, Hill Meat Company, Foodcomm International, Signco and Harraka Racing Equipment Sales.

By Bill Sullivan, GGRT Media Relations
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (8-10-10) – The Golden Gate Racing Team scored its sixth top ten finish of the season Saturday in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. The event marked the inaugural appearance of the series at Montana Motorsports Park in Kalispell for the Toyota Napa Auto Parts Challenge.

The .25 mile Montana Motorsports Park was new to every competitor in the field Saturday and in the end, Florida’s Blake Koch drove the DayStar Television Network #21 to a seventh place finish. The San Francisco based Richard Childress Racing supported Golden Gate Racing Team will look to carry their momentum into Colorado this coming weekend as the 2010 series enters its final stretch.

“We had an off weekend, the guys worked so hard to get the car better for me, but we just couldn’t get it were it needed to be,” said Koch. “The track itself was really cool and a there are a lot of great, loyal fans in Montana. It was a decent points day for us, moving up a spot and now we’re only 41 points from the top three.”

In Saturday’s event, the Golden Gate Racing Team was quick to unload at Montana Motorsports Park to insure ample time to practice and make the needed adjustments to the DayStar #21 Chevrolet. Competing on a new track to the series can often prove challenging to any team and every available lap was crucial.

In qualifying, Koch turned the 12th fastest lap of the day with a top speed of 63.916 seconds on the short track venue. The lap placed him in the middle of the field for the 150 lap affair that would require good patience and strategy to gain track position. Koch wasted no time in working his way into the top ten in the field.

When the checkered flag flew, Koch had charged his way to seventh place. The finish netted just enough accumulative points to advance Koch up to sixth in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Koch trails point leader Eric Holmes, David Mayhew, Jonathan Gomez, Paulie Harraka and Moses Smith in the standings. He is a mere 41 points out of the top three ranks, illustrating what a great recovery the Golden Gate Racing Team has made since a series of tough finishes at the start of the season.

“The team did great in my eyes,” said Jim Offenbach, owner of GGRT. “It’s always a gamble when it comes to the perfect set up when you race at a new facility and they got the car up to the fifth fastest time in practice, that’s just awesome. Steve Portenga and this entire crew are simply the best. I’m confident they will do extremely well this weekend in Colorado.”

This Saturday marks the return to Colorado National Speedway for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Koch and the team are well prepared for the Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150 at the track where they fared so well at in 2009. Last year as a virtual rookie, Koch qualified third at Colorado and muscled his way ahead of former champion Eric Holmes to take the lead on the .375 mile track.

After leading the field for 17 laps, Koch suffered a flat tire that forced him to relinquish the strong lead and his chances for his first career NASCAR victory. It was during a caution flag that Koch learned of the deflating tire. Although he attempted to maintain his position he quickly fell out of the lead once the race went green.

“Under the caution flag we had a right front tire going down,” said Koch. “When we went green the car quit handling and it ended up rubbing on the sway bar and blowing a right front tire. It was disappointment for us but it was also a huge confidence boost for me knowing we had the ability to lead a race like we did.”

Last weekend, Koch celebrated his birthday with a seventh place finish in Montana. This Saturday will mark a special race as well as his Mother will be in attendance, it will be the first time she has watched her son compete in a NASCAR West event since his debut in late 2008.

    “I am really looking forward to Colorado,” said Koch. “We had a good run going their last year before we cut the tire. Steve (Portenga) has some idea on how to make the car even better this year so I’m excited to get out there. My Mom is coming out for this race which is exciting for me. She has a tough time watching me on the track though so who will probably be in the hauler for the race. Hopefully I can bring home another strong finish.”

The Toyota/NAPA Auto Parts Bonus Challenge 150 begins on Saturday with practice at 12 p.m. MT followed by Coors Light pole qualifying at 5:30. The feature race is scheduled to begin at 8:15 MT and will air on SPEED TV on August 26 at 3 p.m. Pacific Time. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series West is aired weekly on SPEED TV. This week will feature coverage of the recent event in Montana. Check your local listings for show times.

The Golden Gate Racing – RCR Racing Team #21 is sponsored for the 2010 season by the Daystar Television Network. Koch and this veteran team that is owned by Offenbach with the support of Richard Childress Racing is unique, as it is one of few motor sports venues that has partnered with several successful faith-based organizations. They strive to carry a positive message to the NASCAR community at every event where they compete and along the highways in which their impressive hauler is visible — traveling from race to race in pursuit of the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Championship.

Associate sponsors on the DayStar Television Network Chevrolet include Tire Kingdom and I Am Second. Additional associate sponsors currently include the Golden Gate Meat Company, Superior Lamb Company, Bay Bio-Diesel/Golden Gate Petroleum, Hill Meat Company, Foodcomm International, Signco and Harraka Racing Equipment Sales.

By Bill Sullivan, GGRT Media Relations
SAN FRANCISCO, CA (8-4-10) – Throughout the 2010 season, the Golden Gate Racing Team has fared extremely well in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. Despite s series of crashes in the early events of the tour, driver Blake Koch of West Palm Beach Florida has used his past year of experience at familiar tracks to work closely with this Richard Childress Racing supported team to rally back into the hunt for the 2010 championship title behind the wheel of the Daystar Television Network #21 Chevrolet.

This weekend, however, Koch will enter unfamiliar territory in the form of a track he has not yet raced on. Fortunately, he wont be alone as everyone in the field will be virtually green as the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West makes it’s first ever appearance at Montana Motorsports Park in Kalispell, Montana for the Toyota Napa Auto Parts Challenge.

“From the pictures I have seen of Montana it looks really fun and it’s almost identical to my home track here in Florida,” said Koch. “It sure would be nice to get my first win on my birthday. We have some good momentum going on right now and we plan on keeping that going. We’ll look to unload really well and get a ton of practice at this track because we haven’t been there before. We should be able to get the car really fast.”

Montana Raceway Park is a a tight banked oval. It’s .25 of a mile in length and features 12 degrees banking. The impressive facility is extremely similar to other venues on the NASCAR K&N Pro Series Tour so both Koch and the GGRT-RCR team will certainly adapt to it’s characteristics quickly and focus on a strong qualifying position. On the tighter oval tracks such as this and All American Speedway in Roseville, a good qualifying position is crucial as track position can be very difficult to gain from deep in the field.

For much of the season, the success of the Golden Gate Racing Team has stemmed from a simple word..teamwork. Lead by competition director and crew chief Steve Portenga, this San Francisco based race team is best known for their ability to excel when faced with adversity. After a short stint of accidents early in the year that were no fault of their own, the team has utilized a great deal of communication and team effort to rally back into the top ten point standings in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series championship standings. Even though they are headed into unfamiliar ground, Portenga and team owner Jim Offenbach are confident they will come home with a strong performance.

“We’re really looking forward to Montana,” said Portenga, also a former driver with the Golden Gate Racing Team that has a great ability in communicating with his sophomore driver and entire team. “It’s a new place for us but our team is really coming together this year. We have done great on the road courses and that’s usually a place that can set you back. We hope our to carry our momentum through the end of the year.”

The Golden Gate Racing Team and Koch are currently seventh in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West. The Daystar Television Network #21 has scored three top five finishes and five top tens this season in the 8 events that have taken place. Koch currently leads the standings for the NASCAR Featherlite Most Improved Driver Award for the year.

In addition to Koch, the Golden Gate Racing Team has fielded a car for defending NASCAR West Champion Jason Bowles of Ontario two times this year. The GGRT/RCR #31 has claimed a pole position and a second place in the two events in which it has competed. Bowles will return to the team later in the season when they return to the Miller Motorsports Park in Utah.
“This team has done a great job this year,” said Offenbach. “They have been faced with some real challenges early in the season and they tackled them by using great communication and working together as a team. That’s what I love about all these guys, they get the job done by keeping their chin up and working together. I’m hoping we have a strong finish to the year, these guys deserve it.”

The Golden Gate Racing – RCR Racing Team #21 is proudly sponsored for the 2010 season by the Daystar Television Network. Additional sponsors on the DayStar Chevrolet include Tire Kingdom and I Am Second. Additional associate sponsors currently include the Golden Gate Meat Company, Superior Lamb Company, Bay Bio-Diesel/Golden Gate Petroleum, Hill Meat Company, Foodcomm International, Signco and Harraka Racing Equipment Sales

To find out more about Golden Gate Racing’s primary sponsor, the Daystar Television Network go to www.Daystar.com. Information on the NASCAR K&N Pro Filters West Series can be found at their official website at http://hometracks.nascar.com/series/.