NASCAR Xfinity Series: Blake Koch to step away from racing
By Asher Fair
Blake Koch was set to drive full-time for JD Motorsports in the 2019 NASCAR Xfinity Series season, but he is set to step away from racing.
After it was revealed that Ross Chastain, who had driven full-time from JD Motorsports from the 2015 NASCAR Xfinity Series season through the 2018 season, was set to drive full-time for Chip Ganassi Racing in the 2019 season, it was revealed that Blake Koch was set to be his replacement behind the wheel of the #4 JD Motorsports Chevrolet.
However, Chastain is now set to return to JD Motorsports as the driver of the #4 Chevrolet, which he has driven on a full-time basis since the start of the 2015 season, and Koch has announced that he will instead be stepping away from racing to focus on his business, FilterTime.
Here is what the 33-year-old West Palm Beach, Florida native had to say about the matter in a video that he posted on his Twitter account.
Excited to see @RossChastain back in the 4 car. I need to give @FilterTime 💯 of my attention at this time. A HUGE opportunity has developed for my business and I will be able to share it with you soon. pic.twitter.com/mapIGwQNJs
— Blake Koch (@BlakeKochRacing) January 31, 2019
Koch has not competed in any NASCAR series since the 2017 season, which was his third consecutive season driving full-time in the Xfinity Series. He drove in 213 Xfinity Series races over the course of nine seasons and recorded 10 top 10 finishes and one pole position in those races.
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He recorded a career-high sixth place finish in the penultimate race of the 2017 season at ISM Raceway, and he earned his lone career pole position for the April race at Talladega Superspeedway earlier that season. He finished in a career-high seventh in the championship standings in the 2016 season.
Koch also drove in six Cup Series races over the course of two seasons, the more recent of which being the 2014 season, and he drove in 10 Truck Series races over the course of four seasons, the most recent of which also being the 2014 season.
Koch’s career-high finish in a Cup Series race is his 30th place finish in the June race at Dover International Speedway in the 2014 season, and his career-high finish in a Truck Series race is his 19th place finish in the May race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the 2013 season.
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All of us at Beyond the Flag wish Blake Koch the best as he prepares to step away from racing and focus on FilterTime, and we hope that he succeeds in his future endeavors, including but not limited to whatever business endeavors may lie ahead for him.