Koch visited Palm Beach Children’s Hospital and BAK Middle School of Arts
WEST PALM BEACH- As the NASCAR calendar continues to reach its pinnacle with only a few playoff races to go in the season, NASCAR XFINITY Series driver Blake Koch visited West Palm Beach on Friday. Koch, who was born and raised in West Palm Beach, made his appearance in advance of Ford Championship Weekend, which will be held November 17-19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Koch’s first stop in his hometown was to Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center where he met and interacted with patients. While donning his fire suit, the Royal Palm Beach High graduate signed and handed out hero cards to the children he visited.
Following the visit to the hospital, Koch then headed to his alma mater BAK Middle School of Arts, where he hosted a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) session in conjunction with NASCAR Acceleration Nation. During the session, students were introduced to NASCAR’s Three D’s of Speed – drag, downforce and drafting – before crafting their own simulators to help them understand the aerodynamic principles.
“This was a great experience, flying down to my hometown of West Palm Beach,” said Koch, who drives the No. 11 car for Kaulig Racing. “Being able to go to Palm Beach Children’s Hospital and put a smile on kids’ faces was very special. Then being able to come to where I graduated at BAK Middle School of Arts and having the opportunity to talk to the students about science and NASCAR was a lot of fun.”
In the NASCAR XFINITY Series, Koch has become a proven veteran as he’s made the XFINITY Series playoffs each of the last two years (2016-17). In 2016, Koch advanced to the Round of 8 before barely missing out on a Championship 4 appearance. Despite the fact he was knocked out of this year’s playoffs following the Round of 12, he does have his eyes set on winning his first ever race at Homestead-Miami Speedway, in November.
“To win at Homestead-Miami Speedway would be unbelievable,” said Koch. “It’s my home track and is only an hour-and-a-half from where I grew up. It would be really exciting, especially with having all of my family and friends there cheering me on. I definitely want to go out there and put on a show. It would be really cool to raise the trophy in front of them.”
Tickets for NASCAR’s 2017 Ford Championship Weekend, which will be held November 17-19 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, are available and can be purchased by calling (866) 409-RACE (7223) or visiting www.HomesteadMiamiSpeedway.com.
