KNOXVILLE, Iowa: For the first time since Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in early May, Codie Rohrbaugh returns to the CR7 Motorsports seat for Friday night’s inaugural Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers looking for his second top-10 finish of the 2021 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.
With the team sitting idle in two of the last three NCWTS races at Texas Motor Speedway and Nashville Superspeedway respectively, Rohrbaugh is hoping to rebound the team from a stout performance at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway that turned sour in the waning laps of the CRC Brakleen 150.
Fairhope, Ala. native Grant Enfinger piloted the No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet Silverado at the “Tricky Triangle” and contended for a top-five finish but succumbed to engine issues late in the 60-lap shootout.
Ready for his second NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on the dirt this season, Rohrbaugh is determined to carry the team and continue a powerful presence near the front of the field.
“I’m looking forward to Knoxville this weekend,” said Rohrbaugh who will compete in his seventh race of the year Friday night. “It’s been a while since I’ve been in the seat, but I’m excited to get in this truck and have a little fun on the dirt.”
Under the guidance of crew chief Doug George, CR7 Motorsports has enhanced its on-track performance and Rohrbaugh says his leadership will continue to carry the organization not only at Knoxville but the remainder of the 2021 NCWTS season.
“Everyone has worked their tails off,” added Rohrbaugh. “Whether it’s myself or Grant (Enfinger) behind the wheel, we are one team with one goal in mind. We’ve run strong this season – even if we don’t always have the finishes to show for it at the end of the race.
“With that being said, we’re still working on being even better. There’s a lot of great tracks coming up for our team this summer and fall where we can have an impact not only to post more top-10 finishes but maybe even contend for a win or two.
“Hard work definitely pays off for our CR7 Motorsports team.”
In March, Rohrbaugh finished 27th on the dirt at Bristol Motor Speedway and while the result wasn’t what he or his team had hoped, the experience should pay dividends on Friday night.
In the lone practice session on Thursday, Rohrbaugh was 33rd quickest overall.
“Dirt racing is certainly not easy, but it is a lot of fun,” added Rohrbaugh. “We had a good truck at Bristol, but we faced certain obstacles that kept us from finishing better. We made some gains during practice on Thursday, so we’ll see what the rest of the week delivers.
“I really honestly think it’s going to be tough to pass, so you may see a lot of shoving and gouging – but that will be a welcomed sight for the fans. I think this inaugural race is certainly going to be one to remember.”
Rohrbaugh, 27, will make his 35th NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start in the inaugural Corn Belt 150.
CR7 Motorsports has 37 NCWTS starts to their credit with a career-best finish of third at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (February 2020). Additionally, the team owns six other top-10 finishes including two this season at Circuit of the Americas (fourth | Grant Enfinger) in May 2021 and Las Vegas (Nev.) Motor Speedway (seventh | Grant Enfinger) in March 2021. An 11th place qualifying effort at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (Oct. 2019) is the team’s best time trials effort to date.
CR7 Motorsports holds a respectable 24th in the championship owner standings participating in 11 of the 13 races this season.
In 20 career ARCA starts, Rohrbaugh has a best finish of seventh twice at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (July 2018 and Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (February 2019). He has qualified a career-best fourth on four different occasions, most recently at Kansas Speedway (Oct. 2018).
Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are also available for the No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, as well as the team’s ARCA Menards Series No. 97 A.L.L. Construction | Grant County Mulch Chevrolet program with driver Jason Kitzmiller for the 2021 seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact tonya@gcmulch.com or 304.257.8783.
The Corn Belt 150 presented by Premier Chevy Dealers (150 laps | 75 miles) is the 14th of 22 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races on the 2021 schedule. The lone practice begins on Thurs., Jul. 8, 2021, at 6:05 p.m. – 7:25 p.m. Qualifying heat races begin on race day, Fri. Jul. 9, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The 40-truck field will take the green flag later that night shortly after 8:00 p.m. CT with live coverage on FOX Sports 1, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio NASCAR Channel 90.
