Category: Other Series PR

CLERMONT, Indiana (July 29, 2012) – – Tom Hessert III (@TomHessert) didn’t have the strongest No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala in practice or qualifying on Friday afternoon at Lucas Oil Raceway Park at Indianapolis but when the checkered flag was thrown in the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care, Hessert stormed to an impressive runner-up finish.

It was clear that the Cherry Hill, New Jersey native wasn’t fazed about the performance of his No. 52 Federated Auto Parts as Hessert and crew chief Donnie Richeson recently tested at the facility where they worked on several adjustments preparing themselves for any situation that may fall into their laps for the 13th race on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards tour.

Even though Mother Nature attempted to wash away track time for the ARCA Racing Series competitors, the Ken Schrader Racing (KSR) team posted the 12th and 17th quickest laps in the two practice sessions respectively. The long-time ARCA veteran would debrief with his crew chief following happy hour about wholesale changes to be made to their No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala leaning into qualifying.

In time trials, Hessert stepped up to the plate and maneuvered his bowtie around the .686-mile oval in 22.675 seconds at 108.999 miles per hour – landing him 12th overall on the starting grid for the ninth ARCA race held at Lucas Oil Raceway.

From the drop of the green flag, Hessert wasn’t afraid to mash the gas and attempt to move his way to the front. In a wad of traffic, the 26-year old found himself 14th overall by lap five. 10 laps later though Hessert found himself inside the top-10 and pedaling forward.

The first yellow flag of the day waived on lap 20 with the popular driver idling in the 10th position. Hovering in the 10th position through lap 35 – Hessert would make the move for ninth passing Grant Enfinger and setting his sights on points leader Chris Buescher.

10 laps after passing Enfinger, Hessert was able to make the move by Buescher coming out of turn two onto the backstretch moving him into eighth. The second caution flag of the day would waive on lap 52 when leader Matt Crafton crashed in turn one moving Hessert into the seventh spot. The yellow offered the opportunity for the lead pack including Hessert to come to pit lane for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment to help Hessert rotate his automobile around the track.

Racing resumed on lap 61 with Hessert in ninth despite two leaders staying out on the racetrack on older tires. By lap 70, Hessert had momentarily slipped back to 10th but just two laps later, the driver made a move on Brennan Poole and quickly caught the pack of sixth through eighth. On lap 75, Hessert moved into seventh and set his sights again on passing Enfinger and Matt Lofton.

Through the halfway mark, the former NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car star hovered in eighth but in reach of seventh. The caution waived for the third time on lap 107 allowing Hessert to communicate with Richeson about his racecar. With the leaders electing to stay out, the KSR gang did the same.

Maintaining his space inside the top-10, the yellow would waive for debris on lap 134 allowing Hessert to make his final pit stop of the evening. Richeson called for four tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment.   The adjustments proved to be pivotal for Hessert as his No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala came to life within the final sixty laps of the race. Restarting 10th with 40 laps remaining, Hessert’s began rocketing through the field and with some courageous driving, the second-generation driver found himself third with 34 laps to go.

He remained in the podium position behind the No. 6 of Mason Mitchell but also tried to keep fourth place competitor Brennan Poole at bay. With 23 laps remaining, Poole on fresher tires would be to work his way around the No. 52 dropping Hessert to fourth.

Hessert’s chances of fighting his way back into the top-three came back to life when the caution flag waived inside eight laps remaining allowing him to tuck into the trenches of leaders Frank Kimmel, Mitchell and Poole.

The race restarted with three laps remaining with Mitchell spinning his tires on the restart and quickly allowing Hessert to move into third. Hessert now found himself battling the Venturini Motorsports duo of Poole and Kevin Swindell for second place. As the trio exited turn three coming to two laps to go – casual short track contact was made between Poole and Hessert which allowed the No. 52 to soar into second and take the checkered flag behind winner Frank Kimmel.

“We had a really solid night,” said Hessert. “Our No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala was good. Kenny (Schrader), Donnie (Richeson) and the KSR guys gave me a good car. We worked at it on practice. It wasn’t the best. When we started the race, we were a little free then got it too tight then were able to get it comfortable. The No. 6 car had a rough restart there at the end and we were able to get a couple spots and it got pretty wild there with a couple to go in turn three but it worked out in our favor.  It was a good race, I’m just proud of the guys and I’m happy to be back in the top-five.”

The run was Hessert’s fourth top-five of the year and season-best thus far in 2012. Overall, it was the team’s seventh top-10 in 12 races. The last time Hessert notched a runner-up finish in the ARCA Racing Series occurred at the Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) where he finished second after starting seventh last August.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return trip to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for the running of the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 in a double-header combo with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) at the 2.5-mile triangle. The 14th race of the year will air live on SPEED beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

Exiting Indianapolis, Hessert has 95 career ARCA Racing Series starts. In those outings, he has maneuvered two poles, one win, 23 top-fives and 50 top-10s.

For more on Tom Hessert III, please visit tomhessert.com.

Hessert has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @TomHessert.

CLERMONT, Indiana (July 29, 2012) – – Korbin Forrister’s (@korbinforrister) headed into Friday night’s Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care at Lucas Oil Raceway with the goal and intentions of completing all 200 laps. However, his goal would be shattered just eight laps from the finish. After adapting to the heavier stock-cars through a series of start-and-parks, Forrister would be handed the wheel of the No. 68 Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion to have a shot at enhancing his learning curve even more at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

With former ARCA champion crew chief and car owner Bill Kimmel calling the shots for the 19-year old, the duo would bond together to find a comfortable setup for the rookie.Despite battling Mother Nature during the two practice sessions, Forrister was able to embrace critical track time to help become familiar with the track’s unique .686-mile oval.

In happy hour, the final practice run before qualifying, Forrister mounted 27th overall in a very competitive field after turning a lap of 23.508 seconds at 105.054 miles per hour, three tenths of a second faster than their previous run earlier in the day.

In qualifying, a bobble by the driver of the No. 68 Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion forced a lap of 23.804 seconds transferring to a speed of 103.747 miles per hour. The lap was 30th quickest overall but the Cedartown, Georgia native lined up 29th for his inaugural run at the historic short track. At the start of the 200-lap event, Forrister raced the racetrack – gunning for each position available. Hovering inside the top-25 for a majority of the first-half of the 200 lap event, Forrister’s tasks of finishing the race looked feasible.

It was evident that the driver’s comfort zone with the track during the second-half of the race, his lap times improved considerably and he began fighting for positions with his competition on the same circuit of his No. 68 Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion. With the driver pleased with the overall handling of his automobile and running in the top-20 inside the race’s final 15 laps of the 13th race of the year – it appeared that the Limited Late Model (LLM) pro would emerge from the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care unscathed.

Unfortunately, with eight laps remaining and running with another lapped car, a hungry pack of lead laps cars closed in on them and contact was made in the group sending the No. 68 Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion around on the frontstretch and hard into the inside retaining wall. The damage would ultimately end the team’ night resulting in a 24th place run.

“I learned an awful lot,” offered Forrister. “I wish we would have had the opportunity to test, but this Kimmel Racing team gave me everything I asked for and more. I wish I could have become more comfortable with the higher groove earlier in the race – because the car was really fast once I figured the track out. Unfortunately, by then we were too far behind. I’m also real sorry to the guys for bringing our Tilted Kilt Ford home damaged. I was in a pack with the leaders and lapped cars and there was contact and I went spinning towards the wall. It’s just a shame, because I was just hoping to see the checkered flag and bring these guys home a respectable finish. I guess it was just one of those racing deals. I just want to thank Bill (Kimmel), Will (Kimmel), the guys and Tilted Kilt for making this opportunity possible.”

Kimmel offered his thoughts on his development driver’s performance at LOR. “Korbin definitely made some huge strides from practice to the race and we’re extremely proud of him for that,” he said. “It was a tough field, there’s no hiding that. This was just another opportunity for Korbin to acquire more seat time, learn more about these cars and earn respect from his competitors. The ending didn’t turn out like we wanted too, but sometimes that’s just it goes. He’ll be back at Springfield and we’ll hope for a strong showing there.”

In addition to Indianapolis, Forrister will drive for Kimmel Racing in upcoming events at the Illinois State Fairgrounds (August 19) and the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds (September 3).

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return trip to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for the running of the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 in a double-header combo with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) at the 2.5-mile triangle. The 14th race of the year will air live on SPEED beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

For additional input on Kimmel Racing, please log on to kimmelracing.com.

Stay tuned for a newly re-launched website on Korbin Forristeratkorbinforristerracing.com.

See the buzz for yourself on Tilted Kilt by clicking on TiltedKilt.com.

LONG POND, Pennsylvania (August 1, 2012) – – Josh Williams (@Josh02Williams) will turn 19 this Friday. Though still considered a teenager, the Port Charlotte, Florida native hopes his maturity will shine as the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards returns to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for Saturday afternoon’s running of the Pennsylvania ARCA 125.

On the heels of a respectable 13th place finish in the most recent race at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis where the driver of the No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction / Fields Auto Parts Ford Fusion wrestled an extremely tight automobile – he now returns to one of his favorite race tracks hoping his “early” Birthday wish will indeed come true.

“I’m coming back to Pocono looking to finish what we started in June,” said Williams. “We busted our tails to put a new car together and brought it to Pocono and had a 10th place run. Unfortunately, that car is on jack stands in the shop after our Michigan practice mishap. But, we’ve been thrashing on a new car and I’m wishing we’ll be able to duplicate or better our performance this weekend.”

The new car that the team is refereeing to has a pretty solid track record. After originating from Roush Fenway Racing, the team since acquired it from RAB Racing with Brack Maggard and is ready to put the blue oval back on the pavement.

“Being a small team, we don’t have a lot of resources that some of the other teams are fortunate enough to have,” he said. “However, it’s a comforting feeling to know that there are other teams on the circuit who do want to help us and like to see us succeed – so another strong finish would not only be a soothing feeling for us – but I think for them too. We greatly appreciate their support.”

Unlike June where Williams had 80 laps to maneuver his No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Ford Fusion to his second top-10 of the year – he’ll have just 50 laps to get the job done meaning that all bets will more than likely go out the window.

“It’s a sprint, literally,” the Floridian added. “I really didn’t realize it until I looked at the schedule at the beginning of the week. We’ve been talking in the shop on how we’ll deal with different situations, because we have to be prepared for anything. I think Saturday will be a lot about luck and track position. I think you’ll see a competitive race where it may not be so much about give – but a lot of take. I could be wrong. We’ll see. If we can just come out of there with a top-10; it will be a great day.”

Williams will again continue to sport his new helmet signifying his involvement with RAD (Racing Against Drugs). A slick Simpson helmet decked out in a stimulating and gasping design by Shell Shock, Williams will wear the piece through this weekend before auctioning it off in August with the proceeds being directly donated to the RAD program.

“The helmet’s gained a lot of attention because it looks so cool,” Williams explained. “RAD is such a great program and their techniques really do help make you think before choosing a path you may not want to follow. I enjoy my affiliation with them and we hope to gain them some additional attention with our team mission.”

The Pennsylvania ARCA 125(50 laps / 125 miles) is the 14th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 55th ARCA event in Long Pond will be a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, August 3 with an hour and twenty minute session planned from 1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:15 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, August 4 following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Pocono Mountains 125 set to launch shortly after 3:00 p.m.  The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional coverage including timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

After 13 races, JWM has competed in 12 of them and occupies a respectable 13th in the championship standings, just 50 markers from 11th. This season, the team has amounted three top-10 finishes including a season best of ninth at Salem (Ind.) Speedway. An 11th place qualifying run at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in June is the team’s best time trials effort to date thus far.

For more information on Josh Williams, his Josh Williams Motorsports team and sponsorship opportunities for the 2012 and 2013 seasons please connect to the team’s official website at Joshwracing.com.

Williams has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @Josh02Williams.

LONG POND, Pennsylvania (August 1, 2012) – – For the first time in over a year, Matt Merrell will return to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards tour reuniting with Win-Tron Racing for Saturday’s Pennsylvania ARCA 125 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

Even though the reunion is long-overdue, the history between the Portland, Texas native and the Lakeville, Minnesota-based team extends back many years which included competition in the CARS Pro Cup Series (formerly known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series) – it was though last July that the team made magic after Merrell made a late race charge at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway to net his first career ARCA Racing Series win on July 9 after starting third.

Set to roll into the emotions of returning to the ARCA tour, the Texan is eager to prove that despite his lack of presence on the track – he hasn’t forgotten how to wheel the No. 32 Win-Tron Racing Toyota Camry. In fact, before his impressive win in the Great Lakes State, the 2.5-mile triangle was one of Merrell’s sweet stops on the tour as he’s never finished outside the top-10 in his three previous starts.

Before finishing 10th in 2011, the 27-year old additionally boasted two top-five runs including a runner-up performance in the summer event of 2009. But, big things have happened to Pocono since Merrell has tackled the “Tricky Triangle” – including a complete repavement of the track’s surface. Even though he’ll be swimming in new waters this weekend, Merrell is hoping that some of his old tricks will still work on Saturday afternoon.

“First, I’m stoked about being back in a car with the guys at Win-Tron Racing,” said Merrell. “It feels like it’s been literally forever since I’ve been back at the race track. I love this team, I love the series and I love Pocono Raceway. No doubt that a few things have changed since I’ve last been behind the wheel but I’m okay with that. It just gives you the extra incentive to go out there and try and finish right where you left off.”

He added, “Pocono has always been good to me. Three races with two top-fives and three top-10s, I really can’t complain. But, those races have always been over 50 laps – this weekend that won’t be the case. It’s a shootout. But, I like a challenge and I’m looking forward to that opportunity of potentially pulling our No. 32 Win-Tron Racing Toyota Camry back into victory lane.”

Merrell says his long-term goal of returning to the ARCA scene on a more permanent basis looks optimistic.“We have a lot of stuff in the works and it looks promising, but we will see,” he said. “No doubt that a good run at Pocono will help us in those negotiations and we’ll see how everything unfolds. I’m hopeful, that’s for sure.”

Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his sentiments on welcoming Merrell back to the circuit. “There isn’t a driver that we would like to have back in the seat at Pocono Raceway other than Matt,” he said. “He has a gift for that place and has it figured out. I think the repavement of the track will only benefit him. We’re confident that we can go to the track this weekend – be strong out of the box and with his talent and ability our chances are as good as any on Saturday afternoon.”

Merrell is set to make his 25th career ARCA start Saturday afternoon. In his previous 24 starts, he has amassed one win, nine top-fives and 12 top-10 finishes. His best starting position based on speed occurred at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in June of 2009 where he rolled off second.

The Pennsylvania ARCA 125(50 laps / 125 miles) is the 14th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 55th ARCA event in Long Pond will be a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, August 3 with an hour and twenty minute session planned from 1:40 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:15 p.m. The event will take the green flag on Saturday, August 4 following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ Pocono Mountains 125 set to launch shortly after 3:00 p.m.  The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional coverage including timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.comor contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641

About Win-Tron Racing:

Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus, Aleks Gregory and Merrell.

July 25, 2012. Saskatoon, Sask. – Scott Steckly earned another top five finish on Wednesday at the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway behind the wheel of his #22 Canadian Tire Dodge. Despite the respectable high-placing finish, this is Steckly’s second-straight disappointing weekend of a significant lead falling short by the finish line.

Steckly and his crew had a smooth day of practice laps on the afternoon of the race, only needing to make a few minor adjustments as qualifying neared later that day. #22’s Canadian Tire Dodge ran fast in practice but loose during qualifying, and Steckly earned a 7^th place starting position.

However, he saw the silver lining on his vehicle’s state of affairs: “We were a bit loose in qualifying, but we expect the track conditions to change and tighten up a bit so we think we’ll be good for the race,” Steckly explained after practice.

When the race kicked off, Steckly quickly left 7^th place in the dust and made a strong push for the lead position. #22 leapt into the top five, stalking the leaders and aggressively collecting spots. Steckly’s efforts paid off during lap 79, when he propelled his Canadian Tire Dodge to the front of the pack. #22 remained up front until lap 131, only relinquishing his spot for a necessary pit stop.

After servicing his vehicle, Steckly had to claw his way back to contend with the race leaders and had difficulties regaining his frontrunner position as the race progressed.

Steckly managed to edge his way into the top five, but the 250-lap race concluded before he could collect any more spots and #22 was the fourth driver to cross the finish line.

“We weren’t quite as good after our pit stop but we chose not to pit again since we didn’t want to give up all the track position,” Steckly said after the race. “Maybe we should have pitted and adjusted on the car, we were a fourth place car and most likely would have benefitted from an extra push.”

Steckly’s 4th place finish holds on to his 2^nd overall ranking in the standings with 280 total points. Steckly is 41 points behind #1 DJ Kennington and five points ahead of #3 Andrew Ranger.

The Velocity Prairie Thunder presented by Bayer Crop Science will be broadcast on TSN2 on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 6:30 p.m. ET and RDS2 on Sunday, Sept. 2 at 6:30 p.m. ET.

Next on the schedule for the 22 Racing/Canadian Tire Team is the Grand Prix de Trois Rivieres on Aug. 3-5.

22 Racing is supported by the following sponsors:  Canadian Tire, Motomaster Eliminator, Sylvania, Erb Group, Mobil 1 and AW Millwrights.

July 25, 2012. Saskatoon, Sask. – The Auto Clearing Motor Speedway wasn’t kind to Jason White and his #21 A&W Dodge. A technicality forced him to sit out of the first practice, and the loss of practice time combined with mechanical issues sent his day at the oval spiraling.

A discrepancy with some safety equipment on his #21 A&W Dodge disqualified Jason White from the first practice session earlier in the day. The loss of practice time crippled his qualifying and he earned a disappointing 20^th starting position for the race.

As White and the field approached the green flag to start the race, #21’s day went from bad to worse.

“I was on the back stretch just scrubbing my tires and we popped an axle,” White explained.

White eased his #21 A&W Dodge down the pit lane as the field took the green and dejectedly sat while the team made hasty repairs to fix the axel.

“It was an extremely tough break,” he said after the race. “If we had been allowed out for first practice, this problem may have occurred during practice and we would’ve been fine in the race.”

White’s broken axel put him down numerous laps behind the competition before he even started his initial lap.

Once his crew completed the repairs to his vehicle, White pressed on. “When we did get out, I was running right up with the leaders’ times,” he said. “I don’t think the leaders passed us once on the track.”

White completed 214 laps of the 250-lap race, soldiering through and finishing right where he started: 20th place.

“It has been a tough five days here in Edmonton and Saskatoon,” White said. “But we’ll regroup and be ready to get back at it at Trois-Rivieres”.

Jason White and the #21 Dodge team will compete in the entire 2012 NCATS schedule that will take the team from coast to coast in Canada for the 12 events.  Next on the schedule teams will race at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres August 5^th.  For the latest news about Jason White and the #21 Dodge team check out the team website at www.jasonwhiteracing.com and be sure to follow Jason on twitter for the latest updates @racinjasonwhite  You can get more information about the NCATS series at www.hometracks.nascar.com

July 25, 2012. Saskatoon, Sask. – Ron Beauchamp Jr. earned a top ten finish on Wednesday at the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway behind the wheel of his #60 Mopar Parts/Exide Batteries/Mobil 1 Dodge, but only after overcoming a late mechanical setback that knocked him out of the top five.

During the first practice session early in the day, Beauchamp’s #60 Mopar Parts/Exide Batteries/Mobil 1 Dodge was running quick. They made a few last-minute adjustments in the last half an hour of practice, but soon realized they didn’t like the changes.

“We were a very first car in the first session and we made some adjustments to try and make it better,” Beauchamp explained. “We didn’t end up liking the changes we made, so we went back to where we were with a few little tweaks.”

After correcting the last-minute changes at the end of practice, Beauchamp qualified 6^th. Although during qualifying, #60 dealt with some tightness in the middle of the corner, something Beauchamp said hindered him in obtaining a higher starting position.

Beauchamp had a solid start to the beginning of the race, running consistently in the top five. #60 made a scheduled stop for fuel and tires, and his Mopar Parts/Exide Batteries/Mobil 1 Dodge continued to run well as he held on to fifth place late in the race.

As #60 looked to make a late-race push to advance through the top five, his car hiccuped in the closing few laps and he lost power. Beauchamp quickly diagnosed the ignition box had failed, and he quickly switched to back up and the car came back to full song.

Unfortunately for #60, he lost several positions after the ignition box failure and there weren’t enough laps remaining in the race to recover. Beauchamp finished up the race in 8^th place, down two from his 6^th place starting position.

“It’s frustrating to be that close to a top five finish and suffer a late setback. It hurts a bit,” Beauchamp said after the race. “But we’ve got some positive momentum going and we’re looking forward to Trois-Rivieres.”

In the overall championship standings Ron Beauchamp Jr. sits, is tied for fifth after seven races.

Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team will be back in action Wednesday at Auto Clearing Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.   For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on towww.beauchampmotorsports.com and www.mopar.ca

July 26, 2012.  Following another solid outing over the weekend Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Noel Dowler was right back in action Wednesday night at Auto Clearing Motor Speedway in Saskatoon, SK.  This marked the second visit to the 1/3 mile oval for the young racer who battled hard all night in the #5 EMCO Dodge.

The team worked hard during practice to ensure the #5 EMCO Dodge was consistent throughout the 250 lap feature that evening.  Dowler posted the 12^th quickest time during the first practice session and crew continued to try and make improvements.  “The car was pretty good during practice and the team worked to find that little bit more we needed” said Dowler.

Dowler would qualify the #5 EMCO Dodge 18^th and start the main event from the inside of row nine.  Unfortunately for them the race would open with an extended green flag run.  Starting that far back, another issue popped up in the carburetor and it wasn’t long before the leaders were able to drop Dowler down a lap.  “It’s unfortunate we got down a lap in the early going that kind of changed our strategy a little bit” he stated.

Still with plenty of racing left Dowler set out to achieve the best possible finish in the #5 EMCO Dodge.  “I just tried to be consistent and run a solid lap every time around and be considerate of the leaders on the track” explained Dowler.

A scheduled pit stop later in the race would also prove to be costly.  While on pit road the engine stopped because of the carburetor problem and the team had difficulty getting the car re fired.  “That was kind of a tough one” said Dowler.  “The engine just wouldn’t turn over and we lost more ground there” he added.

When the checkered flag waved Dowler would finish the evening 16^th, up two spots from his starting position.  “This was a tough night for us” said the #5 EMCO Dodge driver.  “Everybody worked so hard and I can’t thank them enough.  I love racing at this track and look forward to the next time we’re back, right now we’ll shift our focus to the upcoming road races.  he stated.

The 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series returns to action August 4 & 5 at the Grand Prix of Trois-Rivieres.     The series features 12 events from coast to coast including races during the Edmonton Indy weekend and the NASCAR Nationwide event in Montreal.  For more information about Noel Dowler Jr. log onto www.apollomotorsports.ca and follow him on twitter, @noeldowler.

July 25, 2012. Saskatoon, Sask. – Jarrad Whissell made big strides behind the wheel of his #44 Komatsu/SMS Ford on Wednesday at the Auto Clearing Motor Speedway despite his limited experience driving oval tracks and mechanical issues halting his qualifying laps.

The first practice session uncovered a problem with the upper control arm, but after making the repairs, Whissell and his crew were reasonably pleased with the times they were recording. However mechanical troubles plagued them again, as the #44 Komatsu/SMS Ford never completed a qualifying lap due to suspension issues again in the right front.

“The problem we had with the bracket in practice caused a failure during our qualifying run, and we broke the sway bar link,” Whissell said. “The guys did a great job to make the repairs and overcome the problem to get the car ready for the race.”

Whissell’s inability to qualify landed him at the back of the field for the main event later that day.

#44 took it easy in the early going of the race as he struggled to collect spots and pass his tough competitors. The long stretch of green and Whissell’s strained passing opportunities caused him to lose a lap early on.

Whissell’s car again showed some instability, when around the lap 80 it began to push. #44 forged on, making his scheduled stop for fuel and handling adjustments. On his second schedule stop, this time for tires, there was a miscue in the pits and Whissell fell behind another lap.

Luckily for #44 and his crew, the Komatsu/SMS Ford ran fast during the end of the race and made up for lost time. Despite losing two laps and the various mechanical issues that sprung up, #44 prevailed and made efforts to finish as strong as possible. Whissell crossed the finish line 11^th, up 11 spots from his dead last, 22^nd place start.

Jarrad Whissell will race next in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series event during the NASCAR Nationwide weekend in Montreal August 17 & 18.  Follow the progress of the team and help support the Children’s Miracle Network through the team website www.jarradwhissell.com  You can also follow Jarrad on twitter, @JarradWhissell and also check out the team fan page on Facebook. Fans can watch all of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series races again this year on TSN.

CLERMONT, Indiana (July 25, 2012) – -It’s a big weekend in the State of Indiana. With the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) tackling the glamorous Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will be just a few miles away competing at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis for the running of the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care Friday night.

For Cherry Hill, New Jersey native Tom Hessert III, the Friday night fight under the lights at Lucas Oil Raceway provides an opportunity to shine and put a stretch of bad races behind him and focus on having a good run in the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala.

Hessert, a long-time ARCA Racing Series veteran will be the first to tell you that he enjoys short track racing. From Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, Salem (Ind.) Speedway, Toledo Speedway, Elko (Minn.) Speedway and Iowa Speedway, Hessert’s raced at them all for Ken Schrader Racing (KSR) this season. With three top-fives and six top-10s added to his resume in 2012, the likable driver is determined to spice up the competition and put his No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala in the hunt for a victory in ARCA’s 12th race of the season.

“I’m ready for this weekend,” said Hessert. “I always enjoy some good short track racing. In ARCA, the competition is always fierce and you can never count anything or anyone out until the end. Overall, the short tracks have been our strengths this season for the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet, so I’m hoping we can go to Lucas Oil Raceway and improve on what we delivered there last year.”

Rewinding back to a year ago, ARCA’s return to the .686-mile oval in nearly two and a half decades, Hessert was able to showcase his short track skills by maneuvering his No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet from his 17th place starting position before taking the checkered flag in fifth. Undoubtedly, having the experience of competing in last year’s contest – the 26-year old is hoping that will play into his favor.

“You definitely need to find the balance between rolling through the center well but still keep your forward drive off,” Hessert explained. “Lucas Oil Raceway is a very unique place and has a different level of grip. That showed between the test and the race last year. The track is very sensitive to weather, so we’ll have to bear that in mind as we’re adjusting our car throughout the day because we’ll be practicing and qualifying during the day, but the race will conclude under the lights. Everyone on this KSR team is prepared for whatever we may be faced with. I love racing there and can’t wait to get back.”

An extra incentive for Hessert this weekend is the presence of his marketing partner Federated Auto Parts, whose Federated Car Care division will serve as the presenting sponsor for Friday night’s rumble.

“It’s truly been a blessing to work with the folks at Federated Auto Parts and their divisions,” Hessert continued. “I’ve really enjoyed getting to meet all of the corporate representatives and a lot of their cliental. I know we’re going to have some representatives in the grandstands on Friday night, so hopefully with their cheers and chats, we can reward them with a deserving finish.”

The Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care(200 laps / 137 miles) is the 13th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The ninth ARCA race at LOR is a one-day show. Practice begins Friday, July 27 with a forty-five practice session planned from 1:35 p.m. – 2:20 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag under the lights shortly after 9:00 p.m.

The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional coverage including timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

Entering Indianapolis, Hessert has 94 career ARCA Racing Series starts. In those outings, he has maneuvered two poles, one win, 22 top-fives and 49 top-10s.

For more on Tom Hessert III, please visit tomhessert.com.

Hessert has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @TomHessert.