Category: Other Series PR

[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”360″][/media-credit]TOLEDO, Ohio (May 21, 2012) – – Despite limited sponsorship, Josh Williams and his family-owned Josh Williams Motorsports (JWM) team continued to show that they can contend with the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards best of the best’ in Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

 

After practice on Saturday, the team adjusted their No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Ford Fusion,accordingly for Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell. During time trials, Williams laid down the 17^th quickest lap and noted that he was confident in his racecar’s abilities for the upcoming contest.

 

The green flag waived shortly after 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon with the 18-year old quickly on the move in his blue oval. Rising from 17^th to 14^th in the first 30 laps of the event, Williams would fall to 15^th and remain there through the race’s first 65 circuits.

A caution allowed some of the leaders to pit road with the JWM team electing to keep their Port Charlotte, Florida native on the track placing him ninth for the lap 69 restart. Being knocked around like a Ping-Pong ball from competitors on newer tires, Williams showed great throttle and car control after being knocked sideways shortly after the restart.

Another caution on lap 73 allowed the Floridian to catch his breath and regroup. Still, despite the shuffle, Williams’ automobile remained in the top-10 and by lap 75 held steady in eighth. 10 laps later, he had climbed to seventh.

By the halfway point, Williams had dropped to 11^th after being overtaken by a wad of cars on fresher Hoosier rubber. Still, Williams wasn’t going down without a fight and his lap times were evident of that.

A caution for a melee on the backstretch shortly after the half-way mark allowed the prime opportunity for the Concord, North Carolina-based team to bring their driver to pit road for tires and fuel. Despite a congested pit road, Williams would realign in the field 15^th for the lap 117 restart.

 

Fishing for position on the restart, Williams would briefly slide back in the running order before his car began to adapt to the track’s condition which saw the No. 02 climb to 14^th by lap 140.

 

With fifty laps remaining, the former INEX Legend Car Series star still sat 14^th but had the top-10 competitors within his sight. Through the race’s final laps, Williams was able to teeter into the top-10 before being knocked back into the 13^th position when the checkered flag flew.

“Parts of that race were real dirty,” offered Williams. “You know there are only four of us working in the shop full-time, myself included and there really seemed to be a lack of respect by some of the other guys out there for literally no reason. Trust me, we try and make big things happen with the little that we do have. We were more than capable of finishing inside the top-10, but we weren’t going to destroy a racecar to do it. 13^th is good, but we were a lot better. Still, we’ll take the consistency in stride and march on. I’m really proud of the guys on this team and especially want to thank my parents for their continued support. We’ll be back and ready to get after it again in Elko.”

 

Even though they didn’t finish inside the top-10 in the finishing order, the JWM team did march into the top-10 as far as the championship chase is concerned. With their third straight top-15 run, Williams now sits 10^th in the ARCA Racing Series point standings sitting just 60 points from ninth place runner Matt Lofton.

 

“We’ve made huge and I mean huge gains in the points over the last three races, so that’s encouraging,” offered Williams. “We just have to find some more sponsorship for our JWM entry, so we can keep going. We have some things in the works; I’m just hoping it all materializes soon.”

 

Next up on the tour is the sixth stop of the season at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, a new track for the series’ 60^th anniversary tour. The Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care is set for Saturday, June 2. The green flag is set to fly shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the one-day show with live timing and scoring plus radio coverage available through the ARCA Racing Network online at ARCARacing.com.

 

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

 

[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”360″][/media-credit]TOLEDO, Ohio (May 21, 2012) – – Lafayette, Louisiana native Buster Graham made his Toledo Speedway debut Sunday in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care. His performance during the 200-lap slugfest was a clear indicator that the former hydroplane racer transition to stock-cars continues to show major improvement.

 

After producing productive lap times in his No. 88 Batter’s Dreams / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion during the two practice sessions on Saturday, the Team BCR Racing team led by crew chief Jim Pearce turned their attention towards Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell. Showing that he was giving nothing less than 100 percent behind the wheel, Graham’s automobile broke loose out of the exit of turns three and four but the ARCA rookie did a great job regaining control of his automobile and would start the fifth race of the season from the 31^st position.

 

Knowing he had a long way to go to the front, the former CARS Pro Cup Series driver was anxious to see the green flag to make a dent on the competition.

 

Throughout the first half of one of the most competitive Toledo Speedway fields in recent memory, Graham had climbed his No. 88 Batter’s Dreams / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion up to the 23^rd position by lap 75.

 

By the halfway point, Graham continued to fight the competition and was hovering competitively in the 24^th position waiting for the opportune time for Pearce to bring him to pit road for service.

The opportunity arose on lap 11 when chaos ensued on the backstretch with a multi-car incident brought out the caution and allowed of the teams to enter pit road to make adjustments to their vehicle. Under the pause, the Team BCR Racing team performed their duties on pit road and sent their driver back into battle.

During the second-half of the race, Graham continued to mount laps and gain valuable experience behind the wheel of his No. 88 Batter’s Dreams /RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion. Idling between 21^st and 24^th throughout the rigorous final laps of the event, when the checkered flag was flown, Graham would be scored with a respectable yet strong 23^rd place finish in his Toledo debut.

 

“I really learned a lot at Toledo,” said Graham. “I don’t have a lot of experience on the short tracks but these guys on the Team BCR Racing team really keep me pumped up during the race and the horsepower from RoushYates is massive. I was able to follow (Chris) Buescher for some laps and I learned a lot from him and some of the other veterans out there. I really like the track too. It’s a fun place to race. Moving forward though, we’re really pumped about our upcoming races at Pocono and Michigan.”

“I’m proud of Buster,” said Team BCR Racing manager Howard Bixman. “He poured his heart and soul into this race and undoubtedly learned a lot. The car’s is good shape and his experience at Toledo will help him in future races, so I’m really happy with our efforts.”

Next up on the tour is the sixth stop of the season at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, a new track for the series’ 60^th anniversary tour. The Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care is set for Saturday, June 2. The green flag is set to fly shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the one-day show with live radio coverage available through the ARCA Racing Network online at ARCARacing.com.

For more information including marketing partnerships for the 2012 ARCA Racing Series season for Team BCR Racing and Buster Graham, please log on toteambcr.com.

Buster Graham has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @bustergraham88.

For more on Batter’s Dream, please visit Battersdream.com.

Connect with RoushYates Performance Products and RoushYates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.

About Batter’s Dream:

Batter’s Dream is an automated ball feeding system (pitching machine) that allows baseball hitters and softball hitters to maximize time in the batting cage by getting more quality cuts without fixing a tee. One of the key benefits of the Batter’s Dream batting machines is that it allows batters the freedom to focus on rhythm, stance, timing and swing speed without the need for a second person. Simply put, Batter’s Dream is the most effective, simple and easy-to-use soft toss system ever invented to help improve a hitter’s mechanics and increase their batting average.

[media-credit name=”Ashley McCubbin” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]Corey Moesker captured his very first Feature Win with the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets at Sunset Speedway (Ont) Sunday night. Celebrating the Canadian Holiday weekend in front of a very large crowd of fans, Moesker led 24 of the 25 laps and was thrilled to do his first ‘victory lap’.

Thanking series sponsor Lucas Oil for all their support, Moesker said “It was a long time coming but the car was on rails tonight, thanks to my Dad and all his hard work.” He also said he has a long list of sponsors that have been with him from his 2008 Rookie season with the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets. He gave a big thanks to Broadway Service from Wyoming, Ont., MacDermid and Associates Cooperative Insurance, Grand Bend Speedway, Waddick Fuels, and Sure Signs.

At the start Tom Kyle took the lead followed by Moesker. Todd Cresswell was third with Rob Neely and Chris Holman on his tail. Moesker shot to the lead one lap later as 2011 defending Champion Darren McLennan moved into the top five from his 8th starting spot. Neely motored around Kyle on the next lap and set sites on Moesker. By lap five McLennan was now third followed by Cresswell and Holman. Passing Holman three laps later was the winner of the first race of the 2012 Lucas Oil Can-Am Midget series, Mack DeMan.

Moesker would open up a 3 car lead over Neely coming out of the corner but Neely would catch up going into the next one. McLennan began to hunt down Neely as the cars began to lap the field. By half way Moesker held his strong lead over Neely and McLennan while DeMan took the 4th spot from Cresswell. The first yellow came out on the next lap for a spin by Dave Hickson.

Knowing Neely and McLennan were knocking on his door, Moesker got a great restart. McLennan attached himself to Neely as DeMan held his spot. Cresswell had a battle with Holman for 5th place. With two laps to go Jeff Blackburn spun in turn three collecting David Balych. Balych was out of the race as Blackburn went to the rear for the restart.

Neely came close on the final lap but Moesker was not to be denied. McLennan finished third, followed by DeMan. With a final lap pass, Holman claimed 5th place from Cresswell. Rookie Adrian Stahle had a terrific run, starting in last place and finishing 8th.

Heats were won by Cresswell and Neely. In the first lap of the first heat race pole setter Dave Hickson had his trottle stick going into turn one and made contact with Barry Dunn sending him hard into the wall. Dunn was ok but his #24 will need repairs.  The ‘B’ feature was won by Mike Westwood driving for Cliff Hodkinson in #46.

The Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets next race will be a ‘joint venture’ race with the Casey’s Midgets at Lake Erie Speedway in Erie, PA., on June 9th.

Final finish for the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets at Sunset Speedway ….1. COREY MOESKER,…2. Rob Neely,  3. Darren McLennan,  4. Mack DeMan,  5. Chris Holman, 6. Todd Cresswell, 7. James Gray,  8. Adrian Stahle (R), 9. Keith Dempster,  10. Tom Kyle, 11. Mike Westwood, 12. Dave Hickson,  13. Jeff Blackburn, 14. Chris Bauman,  15. David Balych, 16. Earl Caine,  17. Rob DiVenanzo. DNS…Barry Dunn, Craig Mackereth.

Unofficial points for the Lucas Oil Can-Am Midgets as of May 20, 2012…1.MACK DEMAN…334,  2. Darren McLennan…325,  3. Rob Neely…298,  4. Corey Moesker…292,  5. James Gray…286,  6. Chris Holman…279,  7. Todd Cresswell…252,  8. David Balych…241,  9. Jeff Blackburn…238,  10. Tom Kyle…216,  11. Adrian Stahle (R)…207, 12. Mike Westwood…202,  13. Dave Hickson…195,  14. Chris Bauman…194,  15. Earl Caine…176,  16. Barry Dunn…168,  17. Rob DiVenanzo…167,  18. Dave McKnight Jr….149,  19. Greg Smulders…140,  20. Keith Dempster…120,  21…Andy Mackereth…103,  22. Craig Mackereth…52.

[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”360″][/media-credit]TOLEDO, Ohio (May 20, 2012) – – An uncharacteristically warm day at Toledo Speedway presented its challenges to many of the competitors in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care, but New Philadelphia, Ohio native Chad Hackenbracht would not be denied a top-10 finish in the fifth race of the season.

 

After practice on Saturday, the team led by veteran crew chief Kevin Reed adjusted their No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala accordingly for Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell. Being the first machine to tackle Toledo Speedway for time trials, Hackenbracht laid down an impeccable lap but would fall to seventh overall, awarding the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team with their fifth straight top-10 start of the year.

 

The green flag waived shortly after 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon with the 20-year old hovering in the seventh position through the race’s first 50 laps. For a number of laps, Hackenbracht stalked the No. 12 of Jared Marks and finally made the move around the fellow Ohio native by lap 52 moving him into the sixth position.

 

By lap 75, Hackenbracht remained in the sixth spot, but 10 laps later had climbed into the top-five. Five laps later though, Hackenbracht relinquished the spot to Grant Enfinger on newer tires.

 

At the half-way point, the rising star sat sixth and remained there until the caution flag waived on lap 111 allowing the opportunity for Reed to bring his protégé to pit lane for the first time of the day. A crowded pit lane saw the CGH Motorsports pilot exit behind Tom Hessert and restart the race in the 13^th position.

 

By lap 128, Hackenbracht sliced his way back into the top-10 and passed the No. 52 of Hessert to move into the eighth spot. Four laps later, he moved passed the No. 15 of Ryan Reed for seventh where he idled through lap 150.

 

Five laps later, the No. 58 returned back to the top-five in fifth, where he stayed through lap 181 when Hessert bumped him back to sixth. Through the remaining 19 laps, an ill-handling automobile would work against the driver, losing two more positions respectively before taking the checkered flag in the eighth position, delivering the team their third top-10 effort of the season.

 

“We’ll take a top-10 finish, but the run wasn’t exactly what we were hoping for,” said Hackenbracht. “We just could not get our No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala to adapt to the track conditions. The weather was surely unusual and I think it affected a lot of the cars out there, ourselves included. We fought a greasy track and a tight and loose racecar all day, we were just trying to hang on for track position, I just couldn’t move forward. Still, the car is in one-piece and we can march on to Elko and look to put ourselves back in the top-five there.”

 

His 13^th career top-10 occurred in his 33^rd ARCA Racing Series race. In the race for the championship, Hackenbracht slipped to fourth overall but gained significant ground for the top-spot and now sits just 30 markers from first now in control by Tom Hessert. Entering Toledo, he sat 70 points out of the prime spot.

 

Next up on the tour is the sixth stop of the season at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, a new track for the series’ 60^th anniversary tour. Hackenbracht however hails prior experience at the track in the Legends Car Series where he won the National Asphalt Championship in 2008. The Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care is set for Saturday, June 2. The green flag is set to fly shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the one-day show with live radio coverage available through the ARCA Racing Network online at ARCARacing.com.

 

CGH Motorsports still has marketing partnerships available for the 2012 ARCA Racing Series season. Interested parties can contact Jordan Dahl atJordan@cghmotorsports.com or 570.234.5449.

For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.com and CGHMotorsports.com.

To purchase the popular “What’s A Chad Hacken-Something” tee-shirt, please log on to store.cghmotorsports.com or CGHMotorsports.com.

Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.

About CGH Motorsports:

CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team has stepped up their commitment from a partial schedule in 2010 and ran a full-effort in 2011, and will attempt another full season of competition in 2012.

[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”360″][/media-credit]TOLEDO, Ohio (May 21, 2012) – – A gallant effort by Tom Hessert III Sunday afternoon at Toledo Speedway yielded the Cherry Hill, New Jersey native his second consecutive top-five finish of the year and ultimately the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship point’s lead following the conclusion of the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

 

After practice on Saturday, the team led by veteran crew chief Donnie Richeson adjusted their No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala accordingly for Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell. During time trials, Hessert laid down the 10^th quickest lap and noted that his racecar was impeccably improved from earlier in the day.

 

The green flag waived shortly after 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon with the 25-year old hovering in the top-15 through the race’s first 70 circuits. An extremely loose No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala saw Hessert manhandling his automobile in order to stay with the lead group.

Lap 66 offered the first opportunity for Richeson to bring his pilot to pit road for two right side tires and fuel which sat him for 14^th for the impending restart on lap 69.

Hessert’s strong day was nearly thwarted when the No. 42 of Clay Rogers went for a spin on the frontstretch on lap 73 and in the direct path of Hessert. Superb car-control and attentiveness by the ARCA veteran allowed him to escape the scene of the incident completely unscathed.

 

By the halfway point, the former CARS Pro Cup Series (formally known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series) had climbed back to 10^th and clearly on the move.

Chaos however broke out on the backstretch on lap 111 immediately throwing a yellow-flag over the track and another opportune time for Richeson to bring the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala for his final planned stop of the day. A jam-packed pit road with mere inches separating the racecars leaving the congested area, Hessert would find himself 13^th for a lap 117 restart.

 

11 laps later, Hessert had cleverly maneuvered his Ken Schrader Racing (KSR) vehicle into ninth and posting some of the quickest laps in the field. With 50 laps remaining, Hessert found himself eighth and the slickness of the sun-covered track aiding them in their effort in catching the cars ahead of him.

 

By lap 152 after a brief caution, Hessert found himself sixth on the grid and in the clutches of the No. 58 of Chad Hackenbracht. By lap 181, Hessert was finally able to make the move by Hackenbracht rising to fifth overall.

With the track under green flag conditions, Hessert quickly began reeling in the third and fourth place cars of Grant Enfinger and Clint King – but ran out of laps to make the passes. Instead, Hessert took the checkered flag in fifth, notching his fourth top-10 finish in the year’s first five contests.

 

The team’s efforts during the 200-lap contest allowed the former NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car star to swallow a 55-margin to previous championship leader Brennan Poole and gain sole control of the championship standings and hold a 15-point cushion over second-place competitor Chris Buescher.

 

“Overall, it was a strong day for everyone on this Federated Auto Parts Racing team,” said Hessert. “We had to chase the handling of our car a little bit, but I don’t think we were alone in that department. In the end, our car was handling at it’s best and we just needed a couple more laps to get around those guys ahead of us. But, still we’ll take fifth and the points lead and see if we can’t keep this momentum on our side heading to Elko. I’m just really proud of Donnie (Richeson) and the guys and can’t thank Ken Schrader (team owner) for the opportunity.”

Next up on the tour is the sixth stop of the season at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, a new track for the series’ 60^thanniversary tour. The Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care is set for Saturday, June 2. The green flag is set to fly shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the one-day show with live radio coverage available through the ARCA Racing Network online at ARCARacing.com.

Exiting Toledo, Hessert has 88 career ARCA Racing Series starts. In those outings, he has maneuvered two poles, one win, 21 top-fives and 47 top-10s.

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

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

[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”360″][/media-credit]TOLEDO, Ohio (May 21, 2012) – – Charles (C.J.) Evans Jr. made his third ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start of the season Sunday afternoon at Toledo Speedway and his strong showing produced his best finish of the year thus far in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

After practice on Saturday, the team led by veteran crew chief Howard Bixman adjusted their No. 09 Elevator Transportation Services / Bay Area Meat Market / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion accordingly for Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell. During time trials, Evans Jr., laid down the 19^th quickest lap in one of the tightest short track fields in recent years at the half-mile oval.

The green flag waived shortly after 2:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon with the 22-year old hovering in the top-20 through the race’s first fifty circuits. As the fifth race of the year pressed on, Evans Jr. automobile continued to inch up the leaderboard and found himself 16^th by lap 60.

A caution three laps later offered the opportunity for Bixman to debrief with his driver but also advise him to bring his No. 09 Elevator Transportation Services / Bay Area Meat Market / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion for service. Lining up 16^th for the impending restart, the Team BCR Racing team was anxious to see their young driver prowl to the front.

Flirting with entering the top-15, another yellow flag just 20 laps later allowed Bixman to use some strategy to bring the blue oval to pit lane for additional service. Quick work by the team found their driver exit pit road and restart the race 20^th for the lap 85 restart.

By the halfway mark, Evans Jr. continued to mount strong lap times while fight for respect and space in the tough short track field. Inching forward, when the caution flag waived shortly after the cross-flags, the time for the team to shine would fall right into their lap.

With much of the leaders electing to pit, Evans Jr. and his posse had already made the same stop just a few laps prior which propelled the No. 09 Elevator Transportation Services / Bay Area Meat Market / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion to fifth in the running order for the lap 117 restart.

Rightfully fighting to stay inside the top-five, Evans Jr. did a masterful job with throttle and car control and for a while holding off a majority of the leaders with fresher rubber. While racing to maintain a spot inside the top-10, contact was made with another competitor which dented the fender of the team’s Ford Fusion.

Maintaining a strong presence in the top-10 by lap 119, Evans Jr. however would slide back in the running order to 14^th by lap 128. An opportune caution a lap later offered a chance for Bixman to bring his driver to pit lane once again to inspect their automobile to make sure that the fender was not rubbing the tire.Racing resumed with Evans Jr. eager to regain the ground he lost in the field, by lap 150, he had muscled his way to 17^th and impressively up to 11^th a few laps later.

With the heat on the driver from the surrounding competition, a great save on lap 159 from Evans Jr. showed incredible maneuverability and car control. While the driver lost several positions on the racetrack, he did keep his machine out of the wall.

Secured in the 17^th position by lap 167, the Friendswood, Texas native was fiercely trying to regain the spots he previously lost. By lap 172, he found himself 15^th on the grid but over the course of the final 27 laps of the race, he would find himself in a torrid battle with the cars of Mason Mingus, Nelson Canache Jr. and Brandon Kidd. Hard but clean racing would sandwich No. 09 Elevator Transportation Services / Bay Area Meat Market / RoushYatesParts.com Ford Fusion between Canache Jr. and Kidd and take the checkered flag in the 17^th position.

“We showed that we had a strong car throughout the entire race,” said Evans Jr. “I really want to thank all of our sponsors and especially RoushYates for all the support they give this team. Our finishing position surely wasn’t an indicator of our performance, but we’ll make up for it at the next one.”

“C.J. did an incredible job,” said Team BCR Racing team manager and crew chief Howard Bixman. “We were hopeful for a top-10 finish but we had a strong car all day long and the RoushYates motors were incredibly quick. We just needed some more laps to get back to the front after that fender damage, but we’re still happy with the way the car responded and C.J. drive to never give up.”

Next up on the tour is the sixth stop of the season at Elko (Minn.) Speedway, a new track for the series’ 60^th anniversary tour. The Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care is set for Saturday, June 2. The green flag is set to fly shortly after 8:00 p.m. in the one-day show with live timing and scoring plus radio coverage available through the ARCA Racing Network online at ARCARacing.com.

For more information on Team BCR Racing including team information, sponsorship opportunities, race schedule and more please log on to teambcr.com.

Additional input on Charles “CJ” Evans Jr. is available by clicking on to charlesevansjr.com.

Connect with RoushYates Performance Products and RoushYates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.

Satisfy your craving with all that Bay Area Meat Market has to offer by visiting bayareameatmarket.com.

[media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]A Familiar Fourth: Buescher Continues Toledo Dominance by Passing Kimmel, Holding Lead Over Final 48 Laps of Menards 200

(TOLEDO, Ohio) – Through the final third of the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway, the two drivers leading the field had earned a combined 12 victories at the half-mile oval.

Chris Buescher passed nine-time winner Frank Kimmel just after a Lap 153 restart and held the veteran off over the final 48 laps to score his fourth Toledo win since the start of 2010, a span of just five races.

Buescher, with sponsorship from BeavEx and Reliance Tool, also drove the No. 17 Roulo Brothers Racing Ford to a win in last year’s season finale, and swept the ARCA Racing Series events at Toledo in 2010. The victory was the sixth of his career and his first in 2012.

“I had a lot of fun racing with Frank,” said the Roush Fenway Racing development driver, from Toledo Speedway’s Sun Drop Winner’s Circle. “There’s no better here. To get (the win) from him was a blast. Hats off to the Roulo Brothers and the help we get from Roush Fenway and everybody. It was just a blast all day. There were some ups and downs on pit road there, but it was just a really fun race once we got down to it.”

Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota) led 20 laps, and for a while was running the fastest laps on track – along with Buescher. His lead approached two seconds – before Buescher used the race’s ninth caution and ensuing restart to his advantage – and he appeared primed to end what was a 67-race winless streak just an hour’s drive from new team ThorSport Racing’s headquarters in Sandusky, Ohio.

Grant Enfinger (No. 99 Hylant Group Ford) finished third, ahead of Clint King (No. 66 Jaclyn North Chevrolet), Tom Hessert (No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet), and Mikey Kile (No. 1 ModSpace Ford).

Clay Rogers (No. 42 Beard Oil Chevrolet), Chad Hackenbracht (No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet), Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell winner Alex Bowman (No. 22 St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Dodge), and Jared Marks (No. 12 Premium Energy VIP Drink/SRT Motorsports Dodge) completed the top ten on a warm, sunny day before a new-look Toledo Speedway, which featured two new grandstand towers overlooking the ARCA Racing Series for the first time.

As he did in a win at Salem Speedway last month, Bowman had the dominant car early. In 10 laps after the initial green flag, he created a one-second advantage – significant on a short track where his pole-winning lap had been 16.046 seconds on Saturday afternoon. Buescher showed later, though, that he was the man to beat over a longer run.

A green flag flew at Lap 34 after the race’s third caution. Bowman had run away to easy leads on several short runs, but Buescher closed to within 0.329 second by Lap 50 and took the lead from Bowman on Lap 56. Two laps later, on the 25th lap of the green flag run, Buescher had already picked up a full second’s advantage. He continued to extend, but a Lap 64 caution tightened the field.

Buescher pulled away after the Lap 70 restart, with Bowman, incoming points leader Brennan Poole, and 15-year-old Erik Jones behind him. Kimmel lurked in fifth, having improved from the 12th starting position and 10th place at Lap 25. Rogers brought another caution soon after, though, flattening his tires on Lap 74. Enfinger and Hessert just missed Rogers’ wayward car, which would prove helpful in their strong finishes later in the day.

Another restart came, and Buescher led again. Bowman stuck to second, but Buescher found another one-second lead by Lap 93 and a two-second lead at Lap 109.

Bobby Gerhart spun on the backstretch on Lap 112 and tried to find an opening to resume his progress, but could not avoid a chain reaction involving Milka Duno, Juan Carlos Blum, and Tim Cowen, among others. As traffic tied up the field, Poole bumped into Enfinger. Kimmel was more fortunate, avoiding contact altogether – unquestionably a result of experience after 33 prior Toledo Speedway starts – and moving into third.

Just before crossing past the orange commitment cone to start Lap 114, Buescher made a late decision to pit, bringing each of the next five drivers – Bowman, Kimmel, Enfinger, Poole, and Hackenbracht – with him. Buescher experienced some trouble exiting the pit behind a jam, and came out 10th. Marks, who had stayed out, led the race over Ryan Reed and Nelson Canache.

Marks led Reed after the Lap 118 restart as a tight five-car pack fought behind them. Kile charged through the center to take third initially, but Kimmel gained the position back, a significant jump after falling into seventh place off of pit road. Marks led by a full second at Lap 123, partly a result of Kimmel pressuring Reed so much behind him. Kimmel passed Reed for second on Lap 124.

A backstretch crash caused another caution and restart at Lap 132, and Kimmel wasted no time taking the lead from Marks. His lead on Lap 133 was his first led lap of the 2012 season, and he started to run away from the field. Buescher passed Marks for second on Lap 134, but Kimmel built nearly a two-second lead on him seven laps later.

Bowman touched the grass inside Turn 4 while finishing Lap 148, and brought another caution period – the race’s ninth. With the field back together at the Lap 153 restart, Buescher passed right away in Turn 4 and slowly advanced his lead on Kimmel. Another caution flag tightened the field again, but Buescher again pulled away over a clean final 28 laps. He led by more than two seconds with six laps to go and finished with a final victory margin of 3.514 seconds.

“It was those long runs,” Buescher said. “We could get it going more after we had some heat. That’s exactly what we needed.”

The race ended with 10 caution periods for 52 laps. Buescher led 106 laps overall, more than Kimmel, Bowman (55), and Marks (19) combined. Hessert now leads the point standings, which will be official Tuesday. The full race results are available below.

2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Event #5 Toledo Speedway, Toledo Ohio, 5-20-12 Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care FINSTRNODRIVER/HOMETOWNLAPS STATUS 1317Chris Buescher/Prosper TX200Running 21244Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN200Running 31499Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL200Running 41366Clint King/Denton NC200Running 51052Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ200Running 6111Mikey Kile/Westlake LA200Running 71542Clay Rogers/Troutman NC200Running 8758Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH200Running 9122Alex Bowman/Tucson AZ200Running 10512Jared Marks/Napoleon OH200Running 11916Matt Lofton/Roxboro NC200Running 121615Ryan Reed/Bakersfield CA200Running 131702Josh Williams/Port Charlotte FL200Running 14461Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL200Running 15832Mason Mingus/Brentwood TN200Running 162535Nelson Canache/Caracas Venezuela199Running 171909Charles Evans Jr./Pasadena TX199Running 18182Brandon Kidd/Manlius NY199Running 192885Tim Cowen/Perrysville OH198Running 20265Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA198Running 212001Austin Rettig/Sikeston MO197Running 22225Brennan Poole/The Woodlands TX197Running 233188Buster Graham/Lafayette LA196Running 24246Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela191Running 252104Larry Barford Jr./Denton MD186Running 26655Erik Jones/Byron MI169Accident 27353Levi Youster/Toledo OH155Handling 282768Korbin Forrister/Cedartown GA119Clutch 293018Juan Carlos Blum/Guadalajara Mexico109Accident 302994Ronnie Souders Jr./North Canton OH95Overhtng 312230Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario82Accident 323448James Hylton/Inman SC64Handling 333310Brad Lloyd/Napa CA12Brakes 342323Spencer Gallagher/Las Vegas NV5Accident 353234Darrell Basham/Henryville IN0Engine Menards Pole Award Presented by Ansell: Alex Bowman 16.046 (112.177 mph) Margin of Victory: 3.518 seconds Time of Race: 1:27:35 Lap Leaders: Bowman 1-55 (55); Buescher 56-113, 153-200 (106); Marks 114-132 (19); Kimmel 133-152 (20)

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will visit Elko Speedway in Minnesota for the first time on Saturday, June 2, in the Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care. In 60 seasons, the tour has hosted races in 28 states, and Minnesota will be the 29th. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage from the race, which will begin at 8 p.m. Central.

2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series visited Alabama’s Mobile International Speedway for the first time. In June, the first event at Minnesota’s Elko Speedway will give ARCA a race in a 29th state.

Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.

[media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit](FLAT ROCK, Mich.) – Flat Rock Speedway hosted UAW Local 3000 Scout Night Saturday evening. A picture-perfect day greeted race fans that ventured to the speedway. Mike McVetta took the win for the Buckeye 305 Super Sprints, Gary Cronenwett notched the ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8 feature, and Clyde McKee made it two for three in the DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock main event.

A slim field of the winged Buckeye Sprinters made the trip to Flat Rock. Mike McVetta started things off by setting a new track record for the group at a sizzling 10:323. Zach Gibson also broke the mark with a lap of 10:357. In the 30 lap main, Brad Wyatt set the pace for 14 laps until McVetta nosed under Brad and zipped to the win. Wyatt held on for second, Kevin Mingus closed in late to battle for second but settled for third, Joe Speakman was fourth and Mike Moore fifth. Speakman picked up the heat race win.

Second-generation driver Gary Cronenwett picked up the lead on a lap 11 re-start and stayed out front to the checkered flag of the 20 lap ARCA Parts Galore Figure 8 main event. Early leader Scott Apperson got tangled up with Robbie Loving several laps later, with both drivers eventually retiring to the pit area. Cronenwett stretched his lead to 5 car lengths and stayed there for his win, giving long-time car owners Dempsey and Cathy Apperson their first win in many, many years. Jeremy Miller came home second, Jeremy Vanderhoof was third, Greg Studt fourth and Billy Earley fifth, followed by Danny Gaddis, Steve Chartrand, Sam Hall, Apperson and Jeremy Fragassi. Miller just nosed out Cronenwett for the fast heat win, while Apperson took the second heat. Dennis Whisman set fast time at 20:703, but got tangled up with Stephanie Pankow, ending both of their nights.

Clyde McKee held the point through several double-file restarts and led every lap on the way to victory in the 25 lap ARCA DTS Drive Train Specialists Street Stock main event. Tim Moore snuck under Tadek Stadniczuk in the final 5 laps to grab second, Scott Selmi also got by to take third, Stadniczuk was fourth and Grant Hedges came home with a fifth place finish. Frank Jiovani, Rob Moore, Terry Lilley, Paul Duffin and Arnold Kirsch rounded out the top ten finishers. Stadniczuk set the Fastime Racing Engines and Parts fast time at 13:434. Rookie Nick Shanks, Duffin and Steve Chartrand were the heat race winners.

Saturday, May 26 Flat Rock Speedway will present the “Level Pebble Spectacular”, featuring a 100 lap ARCA Truck Series race, a 250 lap Enduro and, for the first time ever at “The Rock”, Monster Trucks! The Monster Truck portion will be a 2-truck exhibition with a wheelie contest, donut contest and freestyle event. The evening will be capped off with a fantastic Fireworks display!

Fans that attended the May 19 show at the track can bring their ticket stubs to Flat Rock for the May 26 show and receive a $5 discount on a full price adult admission ticket. The pit area will open at 2 p.m. the front gates open at 4, practice begins at 4, time trials are at 5:45, $5 Monster Truck rides will be available after time trials and racing begins at 7 p.m.

Flat Rock Speedway features racing every Saturday night throughout the summer.  The track phone number is (734) 782-2480. Log on to www.flatrockspeedway.com for all information. Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/toledoflatrock, or follow us on Twitter at @flatrockspeed. Flat Rock Speedway is located on Telegraph Road, one mile south of Flat Rock and five minutes from I-75 or I-275.

Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.