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Other series racing press release

  • Strong Run For Maryeve Dufault; Tony Marks Racing Spoiled In Michigan

    BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Rookie of the Year contender Maryeve Dufault put on another good showing Friday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway in Tony Marks Racing’s No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger. Unfortunately, the results won’t show just how strong the team’s performance was as Dufault became a victim of circumstances during the RainEater Wiper Blades 200.

    Despite the Sorel, Quebec’s limited experience at the two-mile oval, Dufault showed extreme maturity during practice, qualifying and during the eighth race of the 2011 season.

    After negotiating the 22nd fastest lap during practice, the Tony Marks Racing (TMR) team led by Darren Wolfe and Ryan Chism along with Dufault made some adjustments to their No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger hoping for a solid starting position. In qualifying, Dufault raised the bar by maneuvering the 16th fastest lap putting smiles on the rookie team heading into the race.

    Immediately from the start of the race, Dufault maintained a position in the top-20. An early race caution would keep the former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series from making an early race charge. On the lap 10 restart, Dufault locked the 16th position.

    By lap 20, she had slipped back to 17th but the rookie was biding her time and logging laps in her Michigan International Speedway. Five laps later, she lost a position to Matt Merrell while battling tire wear and some tightness.

    The caution flag though would waive by lap 30 with Dufault on the lead lap and solidly in the top-20 where four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment were on deck for the Tony Marks Racing rookie during routine pit stops.

    Restarting in the 17th position, Dufault moved into the 16th position on lap 41 with her sights set on entering the top-15. When Hal Martin blew a tire at the same time, the yellow flag waived once again allowing the opportunity for the TMR team to catch up to the rear of the field and prepare to throttle forward.

    The lap 47 restart positioned the popular ARCA driver in the 12th position. With determination to move into the top-10 in the second half of the event, the No. 52 of Tom Hessert lost a tire in front of the No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger forcing Dufault to take the high line to avoid Hessert’s spinning machine. Hessert though clipped her as he drifted back up the track sending the former road racing talent into the wall on the backstretch.

    She was able to leave the scene of the incident under her own power but heavy damage to the No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger would ultimately force the TMR team to exit the event after 52 laps. The team was credited with a frustrating 28th place finish.

    “It’s frustrating, because we had a really good car,” said Dufault. “I cannot thank Mad Croc, VR-12 and Dodge enough for the opportunity to allow us to race at Michigan. We were going to have a good day. I learned an awful lot. I went to the high side and had no where to go when I got clipped. It’s stinks because I wanted to leave here still in the top-10 in the championship standings, but we’ll look ahead to Winchester next week and see what we can do.”

    Tony Marks, team owner commented on the team’s performance in the Irish Hills. “There was nothing no one could do; this unfortunately is part of the game. I cannot tell you how proud I am of Maryeve. She was doing a magnificent job and was going to have a good finish to carry us into Winchester next weekend. We’ll just go there and look to close what we started here.”

    Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Dufault will make her inaugural debut at the Indiana short track.

    About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

    Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks.  Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies. 

    Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars.  Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he  then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old).  Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

    TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’  “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway. 

    For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice.  Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest. 

    As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

  • Last Lap Incident Spoils Top-10 For Matt Merrell; Win-Tron Racing

    BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – Matt Merrell had every reason to be frustrated upon the conclusion of Friday’s RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). After keeping the nose clean on his No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry for 80 of the event’s 100 laps, Merrell made his move into the top-10 only to be taken out of competition on the last lap of his MIS debut.

    The Lakeville, Minnesota team arrived in the Irish Hills of Michigan with a brand new Toyota Camry hoping to guide Merrell towards another strong run in his inaugural meeting with the two-mile oval.

    The teams were given an hour and a half practice on Thursday afternoon to dial in their machines with Merrell eclipsing the 11th fastest lap overall. The team led by ARCA wizard Mike Chaffee made some slight adjustments to their Japanese nameplate hoping to give Merrell a comfortable race setup.

    Time trials occurred on Friday morning with Merrell being coached by his team to just make a good lap. With a loose race car underneath him, Merrell negotiated the 19th fastest lap.

    Despite their starting position, the veteran ARCA team had little worries about their performance during the 100-lap shootout.

    The green flag waived shortly after 5:15 p.m. with Merrell attempting to throttle his way in the field. An early race caution would waive on lap three with Merrell uncharacteristically slipping back to the 21st position.

    Waiting for his car to come to life, Merrell would slowly inch his No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry through the running order closing in on the first quarter mark.

    When the second yellow flag of the day waived on lap 30, the Portland, Texas native had climbed into the 16th position offering a prime opportunity to enter pit road for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.

    Restarting the race in the 14th position, Merrell methodically began working his way up the leader board and by the half-way mark; the former USARacing Pro Cup Series star had crafted his Toyota into the 10th position.

    The Win-Tron Racing development driver would hover inside the top-10 for the remainder of the event but coming to a green white checkered, Merrell sitting ninth had his sights set on a potential seventh place finish. 

    In a three-wide battle on lap 99 of the race, Merrell found himself racing with nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel and Chad McCumbee. Kimmel drifted up into the path of Merrell which turned the No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry hard into the outside wall on the backstretch.

    Heavily mangled, Merrell left the scene of the incident to slowly creep across the start finish line to avoid a DNF (did not finish). Merrell would be credited with a 15th place finish.

    “I always have had a lot of respect for Frank (Kimmel), but this is the second time in three races where I’ve had a problem with the way he drives,” offered Merrell. “I’ve always given him a lot of room and raced him clean but his boldness cost us a good finish for the team and Champion Oil. I hate it. I’m frustrated and disappointed. I just don’t know want to say.”

    Win-Tron Racing co car-owner Nate Thiesse offered his comments on Friday’s outcome. “It’s a shame to be taken out the way we were like that on the last lap. I’m all about for good, hard racing but what happened to Matt and us today could have been easily avoidable. It’s discouraging for Matt because of the bad luck he’s had the last couple of races, but this team stands behind him and we know he can get the job done at Winchester next week.”

    Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Merrell will make his inaugural debut at the Indiana short track.

    Merrell made his 21st career start in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at Michigan International Speedway on Friday. In those 21 outings, Merrell has eight top-fives including runner-up finishes of second at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (August) in 2009 and 11 top-10s. His best start position for Win-Tron Racing occurred at the tricky triangle of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway where he qualified his No. 32 CollinsHope.org Dodge Charger second in June of 2009.

    Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 952.469.1839.

    For more on Champion Oil, Champion Brands LLC and their products, please logon to championbrands.com or championsusechampion.com.

  • Robb Brent 11th In ARCA Return With ESR At Michigan International Speedway

    BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – Shelby Township, Michigan native Robb Brent was just thankful to be in last Friday’s RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Upon the conclusion of the 100-lap event, Brent offered his hometown fans and sponsors a well-earned finish in the No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry.

    Brent, who after running two full time seasons in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards took a brief sabbatical this season to regroup his racing career announced a two-race deal with the potent Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) which launched in Brent’s backyard at the two-mile oval of MIS.  

    With AutoDealAds.com stepping up to the plate as the primary sponsor of Brent’s first ARCA event at the wheel of a Toyota Camry, the road racing ace was looking to use the eighth race of the season to strut his stuff.

    In the lone practice session on Thursday afternoon, Brent who reunited with crew chief Dave Leiner worked on the chassis setup on their No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry which landed the Denver, North Carolina-based team 20th in the overall rundown.

    Not discouraged by the practice effort, Brent gathered his thoughts with Leiner and the two put their heads together to put a qualifying setup that would be both fast but not take away from the team’s overall plan of a healthy race setup.

    In time trials Friday morning, Brent maneuvered his ESR machine around the Irish Hills track in 40.147 seconds or 179.34 miles per hour landing 22nd in the starting lineup. Comfortable with the car’s handling, Brent knew his car was setup for racing conditions.

    At the start of the RainEater Wiper Blades 200, Brent patiently began moving through the field. Tucked in with ESR teammate Bryan Silas, the two tried to use the draft to manhandle their way into the top-20. The duo would be stalled on lap three when the first yellow flag of the day waived.

    Restarting on lap 10, Brent would hold steady in his No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry up the ladder during the first solid green flag run of the day. By lap 20, Brent had found himself locked in the 22nd position. By the time the third yellow of the day waived on lap 30, Brent had moved up to the 20th position.

    Four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment was the call from the pit box by Leiner. A solid pit stop by the ESR crew re-entered their driver 13th in the battle.

    After another caution flag, Brent remained safely in the top-15 but had his sights set on entering the top-10. By the halfway mark, lap 50, the part-time NASCAR driver hoisted the 11th position.

    When Tom Hessert and Maryeve Dufault crashed on lap 52, the yellow flag conditions returned offering a perfect time for Leiner to bring his driver back to pit road to top off the fuel in case the race would stretch into a long green-flag run.

    Restarting 13th, Brent would quietly maintain a spot inside the top-15 but with 35 laps remaining, the former Pocono ARCA winner would nearly avoid disaster when the No. 42 of Clay Rogers spun directly in-front of the No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry, the two made slight contact before the No. 23 of Levi Youster joined the mess also making minimal contact with the two colleagues.

    Under the caution, Brent brought his machine to the attention of his ESR crew for damage control. With the thumbs up on the overall condition of Brent’s automobile, they sent their driver back into the race.

    Over the final 25 laps, Brent would slice and dice his way from his 15th position and survive a green-white-checkered finish to claim the 11th position.

    “I had a lot of fun,” said Brent. “I appreciate the opportunity and support from Eddie Sharp, Eddie Sharp Racing and AutoDealAds.com for allowing me to race at my home track with a really good race car. We didn’t quite have enough for those leaders, but we had a competitive car and we learned a lot together that will help us going to Pocono in August.”

    Ironically, Brent’s 11th place lead-lap finish on Friday was the third time in the last four races where he captured the exact same position. Last June, Brent delivered a 10th place outing for Allgaier Motorsports.

    Brent would personally like to thank his family and friends who attended Friday’s contest. In addition to his duties at the track, Brent participated in two autograph sessions. On Thursday night, Brent joined a slew of ARCA drivers in Downtown Brooklyn, while on race day Brent spent time with children from DeVos Children’s Hospital and the Make A Wish Foundation.

    The Michigander also supported his two charities during the race week, the Macomb Charitable Foundation (MCF) and the Animal Aid Foundation.

    Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Brent will return to ARCA competition in August and will look to defend his title at the 2.5-mile oval of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 on August 6th in the No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota Camry.

    Prior to joining Eddie Sharp Racing, Brent participated in the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving for NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski and Brad Keselowski Racing. Most recently, Brent spent the last two seasons in ARCA with Allgaier Motorsports, the 2008 championship team. In his 59 ARCA starts, Brent has acquired one win (Pocono 2010), six top-five finishes and 19 top-10 efforts. Brent notched his career best qualifying effort of second at Kentucky Speedway in 2008. He has led the ARCA pack five times for 55 laps. His best finish in the NCWTS occurred at Nashville Superspeedway in his inaugural truck debut where he finished 21st after qualifying 26th. The road racing ace also made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2010 driving for RAB Racing at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

    For more on Robb Brent, sponsorship opportunities and official team merchandise, please visit Robbbrentracing.com. 

    About AutoDealerAds.com:

    AutoDealerAds.com is Michigan’s largest on-line auto dealer inventory website – with over 300 Michigan based new and used car dealers, and over 40,000 new and used cars to view – with just one click. They have developed a quick and easy to use website, to view area auto dealer’s ads all in one place – with over 2,000,000 hits per month.

    Accessing AutoDealerAds.com, consumers at a car dealership can easily comparison shop other area dealer’s current new and used car ads using a SmartPhone, Note Pad, iPad, etc. AutoDealerAds.com has a proven track record – substantially beating newspaper advertising’s price per call – quickly becoming a favorite of area dealerships. AutoDealerAds.com is owned by Auto Connection Media Inc., which specializes in marketing and publishing for Auto Dealers for the past 20 years.

  • FROM TRAGEDY GROWS TRIUMPH: HOW ONE LOCAL FAMILY FINDS STRENGTH IN THE DEATH OF THEIR DAUGHTER

    Baby Siena Gave up Everything to Save her Sister’s Life

    Sacramento, California, June 17, 2011 – NASCAR racer Dave Smith and his wife Dorine were excited, and a bit nervous, to welcome identical twin girls. Half-way through a healthy pregnancy, Dorine discovered that one of her daughters was in trouble. On the evening of October 24, 2010, more than 4 months before her due date, Dorine gave birth to Siena and Adrianna at Sutter Memorial Hospital in Sacramento.

    Siena and Adrianna were born 14 weeks premature, and suffered from a rare condition called Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome (TTTS). This condition caused one child to receive more blood and nutrients than needed, while the other received less. In this case, Siena was the baby to receive less blood.

    Though Siena and Adrianna had been born sick and premature, doctors had seen no indication of the severity of the girl’s health until Dorine went into early labor.

    “I prided myself in obtaining the best of pre-natal care. I received ultrasounds twice a week, had genetic testing, an amniocentesis and constant support from a great group of Sutter OBGYNs. Everything was going great until one day I went into pre-term labor,” said Dorine.

    Upon delivery, Dorine had been allowed mere seconds to gaze at her beautiful baby girls before they had been whisked away to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Sutter Memorial Hospital. From that point on it was a constant struggle for survival. Both babies were born weighing just over 1 pound, and both babies’ skin had been transparent and underdeveloped. The only contact that the Smiths had with their daughters was through the Plexiglas walls of their incubators.

    On her second day of life, Adrianna required surgery that would allow her to accept the necessary nutrients she needed to survive. However, on that same day, Siena took a turn for the worst. She suffered a massive hemorrhage in her brain and was not strong enough to endure it. The doctors prepared the Smiths to tell their baby girl goodbye.

    “Siena had given her all for her sister, her blood, her nutrients, her strength and now her life. Late that night, we visited Adrianna and told her that Siena had passed away and was now her angel in Heaven. Her tiny hand squeezed my finger hard, as if to say, “Don’t worry Mommy, I’m tough enough to get through this,”’ said Dorine.

    And that is what she did. On January 11, 2011 the Smiths were finally able to bring their baby home.

    Adrianna, now seven months old, is a healthy and beautiful baby girl. The Smiths will always remember their daughter Siena, and the sacrifice she gave to save her sister; and they know that it was the result of the lifesaving research and support of the March of Dimes that the doctors of Sutter Memorial Hospital were able to save Adrianna.

    It is because of the success and necessity of the March of Dimes that the Smith family has decided to give back to their community through this year’s upcoming Be A Hero for Babies Day, an event created by Farmers Insurance to help March of Dimes fund lifesaving research, education and advocacy.

    From now until June 29, 2011 the Smiths will be personally fundraising to support the March of Dimes. SNT Motorsports Development Corp will also be donating 15 percent of their NASCAR sponsorship dollars to the March of Dimes to help end premature births and infant mortality.

    The NASCAR race featuring this Red Line Oil, Sport Truck RV, Muscle Milk, Byers Leaf Guard, Porter Communications, Freightliner, Red Rocket Auto Tech, Gleemobile.com and Porter Law Group supported car will be held on June 25, 2011 at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, and a pair of angel wings will be painted on the race car in memory of Siena.

  • Franchitti takes 25th IndyCar pole at Milwaukee

    Franchitti takes 25th IndyCar pole at Milwaukee

    [media-credit name=”Sean Gritzmacher/IRL” align=”alignright” width=”224″][/media-credit]
    Dario Franchitti makes his qualifying lap at Milwaukee Speedway on Saturday.
    WEST ALLIS, Wis. – Dario Franchitti’s 25th Indy car pole, tying Paul Tracy for ninth all time, could be the most direct path to retrieving some of the points he lost to IZOD IndyCar Series leader Will Power in last week’s Firestone Twin 275s.

    Franchitti, who earned one point for the PEAK Performance Pole Award by topping the 26-driver field with an average speed of 170.841 mph on the Milwaukee Mile oval, is 20 points arrears of Power heading into the Milwaukee 225. Power, who topped the speed chart in the initial practice session June 17, will start a season-low 17th in the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car.

    “I am glad to be back at the Milwaukee Mile and this is a great place to start from for tomorrow’s race,” said Franchitti, who won the first IZOD IndyCar Series race at the historic track in 2004 by charging from the seventh starting position. “It is going to be a tough day because it is like a one-lane track out there with the marbles on side and the black asphalt lane. I think the double-file restarts will work well here at the Milwaukee Mile and the fans are in for a hell of a show.”

    Power’s teammate, Helio Castroneves, will join Franchitti on the front row (169.999 mph) in the No. 3 Guidepoint Systems entry. Scott Dixon, who won the 2009 race from the second row, will be on the inside of Row 2 (169.582) in the No. 9 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car.

    The KV Racing Technology-Lotus group of Tony Kanaan, Takuma Sato and E.J.. Viso made waves. They’ll start in that order fourth through sixth.

    Esteban Guerrieri set a Firestone Indy Lights track qualify record of 149.005 mph at the Milwaukee Mile to claim the Sunoco Pole Award for the David Hobbs 100 on June 19.

    It is the third pole start this season for Guerrieri, driver of the No. 7 Lucas Oil/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car who has been the runner-up the past two races. He also delivered the 40th earned pole for Sam Schmidt Motorsports in Firestone Indy Lights.

    Josef Newgarden in the No. 11 Copart/Score Big/Robo-Pong/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car will make his second consecutive front-row start after averaging 148.175 mph over the two laps. He started second and won the Firestone Freedom 100 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on May 27.

    Bryan Clauson, the reigning USAC National Drivers’ Championship title-holder who is making his second Firestone Indy Lights start, will start from the inside of Row 2 in the No. 77 Mazda Road to Indy/Curb Records/Sam Schmidt Motorsports car. He averaged 147.258 mph.

    The Noblesville, Ind., driver, who celebrated his 22nd birthday on June 15, also competed in the 100-mile USAC Traxxas Silver Crown race and the 25-mile USAC Mopar National Midget feature later in the day.

    Gustavo Yacaman, driving the No. 2 TMR-Tuvacol-Xtreme Coil Drilling car, recorded a season-high fourth starting spot (147.169).

    WEST ALLIS, Wisc. – Results of qualifying Saturday for the Milwaukee 225 IZOD IndyCar Series event on the 1.015-mile Milwaukee Mile, with starting position, car number in parentheses, driver, chassis-engine, and speed:

    1. (10) Dario Franchitti, Dallara-Honda, 170.841
    2. (3) Helio Castroneves, Dallara-Honda, 169.999
    3. (9) Scott Dixon, Dallara-Honda, 169.582
    4. (82) Tony Kanaan, Dallara-Honda, 169.365
    5. (5) Takuma Sato, Dallara-Honda, 169.308
    6. (59) EJ Viso, Dallara-Honda, 169.082
    7. (28) Ryan Hunter-Reay, Dallara-Honda, 169.014
    8. (6) Ryan Briscoe, Dallara-Honda, 168.598
    9. (26) Marco Andretti, Dallara-Honda, 168.456
    10. (2) Oriol Servia, Dallara-Honda, 168.320
    11. (24) Ana Beatriz, Dallara-Honda, 167.863
    12. (38) Graham Rahal, Dallara-Honda, 167.674
    13. (22) Justin Wilson, Dallara-Honda, 167.621
    14. (19) Alex Lloyd, Dallara-Honda, 167.162
    15. (7) Danica Patrick, Dallara-Honda, 166.779
    16. (06) James Hinchcliffe, Dallara-Honda, 166.558
    17. (12) Will Power, Dallara-Honda, 166.248
    18. (4) JR Hildebrand, Dallara-Honda, 166.070
    19. (77) Alex Tagliani, Dallara-Honda, 166.031
    20. (27) Mike Conway, Dallara-Honda, 166.003
    21. (83) Charlie Kimball, Dallara-Honda, 165.592
    22. (14) Vitor Meira, Dallara-Honda, 165.375
    23. (18) James Jakes, Dallara-Honda, 164.814
    24. (34) Sebastian Saavedra, Dallara-Honda, 164.440
    25. (67) Ed Carpenter, Dallara-Honda, 163.304
    26. (78) Simona de Silvestro, Dallara-Honda, no speed

  • Dillon wins RainEater Wiper Blades 200

    Dillon wins RainEater Wiper Blades 200

    BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 17, 2011) – He swept the competition aside like rain on a windshield.

    [media-credit name=”Photo by LAT USA” align=”alignright” width=”197″][/media-credit]Ty Dillon took advantage of a late-race wreck by leader Cale Gale with six laps remaining, and brushed leader Max Gresham aside with one lap to go and posted his fourth victory of the season in the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 on Friday at Michigan International Speedway.

    Gale, who had led a total of 72 laps in the 100-lap event, was the victim of a blown right tire that sent him into the wall, giving the lead to Gresham on a green-white, one-lap restart. But Dillon jumped Gresham for the lead just after the start-finish line on the wild last lap and held off Gresham for the victory and a commanding lead in the ARCA driver points standings.

    Dillon, driving the Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet, now holds a 210-point advantage over veteran Frank Kimmel, who finished ninth.

    Dillon, 19, knew he had his work cut out with Gale clearly the class of the field before Gale’s tire flattened after traveling over debris on the track.

    “I just tried to save my stuff and do what I could as the No. 25 (Gresham) kept coming,” Dillon said. “It seems ARCA races seem to have a lot of cautions at the end so I just tried to stay patient.”

    Dillon, who graduated from high school just two weeks ago, is the grandson of long-time NASCAR Sprint Cup team owner Childress.

    “I thought for sure we had Ty on the restart on the last lap but we just got outdone a little,” Gresham said. “Ty beat me to the corner. If I would have had one more lap I might have gotten back in front but I just ran out of time. He just had a little bit more power than we had and you can’t beat power.”

    Gale started from the pole after setting an ARCA record-qualifying speed of 189.623 miles per hour this morning and led the field by as much as five seconds on occasion, but a total of seven caution periods kept him somewhat at bay until his tire tragedy.

    “It’s just racing,” he said following his 19th place finish. “It seems like 2011 has just been bad luck for me for whatever reason,” added Gale, who was coached over the radio throughout the race by Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick, who drives for Childress.

    Tim George finished third followed by Chad Hackenbracht and Chris Buescher.

    Great seats remain for this weekend’s events at Michigan International Speedway, including the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 on Sunday. Call the MIS ticket hotline at 800-354-1010.

    Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is a Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where race fans and sports fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the fun of NASCAR and the thrill of a great time for guests and drivers alike.

    You can also visit us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/MISpeedway or Tweet with us @MISpeedway.

    Michigan International Speedway 2011 Schedule

    Saturday, June 18 NASCAR Nationwide Series Alliance Truck Parts 250

    Sunday, June 19 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400

    Friday, Aug. 19 Meijer Pole Day

    Saturday, Aug. 20 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series VFW 200

    Sunday, Aug. 21 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

    Sunday, Sept. 11 Spirit of America Blood Drive – 10th Anniversary!

  • Dillon Passes Gresham in Last-Lap Shootout to Win at Michigan

    Dillon Passes Gresham in Last-Lap Shootout to Win at Michigan

    (BROOKLYN, Mich.) – Ty Dillon has a flair for the dramatic, and put that quality to good use Friday at Michigan International Speedway, passing Max Gresham just after a Lap 100 restart and holding off Gresham’s late challenge to win the RainEater Wiper Blades 200. The win was Dillon’s fourth of 2011 and his sixth in 11 career starts in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, continuing a dominant streak.

    Gresham had taken the lead at Lap 96 when Cale Gale (No. 33 Rheem Chevrolet) blew a tire in Turn 2 to fall out of contention in a race he seemed destined to win after leading 64 laps. Gale, driving for Kevin Harvick, Inc., had increased his lead to nearly five seconds only laps before losing his right front tire and smacking the outside retaining wall.

    Gresham (No. 25 Venturini Motorsports/Live Oak Plantation Toyota) led the field to the green flag on Lap 100, but Dillon (No. 41 SKF Chevrolet) passed him on the outside and held off Gresham’s inside dash to the checkered flag nearly two miles later to give Richard Childress Racing a fifth win in eight ARCA Racing Series events this season.

    “It’s awesome to win at Michigan for Chevy,” said Dillon. “The car was a rocket ship all day. Clean air meant so much, and from that very first restart, I thought we were going to be able to get out front and lead some laps, but Cale was really strong all day. I hate that his race ended that way, but that’s the second time I’ve happened to be second or third when the leader blows a tire. I’ve just learned to stay patient in these races and not get down on myself and keep fighting. You never know what can happen.”

    Dillon won at Chicagoland Speedway 13 days ago when Chad Hackenbracht (No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet) blew a tire and lost a nine-second lead over the field. Dillon’s last-lap victory was not his first, either; he passed Frank Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford) just before the start/finish line to win at Talladega Superspeedway in April.

    Gale, who had won the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell earlier in the day by charging to an ARCA track qualifying record at 189.623 mph, built a lead of 6.809 seconds through the first 30 laps, including two caution periods, losing the top spot only when Dillon beat him off of pit road on Lap 32. Though Dillon had previously lost ground to Gale nearly every lap, clean air at the front of the field helped him to increase his advantage on Gale to well over a second after a restart on Lap 37.

    Hal Martin (No. 55 NOLA Motorsports Park/U.S. Forensic Toyota) blew a tire on Lap 41, bringing out the race’s third caution. Dillon held the lead after the Lap 47 restart, but pitted when Tom Hessert crashed on Lap 52 and collected Maryeve Dufault. Dillon only took fuel, giving Gale the lead and Gresham – who had consistently run in the top five – the second position. Kimmel followed in third, with Hackenbracht and Tim George Jr. (No. 31 Potomac Family Dining Group/Applebee’s Chevrolet) behind him. Dillon came out eighth on the Lap 57 restart and moved up two positions within a lap.

    Gale bolted away and created some space between himself and Gresham, and Dillon worked his way into fourth place by Lap 62. With team owner and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick on his radio instructing him to drive the high line, Gale held his advantage on Gresham as Hackenbracht led Dillon and George in a battle for third.

    Another caution flag flew several laps later, as Clay Rogers and Robb Brent collided on Lap 66. Bryan Silas assumed the race lead by not pitting, with Joey Coulter, Josh Richards, and Bobby Gerhart behind him. Hackenbracht beat Gale and Dillon out of the pits for the fifth position.

    Coulter attacked to the outside of Silas, but Silas maintained the lead and held it for six laps until another crash on Lap 73, involving Rick Clifton and Benny Chastain. It was then that Coulter took the lead, and he held it through a Lap 77 restart – but only until a furious charge came from Gale, who had already improved to fifth during the caution period and then maneuvered into the lead by the completion of the first green flag lap.

    Hackenbracht, Coulter, and Dillon fought for second behind Gale, allowing him to stretch his lead to more than three seconds by Lap 81. George, who had run fifth, passed Coulter for fourth on Lap 82, and Dillon passed Hackenbracht for second two laps later. With 15 laps to go, Dillon trailed Gale by 3.41 seconds.

    Gresham had been 10th upon the Lap 77 restart, but was making a move of his own. Consistently charted as the fastest car on the track by at least one or two miles per hour, Gresham cruised into third place by Lap 87 when George got caught behind a lapped car while trying to pass Hackenbracht for the position. George eventually made his pass for fourth place on Lap 91, and by then, Gale had extended his lead on Dillon to 4.885 seconds. Dillon would quickly lose second, though, as Gresham beat him in the fourth turn on Lap 92 to come out 4.5 seconds behind Gale with eight laps to go.

    Gale’s tire blew on Lap 96, though, and Gresham took the lead and looked primed for his second win in seven ARCA starts with the fastest car on the track. Dillon’s crafty move on Lap 100, though, spelled out the finish, sending him to a 0.118-second win over Gresham and delivering Richard Childress Racing to Victory Lane yet again.

    George finished third – his fourth top-five in five starts – and Hackenbracht earned another career high, his fourth in five races, by finishing fourth. Chris Buescher (No. 17 Reliance Tool/David Ragan Fan Club Ford), who had run in the top three early but fell out of the top 10 with a flat right front tire, steadily improved throughout the race and finished fifth.

    Silas (No. 6 Weaver Media Toyota) finished sixth, an improvement of 15 spots from the start of the race. Coulter (No. 16 Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet) ended the race seventh, Chad McCumbee (No. 1 ModSpace Ford) was eighth, Kimmel finished ninth, and Richards (No. 15 Detroit Salt Company/P&H Mining Equipment Toyota) rounded out the top 10.

    In addition to Gale’s lap-leading haul, Dillon led 22 laps, Silas led six, and Coulter and Gresham each led four. The race was slowed by seven cautions for 39 laps, and ended with an average speed of 117.359 mph after one hour, 42 minutes, and 15 seconds.

    The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards returns to action Saturday, June 25 in the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts at Winchester Speedway in Indiana. The event is scheduled as the ninth of 19 on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule; the ARCA Truck Series will join the ARCA Racing Series at the track.

    ARCA Racing Series practice begins at 1:45 p.m., and will last for 90 minutes. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell begins at 4:45 p.m., and the 200-lap, 100-mile race will take place at 8 p.m. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of all events.

    The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards features 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series 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 tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually 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.

    Founded by John 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 two professional touring series and local weekly events.

  • Brett Moffitt, No. 00 Michael Waltrip Racing, K&N Pro Series East Langley Advance

  • MCCUMBEE ROLLING INTO THE IRISH HILLS WITH MOMENTUM

    MCCUMBEE ROLLING INTO THE IRISH HILLS WITH MOMENTUM

    MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 15, 2011) — With six top-10 finishes in the first seven races of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, Chad McCumbee and the No. 1 ModSpace Ford look to keep their momentum this Friday in the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at the Michigan International Speedway (MIS).

    McCumbee has surged Andy Belmont Racing (ABR) into fifth place in the ARCA Racing Series standings. A strong showing at the two-mile tri-oval in the scenic Irish Hills of Michigan could continue the team’s drive toward the series championship.

    In the aftermath of last Saturday’s fog-shortened race at the Pocono Raceway, the No. 1 ModSpace Ford Fusion team will arrive in Michigan with hopes of improving on the sixth-place finish at Pocono. McCumbee and ABR feel confident their focus on the big picture – the ARCA Racing Series Championship – will continue this with another top-10 finish.

    “Our team is very excited to go to Michigan with this momentum,” Andy Belmont said. “We are on a roll! I am going there with great expectations, and looking forward to keeping our streak alive.”

    McCumbee has finished no worse than sixth in his last three races.

    “At Michigan, we are taking a different car than we had at Pocono Raceway,” McCumbee said. “We are still trying to figure out where we are at with our intermediate track program. I feel like after Michigan we will be in good shape. We learned a lot at Chicago, we learned a lot at Pocono, and I feel we will take what we learn at Michigan to be able to apply and know better where we are at when we go to the next intermediate track.”

    The Supply, N.C., native has four prior ARCA Racing Series starts at Michigan. His best finish came in the summer of 2005, qualifying 10th and finishing fifth. In last year’s event he finished 17th.

    Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, the Michigan International Speedway is a high-banked, multi-grooved raceway. Drivers love the track because it offers as many as four different grooves. Offering more than a majestic landscape, the speedway is also located in the back yard of Detroit-based automaker Ford Motor Company.

    McCumbee is looking to represent the manufacturer this weekend and wanting to invite Ford Fusion factory representatives to victory lane with him.

    “The momentum from the last three races is strong,” William Mann director of motorsports for ModSpace said. “Chad has proven that he is a true contender in the 2011 ARCA Racing Series Championship. Every time he gets behind the wheel of the No.1 ModSpace Ford you know he is there to win! We look forward to seeing him up front in Michigan!”

    “I am really excited to take this car to Michigan,” McCumbee said. “I think we will be in good shape. Our No.1 ModSpace Ford was very fast last time we had this car on the track. I like racing there. The tires wear out well, making the track hot and greasy, and you get a lot of racing. Hopefully, that will play in our favor with us being real good on the long runs.”

    ARCA Racing Series track activity at MIS starts on Thursday with practice from 2:30 p.m. ET until 4 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell (All positions / 2 laps) starts at 10 a.m. on Friday. The engines fire up for the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 (100 laps/200miles) at 5:15 p.m. on Friday, with a live SPEED broadcast starting at 5 p.m. Live streaming audio will be featured on the ARCA Racing Network at http://www.arcaracing.com/ www.arcaracing.com.

    About ModSpace:

    Modular Space Corporation (ModSpace), based in Berwyn, Pa., is a leading provider of modular buildings, portable storage and services for temporary and permanent space needs. With more than 40 years of experience, ModSpace serves a diverse set of customers and markets through a network of 80 branches throughout the United States and Canada. www.modspace.com

    About Andy Belmont Racing:

    Andy Belmont Racing (ABR) is a competitive and respected motorsports operation who fields race cars in the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Truck Series, the NASCAR East Series and the USARacing Pro Cup Series. ABR has been serving the motorsports community and winning for nearly 25 years. www.AndyBelmont.com.

  • RainEater Wiper Blades 200 Takes ARCA to Michigan for 30th Time

    RainEater Wiper Blades 200 Takes ARCA to Michigan for 30th Time

    RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan

    Takes ARCA Racing Series to Home Superspeedway for 30th Time

    (TOLEDO, Ohio) – The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will make its 30th appearance at its home superspeedway, Michigan International Speedway, in Friday’s RainEater Wiper Blades 200.

    The 100-lap, 200-mile RainEater Wiper Blades 200 will air live on SPEED at 5 p.m. Friday, and ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage from the race.

    The two-mile MIS oval, located in Brooklyn, is situated less than 50 miles away from ARCA’s home office in Temperance, Mich., and holds a key spot on the annual schedule. 

    “We have always considered MIS our hometown superspeedway. It’s a special place for us, with our history there since 1980 and it being an ISC-owned track,” said ARCA president Ron Drager, noting his family’s connection to the ISC-operating France family.

    “Our drivers really look forward to racing at MIS since it’s such a competitive track and it’s close to home for many of our Midwest-based teams. The administration and staff at MIS have always been solidly supportive in promoting the series, and our teams and drivers appreciate that.”

    The race – the eighth of 19 on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule – is the second event in the pursuit of the Bill France Four Crown. The award, depictive of the series’ versatility, is a separate point fund that tests drivers on four very different tracks. This year’s Bill France Four Crown includes events in four different months on the calendar. Competition for the celebrated prize began in May at New Jersey Motorsports Park, where Andrew Ranger scored a road course triumph.

    Filling out the Four Crown schedule will be the August 21 dirt mile race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield and the September 17 short track showdown at Salem Speedway in Indiana.

    Additionally, the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 is the last of a string of three consecutive speedway events which will play a significant role in the 2011 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge. The Challenge consists of seven races (Daytona, Talladega, Chicagoland, Pocono, Michigan, Pocono, Kansas).

    Chris Buescher (No. 17 David Ragan Fan Club Ford) currently leads overall series points leader Ty Dillon (No. 41 Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) atop the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge standings. Each driver will make his Michigan debut.

    “Michigan is not really my expertise yet, but we’re going to try it here,” said Buescher, who has finished second three times this season and is currently fourth in overall series points. “Hopefully, it’ll go good. We’ve got a fast car. We weren’t as fast as we wanted to be (in the May 25 test), but we should be okay come race time.”

    Dillon has three wins in 2011, including two on larger speedways. He won at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway in April, the half-mile Toledo Speedway in May, and the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway in June.

    “It’s my first time going to Michigan International Speedway,” said Dillon. “It’s really exciting. It’s a really fast track; you go, like, 200 miles per hour off into the corner. It’s a little flatter than other places I’ve been.”

    Tim George Jr. (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) is the most recent first-time winner in the ARCA Racing Series, having passed Grant Enfinger (No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest/RaceTires.com Dodge) Saturday at Pocono Raceway just before fog settled in and forced ARCA officials to call the 80-lap race after just 59 laps. George finished eighth at Michigan last season.

    “Michigan’s a good spot,” George said. “This is the place where I had my first good intermediate finish, and that’s been my hardest part of the learning curve, to figure out the intermediate tracks. I like this place. I had a good finish here last year and obviously, all the GM and Chevy people are here, so you always want to do well in front of the home bases.”

    Buescher, Dillon, and George all tested in the ARCA Racing Series’ open test at Michigan on May 25, but none of them were as fast as Max Gresham (No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Toyota), who led the session with a best lap of 38.724 seconds (185.931 mph).

    “I don’t think it’s unrealistic to think we can win the race,” Gresham said. “When we did the ARCA test at Michigan, we were at the top of the speed charts. Hopefully, that will carry over and we can walk away with my first superspeedway win.”

    In addition to his test speed, Gresham enters the race with another advantage. His Venturini Motorsports team is the defending winner at Michigan, having helped Mikey Kile to Victory Lane last June. Having just turned 18, Gresham’s Michigan start will also be his first. He claims to have gained valuable knowledge about the track and its wide, multiple grooves in the open test.

    “Michigan is so much fun,” he said. “You can drive off into the corner as deep as you want to go. The biggest thing is to make sure the car doesn’t get tight over a long run. You have to keep the car loose enough at the start of the race, free enough at the end of the race. The car that can do that is going to be the car that will win the race.”

    On an entry list featuring 41 cars, there’s one man who definitely knows what it takes to win at Michigan, and that’s Frank Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford). Currently second to Dillon in series points, Kimmel won at Michigan in 1998 and 2005. A third victory will seat him next to Jeff Purvis and Tim Steele, ARCA’s all-time leading winners at Michigan with three wins apiece.

    Practice begins at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 16, and will last for 90 minutes. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell begins at 10 a.m. Friday, and the 100-lap, 200-mile race will air live on SPEED at 5 p.m. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of all events.

    The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards features 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series 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 tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually 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.

    Founded by John 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 two professional touring series and local weekly events.