Category: Other Series Racing

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (February 14, 2011) – – There’s an old saying that hard work equals reward. While that phrase may be a little bit of an understatement for Empire Racing and driver Sean Corr this past Saturday at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway (DIS), the team was still able to produce a solid finish in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.

Frustrated with the performance of their No. 82 Ford Fusion following the three-day open ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards test in January, the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team put a countless number of hours into the 2011 ARCA Racing Series season-opener.

When the first practice concluded last Thursday afternoon, Corr climbed from his machine satisfied with the vast improvement of his race car from just a month prior. Despite being nestled mid-pack overall during the four-hour practice session on Thursday, the team was quick to point out that they chose not to draft, while others did.

“The car is better, a lot better,” said Corr, a native of Goshen, New York. “John (Bellesfield, team manager), Richard (Johns, crew chief) and the team put a lot of sweat into the car over the past couple of weeks and it showed after the first lap of practice.”

In qualifying on Friday, Corr maneuvered the 27th fastest time placing his Empire Racing into the starting grid for the second consecutive year at the “World Center of Racing.” The team was relieved on the run as the field was one of the tightest in ARCA history at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

“I’m okay with where we’re starting,” added Corr. “Of course, we would have liked to have been closer to the front, but we made the show and that’s important! Now in Happy Hour, we’ll focus on drafting, so I know how the car will perform during the race.”

On Saturday morning, Corr thundered his John Corr-owned automobile into the seventh fastest lap overall with a time of 48.398 seconds or 185.958 miles per hour. Corr was one of five Ford Fusions to place into the top-10 during the forty-five minute practice session at DIS.

When the green flag dropped on Saturday afternoon for the race, Corr wasted no time moving the field and when the caution waived on lap four, Corr moved into the 21st position.

On the restart, Corr drafted his way into the 17th position where he hovered until he made a pit stop during the event’s second caution on lap 19. The quick pit stop put their driver back into competition solidly in the top-20 and ready to maneuver back to the front.

Unfortunately for the Corr, his Ford Fusion struggled in the single-car draft, unable to gain the speed needed to move through the field.

Resting in the top-25 with 16 laps remaining, Corr brilliantly negotiated through the “Big One” in turn three. Escaping the carnage allowed the No. 82 Nesco / North East Fabricators / Trans Tech / Roush Yates Performance Parts Ford Fusion to move back into the top-20.

During the final green flag run of the race, the dirt late model ace was able to use the side-draft to his advantage allowing him to creep in the rundown and take the checkered flag in the 15th position edging outside pole sitter Kyle Fowler.

Upon inspection of the team’s entry following the event, the team diagnosed a failure in a shock, which ultimately hampered Corr’s ability to have a better run.

“It was a quiet race, but we did okay,” said Corr. “The guys worked hard and we came away with a race car intact. We can go back to the shop, work on her some more and get ready for Talladega. We’ll mean business there, I promise you that.”

Corr continued, “We’ve shown that we can make this car better and we did throughout the whole week and still were able to walk-away from Daytona with a solid finish. Sure, I would have liked more, but I’m thankful for what we did accomplish. I also want to thank everyone who came on-board as marketing partners for the race. I know I’m speaking on behalf of the team that we appreciate it greatly!”

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will take nearly an eight week pause before actions resumes at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway on Friday, April 15th, 2011 live on SPEED. There, Corr will also look to make his second consecutive superspeedway debut at the breathtaking 2.66-mile oval.

For more on Sean Corr, Empire Racing and marketing opportunities for the 2011 racing season, please visit empireracingllc.com http://www.empireracingllc.com/ .

About Empire Racing:

Established in 2009, Empire Racing LLC. (empireracingllc.com http://www.empireracingllc.com/ ) is a two-tier professional Motorsports organization consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Sean Corr, a 26-year old hailing from Goshen, New York pilots the team’s automobiles in the DIRTcar Series and Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In 2011, the team will attempt to run for a championship in the ARCA Racing Series with aspirations of moving into the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The team is headquartered in Goshen, New York with an additional operation in Mooresville, North Carolina.

Daytona, FL – Frank Kimmel, driver of the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, finished 10th this afternoon in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 from Daytona International Speedway. It was a tale of two gambles with opposite results this afternoon, both taken by Frank in pursuit of his first victory at Daytona International Speedway in an impressive 20th start.

The action started early for Frank, as a few teams, including the Ansell-Menards Ford, elected to bring their cars down pit road before the green flag dropped, which resulted in them having to start in the back. The plan was to be patient in the early portion of the race and let the action play itself out in the front of the field.

“We decided to move to the rear early. I’ve been around long enough to see that it can get chaotic at Daytona instantly, especially with so many rookies in the race,” said nine time ARCA Racing Series Champ, Frank Kimmel.

The initial gamble paid off, as Frank was able to stay out under an early caution, when a majority of the other teams had to pit for fuel. The result was a restarting position of 3rd by lap 23. Unfortunately, Frank’s second risk was not as successful. Frank quickly moved the Ansell-Menards Ford out of line on the restart in hopes of taking second place. However, the top lane wasn’t the preferred groove throughout the race and the other drivers elected to stay on the bottom, which left Frank without a drafting partner. The outcome temporarily dropped the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford back to 16th.

“I wanted to get behind Bobby (Gerhart). I thought with it being early that someone would go with me but I was wrong. I only lacked a few feet to make the pass but I needed that help,” said Frank.

From that point on the Ansell-Menards team fought a battle to get back to the front – one position at a time. In the end, the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford took the checkered flag in the 10th position. “It was difficult.the only way you could pick up a spot was when a driver decided to try and pass up top. We were able to race our No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford back to 10th there at the end. Overall, it’s a top ten finish and that’s encouraging heading into Talladega,” concluded Frank Kimmel.

Watch for Frank Kimmel in the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford at Talladega Superspeedway for the Talladega ARCA 250 in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. The race can be seen live on SPEED Channel on April 25, 2011 at 5:00 pm EST. More information can be found at www.frankkimmel.com and www.arcaracing.com.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (February 12, 2011) – – When a ARCA rookie like Chad Hackenbracht receives some advice from a NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) champion, you better believe he takes every word to heart. 

So, when Ron Hornaday Jr., driver of the No. 33 Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet Silverado strolled through the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards garage on Thursday and made a trip to the No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet Impala SS garage stall, Hackenbracht was more than willing to inhale advice from one of NASCAR’s finest.

“I’ve always had a lot of respect for Ron (Hornaday Jr.),” said Hackenbracht, who will make his second career start at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Saturday afternoon in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200. “He isn’t shy to tell you what to expect or what to prepare for or even how the car looks. As a rookie team, we really embrace that kind of support.”

Hornaday’s presence around the Concord, North Carolina-based team is stemmed from the relationship of CGH Motorsports General Manager and Director of Marketing Jordan Dahl, whose marketing ties with American Marketing Group (AMG) is linked in with KHI.

“It means a lot to me for Jordan to stretch his neck out and bring someone like Hornaday over to our side of the fence, all in an effort to make me a better race car driver,” sounded Hackenbracht, who is attempting to run a full ARCA Racing Series schedule in 2011. “Believe me, I take in everything that Ron says and I don’t take any of it for granted. I’m hoping this relationship is just the start of the things to come.”

Hornaday has remained nestled around the CGH Motorsports garage area and hauler talking to the New Philadelphia, Ohio native through the week preparing him mentally for today’s season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

In addition to Tastee Apple, Axel Fuel, the Official Energy Drink of CGH Motorsports, Metal Parts Manufacturing, Portable Shades, R2C Performance and Xflex Racers Tape join the family-owned team as associate marketing partners in Saturday’s season-opener. 

CGH Motorsports is actively seeking additional marketing partners for the full 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule. Single, multi and full-season placements are available on the team’s No. 58 entries. Interested parties are urged to contact Jordan Dahl at 570.234.5449 or jordandahl@cghmotorsports.com.  

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (80 laps / 200 miles) is the first of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 48^th ARCA race held at Daytona is a three-day show. The event will take the green flag later today shortly after 4:30 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com.  All times are local.

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

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 Concord, 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 will step up their commitment from a partial schedule and prepare for a hopeful full-season ARCA championship assault beginning in February 2011.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLORIDA (February 12, 2011) – – Officials from Tony Marks Racing (TMR) and Freezetone® Products, the manufacturer of VR-12 announced this morning from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway that VR-12 has aligned itself with the newest team in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards driven by Maryeve (pronounced Mary-EV) Dufault (pronounced DU-FAU) for the full 2011 season as the title sponsor of the team’s No. 12 entry beginning with this afternoon’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.

VR-12 is manufactured by Freezetone® Products, USA, leader in International car maintenance products and environmentally safe solutions. Luis M. Latour, President, has 30 years of experience in manufacturing ecological products for the automotive industry. With his team of experts, he was able to develop a solution that saves consumers money while at the same time lessening the environmental damage caused by most automotive chemical solutions.

VR-12 is a revolutionary green product that is used to guard against coolant problems. This new invention is the ultimate cooling system protection. It is like a vitamin for cooling systems, composed of organic components and mixed through a synergetic process. VR-12 offers an alternative to topping off radiators and cooling systems versus conventional methods. A special formula containing Organic Acid Technology (OAT) will keep vehicles running at pick performance for longer periods of time while eliminating flushing and waste. It should be used as part of monthly radiator and cooling system maintenance. VR-12 is a green product that protects radiators and cooling components from rust and corrosion, preventing expensive coolant replacement.

“We’re very excited about today’s announcement with VR-12,” said Tony Marks, owner of TMR. “This partnership with VR-12 fits the platform that we believe in at TMR and it is a product that I personally endorse. It is our goal to make others in racing and those consumers on the road know the importance of what VR-12 can do and I believe we’ll start showing that this afternoon! To have Maryeve (Dufault) represent VR-12 is a win-win situation. She fits their marketing model perfectly and I know that she can and will get the job done behind the wheel of the VR-12 Dodge Charger.”

For Dufault, a native of Sorel, Quebec Canada the opportunity to work with a growing company like VR-12 fits right into her spectrum. “What an honor it will be to drive the No. 12 VR-12 Dodge Charger this season,” explained Dufault, who will roll from the 24^th position later today in her ARCA Racing Series debut. “Mr. Latour believes in our race team and we believe that we can help him accelerate the growth and distribution of his product through Tony Marks Racing. It’s a real honor to be the one to boast their product week in and week out!”

Vehicle maintenance is important, especially as consumers are postponing buying new cars in a recovering economy. VR-12 is appealing as a maintenance solution for radiators and car coolant systems because it can be used with all makes and models and mix with any antifreeze/coolant type, color or brand. Any vehicle owner, motorcycle, heavy truck, light duty truck, RV’ or boat, experiencing poor vehicle performance due to a week and neglected coolant can use VR-12. Also, other coolants are compatible with VR-12 so consumers can use this product when changing engine coolant in conjunction with what they are already using.

“VR-12 is proud to be affiliated with Tony Marks Racing and Maryeve Dufault for the 2011 ARCA Racing Series season,” says Luis M. Latour, President of Freezetone®.  “VR-12 is designed to take care of your vehicle and save money while saving the environment. It helps conserve resources because it can re-energize your antifreeze and boosts your cooling system. We feel that no one can better help us spread that message than the TMR team. We’re extremely proud of the accomplishments that the team has achieved here at Daytona and we’re looking forward not only to today’s race but for the rest of the season.”

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (80 laps / 200 miles) is the first of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 48^th ARCA race held at Daytona is a three-day show. The event will take the green flag later today shortly after 4:30 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com.  All times are local.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com.

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com.

See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.

Daytona, FL – Frank Kimmel, driver of the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford Fusion, qualified 26th this afternoon for Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 Race at Daytona International Speedway.

The No. 44 Kimmel Racing team worked extremely hard this morning to get the car ready before today’s Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell. The team’s difficult task did not hinder their persistence in getting the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford prepared, through the ARCA Racing Series inspection line and pushed out to their qualifying spot right on time. Unfortunately, Frank’s qualifying lap was not at the top of the charts, but Frank Kimmel and the Kimmel Racing crew are confident that they’ll be able to quickly work their way to the front in tomorrow’s race.

“I wasn’t too thrilled with that lap. I could see that the guys worked really hard to get the car ready, and I know that the qualifying lap doesn’t represent how well the car will race tomorrow. We just lack the single lap speed to put down that fast lap on our own but I believe we’ll be able to work the draft pretty well and move our way to the front,” said Frank Kimmel, driver of the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford.

Continue to watch for Frank Kimmel, as he makes his 20th start at Daytona International Speedway in the No. 44 Ansell-Menards Ford tomorrow for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. The event can be seen live on SPEED Channel starting at 4:30 pm EST. More information can be found at www.frankkimmel.com and www.arcaracing.com.

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) – Ty Dillon set the standard early, and made it stick. Dillon, an 18-year-old ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards rookie, drove a qualifying lap in 48.509 seconds (185.533 mph) to win the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell for Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway.

Dillon was the 10th of 47 drivers to attempt a qualifying lap, and his time is the fastest ARCA qualifying lap at Daytona since February 11, 2001, when Kirk Shelmerdine qualified for the pole at 187.352 mph.

The Menards Pole Award is Dillon’s second in four career ARCA starts; his first came in his series debut at Iowa Speedway last July.

“It was really special to me. I’ve been coming here for a long time since I was a little kid to see my grandfather, watching races, watching qualifying, and this being my first time at a superspeedway and to have this car get the pole is really special to me,” Dillon said. “I’m glad we could do it with UNOH.”

Dillon – a grandson of legendary NASCAR team owner Richard Childress – will aim for his third consecutive victory in the series in tomorrow’s race after winning the final two races of last season, at Kansas and Rockingham.

“Our team has definitely worked hard enough so that we have one of the best cars in the garage,” he said. “I believe we can definitely win this race tomorrow. I just have to be patient; we have the car to do it.”

Despite a schedule that has had him traveling back and forth from Daytona Beach to Volusia Speedway Park – just over 20 miles away – for nightly dirt modified racing this week, Dillon mentioned that he finds the action enriching.

“I think it just helps me with my experience, getting as much seat time as possible,” he said. “It’s been hard every night getting back to the hotel at 1 in the morning and getting up at 6 to come here to be with the guys, but I love racing. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

Starting next to Dillon’s No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio/Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet on the front row will be Kyle Fowler, a fellow 18-year-old.

Fowler drove the No. 15 Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet into the second position with a lap of 48.65 seconds (184.995 mph).

“Venturini definitely has an awesome piece there with the 15 car, and I’m just the lucky guy that gets to hold the steering wheel,” Fowler said.

Fowler has made just five prior starts in the ARCA Racing Series, but none on a track larger than a mile-and-a-half.

“It was absolutely incredible to make those first few laps around here,” he said. “Heck, I got goosebumps just walking on the premises. It’s every driver’s dream to race here. It’s racing’s biggest stage, and I just want to be there at the end.”

Steve Arpin, a teammate to Fowler at Venturini Motorsports, will start third after a lap of 48.762 seconds (184.57 mph). Matt Merrell, making his first ARCA Racing Series start since 2009, will start fourth in the No. 32 Red Line Oil Toyota for Win-Tron Racing.

“We were really focused (in practice) yesterday on qualifying stuff,” said Arpin, who led the series with three victories last year. “It’s really hard at Daytona, because you’ve got to try to qualify the best you can because track position’s really important, but at the same time you’ve got to make the car drive as good as it can.

“We tried to find that happy medium and balance the car the best we could. The best thing I’m excited about is that our car drives awesome in the draft and that’s all that’s important – to get that trophy at the end of the day tomorrow.”

Six-time Daytona ARCA winner Bobby Gerhart will start fifth. Practice leader Hal Martin, motocross superstar Ricky Carmichael, Mark Thompson, Tim George Jr., and Tom Hessert will fill out the rest of the first five rows.

Milka Duno will start 23rd. Nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel will roll off 26th for his 20th ARCA Racing Series start at Daytona.

The 80-lap, 200-mile Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 airs live on SPEED at 4:30 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, with live timing and scoring and live audio presented by ARCA Nation and News 1150 WNDB at ARCARacing.com. Bobby Gerhart (No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet) is the defending and all-time leading winner at the track, with wins in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010. Gerhart also won four consecutive poles between 2003 and 2006. The race is scheduled as the first of 19 this season.

The ARCA Racing Series will host a final, 45-minute practice at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Live timing and scoring will be presented by ARCA Nation at ARCARacing.com.

2011 Event #1, ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards
Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Beach FL, 2-12-11
Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200
February 11, 2011 / 3:49 PM
POS	NO	DRIVER/HOMETOWN	TIME	SPEED
1	41	Ty Dillon/Lewisville NC	48.509	185.533
2	15	Kyle Fowler/Smyrna GA	48.650	184.995
3	25	Steve Arpin/Fort Frances ON	48.762	184.570
4	32	Matt Merrell/Portland TX	48.881	184.121
5	5	Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA	48.961	183.820
6	55	Hal Martin/Galliano LA	48.977	183.760
7	4	Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL	48.981	183.745
8	66	Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA	49.083	183.363
9	31	Tim George Jr./New York NY	49.112	183.255
10	52	Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ	49.249	182.745
11	28	Miguel Paludo/Nova Prata Brazil	49.276	182.645
12	98	Kevin Swindell/Goodlettsville TN	49.291	182.589
13	16	Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL	49.314	182.504
14	22	Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN	49.355	182.352
15	19	Brian Rose/Louisville KY	49.358	182.341
16	6	Jason Bowles/Ontario CA	49.368	182.304
17	14	John Ferrier/Middletown NY	49.386	182.238
18	30	Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario	49.388	182.230
19	17	Chris Buescher/Prosper TX	49.408	182.157
20	09	Benny Gordon/DuBois PA	49.537	181.682
21	94	Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY	49.583	181.514
22	11	Bryan Silas/Stuart FL	49.584	181.510
23	63	Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela	49.604	181.437
24	12	Maryeve Dufault/Sorel Quebec	49.726	180.992
25	77	Joey Licata/Van Nuys CA	49.727	180.988
26	44	Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN	49.775	180.814
27	82	Sean Corr/Goshen NY	49.782	180.788
28	1	Chad McCumbee/Supply NC	49.791	180.756
29	18	Chris Lawson/Troutman NC	49.801	180.719
30	00	Ed Kennedy/Coppell TX	49.811	180.683
31	36	Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL	49.846	180.556
32	26	Tommy Joe Martins/Como MS	49.924	180.274
33	23	Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA		Provisional
34	34	Darrell Basham/Henryville IN		Provisional
35	48	James Hylton/Inman SC		Provisional
36	10	Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa NY		Provisional
37	06	Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD		Provisional
38	68	Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg KY		Provisional
39	7	Brent Cross/Cortland NY		Provisional
40	58	Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH		Provisional
41	75	Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL		Provisional
42	3	Brent Brevak/Eau Claire WI		Provisional
43	42	Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL		Provisional

 

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 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.