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  • Darrah Takes Summer Nationals In Front of Hometown Crowd

    Darrah Takes Summer Nationals In Front of Hometown Crowd

    [media-credit name=”Willams Grove Speedway” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]This years Summer Nationals at Willams Grove Speedway didn’t start off well; the two night event was rained out on Friday, leaving just the Saturday night duel between the Outlaws and the Posse. And what a duel it turned out to be.

    Williams Grove Speedway is a half-mile race track located in Williams Grove, between Mechanicsburg and Dillsburg in Pennsylvania. It opened in 1939, and hosted Championship races from 1949 to 1959 named the “Indianapolis Sweepstakes”, contested by a small field of the best Champ Car racers. Many notable drivers have raced here, including A. J. Foyt and Mario Andretti. Williams Grove Speedway is a semi-banked, oval. The track record of 16.140 seconds was established by Brian Paulus on April 26, 2002.

    Steve Kinser has won at “the Grove” 38 times and Sammy Swindell and Donny Schatz have each won 15 times. The man with the most wins all time is Fast Freddy Rahmer with 81 wins. But tonight’s winner wasn’t among the legends of the World of Outlaws, instead he was last years Rookie of the Year, Kasey Kahne Racing’s, Cody Darrah who is from Mechanicsburg Pennsylvania. The emotional Darrah dedicated the win to his grandparents who have been suffering hard times lately. But Darrah proved himself more than just a race winner tonight however, when he jumped from his car on a red flag to help fellow driver Craig Dollansky from his burning car after Dollansky flipped down the back stretch causing a fuel fire to break out around and under the car, instead he proved himself as a champion of men not just race car drivers. A great testament to the 23 year old driver.

    The very eventful night started out relatively calm with close qualifying throughout the pack. The top 20 qualifiers were separated by only .140 seconds. The entire field was only separated by 1.191 seconds. Quick Time would go to the Posse with Greg Hodnett turning a lap of 16.745 seconds. Second would be Alan Kreitz Jr. Third, Craig Dollansky, Joey Saldana and Daryn Pittman would round out the top 5.

    The heat races were relatively calm as well. The first heat was a Posse victory for Adam Wilt who held off a hard charging Jason Sides, Daryn Pittman, Greg Hodnett and Tyler Walker. The Outlaws were down 2 nothing for the night. But they weren’t done yet.

    The second heat race would see Kraig Kinser pull out and pull away from a fast and charging Tony Stewart to take the win. Stevie Smith would come home 3rd with Alan Kreitz and Lucas Wolfe in hot pursuit. The Outlaws were on the board but former Outlaw champion Danny Lasoski would have to run the B Main.

    The third heat would find Cody Darrah swimming amongst the Posse sharks. But Darrah would take the checkers over Danny Holtgraver, Craig Dollansky, Danny Dietrich and Steve Kinser. This heat would relegate 4 time champion Donny Schatz to the C Main after an uncharacteristically poor qualifying effort.

    The fourth and final heat would see Sammy Swindell hold off the strongest challenge of the Posse to take the win with Gerald McIntyre Jr, Joey Saldana, Fred Rahmer and Lance Dewease rounding out the top five. Another big name from the Outlaws was relegated to the B when Kerry Madsen finished 7th and failed to transfer to the A.

    The Outlaws were leading the game 3 to 2. But the rest of the night would be a hard fought battle to come home on top of the Nationals.

    The C Main went to the Posse with Chad Layton coming home ahead of a struggling Donny Schatz. Schatz at numerous times was able to pull even with Layton but just couldn’t make the pass on the narrow fast clay surface. Their battle would carry on into the B Main where Layton would finish 12th ahead of Schatz’s 13th. The B would be won by former Outlaws Champion Danny Lasoski but he would be up to his wing in Posse with the closest Outlaw finisher coming home 4th in Chad Kemenah. Alan Krimes and Cory Haas would finish 2nd and 3rd.

    The Dash was a hard fought battle with 5 drivers representing the Outlaws and 5 representing the Posse. The Posse would come out on top but the race would be foretelling of the night to come. Sammy Swindell would have trouble early in and finish 10th. Tony Stewart couldn’t find a way around Adam Wilt and finished where he started in 8th. Cody Darrah did everything shy of use his wing to fly and still finished 2nd to Gerald McIntrye Jr.  The night was beginning to shape up as a track position night. But then again, the night was not over and the Outlaws still had more than a few tricks up their sleeves.

    When the A Main rolled off, it did so with 4 provisional spots bringing the car count for the event to 28. Donny Schatz and Kerry Madsen would take provisionals from the World of Outlaws. While Ryan Smith and Chad Layton would take provisionals from Willams Grove Speedway. Chad Kemenah would break a magneto on the car during the pace laps causing the car to cut off and not refire. He retired before the green. Danny Dietrich would be the next out with contact with the wall, he was followed by Danny Holtgraver. Fred Rahmer would be the next Posse member to retire after flipping wildly in turns 3 and 4, Rahmer would climb from the car and walk away. Lance Dewease would drop out at the same time due to a misunderstanding of the rules. Dewease would pull into the rear pit area and pull his car nose first to the trailer signaling to the Outlaws officials that he was done for the evening as he did not stop at the work area. Dewease was not allowed to return to the competition. Stevie Smith would be the next casualty flipping his car in turn 1. Smith climbed out of the car but was done for the evening. Daryn Pittman and Danny Lasoski would fall victim to engine failures as would Gerald McIntyre who started the race on the pole. The most scarey incident of the evening came late in the race when Craig Dollansky returned to the track after flipping in 4 and again flipped the car on the back straightaway causing a fuel fire to surround the car. With a red flag on the track, Cody Darrah quickly exited his car and ran to the assistance of Dollansky and helped him from the car. The car flipped so hard that part of the front suspension was imbedded into the track. Dollansky was unhurt. The final victim of the evening was Don Kreitz whose engine let go just 4 laps from the end of the race.

    The attrition left just 17 cars on the track. One of those was Kerry Madsen who had very methodically worked his way into the top 10. Madsen would finish 9th and get the hard charger of the night award after starting dead last on the field. And it was well deserved, the fast narrow track was difficult and almost impossible to pass on. So much so that with 18 laps to go the Outlaws determined that all restarts from that point on would be single file restarts rather than the traditional double file restarts. A decision that played to Cody Darrah’s hand. Darrah set sail on the final caution and never looked back. The challenge would never be for the lead but for second. Jason Sides and Greg Hodnett would exchange slides and come side by side but Hodnett could never make it all the way around Sides for the second spot. The Outlaws would take the night over the Posse 5 to 4. The finishing order would find 6 Outlaws 3 Posse and 1 Sprint Cup Champion in the top 10.

    Willams Grove has a reputation of launching the very best young sprint car drivers in the world. They lived up to that reputation tonight. Cody Darrah is a former track champion at The Grove. As a matter of fact this was his 50th win at his home track. And if winning before his home town crowd wasn’t enough Darrah announced that Kasey Kahne Racing has signed a sponsor for his effort that up to this point had been funded out of pocket by Kasey Kahne. That announcement to come soon.

    Racing is a field of dreams. Sometimes they are dreams that come true. Sometimes they are nightmares. Sometimes they are just the reassurance that with all the bad things that are going on in the world we are still free to pursue our passions, whether they be winning at The Grove or writing about the race itself.

    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

    Qualifying results:

    ‎1) Greg Hodnett 2) Don Kreitz Jr. 3) Craig Dollansky 4) Joey Saldana 5) Daryn Pittman 6) Stevie Smith 7) Danny Dietrich 8) Fred Rahmer 9) Jason Sides 10) Kraig Kinser 11) Cody Darrah 12) Gerald McIntyre Jr. 13) Adam Wilt 14) Tony Stewart 15) Danny Holtgraver 16) Sammy Swindell 17) Tyler Walker 18) Danny Lasoski 19) Alan Krimes 20) Lance Dewase 21) Cory Haas 22) Lucas Wolfe 23) Steve Kinser 24) Brian Monteith 25) Chad Kemenah 26) Jim Seigel 27) Logan Schuchart 28) Kerry Madsen 29) Tim Kaeding 30) Steve Buckwalter 31) Davey Sammons 32) Nicole Bower 33) Danny Esh 34) Curt Michael 35) Donny Schatz 36) Chad Layton 37) Michael Ruttkamp 38) Aaron Ott 39) Mike Erdley 40) Brent Marks 41) Frank Cozze 42) Tim Glatfelter 43) Ryan Smith 44) Derek Sell 45) Bill Rose

    Heat Race 1 Results: ‎1) Adam Wilt 2) Jason Sides 3) Daryn Pittman 4) Greg Hodnett 5) Tyler Walker 6) Cory Haas 7) Chad Kemenah 8) Doug Esh 9) Tim Kaeding 10) Michael Ruttkamp 11) Frank Cozze (DNS) 12 Bill Rose (DNS)

    Heat Race 2 Results: ‎1) Kraig Kinser 2) Tony Stewart 3) Stevie Smith 4) Don Kreitz Jr 5) Lucas Wolfe 6) Danny Lasoski. 7) Steve Buckwalter 8) Curt Michael 9) Aaron Ott 10) Jim Siegel 11) Tim Glatfelter

    Heat Race 3 Results: ‎1) Cody Darrah 2) Danny Holtgraver 3) Craig Dollansky 4) Danny Dietrich 5) Steve Kinser 6) Donny Schatz 7) Alan Krimes 8) Logan Schuchart 9) Ryan Smith 10) Mike Erdley 11) Davey Sammons

    Heat Race 4 Results: ‎1) Sammy Swindell 2) Gerald McIntyre 3) Joey Saldana 4) Fred Rahmer 5) Lance Dewease 6) Brian Montieth 7) Kerry Madsen 8) Chad Layton 9) Brent Marks 10) Nicole Bower 11) Derek Sell

    C Main Results: ) Chad Layton 2) Donny Schatz 3) Michael Ruttkamp 4) Brent Marks 5) Tim Glatfelter 6) Ryan Smith 7) Frank Cozze 8) Derek Sell (DNS) 9) Bill Rose (DNS)

    Dash Results: ‎1) Gerald McIntyre 2) Cody Darrah 3) Kraig Kinser 4) Jason Sides 5) Greg Hodnett 6) Don Kreitz Jr 7) Adam Wilt 8) Tony Stewart 9) Danny Holtgraver 10) Sammy Swindell

    B Main Results: ‎1) Danny Lasoski 2) Alan Krimes 3) Cory Haas 4) Chad Kemenah 5) Jim Siegel 6) Tim Kaeding 7) Logan Schuchart 8) Davey Sammons 9) Doug Esh 10) Steve Buckwalter 11) Kerry Madsen 12) Chad Layton 13) Donny Schatz 14) Nicole Bower 15) Chad Michael 16) Brian Montieth.

    A Main Results: ‎1) Cody Darrah 2) Jason Sides 3) Greg Hodnett 4) Kraig Kinser 5) Adam Wilt 6) Lucas Wolfe 7) Steve Kinser 8) Tony Stewart 9) Kerry Madsen 10) Cory Haas 11) Donny Schatz 12) Chad Layton 13) Joey Saldana 14) Tyler Walker 15) Sammy Swindell 16) Alan Krimes 17) Ryan Smith 18) Don Krietz 19) Craig Dollansky 20) Gerald McIntyre Jr. 21) Danny Lasoski 22) Daryn Pittman 23) Stevie Smith 24) Fred Rahmer 25) Lance Dewease 26) Danny Holtgraver 27) Danny Dietrich 28) Chad Kemenah.

    KSE Hard Charger Award went to Kerry Madsen.
    The $10,000 Goodyear tire mid point bonus for the driver leading the points at the half way point of the season went to Steve Kinser.

    The top 15 in points following the Willam’s Grove Race:

    Pos. Driver Total Diff Wins Top 5’s Top 10’s QT
    1 Steve Kinser 5513 0 3 18 31 0
    2 Donny Schatz 5472 -41 3 15 32 0
    3 Craig Dollansky 5467 -46 5 18 28 6
    4 Sammy Swindell 5465 -48 7 17 27 8
    5 Joey Saldana 5437 -76 4 13 28 6
    6 Kraig Kinser 5377 -136 4 15 29 3
    7 Kerry Madsen 5086 -427 3 8 20 1
    8 Cody Darrah 5075 -438 1 10 17 2
    9 Chad Kemenah 5031 -482 2 8 18 2
    10 Lucas Wolfe 4727 -786 0 4 12 0
    11 Bill Rose 4300 -1213 0 0 6 0
    12 Jason Sides 3878 -1635 0 11 18 0
    13 Danny Lasoski 2356 -3157 1 5 8 0
    14 Daryn Pittman 2312 -3201 0 5 12 1
    15 David Gravel 2310 -3203 0 7 9 4

     

  • 30 Years of Winning: Venturini Motorsports Celebrates 30th ARCA Season

    30 Years of Winning: Venturini Motorsports Celebrates 30th ARCA Season

    [media-credit name=”Venturini Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”226″][/media-credit]30 years. 10,957 days. 262,968 hours. 15,778,080 minutes. It’s a lot of time that spans over three decades, though that’s how Venturini Motorsports has been involved in the ARCA Racing Series.

    The family-owned team grew its roots in Chicago, Illinois when Bill Venturini formed Venturini Motorsports in 1981, alongside his wife and co-founder Cathy. Bill caught the racing bug from his father Tony Venturini, who raced jalopies at Chicago’s Solider Field.

    Bill still runs the team today and is very hands-on, playing the role of crew chief at times. Cathy, the matriarch of the team, is still very much involved, by coordinating travel plans and preparing meals for all the teams.

    While their roots began in Chicago, they would move to Charlotte in 1993 to continue surviving in auto racing. The move has paid off as they currently field up to five cars per race and have drivers that have gone through their development program to run in the NASCAR ranks.

    Venturini Motorsports started their Driver Develop Program in 2007 as a result of connection with Nationwide team CJM Racing. CJM Racing was looking for a program they could put young drivers into, test them out and get them ready for the highest levels.

    After creating that connection, Joe Gibbs Racing joined in the program to develop their up-and-comers, most notably Joey Logano.

    Since then, the program has grown to include other teams and is one of the most known programs in all ranks of racing. They also have grown to create connections with not only the above two mentioned teams, but also Xpress Motorsports and TD Racing Development (ASA Late Model team).

    Drivers that have been able to move up as a result of the program include Joey Logano, Steve Arpin and Justin Allgaier, just to name a few.

    NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Joey Logano drove for Venturini Motorsports in four races, winning two of them (Rockingham 2008 and Pocono 2009). The win at Pocono marked Logano’s first career win on a superspeedway.

    NASCAR Nationwide Series driver Steve Arpin ran the full ARCA Racing Series schedule for Venturini in 2010, picking up back-to-back wins at Salem and Texas. He also gave Venturini their first win on dirt when he won at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in September of 2010. Arpin’s win at Salem is what started his climb into the NASCAR ranks as it kicked off one of the coolest 24 hours of Arpin’s career.

    “When we won Salem on Sunday night and Monday morning, we signed Mike’s Hard Lemonade to sponsor the ARCA program and then Monday afternoon, Dale Jr. called me to drive his racecars,” Arpin said in February of 2011. “I say that has to be the biggest memory of my life.”

    Arpin went on to drive seven Nationwide Series races with JR Motorsports, before joining Turner Motorsports in 2011.

    [media-credit name=”Venturini Motorsports” align=”alignleft” width=”266″][/media-credit]This year, Venturini Motorsports has had success with Brennan Poole as Poole currently sits second in points after winning back-to-back victories at Pocono and Elko. Poole’s success with Venturini started right away as he won in his ARCA Racing Series debut at Salem last year.

    “It’s just been a blessing,” Poole said earlier this year. “God’s always opens up the doors for me at the right time, at the right place, always put me in the right position. Just keeping my trust in him every day and he seems to be in control.”

    Poole has enjoyed his time so far with Venturini Motorsports as he says they’re a great family and he gets to spend a lot of time with them.

    “I don’t know a lot of people so I’m always here at the shop – I’m at the shop right now,” he said. “It’s just a great family. It’s a family organization – Billy’s uncles, aunts and cousins are all involved in the team. I think that’s what makes them such a strong organization. It’s just been fun working with them. I’m just happy to be a part of it.

    Racing alongside 21-year-old Poole is young 15-year-old Erik Jones, Nelson Canache and 18-year-old Ryan Reed and Poole says it’s been kind of cool to have his younger teammates come and ask him questions.

    “I’ve never really been in this position before; I’ve always been the guy looking for advice,” he commented. “But here, there are so many young guys.”

    All the teammates get along at Venturini Motorsports and Poole says it’s great when you have a group like that around you.

    “It just helps when you’ve got someone close in your age group cause you help support each other,” Poole said earlier this year. “At the end of the day at Venturini Motorsports, we’re all pulling for our teammates. We want to win because we’re all competitors, but we’re happy if another person wins the race ‘cause we all know how hard it is to win one of these races. It’s extremely tough. You win a race at the ARCA level, that’s pretty impressive.”

    Ryan Reed had had a solid season so far as a rookie, as he had two top 10s so far this year – a pair of ninths coming at Pocono and Iowa.

    “Bill and Billy were drivers themselves behind the wheel and it’s really cool to be with a group rich in history behind the wheel,” Reed said. “It feels like family to me. They’re so welcoming. Anytime I have a problem on and off the track, their open arms and ready to listen. They’ve just been great to work with and I really feel like this year is going to be a really positive experience with them.”

    Reed has also inspired people off the track as a Type 1 diabetic as he was diagnosed in February of 2011. Originally, he was told that he could never race again, however through research and meeting the doctor that helped IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball, Reed worked hard and was able to make his first ARCA Racing Series start at Daytona in February of this year.

    [media-credit name=”Venturini Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]With his story, he’s been able to raise awarness about JDRF and formed his own non-profit organization, Ryan’s Mission. Ryan’s Mission is meant to build awareness, become a role model and positively touch the lives of others.

    Meanwhile, Erik Jones became the youngest driver to start an ARCA Racing Series race at the age of 15 at Mobile International Speedway earlier this year.

    “To be able to go and take advantage of the lower age limit, definitely was a cool experience to be able to be the first one to do that,” Jones said, adding that it’s great to be able to start young and do well.

    Jones has impressed already as he has two top fives in six starts, including a third at Winchester.

    “It’s cool to drive for a team that has as much as success and been around as long as Venturini Motorsports,” Jones said. “It’s definitely an honor to say the least.”

    Jones added that working with Venturini Motorsports is a good learning experience as he gets to learn about working within a big organization and having teammates.

    “To come into a program like that and be able to learn so much, so quick, it’s very beneficial to my racing career,” he added.

    Whether it’s growing drivers, racing hard or even helping others, Venturini Motorsports has been very successful, winning 26 times in the ARCA Series with nine different drivers. It was Bill Venturini that started it with the first win on June 18, 1983 at Flat Rock Speedway.

    Though beyond the wins and driver development, Venturini Motorsports has set the bar high in other departments, including the first all-female pit crew in professional motorsports – the Ultra Blue Crew. It was that team that was able to help Venturini bring home the first championship in 1987.

    As they head into the future, there’s one thing that’s known for sure – Venturini Motorsports will be one team to contend with on track for wins.

  • McColm Teams With Bubbles In Edmonton

    McColm Teams With Bubbles In Edmonton

    Program Supports Clean Water And Food Bank Programs

    Edmonton, Alberta, Canada – Bubbles Car Wash and Detail Centres are excited to announce a three-week multi-platform marketing partnership with Joey McColm – driver of the No. 50 Bubbles NASCAR Dodge Challenger culminating with the Edmonton Indy; July 20 – 22, 2012.

    Race fans and customers alike will have numerous opportunities to get involved, including taking to the track with Joey McColm.

    Highlights of the three-week promotion and partnership include;

    • Customers who make a $5 donation to “Wash Away Thirst” at any Bubbles location will  have their name, Twitter handle or Facebook handle applied to McColm’s NASCAR racer. A photo will be sent or tagged showing the donor name on the actual race car

    • Customers who drop by any Bubbles location between July 11 and July 19 with either a $5 donation or 5 pounds of food for Edmonton’s Food Bank will be entered to win the ultimate NASCAR experience with Joey McColm. One lucky winner and their guest will be Honourary Bubbles Racing Pit Crew Members at the Edmonton Indy which includes event tickets, exclusive team merchandise, photos and autographs with McColm, the No. 50 Bubbles race car, and more

    • McColm and his race car, in preparation for the Edmonton Indy race event, will be at the Bubbles Old Strathcona location on July 19 to get his race car washed and detailed by the expert Bubbles staff. Local media, fans and customers will be invited to see the car, meet McColm, get pictures and autographs, make a $5 donation to “Wash Away Thirst” to have their name added to the car, and enjoy a great family BBQ. Proceeds of the BBQ will also benefit Edmonton’s Food Bank.

    • The 10s of 1000s of race fans at the Edmonton Indy will also be encourage to visit with Joey at the track, make a $5 donation to “Wash Away Thirst” and see their name added to his race car.

    “Joey’s passionate commitment to, and shared values for, global environmental issues made this partnership an easy decision for us”, enthused Natasha Toffoli, (Chief Operating Officer) of Bubbles Car Wash and Detail Centers. “We’re thrilled to partner with Joey who has demonstrated a commitment to Bubbles overall corporate goals and objectives which exceeded our expectations. We can’t wait to see the No. 50 Bubbles car on the race track carrying the names of our fantastic, loyal customers.”

    Beginning July 2, fans and customers can visit any Bubbles location, make a $5 donation to “Wash Away Thirst” and have their name applied to the No. 50 Bubbles race car. Plus, customers who drop by any Bubbles location between July 11 and July 19 with either a $5 donation or 5 pounds of food for Edmonton’s Food Bank will be entered to win the ultimate NASCAR experience with Joey McColm with one lucky winner and their guest will be Honourary Bubbles Racing Pit Crew Members.

    “Bubbles’ commitment to global safe drinking water is perfectly aligned with my personal commitment to the environment”, explained McColm. “I look forward to partnering with Bubbles to raise awareness for “Wash Away Thirst”, and I hope we have hundreds of names on my NASCAR racer when I hit the track for the Edmonton Indy.”

    The Edmonton Indy takes place from July 20 – 22 on a temporary race course constructed on the north side of the City Centre Airport. More information can be found at www.edmontonindy.com.

    About Joey McColm: 26 year-old McColm, driver of the No. 50 Bubbles Dodge Challenger in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, is a recent engineering graduate who has been racing for 11 years now. McColm uses the profile of NASCAR racing to promote numerous charitable, environmental and green campaigns, and is an active Earth Day Canada Ambassador. For more information visit www.JoeyMcColm.com and be sure to follow Joey on Twitter – @JoeyMcColm

    About Bubbles Car Wash and Detail Centers: Bubbles Car Wash & Detail Centres – the trusted name in washing and detailing – are all locally owned and operated. Bubbles has been proudly serving clients for over 30 years and now have 11 locations in Western Canada, with eight locations in Edmonton, two in Calgary, and one in Kelowna, BC. Bubbles offers offer full service hand car wash and detail services without an appointment; all while you enjoy the comforts of our well-appointed lounges! Bubbles is a proud supporter of “Wash Away Thirst” – a campaign designed to bring awareness to the fact that 1 billion people in our world lack access to clean drinking water. Bubbles Car Wash & Detail Centres are proud to be the first car wash & detail company in Canada to join this great humanitarian initiative. For more information, visit www.Bubbles.ca.

  • Race No. 6: Edmonton 100 at Edmonton City Centre Airport

    Race No. 6: Edmonton 100 at Edmonton City Centre Airport

    The sixth race of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series schedule sees them return to Edmonton City Centre Airport for the fourth time. The series didn’t go there, however with a new temporary circuit designed on the airport, they are back to try it in 2012. The 2.256-mile temporary road course marks the third road course of the 2012 schedule and the first since the race at Circuit ICAR in June.

    The last three races have been ran on short tracks spanning from Ontario to British Columbia, with D.J. Kennington winning each of them to become the first driver in series history to win three consecutive races. The result is Kennington now leading the points, 23 points over J.R. Fitzpatrick.

    “We made some changes to our oval car over the winter and they’ve all worked out, so far,” he says. “We’ve had some good luck, but we’ve created some of that luck. The whole crew has worked tirelessly and it’s been paying off.”

    The road course may put a hinder on Kennington’s streak as his highest finish at Edmonton is a fourth in 2007. He finished 15th the last time the series was there in 2010.

    “We’re hoping to get the car as neutral as it can be so that we can make adjustments during practice,” Kennington says. “I don’t know much about the new track and I don’t think anyone else does either. The biggest thing is to learn the course. Nothing will be automatic. It will be exciting, I’m sure.”

    Though the 2010 series champion is known for being good on both the road courses and ovals as he has a current streak of seven straight top-five finishes and eight consecutive top 10s. He also finished in the top five in both of the road courses so far this year, with a second at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (CTMP) and a fifth at Circuit ICAR.

    “I’m not a real road-course guy, but we’ve done pretty well and I hope that continues,” Kennington concludes. “Those three points for winning a race are huge and (Fitzpatrick) already has one win on a road course, so I’m nowhere near comfortable.”

    Fitzpatrick won the first road course this year at CTMP while finishing second at Circuit ICAR. Coming off of a fourth place finish at Vernon, Fitzpatrick is looking to repeat previous Edmonton success and take the win, just like he has done twice before (2007 and 2010). The  two years he didn’t win, he also didn’t do too bad as he finished second in 2009 and fourth in 2008. Road courses are one of Fitzpatrick’s strengths as six of his seven career wins have been on road courses and he has five top-10 finishes in his last seven road course starts.

    The other driver to watch on the road course is Andrew Ranger, as he won the 2009 Edmonton Race in his last start at the track. The two previous years he finished second and third. Ranger is looking for a good finish this weekend after finishing 11th at Vernon last weekend. Though it only marked the second time in his last 28 series starts that he has finished outside of the top 10. If possible, Ranger will look to repeat his performance from Circuit ICAR when he took the win ahead of Fitzpatrick.

    Sitting behind the top three is defending series champion Scott Steckly, who is looking for the perfect time to pounce after finishing third this past weekend at Vernon. Steckly hasn’t been too bad on the road courses so far this year as he finished third in both of them. That mirrors his previous performance at Edmonton as he finished third in each of his last two Canadian Tire Series starts in Edmonton, which followed a runner-up to Alex Tagliani in 2008. Though it’s the consistancy that makes the two-time series champion tough to beat as he has six top-five finishes in his last seven series starts dating back to last season.

    Another driver to watch in Edmonton is Jason Hathaway as he has finished in the top 10 in each of his four starts in Alberta, including a best finish of sixth in 2010. He currently sits fifth in points after recording a top-five in each of his last three starts this season.

  • IndyCar stays in Canada, Conway and Wilson discuss Edmonton

    IndyCar stays in Canada, Conway and Wilson discuss Edmonton

    [media-credit name=”http://www.indycar.com” align=”alignleft” width=”250″][/media-credit]The IZOD IndyCar series stays north of the border for the eleventh round of the 2012 season this weekend with Edmonton Indy.  It will be the fifth IndyCar sanctioned race at the Edmonton City Centre Airport and the eighth race to be held at the venue, with Champ Car holding the first three races beginning in 2005.

    This will be the second race to be run on Edmonton’s new layout, which was modified in 2011 to help promote overtaking throughout the race.

    Mike Conway, driver of the #14 ABC Supply Company Honda for A.J. Foyt Enterprises believes the changes to the track layout last year have had a positive impact on the racing that takes place in Edmonton.

    “It kind of made racing really good, which is kind of what you need around that place,” Conway tells IndyCar.com when referring to the hairpins configured into the new layout of the track.

    The winner of the 2011 Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach looks forward to racing at Edmonton again this weekend after running well but receiving a drive-through penalty last year after making contact with Oriol Servia.

    “It’s a fun little track, very rewarding, so bumpy in some places but it just makes it a challenge of dialing the car in,” says the Englishman.

    Justin Wilson is a driver excited to get back to the Alberta area.  The pilot of the #18 Dale Coyne Racing Sonny’s BBQ Honda has experienced much success on the Edmonton Circuit.  Of the seven races Wilson has run on the airport layouts, he has accumulated five top-5 finishes including winning the 2006 iteration of the race.

    “Edmonton is a unique track and the way its laid out the fans can see most of it,” Wilson says to the IndyCar Series’ website regarding the new layout used for the race beginning in 2011.

    Though, the areas the IndyCar’s run through at the Edmonton City Centre Airport differ from the layout driven by Wilson from when he won, Wilson states that he enters the race weekend with the same strategy.

    “Exactly the same philosophy applies, a couple more hairpins create some more out braking opportunities,” he says.

    [media-credit name=”http://www.indycar.com” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Wilson looks to claim another victory at the Edmonton circuit on July 22nd and he enters the weekend ready to work hard to continue his success.

    The winner of the 2012 Firestone 550 states “It’s a tough track, its high commitment, you’ve got to be very precise. I think it’s going to be a challenge with these new cars, it’s going to be hard work from the cockpit.”

    Edmonton Indy can be seen on NBC Sports Network at 2 PM on Sunday, July 22nd.

  • Last Minute Sponsorship Arrives For Will Kimmel; Kimmel Racing To Race Chicagoland

    Last Minute Sponsorship Arrives For Will Kimmel; Kimmel Racing To Race Chicagoland

    JOLIET, Illinois (July 18, 2012) – – Even before arriving at Chicagoland Speedway this weekend, Kimmel Racing and driver Will Kimmel (@willkimmel) are excited about their chances for Saturday afternoon’s Ansell ActivArmr® 150 for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

    The excitement comes from a last minute sponsorship alliance with AccucareTX and Tilted Kilt who have agreed to jump aboard the Kimmel Racing (@kimmel_racing) train for the 12th race of the 2012 season. After having to start and park last weekend at Iowa Speedway, Kimmel Racing will return to full force and look to improve on their stout fifth place run at New Jersey Motorsports Park at the beginning of the month.

    Together, the Kimmel Racing team led by father-son duo of Bill and Will Kimmel will look not only for a strong finish in their first mile-and-half race track together this year but look to pull of an impressive feat by putting their No. 68 AccucareTX / Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion in victory circle.

    “Words can’t describe the feeling knowing that we’re actually going to be able to race this weekend because of the support of AccucareTX and Tilted Kilt,” said driver Will Kimmel. “We’ve experience our fair share of ups and downs this season – but none of that matters going into the weekend because our focus is solely on going out there and showing what our team is capable of not only for ourselves but for those who believe in us too.”

    AccucareTX provides on-site contract rehabilitation services including physical and occupational therapies, speech-language pathology services, and home therapy in a variety in inpatient and outpatient settings. Despite not having the ability to participate in the open-test session in the “Windy City” a few weeks ago, the Clarksville, Indiana-based team is confident in their ability to get the job done and fight against those who did partake in the opportunity.

    “We know what we’re looking for,” offered owner and crew chief Bill Kimmel. “We’re bringing one of the strongest Fords in our fleet and the horsepower from RoushYates should be spectacular and everyone knows that Will is not afraid to get up on the wheel. If you were to say, we’ve raised the bar for ourselves heading into Chicagoland, you would be right. Hopefully, we can go out there on Saturday and have a strong finish and turn these partnerships into something more. Ultimately, without their support, we would not be racing this weekend and we don’t forget that.”

    When Kimmel isn’t behind the wheel of the No. 68 AccucareTX / Tilted Kilt Ford Fusion, the Sellersburg, Indiana native is busting his hump with his full service lawn care business which serves several surrounding cities and includes both business and residential clients.

    “It keeps me busy, that’s for sure,” Kimmel explained. “From the moment the sun rises until it begins to set it seems like I’m out there hard at it. It’s a lot of work – but it helps out with stuff that we need in the shop. The family’s real supportive so that makes things a lot easier to deal with.”

    Kimmel will make his 10th start of the year this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. Preparing to run start to finish for the sixth time in 2012, the team is search of their third top-five run and fourth top-10 effort overall. Overall, the 24-year old will make his 35th career ARCA start.

    Before heading to the track on Friday, the Kimmel Racing team will make a stop at the Tilted Kilt in Joliet, Illinois from 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. The Celtic-themed sports bar and restaurant chain is located at 3340 Mall Loop Drive No. 14, Joliet, Illinois 60435.

    The Ansell ActivArmr® 150 (100 laps / 150 miles) is the 12th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 12th ARCA race at Chicagoland is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, July 20 with an hour and a half session planned from 6:05 p.m. – 7:35 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for the next morning slated to begin at 9:30 a.m. The event will take the green flag later in the day at 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional coverage including timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Central).

    For sponsorship inquiries with Kimmel Racing, interested parties are urged to contact Bill Kimmel at 502.645.9370 or bill@kimmelracing.com.

    To learn more about AccucareTX and their services, please click over to accucaretx.com.

    For more on Will Kimmel, please visit willkimmel.com.

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

  • Bobby Runyan Jr. Signs Endorsement Deal with EyeBlack

    Bobby Runyan Jr. Signs Endorsement Deal with EyeBlack

    Denair, CA – It was announced today that Richard Childress Development Driver Bobby Runyan Jr., has officially signed a multi-year endorsement deal with EyeBlack.

    EyeBlack, an innovative company producing high quality customized products to reduce glare from the sun for athletes will give Bobby a prominent style and will produce several variations using Bobby’s brand and likeness as he advances his career into the upper echelon of motorsports

    “I’ve always been a fan of Eye Black for its glare-reducing abilities and customizable options,” said Bobby Runyan Jr. “I am very excited to partner with them as I continue to grow in my career and hope to show other drivers how beneficial EyeBlack is on the track and how cool and fun a product like this can be for the fans.”

    Bobby has recently signed on with Richard Childress Driver Development Team running out of California in association with Golden Gate Racing. Bobby is also using Motorsports Marketing Agency, Drive Motorsports International as his consulting agency who is training the championship winning driver on marketing and sponsorship as he grows his brand.

    “Auto racing is a sport where reducing glare and improving safety is just as important as style, and with EyeBlack, Bobby will get a great looking product that will help him succeed on the track,” said Peter Beveridge, President and Founder of EyeBlack. “Runyan and the auto racing industry fully embody our motto, ‘Play Tough. Play Smart.’ We are proud to call Bobby a partner and use what he’s all about to help grow our brand.”

    For More info on Bobby Runyan Jr:

    www.bobbyrunyan.com

    http://www.facebook.com/BobbyRunyanJrRacing

     

  • Kimmel Racing With Extra Incentive at Chicagoland

    Kimmel Racing With Extra Incentive at Chicagoland

    No. 44 Ansell/ Menards Toyota Camry ARCA RACING SERIES – RACE 12 OF 20 -CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY

    This weekend at Chicagoland Speedway, Frank Kimmel will be racing with an extra incentive and a bigger fan base as part of the Ansell ActivArmr 150 weekend. Over 200 guests from Menards and Ansell will be on hand at Chicago to witness Kimmel chase his second win at Chicagoland. The #44 Toyota will have a different look this week, with Ansell’s ActivArmr being showcased on the hood, complimenting the familiar Menards yellow paint scheme. Kimmel and the Ansell/Menards team have scored two top ten finishes on intermediate style tracks this year, Pocono (6th) and Michigan (7th).

    Kimmel and the #44 are coming off a solid top five finish at the Iowa Speedway, where the #44 Thorsport team gained ground on the point leader and are now within 105 points of the championship lead. Consistency has put Kimmel in the thick of the championship hunt in 2012, finishing in the top ten in eight of the eleven events thus far. After an 11th place at Winchester snapped a streak of top tens, a 7th place finish at New Jersey, and last week’s effort at Iowa have kick-started another top ten streak for the nine-time champion.

    With an average finish of eighth over 11 races at Chicagoland, the Joliet, IL 1.5 mile speedway has proved to be one of Kimmel’s most productive venues in recent years. Kimmel is one of two drivers to start every ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards event at Chicago, and has nine top ten finishes in eleven starts. Kimmel is one of the eleven different winners, scoring his Chicagoland victory from the pole in 2003.

    CHICAGOLAND PERFORMANCE: Kimmel is one of two ARCA Racing Series drivers to compete in every race at Chicagoland Speedway. In the eleven races at Chicagoland, Kimmel has scored five top fives and nine top ten finishes. Kimmel scored a win in 2003 from the pole, and has just one finish worse than 11th at Chicago.

    TOP TEN STREAK: In the last three Chicagoland races, Kimmel has scored three top ten finishes and in the top eleven in the last seven Chicago races. Kimmel is coming off of two consecutive top ten finishes at New Jersey Motorsports Park (7th) and Iowa Speedway (5th).

    CLOSE TO THE RECORD: Kimmel can tie Iggy Katona’s all-time record of 43 pole awards this weekend during Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell on Saturday morning at 9:30 amCT. In addition, Kimmel’s 74 career wins is five behind Katona’s all-time wins record in the ARCA Racing Series.

    POINTS REPORT: After 11 of 20 races, Kimmel sits fourth in ARCA Racing Series points and trails point leader, Chris Buescher, by 105 points. After leading 23 laps and finishing 5th at Iowa, Kimmel gained 55 points on the championship lead. Through 11 events in 2012, Kimmel has four top fives and eight top ten finishes.

    CHASSIS CHOICE: Kimmel will race Thorsport Racing’s A-2 chassis for this weekend’s Ansell ActivArmr 150. Chassis A-2 has been raced twice in 2012 to two top ten finishes (Pocono – 6th, Michigan – 7th).

    NEW LOOK: Coinciding with the Ansell ActivArmr 150, Ansell’s ActivArmr brand will adorn the hood of Kimmel’s Menards Toyota this week at Chicagoland.

    JOLIET, IL MENARDS APPEARANCE: Kimmel will visit the Joliet, IL Menards location on Thursday, July 19th, from 6-7:30 PM. Kimmel will sign autographs for fans while the #44 Ansell/Menards showcar will also be on display. The Joliet Menards location is at 2524 W Jefferson Street Joliet, IL 60435.

    ANSELL ActivArmr: Ansell is introducing their new Multipurpose line of ActivArmr gloves. ActivArmr Multipurpose gloves are available in Light Duty, Medium Duty and Heavy Duty. These ‘second skin’ feel gloves are made from engineered yarns for durability, breathability and comfort. They each have a foam nitrile outer layer for enhanced wet/dry grip and improved finger lengths for improved fit.

     

    THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Frank Kimmel

    HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE PERFORMANCE ON INTERMEDIATE TRACKS IN 2012? “It’s hard to say really, because the first two races have been on new asphalt. No one had a good notebook on Pocono or Michigan. We ran well at both races, but the tire situation at both tracks took away from the performance and made it hard gauge. Chicagoland is going to be the first true challenge of what our intermediate program will be like.”

    WHAT MAKES CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY DIFFERENT NOW FROM WHEN IT FIRST OPENED? “Like every track, it has more bumps, more character, and has lost grip over time. It’s a much different style of intermediate track than Pocono or Michigan because of the difference in asphalt. We’re changing our philosophy with the racecar this week to try and compensate for that. We’re bringing a fast car this week, and hope that we can run up front all weekend.”

    WHAT WOULD SOLID PERFORMACE OR A WIN MEAN IN THE ANSELL ActivArmr 150? “When we do win, wherever it is, it’s going to be big. Every time Menards and Ansell are at the track, we have a big contingent of people watching, so you want to run well. Ansell and Menards have been great supporters of ours and it’s going to be fun having a lot of guests from both companies at the racetrack. We’re confident we can run well and run up front, but it’s important for us to have a chance to win everywhere we go.”

     

    Race Info

    July 21st, 2012 Chicagoland Speedway

    1.5 Mile Tri-Oval

    Ansell ActivArmr 150

    100 Laps/150 Miles

    Broadcast Info:

    Live Timing & Scoring at ARCARacing.com

    Friday July 20: Practice – 6:05pm CT – 7:35pm CT

    Saturday July 21: Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell – 9:30 amCT

    Race – 4 pmCT – LIVE ON SPEED

    Team Facts:

    Current Driver Point Standings: 4th

    Chassis: A-2 (Raced at Pocono -6th and Michigan -7th)

    Engine: TRD (Toyota Racing Development) & TRIAD

    Frank Kimmel ARCA RACING SERIES results at Iowa Speedway:

    WINS: 1

    POLES: 1

    Top 5s: 5

    Top 10s: 9

    Total Appearances: 11

     

    ABOUT MENARDS: With 268 stores in 14 Midwestern states, Menards has the tools, materials and supplies for all your home improvement needs whether just needing a light bulb or can of paint to building a deck or new home.  Menards is known throughout the home improvement industry as the low price leader; it’s no wonder their famous slogan – “SAVE BIG MONEY” – is so widely known and easy to remember.  Menards does things right – the company’s strength and success can be seen in the well-stocked and maintained stores, the lowest prices in town and the way guests are always treated like family in a hometown hardware store atmosphere.

    ABOUT ANSELL: Ansell is aglobal leader in protection solutions, with operations in North America, LAC, EMEA and Asia-Pacific.  Ansell designs, develops, manufactures and markets a wide range of surgical, examination, industrial and household gloves, protective clothing and condoms. People in over 100 countries around the world put their trust in Ansell’s innovative, high-quality solutions to offer superior protection, combined with high levels of comfort and performance.   Ansell holds its operational headquarters in Red Bank, NJ, USA and its parent, Ansell Limited, is registered  in Melbourne, Australia. Worldwide, the group employs over 10,000 people in 33 countries. In its Fiscal Year 2011, Ansell achieved sales of USD 1.2 bn. For more information visit www.ansell.com, www.safetypro.com,www.activarmr.com and www.ansellconstruction.com.

  • Another Podium For Steckly At Motoplex Speedway

    Another Podium For Steckly At Motoplex Speedway

    July 14, 2012. Vernon, BC – The Motoplex Speedway has been kind to Scott Steckly in the last five years – #22 returned to Vernon, BC yesterday where he’s recorded victories the past two years, following 2nd place finishes in the previous three.

    For the last two races, Scott Steckly and his crew have been competing with a new set up for the Canadian Tire Dodge. But for #22’s big return to the Motoplex Speedway, the team reverted back to a blueprint that had worked for them in the past. The car ran well in practice, although, to Steckly, it never felt dominating. However the crew didn’t put too much stock in the Canadian Tire Dodge’s performance in practice – Steckly’s first-place finishes the last two years were prefaced with a vehicle that wasn’t great at the start of the race.

    Regardless of the Canadian Tire Dodges domination doubts, Steckly was still 2nd fastest during qualifying and earned the 2nd starting position for the main event.

    #22 lined up on the outside of the front row for the start of the A & W Cruisin’ the Dub 300, where he took the lead, collecting a bonus point for leading a lap. “It’s always good to pick that up early,” Steckly said after the race. “Those bonus points add up.”

    Steckly continued to vie for 1st throughout the race, taking over the lead just past the halfway point and the first scheduled pit stops. The team continued to make minor handling improvements during scheduled pit stops, which proved helpful for Steckly as he pushed to the front of the pack three separate times throughout the day.

    After a final stop for tires, Steckly charged to the front for his third and final lead of the contest, dominating laps 201 – 248. Although in the back 50 laps, the Canadian Tire Dodge lost some ground and Steckly clocked in at his worst finish in six years at the Motoplex – which was still an impressive 3rd place.

    “The car just wasn’t as strong in the late stages,” Steckly explained. “The car is running well, but just not quite as strong as it did a year ago when we won here. But we’re improving and getting closer and know we can get back on top.

    The A&W Cruisin’ The Dub 300 will be aired on TSN Sun., July 22, 5 p.m. ET; RDS2, Sat., Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. ET

    Next up for the 22 Racing/Canadian Tire Dodge team will be the Edmonton Indy event on Sunday July 22. For more information please visit www.nascarhometracks.com

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

  • Dilley Finishes 13th At Motoplex Speedway

    Dilley Finishes 13th At Motoplex Speedway

    Vernon, BC, Monday July 16, 2012: Mark Dilley driver of the #02 Micks Motorsports/Leland Industries/Beyond Digital Imaging Ford finished a disappointing 13th in Saturday nights A & W Cruisin’ the Dub 300.

    Dilley was immediately at the top of the time charts when the mid day practice session started and the team continued to work on the car to get it performing to Dilley’s liking.

    Time trials had the Leland Industries/BDI Ford within striking distance of the pole but when the session was over he was ranked 4th, with the 2nd to 4th positions separated by 6/1000ths of a second.

    Dilley was confident going into the 300 lap race that he had a car that could contend for the win. For the first third of the race he ran in third place, until the caution flag flew and he came to the pits for fuel. When the green flag again waived again the #02 Ford started to fade and the car became a handful to drive. “The handling just went away,” said Dilley after the race. The next caution had Dilley coming to the pits for adjustments and tires, hoping this would make a difference to the handling of the car. Dilley lost two laps over the mid portion of the event, but was able to regain one of them with the “Free Pass” but the cautions didn’t fall when needed in order to gain back the 2nd lap. When the checkered flag waived Dilley was ranked in 13th position.

    “We think there is a problem with one of the shocks,” commented Dilley. “The team will get to the bottom of it before the Saskatoon race. We really like coming to the west coast and this facility is second to none on our circuit.”

    The A & W Cruisin’ the Dub 300 will air on TSN Sun., July 22, 5 p.m. ET; RDS2, Sat., Aug. 11, 7:30 p.m. ET.

    The #02 Micks Motorsports team is supported by the following sponsors: Leland Industries, Beyond Digital Imaging, PartSource Johnsonville, Armor All, STP, Cathcart Trucking, Seguin Marina, Thor Motors, Prostate Cancer Canada, Triad Racing Technologies, Gaunt Collision Centres, Samester and Castrol.