Category: Other Series Racing

[media-credit name=”iowacorn.org” align=”alignright” width=”168″][/media-credit]Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing Iowa Advance Notes

Race: Iowa Corn Indy 250 (Saturday June 23 at 10:00 PM ET, NBC Sports Network)
Track: Iowa Speedway (0.875-mile oval)
Location: Newton, IA

NOTES/NEWS

Follow CGR on Twitter: Follow @CGRTeams for official updates from Chip Ganassi Racing’s IZOD IndyCar Series drivers Graham Rahal and Charlie Kimball.

Team Manager John Cummiskey on Iowa: “I love the fans in Iowa. The heat races will put a different twist on Friday and that should be a lot of fun for the Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing team. It really can’t get much better than Saturday night racing in Iowa and we’re all looking forward the weekend ahead.”

The Heat is On: In a departure from single-car qualifications, three heat races will be held June 22 to set the starting grid for the 250-lap race. Qualification groups will be determined by lap times recorded by entries in the second (45-minute) practice session earlier in the day (3:30 p.m. ET). Qualifications are scheduled for 7:15 p.m. ET. Race one, will consist of the even-numbered positions, starting with the 10th-quickest practice time, and determine the even-numbered positions in the starting field from 10th down. Race two, will consist of the odd-numbered positions, starting with the ninth-quickest practice time, and determine the odd-numbered positions in the starting field from ninth down. Race three, will consist of drivers ranked one through eight from the practice. Results of race three will determine the first four rows, with the winner taking the pole position.

Break it Down: Pursuant to input from IZOD IndyCar Series drivers and team engineers, INDYCAR has directed a maximum rear flap angle of 37 degrees with no wicker allowed for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway. The rule will reduce downforce available by about eight-to-nine percent.

Honda Power: Honda remains second in the manufacturer point standings with 63 points, closing in on Chevrolet with 69. Lotus remains third with 32 points.

There’s an App for that: Chip Ganassi Racing Teams (CGRT) and SapientNitro SM recently re-launched an updated mobile application, which is one of the first for the high-velocity world of racing. The application brings fans updated driver and event information, and exclusive content in one centralized and expansive mobile experience, bringing to life the rich heritage and legendary success of CGRT. The unique mobile application conveys the high-octane rush of the racing experience for a team that competes at the highest levels in three series – the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS), IZOD IndyCar Series and GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Click here to visit the iTunes Application store and download the CGRT mobile app.

GRAHAM RAHAL AND THE NO. 38 SERVICE CENTRAL TEAM

Follow Graham on Twitter: Follow @grahamrahal for updates as the driver of the No. 38 Service CentralHonda completes his second season with Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

Helmet of Hope: The Graham Rahal Foundation was selected as one of the 12 charities that will be featured on NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) Champion Jimmie Johnson’s helmet, through the Helmet of Hope program. Johnson will wear the helmet in the NSCS race at Infineon Raceway on June 24 in Sonoma, California. In addition to being featured on Johnson’s helmet, the Graham Rahal Foundation will receive a $10,000 grant as well as a Blue Bunny ice cream party. The program, which is part of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, allows fans and media members across the country to nominate their favorite charities, which are then selected at random.

Milwaukee Recap: Rahal finished ninth in the Milwaukee IndyFest at The Milwaukee Mile, in West Allis, Wisconsin. The result marked Rahal’s 40th top-10 finish in his IZOD IndyCar Series career and the third top-10 of his 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series season (Alabama, Texas). Rahal started the 225-lap race 11th and battled heavy traffic on the one-mile oval, driving the No. 38 Service Central Honda to the top-10 by lap 63. The Service Central team would fight handling problems early on, but would make adjustments to the car to gradually improve position throughout the second half of the race. Rahal would make the most of double-file restarts through a total of five cautions to nab a spot inside the top-10 with 23 laps to go. He ran in the top-10 for a total of 48 laps. Rahal’s previous top-10 results for the season included a fourth at Barber Motorsports Park in the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama and a second at Texas Motor Speedway in the Firestone 550. On one-to-two mile ovals, Rahal has scored an average start of 7.0 and an average finish of 5.5 this season.

In the Points: Following Milwaukee, Rahal holds 11th in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings with 171 markers, -103 points behind points leader Will Power.

Iowa Rewind: The No. 38 Service Central car lined-up 20th on the 0.875-mile oval for the 250-lap race under the lights. Rahal would charge to the top-15 and secure 12th-place by lap 45. On lap 90, the Service Central driver continued to dig through the field and nabbed a spot in the top-10 while fighting an edgy car. The Service Central team made their final scheduled pit stop of the night on lap 182 under green and were ill-fated when the yellow flag waved less than five laps later– allowing the leaders to pit under the caution and causing Rahal to lose a lap. The No. 38 continued to battle for track position and would ultimately finish 15th.

 

Career at Iowa: Rahal has made four starts at Iowa Speedway in his IZOD IndyCar career, earning two top-10s, four top-15s and leading 11 laps. He has zero DNFs (did not finish) and has completed 993 of the 1,000 laps run at Iowa Speedway since 2008. He has an average start of 15.5 and an average finish of 11.2 at the track.

Oval Office: The driver of the No. 38 Service Central Honda has made 35 starts on oval tracks in his IZOD IndyCar career. He has earned one pole, five podiums, nine top-fives, 15 top-10 finishes and led 55 laps. He has an average start of 11.9 and an average finish of 13.9.

Rahal on Iowa: “Iowa will be a tough race for all of us. We are going to be doing a lot of learning with the new aero configuration, but I think this all leans into our favor. I am looking forward to going there and really having to muscle the cars around. It’s a great little track, physically very demanding, but this will be a lot of fun for thedrivers, teams, and fans!”

About Chip Ganassi Racing Teams, Inc.

Chip Ganassi has been a fixture in the auto racing industry for over 25 years and is considered one of the most successful as well as innovative owners the sport has anywhere in the world. Today his teams include four in the IZOD IndyCar Series, two cars in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and one Daytona Prototype in the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series. Overall his teams have 14 championships and 147 victories, including four Indianapolis 500s, a Daytona 500, a Brickyard 400 and four Rolex 24 At Daytonas. Ganassi boasts state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis and Brownsburg, Ind. and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Penn.

For more information log onto chipganassiracing.com

WINCHESTER, Indiana (June 21, 2012) – – With an average finish of 14th on the three short track races that Josh Williams and his Josh Williams Motorsports (JWM) team has competed on during the course of the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season, odds are that the team’s chances of improving on that statistic will improve in Sunday’s running of the Herr’s Chase The Taste 200 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway.

After mixed results in rounds seven and eight respectively at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and Michigan International Speedway, the family-owned draws their attention towards the ninth event of the season, a race where patience and luck will likely play the deciding factor in the overall running order.   Bringing one of the favorite cars from their impressive fleet, the Port Charlotte, Florida native is eager to deliver the team’s third top-10 run of the season while also boost the team’s morale heading into a stretch of races where the Concord, North Carolina-based race team feels that they can draw some attention and earn some time in the spotlight.

“I’m looking forward to Sunday’s race, because it’s going to be one those shows that’s going to be exciting from start to finish,” explained Williams, driver of the No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Chevrolet. “The short tracks have been very intense this year but it has produced some good racing for the fans and I don’t expect this weekend to be any different. We’ve worked even harder on our short track program since Toledo so we can go to Winchester this weekend and be competitive right off the bat.”

The 18-year old added, “This is a big stretch for us. It’s off to Winchester then New Jersey, which I can’t wait for – then you have Iowa and Chicagoland not too far away, so as these races approach it’s going to be important for us to be as consistent as we can be.”

Working on a shoestring budget has kept the team from being able to dig themselves into some of the luxuries of racing in the ARCA Racing Series – but Williams remains modest in knowing that his team is making huge strides working off limited funding and will continue to do so in hopes of something more permanent will eventually develop and allow the team to expand their horizons.

“There’s so much that we would like to do, but right now we’re working with the tools that we have,” the Floridian mentioned. “I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of everyone on this team. Despite the hardship at Michigan, we’re marching forward with our heads held high knowing that we have the capabilities of bouncing back and everyone will see that we will, hopefully this weekend.”

Teetering on entering the top-10 in the championship standings despite missing Elko (Minn.) Speedway earlier this month, the avid Pro Truck driver knows that putting his JWM organization back inside that spectrum could be an added boost.

“Like a lot of teams, we’re searching and struggling to gain additional sponsorship,” offered Williams. “Without my mom and dad (owners Kevin and Theresa Williams), none of this would be happening. They believe in me and this team though and that’s why we continue to forge ahead. We’re working on some stuff, we have some connections and we know it takes time but I think if we’re able to throttle forward and maneuver ourselves back inside the top-10 that it will only help in our off-track battle in filling up the voided areas on our No. 02 Chevrolet.”

The Herr’s Chase The Taste 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the ninth of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 23rd ARCA race at Winchester Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, June 23 with a forty-five practice session planned from 12:05 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 2:05 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag Sunday, June 24 shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but additional coverage including a radio broadcast and timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

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

[media-credit name=”delawarespeedway.com” align=”alignright” width=”233″][/media-credit]June 20, 2012.  Sherwood Park, Alberta’s Noel Dowler has a jammed week of appearances as he prepares for the EMCO 200 presented by Niagara Plumbing Supply & McKeough Supply, round number four of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series this weekend at Delaware Speedway near London, ON.

 

Dowler now racing in his second NCATS season is fresh off a couple of significant accomplishments in the last race.  The #5 EMCO Dodge driver claimed his first ever series top ten finish and also the Coca Cola move of the race which is the NASCAR Contingency award for the driver that gains the most positions during an event.  “You can feel the momentum building within the whole team” said Dowler.  “It feels good to be making significant gains every weekend we race” he added.

 

The #5 EMCO Dodge team expect to keep that positive energy going this weekend at the EMCO 200 presented by Niagara Plumbing Supply & McKeough Supply.  “We’ve tested the car at Delaware recently and came away with some good information” explained Dowler.  “It’s the home track for my teammate DJ Kennington and he’s been great at helping me learn about how to get around too” he added.

 

Prior to the race on Saturday Dowler will be visiting the EMCO PC location in Windsor and McKeough Supply in Brantford with the #5 EMCO Dodge.  “We started doing this last year and all the EMCO employees, customers, suppliers and the whole neighborhood get a real kick out of it” said Dowler.  It really helps us connect with the people in the company and they have become great fans of the race team” he stated.

 

Dean Mailloux is the EMCO Branch Manager for London/Sarnia/St. Thomas and will have a huge presence at this weekend’s race.   “The EMCO, McKeough Supply team and our sponsor representatives from Kohler, Keeprite, and Tempstar are thrilled to welcome over 300 contractor customers from throughout Southwestern Ontario for an exciting evening of racing at Delaware Speedway. The night will culminate with the “EMCO 200” Canadian Tire Series NASCAR race with the full support of our group cheering a trip to victory lane with the checker flag for the #5 EMCO Dodge driven by Noel Dowler”

 

The 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series resumes June 23^rd at Delaware Speedway near London, ON with practice and qualifying in the afternoon and the EMCO 200 Saturday evening.  This year’s schedule features 12 events from coast to coast including races during the Edmonton Indy weekend and the NASCAR Nationwide event in Montreal.  For more information about Noel Dowler Jr. log onto www.apollomotorsports.ca and follow him on twitter, @noeldowler.

 

This release prepared by, TL Sports & Entertainment

(MARNE, Mich. – June 20, 2012) – NASCAR star Kyle Busch passed for the lead on Lap 212 and held off a late charge from ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards competitor Chase Elliott to win the Rowdy 251 at Berlin Raceway, one of the highlights of the first season of ARCA CRA Super Series racing under the new agreement between the sanctions.

Busch’s win was his third in four years at the event which features his nickname, and his first in an ARCA division since winning in the 2004 ARCA Racing Series opener at Daytona, his last ARCA start. Busch also won in the ARCA Racing Series twice in 2003.

Elliott, who will next compete with the ARCA Racing Series July 1 at New Jersey Motorsports Park’s Thunderbolt Raceway, finished ahead of two-time ARCA CRA Super Series champion Johnny VanDoorn, Tom Thomas, and Ross Kenseth.

The full results are available by clicking here, and more information from the Rowdy 251 is available atCRARacing.net.

The series will return to action Saturday at Winchester Speedway as part of an all-ARCA tripleheader at the Indiana half-mile. The ARCA Racing Series headlines a weekend that also features the ARCA CRA Super Series and ARCA Truck Series. The ARCA Racing Series will hold two 45-minute practices on Saturday, at 12:05 and 2:05 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell will follow at 5, just before the Truck Series race at 6 and the Super Series event at 7.

The 200-lap, 100-mile Herr’s Chase the Taste 200 – the ninth event of the ARCA Racing Series season – will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage presented by the ARCA Racing Network available at ARCARacing.com.

(WINCHESTER, Ind. – June 20, 2012) – Discounted tickets for Sunday’s Herr’s Chase the Taste 200 at Winchester Speedway remain available at nine Menards stores near the track.

In addition to roles as the presenting sponsor of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and as a co-primary sponsor on Frank Kimmel’s No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota, Menards is participating heavily in promotion of the race. As the ARCA Racing Series continues through its 60th Anniversary Season, race fans in Indiana and Ohio have the chance to “Save Big Money” on tickets to see the action live.

Until Saturday, fans can buy tickets for Sunday’s race at $20 – a $7 discount off of the advertised at-track price – at stores in: Anderson; Celina, Ohio; Muncie; Richmond; Sidney, Ohio; and Tipp City, Ohio. Three stores in Fort Wayne are also offering the discount.

The ARCA Racing Series headlines an all-ARCA tripleheader at the Indiana half-mile that also features the ARCA CRA Super Series and ARCA Truck Series. The ARCA Racing Series will hold two 45-minute practices on Saturday, at 12:05 and 2:05 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell will follow at 5, just before the Truck Series race at 6 and the Super Series event at 7.

The 200-lap, 100-mile Herr’s Chase the Taste 200 – the ninth event of the ARCA Racing Series season – will begin at 2 p.m. Sunday, with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage presented by the ARCA Racing Network available at ARCARacing.com.

Notes & Quotes: Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway

Mike Conway: No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda

[media-credit name=”iowacorn.org” align=”alignright” width=”168″][/media-credit]· Mike Conway on racing at Iowa Speedway: “We recently tested at Iowa so we know what to expect going back there apart from one big change. That is going to be the reduced down force that we didn’t try but know should be ok. In the past this track has been a lot of fun, it’s a small 7/8 mile oval which when you look at it does look very small but it’s amazing how much grip it has with our cars. You can pass here if you have a good car like anywhere so we will be working hard on that in practice to get it right for the race as we have more than one [race] this time round.”

· Conway on the heat race qualifying format: “It’s going to be different for the qualifying races that’s for sure; in 30 laps the tires wont degrade that much, so it’s going to be a flat out sprint race!”

· Past performance at Iowa Speedway: Conway’s best start is 9th (2011) and his best finish is 8th (2009); the Foyt team’s best start is 13th (2010 with Vitor Meira) and their best finish is 5th (2007 with Darren Manning).

· Conway plus A.J. and Larry Foyt will attend the ABC Supply Founders Day Celebration at the Company’s headquarters in Beloit, WI this Thursday evening. From there they will fly on to Des Moines.

· ABC Supply roofing customer, West Branch Roofing, located in West Branch, IA, won the ‘Your Name Here’contest for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 at Iowa Speedway. The company name will be atop the sidepods of the No. 14 ABC Supply Dallara/Honda. Guests will receive selected merchandise, race tickets, hospitality and garage passes, plus a Meet and Greet with A.J. Foyt and Mike Conway.

· Jon Wolfkill will be the ABC Supply Honorary Crew Member of the race this weekend. Wolfkill works as a driver/operator in the Des Moines branch. Wolfkill, 39, lives in Des Moines with his wife Angie and their three children: Brandon, Abigail and Baili.

· ABC Supply will entertain nearly 400 guests at Saturday’s race. Prior to 2012, the company had entertained over 35,000 guests at IndyCar races since it began sponsoring A.J. Foyt’s team in 2005.

· The Iowa Corn Indy 250 will be shown live at 9 p.m. ET Saturday, June 23 on the NBC Sports Network. The heat races will be televised earlier, immediately following “IndyCar 36” (on driver Charlie Kimball) which starts at 7:30 p.m. Saturday evening, also on the NBC Sports Network.

· For more information on the Foyt Racing program, please check our web site: www.ajfoytracing.com.

WINCHESTER, Indiana (June 20, 2012) – -After netting a career-best finish of ninth in his most recent ARCA Racing Series race at Elko (Minn.) Speedway earlier this month, Mason Mingus and Win-Tron Racing reunite together after a two-race break for Sunday afternoon’s  Herr’s Chase The Taste 200 at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway.

It goes without saying that Mingus’s transition to the ARCA Racing Series this season has seen many pluses behind the wheel of the No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Toyota Camry but as the season presses forward with its ninth contest of the year, Mingus is hoping to turn his top-10 performances this year into something more.

“With every race, we learn a lot and make great strides but I’m ready to put our No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Toyota Camry inside the top-five,” said Mingus. “We’ve had the equipment to do it, just haven’t had the right scenarios to make it happen. This weekend, I’m confident that we can go to Winchester and get that goal accomplished.”

Despite his recent pause in competition, Mingus has stayed busy focusing his efforts not only on this weekend’s race but his ARCA road course debut next weekend at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP). Tackling, the Bob Bondurant Driving School, a facility that focuses on the fundamentals of road racing – the Brentwood, Tennessee native is thriving on the confidence of his aggressive three-day session which he hopes to carry over to one of the most demanding short tracks on the ARCA circuit.

“This week and next week are going to be night and day as far as the track is concerned, but the feelings you have as a racecar driver don’t change,” sounded Mingus. “Focus and preparation has been the key to our success this year and while I think those will be important for Sunday, I think luck and patience will be just as important. The good thing about short track racing is that you don’t need to have to cleanliest looking car to win. You can have your feathers ruffled during the race and still perform to the max and that’s what we plan to do, nothing more – nothing less.”

For the fifth time this year, the 17-year old standout will be carrying the likes of Call 811 Before You Dig, which has been with him since his inception into the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

811 is the new number you should call before you begin any digging project. A new, federally-mandated national “Call Before You Dig” number, 811 was created to help protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects. People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects. These assumptions can be life-threatening.

Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.

“Call 811 Before You Dig is a great program and we want to increase their awareness and I feel that we have and we’re going to continue to make a major dent into that this season,” offered Mingus. “It’s really a great, informational service available and I’m extremely grateful to them for pairing up with me this season. We’ve had some good runs for them, but we’re eager for more and I’m anxious to see what we can deliver for them on Sunday afternoon.”

Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his sentiments on his protégés tango with Winchester Speedway. “There’s no hiding behind that Winchester is a tough old short track. The place has some similar characteristics of Salem, where Mason did very well at, so our initial predictions are that he will have a similar type effort this weekend.” On top of Winchester Speedway, Mingus’s current ARCA schedule also includes New Jersey Motorsports Park, Iowa Speedway, Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis and the traditional Fall Salem (Ind.) Speedway classic.

In addition to Call 811 Before You Dig, Diamond Equipment will leap aboard the team as an associate marketing partner for Mingus’s sixth-career ARCA start.

The Herr’s Chase The Taste 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the ninth of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 23rd ARCA race at Winchester Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, June 23 with a forty-five practice session planned from 12:05 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 2:05 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag Sunday, June 24 shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but additional coverage including a radio broadcast and timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

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

Learn about Call 811 Before You Dig and what it can do for you by connecting to call811.com.

For more on Mason Mingus, please visit MasonMingusRacing.com.

 

About Win-Tron Racing:

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

WINCHESTER, Indiana (June 20, 2012) – – Early race misfortune robbed Tom Hessert’s chances of a good finish last Friday evening at Michigan International Speedway. This weekend, however the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards tour thunders back into action at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway, the ARCA veteran knows he’s heading to a place that fits his profile for redemption.

Behind the wheel of the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala for Ken Schrader Racing (KSR), the Cherry Hill, New Jersey native has been able to negotiate an average finish of eighth in the four short track races run thus far and with his ninth start of the season on-deck for the weekend, the 26-year old knows that Winchester will boil back down to basics on Sunday afternoon.

“I’m looking forward to Sunday afternoon because you’re able to throw a lot of the components that we’ve had to utilize in the last two races at Pocono and Michigan completely out the window,” Hessert explained. “Winchester is an extremely fast track where momentum is everything. The track has similar characteristics to Salem, were we ran very well earlier in the year, so I know not only am I looking forward to the race, but the guys are too.”

The avid racer will make his second start at the Indiana short track on Sunday afternoon. Last year, Hessert maneuvered from his 13th place starting position to note a fifth place run, one of his seven top-five performances of the year. Posting three top-fives and five top-10s after eighth runs in 2012, Hessert knows that his KSR team is capable of more than a duplicate performance.

“I enjoy racing on the short tracks in ARCA,” Hessert said. “You never know what to expect but you know that you can always expect a good fight at the front. The fields have been tight and no one really has an advantage over another. Our team has shown incredible strength this season, despite the bad luck at Michigan. We’ve run well, consistent and near the front all season long. We know that we need to bounce back this weekend. We lost a ton of points last Friday and now we just need to fight our way back to the top. From our run last year, we at least know we have a starting point and Donnie (Richeson, crew chief) has done a good job fine-tuning our No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet all year long. We just have to stick to our plan and we’ll be okay.”

Eight races down, 12 to go in the remaining ARCA Racing Series schedule, Hessert currently occupies seventh in the championship standings, 170 points behind leader Brennan Poole. Just 75 markers though separate him from seventh to third in the ongoing battle for the coveted ARCA championship honors.

The Herr’s Chase The Taste 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the ninth of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 23rd ARCA race at Winchester Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, June 23 with a forty-five practice session planned from 12:05 p.m. – 12:50 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 2:05 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. The event will take the green flag Sunday, June 24 shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will not be televised but additional coverage including a radio broadcast and timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

Entering Winchester, Hessert has 91 career ARCA Racing Series starts. In those outings, he has maneuvered two poles, one win, 22 top-fives and 48 top-10s.

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

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

[media-credit name=”IZOD IndyCar Series” align=”alignright” width=”360″][/media-credit]Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:

1.      If you missed it: Oriol Servia conference call

2.      Synergy working for Colliver and Yacaman

3.      Immersion Media enhances fan experience at indycar.com

 

1. If you missed it: Oriol Servia conference call: Earlier today, IZOD IndyCar Series driver Oriol Servia participated in an INDYCAR Conference Call to preview the Iowa Corn Indy 250.  Servia, driver of the No. 22 Panther/Dreyer & Reinbold Chevrolet, is 10th in the IZOD IndyCar Series point standings entering the Iowa Corn Indy 250 after scoring a top-five finish at Milwaukee — his third top-five finish in the last four races.

Q. Oriol, you’ve had three top‑five finishes in the last four races, so what will it take to keep that momentum going at Iowa this weekend?

ORIOL SERVIA: Well, I think there’s no secret, we are doing the best job we can at every race we have. I was going to say, every day, but obviously we are not doing a very good job in qualifying, and we just seem to be showing up on the race.

But definitely just keep pushing. We had a slow start this season, and I think that made us all very hungry as a team and willing to prove that we deserve to be running up front and that’s what we are doing now.

Q. I know you had a pretty productive test at Iowa before the Milwaukee race, but earlier this week the series announced some changes to the aero package for the weekend. What are your thoughts about the changes and putting the car more in the drivers’ hands this weekend?

ORIOL SERVIA: Well, it’s definitely putting more of the car into the drivers’ hands, and also into the engineers’ hands. I definitely see less downforce, it makes it a lot more demanding for the engineers trying to find a good setup that, a, will give you the speed, but also, b, that will make the tires last the whole thing. And if not, then we have the engineers having to focus on trying to find a tenth of a‑mile‑an‑hour, because we are all going around flat. And then the focus, the ability to find these speeds for veering or these things that make the wings flex better or worse. Honestly it should give you a tenth of a mile, but that’s what you need to make a difference.

Now, when you need to drive the car you and need a setup that takes care of the tires, if you don’t do that and you don’t focus on having a good mechanical setup, it means that you’re not going to be losing a tenth of a mile, you’re going to be losing ten miles an hour.

It’s putting the focus back where it should be which is finding a good, proper setup of the car that makes the car work, the tires work, and that makes the drivers work. I hope with all of these changes ‑‑ it’s always tough to find what level, and with downforce, how much we really need.

The only thing I haven’t been totally happy with the strategy is that we just tested last week in Iowa and it cost money to the team and now for everybody to do the best in between the races between Texas and Milwaukee, we are in Iowa testing, and it would have been nice to know the rules when we were there. So at least we were spending the money on a package that is not exactly what we are going to be racing on.

But apart from that, I understand not everything is perfect, but I’m very happy with the route that IndyCar is taking with these changes.

 

Q. Another change for this weekend, you mentioned that you would just show up for the race. Qualifying this weekend, as someone who has gained 89 positions on track in the race, you have to be upbeat about trying to race your way to the fold.

ORIOL SERVIA: Yeah, actually that’s a good point. We have been much better at passing the cars on track than beating times in qualifying. So the races seem to go our way. You still need to put a good time up there to try to get into the top three groups, but yeah, it’s good.

I think it’s interesting that the series are trying different ways for qualifying, you know, the starting position for the races. I think it’s good that we are being a little adventurous and brave to try things. I don’t know if this is going to be the success formula, but I’m definitely happy that, again, we are not afraid to make our sport better every day.

 

2. Synergy working for Colliver and Yacaman: It’s one of the most unique relationships in sports. The relationship between a driver and race engineer has to be one of complete trust, a back-and-forth of sharing theories that are put to test in real situations every race weekend.

Firestone Indy Lights competitor Gustavo Yacaman referred to it as an investor-investeerelationship. His race engineer, Mike Colliver, said maybe student-teacher or doctor-patient.

Colliver and Yacaman started working together last season at the twin Firestone Indy Lights races in Edmonton, Alberta, after Yacaman’s engineer left the team. He worked for a while with Team Moore Racing principal Mark Moore, but depended on Colliver for advice throughout the transition.

“I’ve done the Indy car deal for 10 or 12 years, and I’ve done this level for about four years now,” Colliver said. “So I think I have that vision where I can tell him that when he gets to the next level he might want to think about this or that. I think that at an Indy Lights level, an engineer kind of needs to be a driver coach at times, and he’s not at that stage. He doesn’t need me to driver coach him. Maybe a first-year guy coming into Indy Lights might need a little more. My focus is more getting him ready to go to the next level. Especially on the ovals, I think.”

The two will need that focus for their race this weekend at the .875-mile Iowa Speedway oval, where Yacaman finished second last season. The Sukup 100 will take place immediately before the IZOD IndyCar Series race June 23. The race will air on NBC Sports Network that night at 10:59 p.m. (CT).

It didn’t take long for Colliver and Yacaman to get into the swing of things when they began working together. Colliver learned what his driver liked from the car, and could make those adjustments to it before it even hit the track.

“Some engineers are very sensitive to what you tell them. They get offended,” Yacaman said. “If a change doesn’t work, a lot of them for their own ego want to try to work around it to make it work. With Mike, it’s good because I can tell him something didn’t work, and he’ll take it off and make what’s working better. We’re not going to waste time trying to make something he came up with work for the hell of it, so that’s good we have that communication.”

Colliver has more than a decade of experience, including work with Bruno Junqueira during the 2011 Indianapolis 500. Junqueira, a friend of Yacaman’s, gave nothing but positive reviews for Colliver after that experience.

“My philosophy as a race engineer is that there’s a thousand ways to skin the cat, and I think I’m better suited and the driver’s better suited if I massage the car and make the car more towards what he wants instead of saying, ‘This is the ultimate set-up. You need to figure out how to drive it this way,’ ” Colliver said. “And I think there’s a fair amount of engineers out there that believe, ‘This is the car. You need to learn how to drive it.’ I’ve never been a believer in that.”

Together, the No. 2 TMR‐Tuvacol‐Xtreme Coil Drilling car has finished in the top 10 in every race this season, including three top-five finishes highlighted by a win in Detroit and a pole at Indianapolis. This season marks his fourth in Firestone Indy Lights, more than any other driver in the series.

After an offseason where Yacaman contemplated taking that next step to the IZOD IndyCar Series, he instead landed again with Team Moore Racing, which also runs the No. 22 car of David Ostella. Though the medium-sized team does not have the resources of a Sam Schmidt Motorsports or Andretti Autosport, the group stands out in its own way with consistent results and the experience of two veteran drivers.

“I think (Gustavo) could run in (the IZOD) IndyCar (Series) right now, but I think we all discussed during the offseason when he decided to come back to Lights that it was a great decision,” Colliver said. “A lot of people forget that he just turned 21, and even though this is his fourth year, people think he should be up in IndyCar, well at the end of the day, you’re better off to come back here because you’re just getting to the point where you’re running in the top three or four every weekend and you’re going to get the mentality every weekend that I’m going to go there to win.

“And once you learn that and get a taste of it, then that’s what you’re going to want to do in the next level when you’re ready to do it.”

 

3. Immersion Media enhances fan experience at indycar.com: INDYCAR announced today that Immersion Media, the multimedia group specializing in 3D animation, HD video and web and mobile experiences, has been brought on board to develop special features for INDYCAR’s official website, www.indycar.com.

The multi-year relationship will allow INDYCAR and Immersion to invest in content and explore new opportunities throughout its term.

“We’re looking forwarding to Immersion Media using their expertise to engage and educate our online fans,” said Greg Gruning, executive vice president of business strategy for INDYCAR. ”Their features are very entertaining and informative and I consider them a valuable addition to our sites.”

In addition to developing INDYCAR’s Fantasy Racing program, Immersion Media will enhance INDYCAR’s online fan experience with virtual laps of each race track which will be posted on the corresponding IZOD IndyCar Series’ event page.

The team will also produce INDYCAR 101 videos that will be posted on INDYCAR’s YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/indycars) and on INDYCAR Mobile.

“The sport of open-wheel racing gives Immersion a great opportunity to showcase the skills that make us experts in the 3D and HD realms,” said Rick Perko, president of Immersion Media. ”We’re a small outfit in numbers, but are more than able and excited about creating innovative and engaging content for INDYCAR. We love its passion and its leadership and expect a great ride with them.”

***

The 2012 IZOD IndyCar Series race continues with the Iowa Corn Indy 250 on June 23 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 8 p.m. (ET) and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network on SiriusXM (XM 94 and Sirius 212). The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Sukup 100 on June 22 at Iowa Speedway. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network immediately following coverage of the Iowa Corn Indy 250.