Category: Other Series Racing

ABC will televise the Indianapolis 500 for the 48th consecutive year on Sunday, May 27, and is bringing innovation and new technology to its coverage of one of the world’s historic and iconic sporting events.

A one-hour preview show airs from Indianapolis Motor Speedway at 11 a.m. ET, with the race telecast, presented by GoDaddy.com, at noon. The green flag is at 12:12 p.m. “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” has aired on ABC every year since 1965.

ESPN’s production will utilize more than 80 cameras to televise the premier event of the IZOD IndyCar Series, including four onboard cameras per car in at least nine of the 33 cars competing in the race. ESPN will make use of dual-path technology for the first time in an IndyCar Series telecast, permitting views from two onboard cameras on the same car at the same time.

Also for the first time, viewers of the ABC telecast will be able to enhance their experience with a choice of live streaming video from the onboard cameras on ESPN3, ESPN’s multi-screen live sports network. ESPN3 will carry the feeds exclusively through WatchESPN and on Indycar.com to fans who receive their Internet or video subscription from an affiliated provider. Viewers will be able to choose which driver’s onboard cameras they want to watch from among the available cars. ESPN3 also will have replays of the ABC telecast following the event. ESPN3 is available online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold level members.

ESPN will continue its Indianapolis use of “Batcam,” a camera that provides unique views running on a cable over pit road and the frontstretch and can move at more than 80 mph. Views and replays will be enhanced by the first Indianapolis 500 use of Ultra Hi Motion cameras located in the short chutes at each end of the 2.5-mile track as well as at the fourth turn exit.

Marty Reid will call the race with analysis by former IndyCar driver Scott Goodyear and 1998 Indy 500 winner Eddie Cheever. Brent Musburger will host the telecast while pit reporters will be Rick DeBruhl, Jamie Little, Dr. Jerry Punch and Vince Welch.

ESPN’s Indianapolis 500 coverage will be produced under the oversight of ESPN vice president, motorsports, Rich Feinberg. James Shiftan will produce the race telecast and Bruce Watson will direct, while Jeff Ingalls will produce the pre-race show with Chip Dean directing.

The opening tease looks at the event through the eyes of the driver in a first-person experience with Helio Castroneves, Dario Franchitti, Will Power and JR Hildebrand. The piece shows a driver’s life as a sensory overload with the noises of the cars, radios and fans and follows the cadence as drivers strive to shut it all out and see only the finish line with total focus.

Among the special features that are planned for the pre-race show or in SportsCenter’s Indianapolis 500 coverage:

·         Dan Wheldon: A Champion’s Story — interviews with drivers, owners and family members celebrating the life and championships of the 2011 Indianapolis 500 winner who died in a racing accident in October.

·         JR Hildebrand: 799 Correct Turns and 1 Wrong Turn – A first-person feature about the heartbreaking finish of the 2011 Indy 500 for Hildebrand, who crashed with the checkered flag in site.

·         James Hinchcliffe – The driver who has captured IndyCar fans with his sense of humor as well as his ability behind the wheel does a parody of the Danica Patrick/GoDaddy.com commercials.

·         Dario Franchitti Museum Tour – The multi-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion takes a private tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum, exploring the history of the race and his desire to win his third.

·         Charlie Kimball: Inspiring Others — Kimball, the first diabetic driver to finish the Indy 500, has inspired a 12-year-old girl from Kansas to believe she can do anything, despite living with diabetes.

·         ESPN Sport Science takes a detailed look at the new DW12 IndyCar chassis that debuted this year and details the changes from previous chassis.

·         Memorial Day — The story of a mother who sacrificed a great deal when her son Ben lost his life fighting for his country. She visits Arlington National Cemetery to tell her story.

Other ESPN Platforms

In addition to the live telecast on ABC, the Indianapolis 500 will receive ESPN multiplatform coverage on the following outlets:

ESPN International’s network and joint ventures’ reach is more than 212 million homes in 136 countries and territories. Add to that syndication (46 countries and 53.3 million homes), ABC’s U.S. reach of 114,700,000 and television distribution exceeds 380.5 million homes in 182 countries worldwide. In addition, U.S. troops serving overseas and on Navy vessels around the world will watch live via a broadcast agreement between ESPN and the American Forces Network, bringing the total to 213 countries and territories around the world.

ESPN.com will provide surround coverage of the Indy 500 with senior motorsports writers Ed Hinton and Terry Blount, IndyCar correspondent John Oreovicz and motorsports editor K. Lee Davis for the 96th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.” The site has already been previewing and preparing for the event. ESPN.com staff will cap off the coverage on race day with Racing Live! Indianapolis 500 on ESPN.com as the writers, editors and fans interact on every aspect of the race. In addition, anchor Marty Reid and analysts Scott Goodyear and Eddie Cheever will provide exclusive digital coverage leading up to and after the race.

On television, extensive reports, interviews and highlights will air on SportsCenter and ESPNEWS.

ESPN Classic will present a week-long tribute in honor of the 96th running of the Indianapolis 500. All week long beginning Monday, May 21, ESPN Classic will air classic Indy 500 races and SportsCentury programming. The special programming continues after the May 27 running with A.J. Foyt tributes on May 29 and 31 and a Gordon Johncock tribute on May 30.

ESPN Radio’s Saturday RaceDay starts its engines at 6 a.m. with an hour of news, previews and analysis. ESPN Radio also provides auto racing fans the comprehensive Sunday RaceDay (6-7 a.m. Sundays), which covers the auto racing world.

ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language television, radio and Internet in the U.S., will cover the Indy 500 via SportsCenter, the network’s flagship news and information program. The network’s motorsports expert Andres Agulla and former professional driver Alex Pombo, will provide special reports and interviews with the racers directly from Indianapolis. In addition, ESPNdeportes.com will provide comprehensive coverage with previews, qualifying, photo galleries, videos and live chats with Agulla and Pombo. ESPN Deportes also will provide the SAP for the ABC telecast of the race, with Agulla and Pombo providing the commentary.

Visit www.espnmediazone.com for ESPN’s latest releases, schedules and other news, plus photos, video and audio clips and more.

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

About Batter’s Dream:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

About CGH Motorsports:

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

 

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

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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