Category: Other Series Racing

[media-credit name=”RogerCarter2Racing.com” align=”alignright” width=”282″][/media-credit]MOBILE, Alabama (March 6, 2012) – – After tackling Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway, a track where a precise body and potent horsepower made the difference, the ARCA Racing Series (ARS) presented by Menards returns to its normal stomping grounds of short track racing when the Mobile ARCA 200 takes the green flag on Saturday afternoon.

Locked and loaded with full-time C2M driver Larry Barford Jr. and newcomer and Alabama native Darryl Eustace in the team’s second-entry, Carter-2-Motorsports feels that they are more than prepared and ready to mix into the action this weekend.

Veteran Late Model driver Larry Barford Jr. will continue his quest for Rookie of the Year while avid short track racer Eustace will prepare for his ARCA Racing Series debut at the half-mile speedway.

“It’s going to be another strong field of ARCA cars, but we’re ready for it,” said Carter-2-Motorsports team principal Roger Carter. “The team has been hard at it since we returned from Daytona to get our Dodges ready for battle. Unlike Daytona, we’re taking two rookies to the track this weekend – but I know we have the drive and potential to have a good clean respectable weekend.”

Barford Jr., a native of Denton, Maryland made his ARS debut at the 2.5-mile superspeedway and mounted a respectable 28th place finish after starting 43rd. Now, heading to a place where horsepower isn’t the main issue, Barford Jr. is ready to get down to business.

“We came away from Daytona pretty satisfied with our finish, all things considered,” he said. “The team did a good job and we took the checkered flag. That was our main goal. Now, it’s time to go short track racing where you can beat and bang and still have a shot at a good run. I’m really appreciative of the hard work of the Carter-2-Motorsports team and I’m looking for another weekend of building, learning and completing all 200 laps.”

Another reason that Barford Jr. is amped up about Saturday’s anticipated thriller is the addition of a new marketing partner aboard his No. 04 Dodge Charger. Affordable Auto Glass joins First (1st) Mariner Bank, Trauma Doc and Ron Paul for President as marketing partners for the second race of the season.

“I want to thank Affordable Auto Glass for leaping aboard with me and C2M for Mobile,” Barford explained. “I can’t think of a better venue other than Mobile where the series has never raced at before and a crowd that is expected to be enormous; it should be a lot of fun.”

Eustace, a native of Scottsboro, Alabama is no stranger to the ARCA Racing Series. In December, he participated in the three-day open test session which ironically opened the doors for him to be paired with C2M. Last season, he competed in the CARS Pro Cup Series (formally known as the USARacing Pro Cup Series) but Mobile will be his inaugural ARCA start. For his debut, he’ll sport the Ron Paul for President aboard his No. 40 Dodge Charger.

C2M is endorsing Paul as his message is to “Restore America Now.” Congressman Ron Paul of Texas enjoys a national reputation as the premier advocate for liberty in politics today. Dr. Paul is the leading spokesman in Washington for limited constitutional government, low taxes, free markets, and a return to sound monetary policies based on commodity-backed currency. He is known among both his colleagues in Congress and his constituents for his consistent voting record in the House of Representatives.

Dr. Paul’s consistent voting record prompted one Congressman to comment that “Ron Paul personifies the Founding Fathers’ ideal of the citizen-statesman. He makes it clear that his principles will never be compromised, and they never are.” Another Congresswoman added that “There are few people in public life who, through thick and thin, rain or shine, stick to their principles. Ron Paul is one of those few.”

Veteran racer and crew chief Nick Tucker will call the shots for Barford while Larry Balsitis will heed the role as crew chief for Eustace.

The Mobile ARCA 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the second of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first ARCA race held at MIS is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, March 9 with a three and a half hour practice session planned from 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day at 7:00 p.m. An on-track autograph session has been etched in on race day, Saturday, March 10 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will not be televised on SPEED but additional race coverage including live timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com.  All times are local.

The official website of Carter-2-Motorsports is in the process of a complete makeover for the official kickoff of the new season, but for the latest on the team, drivers and sponsors, please log onto RogerCarter2Racing.com.

For more on Ron Paul and his mission to “Restore America Now”; please log onto ronpaul2012.com.

[media-credit name=”ChadHackenbracht.com” align=”alignright” width=”200″][/media-credit]MOBILE, Alabama (March 7, 2012) – – It goes without saying that CGH Motorsports’ with driver Chad Hackenbracht had one of the strongest short track programs in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards last year. As racing resumes on the 2012 tour for Saturday’s Mobile ARCA 200 at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway, the team plans to show no mercy and hopefully carve their name into the record books.

With the leadership of crew chief Kevin Reed and the commitment of his Mooresville, North Carolina-based team, the 20-year old Hackenbracht, or “Hacken-something” as he’s embraced as his new nickname in the garage is more than ready for victory.

“I was really proud of the team’s short track program last year,” offered Hackenbracht, who finished 14th in the season opener from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway last month. “During the off-season, we went through our cars and literally dissected them, giving us that extra sense of security that we know what’s happening with our racecar inside and out.”

Despite opting not to test at the Southern Alabama race track, Hackenbracht admits that that is nothing new to his family-owned team as they felt the importance to prioritize other areas of their race team was more important.

“There were plenty of race tracks that we went to last season and didn’t even test and were incredibly fast so, that’s motivation for us at CGH,” sounded the New Philadelphia, Ohio native. “Thankfully, there’s a long practice (session) on Friday, so as a team we’ve come up with a game plan and look forward to hashing it out and seeing our No. 58 Tastee Apple car near the top of the charts.”

While Hackenbracht in his No. 58 Tastee Apple Chevrolet are itching for a strong finish, the team is thirsty for the joys and jubilations of a victory lane celebration. Intriguing the team towards making that dream become a reality is knowing that first time winners on the 60-year old tour is nothing new.

“We always strive to win,” added Hackenbracht, “But, this weekend at Mobile, we have plenty of reasons we need too. Everyone on this team deserves to win. We’ve come close several times but for reasons out of our control we weren’t able to seal the deal Maybe this weekend, it will be our moment.”

He added, “Winning on Saturday afternoon will give our CGH Motorsports an added incentive to help us with our on-going search for sponsorship. We’re thankful to have Tastee Apple back on-board, but we really need another inspiring company to step up to the plate and join this great organization so we can keep going forward. I know that we a championship caliber team. Believe me – a sponsor wouldn’t be taking a risk if they came here, because they’re going to see a team that’s pure of heart.”

Kevin Reed, the 2010 ARCA crew chief of the year is also eager to arrive in Mobile and he’s not afraid to show the confidence in his driver and or team.

“We are as prepared for this race as we were for Daytona,” explained Reed. “We’re taking the car that we raced at Springfield (Illinois State Fairgrounds) and DuQuoin. We hung a new body on it during the off-season and have really put a lot of time and effort into it. This car was originally from Hendrick Motorsports that Jeff Gordon ran at Martinsville and won several races with. I know Chad is ready and the guys and I have worked tremendously hard during the winter to achieve one of our goals for the year which is winning a short track and what a better place to do that in the second race of the season at Mobile.

Greg and Susan (Hackenbracht, car owners) have given us everything we need to work with but at the same time our future is still up in the air; nonetheless we are ready to capitalize on every opportunity we get this year to win races. At this point, we have nothing to lose and everything to gain.”

Leaning into the inaugural ARCA weekend at Mobile, Hackenbracht will make his 30th career start since 2010.

The Mobile ARCA 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the second of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first ARCA race held at MIS is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, March 9 with a three and a half hour practice session planned from 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day at 7:00 p.m. An on-track autograph session has been etched in on race day, Saturday, March 10 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will not be televised on SPEED but additional race coverage including live timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com.  All times are local.

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

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=”tomhessert.com” align=”alignright” width=”159″][/media-credit]MOBILE, Alabama (March 7, 2012) – – Off to his best start in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in nearly three years, Tom Hessert III, often known in the garage as TH3 heads to Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway vying to build on his team’s top-10 performance at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway last month.

Hessert, driving the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet for legendary Motorsports figure Ken Schrader knocked out a 10th place finish in the season-opening ARCA event at Daytona but now the Cherry Hill, New Jersey native admits that real start of the season can officially begin with Saturday afternoon’s Mobile ARCA 200.

“In a way, I’m glad that Daytona is over with, because we’re going back racing where a lot of the elements that a team can handle come into play,” offered Hessert. “Believe me, we are thankful to go to a place like Daytona – but it’s nice to move on and head to a track like Mobile – where I feel the show is going to be spectacular.”

Hessert’s thoughts on Saturday’s second race of the season have justification. Last week, the Ken Schrader Racing (KSR) team led by veteran crew chief Donnie Richeson participated in a private test session at the half-mile oval where the team left the Southern Alabama racetrack with confidence.

“The test went real well,” sounded the 25-year old. “As a team, we felt it was important to go and test because we knew that this race would have some big players. Cale (Gale), Bubba (Pollard) and Chase (Elliott) – this is their stomping grounds, so we went to test to see if we can’t get us an early weekend advantage. From the test, the guys took our No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet back to the shop and made some tweaks, so I think we’ll be in good shape when practice begins on Friday afternoon.”

The former NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car driver wasn’t afraid to talk about what type of race everyone can expect on Saturday afternoon. “I think it’s going to be one of the best shows of the season, honestly,” the ARCA veteran said. “The track is incredibly unique but very fast, so those two elements alone together usually means the grandstands will be packed. It’s a good thing too – because it’s a great thing for the ARCA Racing Series to be heading to a new short track venue.”

If you’re also keeping track, it’s fair to note that Hessert and his KSR team really showed immense strength in there short track, especially in last October’s season finale at Toledo Speedway where Hessert bolted to second career Menards pole, led a ton of laps and finished inside the top-five.

“I think one of our strongest suites as a team last year was on the short tracks and that focus continues for 2012,” Hessert offered. “We’re not bringing the same car we took to Toledo Speedway last fall, but we’re extremely confident in the chassis that we are bringing to Mobile this weekend. It’s a piece that we ran at a lot of the smaller tracks last year and there isn’t a question in my mind that with its capabilities and the calls from the KSR team, we’ll be in the hunt for the win on Saturday afternoon.”

While the chase for the ARCA championship marches on this weekend, Hessert who currently occupies 11th in the championship standings, just a mere five points from climbing into the top-10, TH3 knows that another good showing this weekend can catapult the Federated Auto Parts Racing team easily into the top-five.

“I know a lot of the guys that went to Daytona aren’t showing up in Mobile, so that’s our gain. But, in order to make that leap in the points, we have to keep the fenders on our No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet to the checkered flag. That’s exactly what I plan to do.”

Entering Mobile, Hessert has 84 career ARCA Racing Series starts. In those outings, he has maneuvered two poles, one win, 19 top-fives and 44 top-10s.

The Mobile ARCA 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the second of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first ARCA race held at MIS is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, March 9 with a three and a half hour practice session planned from 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day at 7:00 p.m. An on-track autograph session has been etched in on race day, Saturday, March 10 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will not be televised on SPEED but additional race coverage including live timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com.  All times are local.

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=”No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]FRANK KIMMEL MOBILE PREVIEW

Driver of the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry

ARCA RACING SERIES * MOBILE ARCA 200 * MOBILE INT’L SPEEDWAY

No. 44 Ansell/ Menards Toyota Camry

ARCA RACING SERIES – RACE 2 OF 19 – Mobile International Speedway

LOOKING FOR CAREER WIN 75? Nine-time ARCA Racing Series driving champion Frank Kimmel is second on the all-time ARCA Series win list with 74 victories behind only Iggy Katona, who leads with 79. However, Kimmel, who has won nearly everywhere on the tour, has never raced at Mobile. He looks for his first victory at his first appearance at the track – and first victory since 2008 on the circuit.

SHORT TRACK SUCCESS: Kimmel has fond memories of short tracks over his 17-year history in the ARCA Racing Series. His very first race, and notoriously his first victory, came at Toledo Speedway. Toledo and Mobile have been compared to one another in the low degree of banking and oval short track style. Kimmel welcomes the challenge, but knew a bit of research was in order to master the new location. He enlisted the help of local Gulf Coast short track legend Bubba Pollard to learn the “ins and outs” of Mobile International Speedway.

CHIPPING IN FOR TORNADO RELIEF: After the devastating tornadoes that ripped through Kimmel’s home state of Indiana – including racing families such as the Bashams – young Frankie Kimmel took it upon himself to start organizing. Kimmel is accepting donations of clothing, food and/or supplies and money for the American Red Cross Indiana Chapter at their family farm: 13461 State Road 60, Borden, IN 47106. Primary sponsor Ansell is currently mobilizing cut-proof gloves to ship to all Indiana first responders on the relief effort.

HOPING TO TAKE THE POLE POSITION: Kimmel embarks on his third year with sponsor Ansell, a global leader in protection solutions, in a partnership with Menards Racing. The Menards Pole Award is presented by Ansell during the entire 2012 ARCA Racing Season – and Kimmel hopes to be standing on a podium to receive it in Mobile from an Ansell executive.

CHASSIS HISTORY: The No. 44 team will utilize chassis No. A-1 this weekend at Mobile International Speedway. A new chassis for the team, it joins a full fleet of new race cars at the ThorSport stable in Sandusky, Ohio.

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Frank Kimmel

WE HEARD YOU TALKED TO BUBBA POLLARD ON MOBILE? Yes, that’s correct. Bubba is a legend down here on the Panhandle of Florida and Alabama. His results speak for themselves in late models and super late models at both Mobile and Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, so I knew who to call when it was time to pick someone’s brain on track facts and logistics. He gave me a lot of great pointers going into this weekend. I’m also looking forward to chatting with our own Grant Enfinger – since this is his home track, he knows the ins and outs too. It’s a little different, I usually have guys coming to me to find out about tracks as the veteran!

IS THIS LIKE ANY OTHER TRACK YOU’VE EXPERIENCED?

One thing Bubba told me is that Mobile has been likened to Toledo Speedway. I got my first win there, and it was also my first race ever. That’s a track where I’m super comfortable, and I’ve had some great finishes there over the course of my career. So when he said that, it made me feel more confident that I could get up on the wheel from the get go. I mean, face it, at the end of the day, a short track is a short track – if you can’t get up on the wheel, it’s going to be a rough day for your team. This is a driver’s track.

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF FRANKIE’S TORNADO RELIEF EFFORTS?

I’m really proud of Frankie and what he’s doing. He’s in the middle of courses as a college student at UNCC in Charlotte, not to mention a budding racer himself, and he really wanted to help. The tornadoes really devastated Indiana, and it affected many of our friends and family. Thankfully, our home was spared, but so many others have been displaced or lost everything. These types of events take everyone pitching in, and Frankie really felt like it was his responsibility to take a leadership role. That’s a great thing.

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, IS IT STILL “COOL” TO GO TO NEW TRACKS?

I love new tracks – I’ll race anything, anywhere. You can see that in my street stock racing in the offseason. My heart is in short track racing, just because that’s how most of us veteran racers grew up – but to be able to experience an inaugural race at any track in a series is really special. It’s a big day for the series, and it makes a trip to Victory Lane special too. Let’s hope we can get this Ansell/Menards Toyota there this weekend!

Race Info:

March 10th, 2012

Mobile International Speedway

.5-Mile Paved Oval

Inaugural Mobile ARCA 200

200 Laps/100 Miles

Broadcast Info:

Live Timing & Scoring at ARCARacing.com

Friday, March 9: Practice 1:30-5pm CT

Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell: 7:00pm CT

Saturday, March 10: Pre-race coverage starts at 1:30pm CT

Team Facts:

Current Point Standings: 23rd

Chassis: A-1 – NEW

Engine: TRD (Toyota Racing Development) & TRIAD

Frank Kimmel

ARCA RACING SERIES results at Mobile International Speedway:

This will be the inaugural start for the ARCA Racing Series at Mobile

ABOUT MENARDS:

With 263 stores in 13 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.

[media-credit name=”willkimmel.com” align=”alignright” width=”107″][/media-credit]“Unofficial Points Leader Set To Take On Mobile”

MOBILE, Alabama (March 6, 2012) – – It goes without saying that Kimmel Racing and new driver Will Kimmel were one of the “feel good stories” upon the conclusion of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After starting 23rd, Kimmel cleverly crafted his No. 68 Ford Fusion to an impressive third place.

This weekend though, as the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards resumes action and steers back South to Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway for the running of the Mobile ARCA 200, the Kimmel Racing team led by championship crew chief and owner Bill Kimmel return to the racetrack but without sponsorship, something the team graciously clasped in the season-opener.

However, with Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart and second-place finisher Drew Charlson not expected to compete in Saturday’s contest, the family-owned team had felt they had no choice but to dig deep into their own personal pockets and make the drive to Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway for a variety of reasons.

“We talked it over and we felt like we just had to do it. I don’t know how, but we are,” said driver Will Kimmel, who will make his 26th career start this weekend. “Dad’s been working the phones and we have some sponsorship stuff in the works, just nothing in time for Mobile. But, we’re still going and we’ll take shortcuts that won’t affect us on the racetrack but will make the trip a little easier to swallow.”

The former Super Late Model champion at Salem (Ind.) Speedway added, “Honestly, Daytona kept our Kimmel Racing team alive. The phone was ringing when we came home and that was a good sign, but we still have a lot to prove. Realistically, we’ll enter the weekend as the point’s leader after finishing third, so we have to build on that. We’re bringing a really good short track car to Mobile, but we know we have to do everything in our power to try and bring it home in one piece.”

While many of the ARCA Racing Series teams elected to participate in private testing sessions at the half-mile oval, Kimmel Racing was forced to sit on the sidelines and will have to wait until Friday’s three and a half hour practice to dial in their No. 68 Kimmel Racing / Clarksville Schwinn Ford Fusion.

“Obviously, there’s a little disadvantage for those of us who didn’t have the chance to test, but most of us will be on the same playing field, so that puts our mind at ease a little bit,” Kimmel offered. “We’re going with a baseline setup and after talking to some of our friends in the garage, we kind of know what to expect, so I think we’ll be okay. We just need to stay focused on the job at hand and hope again we’ll have some luck.”

Beyond Mobile, Kimmel feels that the third race of the season at Salem (Ind.) Speedway will be a race that they confidently feel they’ll be able to compete at – but past that, the remainder of the season remains up in the air.

“We need some help,” the elder Kimmel explained. “Will did a phenomenal job at Daytona and it’s nice to know that we have some things working – but nothing’s secure until the contracts are signed. A third place finish was nice at Daytona, but one of the main reasons sponsor or no sponsor that we’re heading to Mobile is because we believe that Will can put our car in Victory Lane. We’re not just going for him but for everyone else that believes in our race team”

Kimmel’s nearest competitor in the championship standings is Brennan Poole who currently sits seventh overall and 20 markers behind the Sellersburg, Indiana racer in the race for the coveted ARCA championship trophy in its 60th season of competition.

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

The Mobile ARCA 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the second of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first ARCA race held at MIS is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, March 9 with a three and a half hour practice session planned from 1:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day at 7:00 p.m. An on-track autograph session has been etched in on race day, Saturday, March 10 from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. The race will not be televised on SPEED but additional race coverage including live timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com.  All times are local.

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