Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: ARCA Menards Series

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Salem II

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Salem II

    After a few weeks off, the ARCA Menards Series drivers are back on-track this Saturday night at the historic and rough racetrack at Salem Speedway.

    It will be the 18th of 20 races of the 2019 season and will mark only three races left until the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October. Just two drivers are more than likely fighting for the championship at this point in the season and it’s the two Venturini Motorsports driver Christian Eckes and Michael Self. It would take something catastrophic to happen to these two drivers to bring in a third driver and even then, they would need a lot of help.

    If Eckes loses the championship this season, it might be because he missed this race back in April when the Venturini Motorsports driver was sick the night before due to food poisoning. However, Eckes does not think about that night and is focused on winning this weekend.

    “I try not to think too much about what happened at Salem early on in the season,” says Eckes who takes a mature approach to the situation. “Sure, it happened and set us back in the standings, it sucks. But there’s nothing I can do to change the past. It’s all about now and what we do moving forward. We’ve had plenty of opportunities after that race that we could have closed the gap further and didn’t. Those are the races that I think about the most in this championship battle, not so much that one.”

    With Eckes and Self pretty much the only two competing for the championship, Eckes looks forward to the next three races.

    “I’m really looking forward to battling with Michael to end this year out, Eckes added. “Self and his entire 25 team have been on their game the entire year and definitely made it interesting. I’m just really looking forward to continuing the momentum we’ve built over the last few races.”

    Eckes will be pulling double duty this weekend by driving the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra at Las Vegas Friday night and he will then head to Salem to drive his No. 15 Toyota. At Salem, Eckes has four starts with one win that occurred in the April 2018 race. His other stats include one top five and three top-10s with 163 laps led.

    One driver hoping to keep Eckes from the win is his teammate and previous race winner Michael Self. Self is hoping to better his fourth-place finish at DuQuoin on Labor Day weekend.

    “Salem is probably my favorite short track on the schedule so I’m excited to get back and race it again, but expectation-wise I know this is a different day with different conditions than we had in the Spring,” says the 28-year-old driver from Utah. 

    Not only is Self the defending winner of this race, but the team will also be bringing back the same car he won with in April and it will likely boost his confidence.

    “While we’re bringing back the car we won with, we have to expect that things will be different and we aren’t just going to walk in and pick up where we left off without some work and adaptation.”

    Having an impressive track record that includes one win with three starts and one pole, Chandler Smith is hoping to go back-to-back in the fall race. He won last year’s fall race after leading all but one lap. Smith has an average finish of 5.0 with 319 laps led.

    “It’s always nice having some time off but I’m ready to get back at it,” says Smith. Salem is easily one of my favorite places to run. We only have the one win to show, but I feel the other two races we ran there just got away from us. Last year during the spring race we were battling our teammate (Christian Eckes) for the lead on the final lap and blew a tire. And back in April, we had the car to get it done but the race ended early because of the rain. Sometimes that’s how it goes in racing. I’ll be ready this week.”

    Rounding out the Venturini Motorsports powerhouse stable is rookie and up-and-comer, Gavin Harlien, who will be piloting the No. 55 Toyota paying tribute to Tony Venturini. It will be Harlien’s first start at Salem this weekend.

    “There’s only so much you can do to prepare for a track like Salem,” added the University of Arizona senior. “Knowing it’s going to be a dog fight I’ve watched lots of film and have spent a good amount of time talking with my crew chief Frank Kimmel to get a better idea of what to expect. This race surely will test my endurance. It looks fun. I can’t wait to get back in the car and feel those bumps flying through the turns in three and four. Everything I’ve seen and heard about Salem points towards having to manhandle the car to have success.”

    On the other hand, rookie Corey Heim hopes to break up the Venturini Motorsports powerhouse team. The Chad Bryant Racing driver competed in the April race earlier this year, where Heim started sixth and recorded a fifth-place finish. This season, the youngster has six top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes in the 2019 season.

    “I feel good about going to Salem Speedway,” said Heim. “The is the first time I get to use prior knowledge of an ARCA track to improve on it, so that should help me out a lot this weekend. “I feel like our No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing team is carrying a lot of momentum, we just need to execute on Saturday and win the race.”

    Heim and his No. 22 team tested at Salem last Friday to give him more track time. The Marietta, Georgia native is hoping for a win in Saturday night’s short-track.

    “I want to win on Saturday night, I think we’ve proven we’re capable of winning, just need everything to go our way. If for some reason we can’t win on Saturday, I’ve got one more chance at Lucas Oil Raceway next month, where there’s nothing else that matters to me except winning.”

    His teammate Joe Graf Jr. has three starts at Salem with a best finish of ninth this past April. Graf Jr. has one DNF which came in the fall 2018 race and an average finish of 10.3.

    “It feels good getting back to short track racing,” said Graf Jr. who sits fifth in the ARCA championship standings. “I genuinely like Salem Speedway, but it’s a not an easy track to negotiate. It’s a track that takes a lot of concentration and focus.”

    “It keep getting better and better with every race on Salem, but I’d like to leave there on Saturday night with our best finish of the season.”

    It has been a difficult season for the No. 77 for the Mahwah, New Jersey native who has recorded one top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Despite those stats, Graf Jr. is wanting nothing more than a win this Saturday night.

    “I want to win so bad,” added Graf. “That’s why I get behind the wheel of our race car every week. I need to win for a lot of reasons. I have a great partner in EAT SLEEP RACE who has stuck through our team through the bumps in the road this season and my guys at the Chad Bryant Racing team who have given everything they can to bring me the fastest racecar possible.”

    Like his teammate Heim, Graf Jr. also participated in the test last Friday at Salem.

    Sitting third in the championship points standings is Bret Holmes and his No. 23 family owned team. Holmes finished 10th in the April race and his stats at Salem have been decent. In five starts, he has one top-five and four top-10 finishes with a best finish of third in his first outing at Salem three years ago in 2016.

    “I like the tracks with a worn-out, rough surface. I’m just kind of used to racing at places like Salem (Speedway). Tire management is big at a short track like Salem. The two corners are completely different, too. It’s just a fun track to race. Earlier this year, we tried something a little too extreme on the setup and it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. We’re going into this weekend with a set up that we know will be better and I’m excited to unload and get on track for practice. We’ve run well there in the past and I don’t see this weekend being any different.”

    With Salem being a throwback race, Ed Pompa and the No. 11 Andy Hillenburg team have chosen to pay tribute to the retired NASCAR broadcaster Darrell Waltrip.

    “With Darrell retiring from the broadcast booth this year, I thought it would be cool to do a DW throwback, as a ‘thank you’,” Pompa said. “We are running the No. 11, which Darrell ran at various times, but this particular scheme was from his No. 17.”

    At Salem, Pompa has seven starts with no top-fives or top-10 finishes, but his best finish was 14th twice (2013, 2017), both while driving for Hillenburg.

    Colby Howard and the No. 32 Kevin Cywinski team will be competing once again at Salem this weekend. It will be Howard’s first start since Iowa, where he recorded a 10th place finish. The Simpsonville, South Carolina native has just one start at Salem where he finished eighth in his first start at the track driving for former team owner Mason Mitchell.

    “I am really looking forward to returning to Salem. We had a good run in the test on Tuesday and should have had a top-five finish in last year’s race until I made a mistake on pit road. This time around, it should be better, because our car is really solid on old tires, which is critical on Salem’s worn out surface.”

    Sam Mayer and the No. 21 GMS Racing team are hoping to gain one more spot after they finished second in April after starting ninth.

    “Going to Salem for the second time I feel like Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and I will be even better than we were in the spring. Mardy and the team have worked really hard this year and have made my cars better and better as we go, and I feel no different this weekend. I also know I’m a better, more experienced driver than I was earlier this year. I feel confident that we can compete for a win with our Chevy Accessories Chevrolet. The weather forecast looks good so far, so hopefully, we can run the whole race this time.”

    Other drivers on the entry list include Dick Doheny, Tommy Vigh Jr., Ty Gibbs, Travis Braden, Carson Hocevar, Mike Basham, Brad Smith, Scott Melton, Brian Finney, Tim Richmond and Ben Peterson.

    In the April 2019 race, Michael Self and the No. 25 team started fourth and led 72 laps before rain came on Lap 101 just past halfway, and gave Self his second win of the season.

    Salem Speedway has seen various winners including Austin Theriault, Dalton Sargeant, Christopher Bell, Grant Enfinger, Ken Schrader, Tom Hessert III, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Brennan Poole, Dakoda Armstrong, Justin Lofton, Steve Arpin, Frank Kimmel, Justin Allgaier, Brian Keselowski, Billy Venturini, Joey Miller, Chad Blount, Jason Jarrett, Bill Baird, Tim Steele, Bob Strait, Bob Schacht, Bob Brevak and Bob Keselowski, to name a few.

    It will be a one-day show as always for the ARCA Menards Series drivers. On-track action begins on Saturday afternoon with an hour and a half practice beginning at 1 p.m. ET with coverage on arcaracing.com. General Tire Pole Series Qualifying is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET where all drivers will have two laps to record a time.

    Then a little after 7:15 p.m. ET the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Fall Classic 200 will begin with 200 laps live on MAVTV and live timing/scoring on arcaracing.com.

  • Venturini Motorsports – It’s their title to lose

    Venturini Motorsports – It’s their title to lose

    The Venturini Motorsports team has been a force to be reckoned with in the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season, winning 12 of the scheduled 20 races. At this point, it seems likely it’s their title to lose.

    It all started at Daytona where current Truck Series regular and part-time ARCA competitor Harrison Burton kicked off their season with a win at the famous superspeedway. Christian Eckes also qualified on the pole, looking to capture his first-ever ARCA title this year.

    Then race fans saw Michael Self and the No. 25 team win back-to-back at Pensacola and Salem. Former driver Todd Gilliland won at Talladega before the Venturini’s went back to victory lane at Nashville with Eckes and rookie sensation Chandler Smith at Toledo.

    There was a small dry spell from Charlotte to Pocono when we saw Ty Majeski outsmart them and grab the victory. However, some might say that Self should have won at Charlotte after leading 91 laps before spinning out late and finishing fifth. Despite some frustrating runs at those races, Self and the team found victory once again at Michigan passing Majeski on the last lap in the last turn. With Self winning at Michigan, we saw Smith and the No. 20 team win again at the short-track in Madison.

    After Chicago, the Venturini Motorsports team went on a tear, winning five races in a row. Smith won from Elko to Iowa, Eckes at Pocono, Self at Springfield and Eckes recently at DuQuoin this past Saturday night.

    It has been a dream season for Venturini Motorsports who do a great job with developmental talent in prepping them for their next step. However, it hasn’t been all that easy. There have been a few bumps in the road but that’s to be expected.

    Current championship points leader Self has only recorded two DNF’s (Nashville and Gateway). Eckes has just one DNF which occurred at Talladega after being involved in a wreck. Smith does not have a DNF but finished a disappointing 16th at Gateway many laps down.

    Even with the small hiccups, the team has recorded 12 wins, 890 laps led, a combined 1,549 laps led among all drivers, 33 top fives and 40 top-10 finishes combined for the 2019 Venturini Motorsports team.

    While there are three races left and another driver could slip in and challenge for the title, it’s the Venturini’s to lose. Self and the No. 25 team lead Eckes and his No. 15 team by 105 points. Bret Holmes is in third, 135 points behind and will likely need a lot of help in order to catch the dominating 25 and 15 teams. However, it’s unlikely at this point in the season with only three races remaining, especially if the Venturini’s keep up their dominating performance.

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-DuQuoin State Fairgrounds

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-DuQuoin State Fairgrounds

    While much of the United States will be celebrating what is called “The Official Last Weekend of Summer,” the ARCA Menards Series drivers are spending part of their weekend competing in race No. 17 of the season. It’s also the final dirt race of the season.

    Flashing back, Michael Self and his No. 25 Venturini Motorsports team gambled halfway through the race at Illinois State Fairgrounds to score their fourth win of the season, Self’s first since Michigan in June. The Venturini’s have been a force to be reckoned with this year in the ARCA Series, winning 11 races out of the 20 race season. They look to continue their dominance this weekend in DuQuoin.

    One driver looking to continue their momentum and dominance is previous race winner, Self. As in Illinois, he will also be making his first start at DuQuoin this weekend. However, that proved no problem when he won in his first-ever ARCA dirt race. Self hopes the momentum from that win at Illinois carries over to Saturday night’s race at DuQuoin.

    “I had an absolute blast learning how to drive the ARCA car on dirt at Springfield and I’m hoping some of the knowledge I gained there will help out for my first time at DuQuoin. I’ve got the same mindset going into this race as Springfield and that’s that I just have to be open-minded and that I don’t necessarily know what to expect, so learning is really what’s going to be key throughout the day. I’ve been told that while they’re both dirt, they’re completely different racetracks. I’ll be leaning on a lot of the people around me for insight again.”

    His teammate Christian Eckes fell one spot short to Self after having a shot to win on a late-race restart. The Middletown, New York native has one start in last year’s race where Eckes started third and finished fourth.

    “I had a lot of fun at DuQuoin last year,” says Eckes. “We fought track position for most of the day but felt like we had a pretty solid car. We’re excited to get back to business. We’ve got four races to go; we’re down but not out by any means. Ready to give it our all.”

    While some of the Venturini Motorsports drivers have little dirt experience, dirt standout Logan Seavey returns for his final ARCA race of the season in the No. 20 Venturini Motorsports Toyota. Seavey is the defending race winner at DuQuoin in his only start at the track. He started fourth and led 35 laps. Seavey is ready for Saturday night’s race at the fairgrounds.

    “I’m ready to go again with Venturini Motorsports this weekend at DuQuoin,” said Seavey. “Springfield didn’t quite go as planned, just being a little too tight to be as good as we needed to be. But I know DuQuoin races well and fits a dirt racer style a lot better so it makes me look forward to it even more. I know the 20 Craftsman Camry will be just as good as it was last year. We just need to put the whole day together and I think we will be tough.”

    Like Seavey who isn’t competing full-time in the ARCA Series, there two other one-off drivers that are also competing this weekend at the dirt track in DuQuoin. One of them is FALS Late Model Champion Ryan Unzicker who will be piloting the No. 24 Toyota. Unzicker has seven starts at DuQuoin, earning two top-fives and five top-10 finishes with 42 laps led and a best finish of fourth in the 2017 race.

    “It is really tight at the front of the field for these ARCA races right now,” Unzicker said. “It doesn’t really matter if some of these young kids have any dirt experience or not. They are really talented and they’re going to pick up on it really quickly. Sometimes all they need is a 30-minute practice session and they’re set.”

    Despite there being a packed field with a load of talent, Unzicker recalls his race at Illinois where he finished ninth after starting fourth.

    “We had a great car in practice,” he said. “We were the fastest by far all day long. We had made some changes that worked really well for practice and qualifying when the track was still tacky but when the feature started they didn’t work at all. They weren’t anything we could undo on a pit stop so we were stuck with it. I think when we get to DuQuoin you’ll see what we’re really made of. I’ve always had better results at DuQuoin than I do at Springfield anyhow. It’s only two weeks after Springfield so I am already used to the car and the driving style. I don’t have to readjust to it after a year away from it.”

    Like Unzicker who is making only two starts this season, Kelly Kovski is also competing in the two ARCA dirt tracks in 2019. Kovski is piloting the No. 16 Mike Allgaier machine with the help from Truck Series regular and former ARCA competitor, Grant Enfinger. Kovski has 13 starts, two top-fives and seven top-10 finishes with 33 laps led and a best finish of second in 2016.

    “We seem to take a little time getting up to speed and to get going,” Kovski said. “The driver needs to show up. I own this car with my dad and we get a lot of help from Mike Allgaier so the last thing I want to do is go out early in practice and tear it up. I didn’t get a lot of practice at Springfield because the track was really wet and muddy early in the day. We just lacked speed at Springfield. We need to come to DuQuoin with something different so we’re going to take a shot in the dark and come with a different setup. It’s going to be more of a traditional dirt car setup and less of an ARCA car setup. It’s going to be quite different.”

    As mentioned, Kovski can lean on Enfinger for advice whenever he needs it.

    “Grant’s one of my best friends,” he said. “We go back to when he was driving for the Allgaier’s in 2011. We had a lot of ups and downs. We’ve yelled at each other a little. We’ve had a lot of really good times together. I worked with him almost throughout his entire ARCA career. I love that he wants to come back and work these two dirt races. I absolutely know that the Truck deal is a priority but it really makes me feel good to know he wants to be here and he puts as much effort into this as he does.”

    Chad Bryant Racing’s Joe Graf Jr. is hoping to break the dirt standouts and the Venturini powerhouse team, Graf pilots the No. 77 Eat Sleep Race machine and had a great race going until he was involved in an accident at Illinois, but he was able to come back and finish 10th. Graf has one start with a finish of 11th in 2018.

    “I feel like we got robbed a little bit at Springfield,” said Graf who sits fifth in the ARCA Menards Series standings. “We had a decent day, made some strides, but just had some misfortune that kept us from a better day.”

    Graf hopes to have a better outing this weekend at DuQuoin.

    “I’m ready to get after it,” Graf added. “Night racing on the dirt should be a lot of fun. It’s going to be a little different and we’re going to have to make sure we keep up with the adjustments from practice and qualifying but once that green flag drops, it’s go-time and I’m going to do everything I can to get our No. 77 EAT SLEEP RACE Ford Fusion up front and stay there.”

    Graf’s teammate Corey Heim will be making his first DuQuoin start Saturday night. Heim raced at Illinois and had a shot to win in an overtime restart before checking up and falling back to finish seventh after restarting on the outside front row.

    “We were so close,” said Heim. “I know things got very interesting and bumpers were used late at Springfield and I’m sure if roles were reversed, I would have done the same thing – but our finish wasn’t any indication of our performance throughout the race and that’s frustrating for me as a driver because I don’t settle for anything less than perfection.”

    “At Springfield, we were almost perfect. “He (Self) was down on the inside and he pushed me up the track and used me up. I got up into the loose dirt and gave up a lot of spots. It’s disappointing to go from second to seventh but that’s part of racing for the win.”

    Bret Holmes is making his second ARCA DuQuoin start in his family-owned No. 23 machine. Holmes competed in this race two years ago, starting 11th and finishing 12th, one lap down. In the previous race at Illinois, he earned a third-place finish. Holmes is hoping to better his DuQuoin finish from 2017.

    “We didn’t get the finish that we should have gotten two years ago at DuQuoin (State Fairgrounds). We actually got wrecked as we were taking over the lead. DuQuoin is a little bit different than Springfield. It’s a little bit slicker and harder on tires. I have the experience on dirt tracks. Two weeks ago, we ran really well. I think we’ll have the same showing this weekend and hopefully go for the win this time.”

    Carson Hocevar, who competed in the Eldora Dirt Derby earlier this month, is excited for another start on dirt. This will be Hocevar’s second dirt ARCA start in his career.

    “I am really pumped up for DuQuoin this weekend. My confidence going in is at an all-time high based off our speed at Springfield. Our finish doesn’t show it but we were the fastest car there and we’ve got even more ideas going into this weekend to improve our speed. It’s been a little bit of a frustrating year based on results, but if we execute in every area throughout the day we should be in the right spot to finally win in our No. 28 GMPartsNow Chevrolet.

    Drag boat driver Tyler Speer will be making a rare ARCA appearance this weekend. Speer has starts mainly on the dirt tracks in the ARCA Racing Series with the exception of Rockingham, Talladega and Mobile. However, it will be Speer’s first race in over two years in the ARCA Menards Series, where he finished 14th in the 2017 DuQuoin race.

    “Last year we only planned on doing a couple of boat races but we got off to such a great start that we stayed with it the whole year,” he said. “We set a fast time and won the first two races of the year so we decided to chase the championship after that. We always like coming and running these ARCA races and we’re happy the schedule lined up just right to let us do it this weekend. I wish we could do more of them.”

    Other drivers on the entry list include Wayne Peterson, Dick Doheny, Tommy Vigh Jr., Bobby Gerhart, Riley Herbst, Travis Braden, Brad Smith, Will Kimmel, Tim Richmond and dirt track ace Ken Schrader.

    There have been tons of race winners at DuQuoin State Fairgrounds. The include names like Lee Raymond, Dean Roper, Bob Keselowski, Bob Strait, Bob Brevak, Bob Schacht, Billy Thomas, Jeff Finley, Frank Kimmel, Tony Stewart, Ken Schrader, Parker Kligerman, Steve Arpin, Chris Buescher, Grant Enfinger, Tom Hessert, Austin Theriault and Logan Seavey.

    It’s a one day show for the ARCA Menards Series drivers with practice starting at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday and lasting an hour. General Tire Pole Qualifying follows at 5:30 p.m. CT. There is no live TV coverage for either event but you can follow along at arcaracing.com.

    The Southern Illinois 100 is slated to get underway Saturday, shortly after 8 p.m. CT, 9 p.m. ET. The race is 100 laps and 100 miles and can be seen live on MAVTV.

  • Christian Eckes wins ARCA race at Pocono, earns essential points victory

    Christian Eckes wins ARCA race at Pocono, earns essential points victory

    After more than an hour delay and threatening skies around Pocono Raceway, the ARCA Menards Series drivers were able to get back on track for the FORTS USA 150 with nearby Middletown, New York native Christian Eckes grabbing the checkered flag.

    It was Eckes second career ARCA Menards Series win of the season, his first since Nashville in May and the fourth career victory of his young racing career.

    After starting on the outside pole and with a little bit of luck, Venturini Motorsports driver Christian Eckes took the win at Pocono by 13 seconds over Todd Gilliland.

    “Once they told me what happened to the 18 (Gilliland) it was all about keeping our heads down and not making any mistakes,” Eckes said. “We knew there was a long way to go and we needed to be perfect to close it out.”

    Gilliland qualified on the pole earlier in the afternoon before the weather started to threaten Pocono Raceway as the race start time got closer. Lightning was detected within the eight-mile radius when the race was supposed to start, adding another 30 minutes to the delay.

    Finally, after a little over an hour, the ARCA Menards Series drivers were able to take the green flag after 5 p.m. ET and it was all Todd Gilliland, well, almost all Todd Gilliland.

    It was an eventful start as Michael Self and Chandler Smith made slight contact with each other. Gilliland put on a dominating performance leading the first 30 laps before making his scheduled pit stop.

    Unfortunately, the No. 18 driver got caught with a penalty for going above the blend line before coming back on track safely. Smith was also penalized for speeding on pit road. While that happened, Christian Eckes, who pitted before Gilliland, was able to take the lead on Lap 34 as pit stops cycled out. Willie Mullins, driving his family-owned No. 3 machine, received a penalty as well for the same issue Gilliland faced, and he had to make a drive-through.

    Gilliland got set back to the second position, but was well over 15 seconds behind Eckes. The Sherrils Ford, North Carolina native would need a lot of help from the leader, Eckes, or a lucky caution to give him one more shot at the win.

    However, Gilliland was unlucky to catch the break he needed and Eckes went on to score the hometown win for the second time this season.

    “We need to be perfect from here on out,” Eckes said. “Without missing the race at Salem, we’d be 150 points ahead. Without the last lap at Elko, we’d be within 50 points or so. We were perfect here today and we need to be perfect every week from here on out. I’ve won at three of the five tracks and my crew chief Kevin Reed has won at all five of them so I am confident we can make a run at it.”

    Gilliland was able to rebound for a second-place finish after the blend line violation during his round of pit stops.

    “The blend line rule is different in Trucks and ARCA,” he said. “In the truck, we can go above the line with the right side tires as long as we keep the left side tires below it. In ARCA they want you to keep all four tires below it until you’re between Turns 1 and 2. It wouldn’t have been a problem for me at all to keep them below the line. I should have known it but I didn’t.”

    Championship points leader Michael Self came home in the third spot after giving up a top-five position earlier in the race for a right rear tire that was going down.

    “We had a right rear tire go down and we had to pit early,” Self said. “Once the field cycled through and we didn’t get a caution it evened out for us. We weren’t close to second place and we were way ahead of fourth so we were just trying to make sure we didn’t do anything to give it away at the end.”

    There were no cautions during the FORTS USA 150 at Pocono, which saw four lead changes among five drivers. Just four cars finished on the lead lap.

    1. Christian Eckes
    2. Todd Gilliland
    3. Michael Self
    4. Corey Heim
    5. Raphael Lessard, One Lap Down
    6. Austin Wayne Self, One Lap Down
    7. Bret Holmes, One Lap Down
    8. Chandler Smith, One Lap Down
    9. Travis Braden, One Lap Down
    10. Joe Graf Jr, Two Laps Down
    11. Thad Moffitt, Three Laps Down
    12. Bobby Gerhart, Four Laps Down
    13. Ed Pompa, Five Laps Down
    14. Willie Mullins, Seven Laps Down
    15. Tim Richmond, 10 laps Down
    16. Brad Smith, Did Not Finish, Handling
    17. Tommy Vigh Jr., Did Not Finish, Electrical
    18. Dick Doheny, Did Not Finish, Vibration
    19. Mike Basham, Did Not Finish, Brakes
    20. Don Thompson, Did Not Start

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Pocono II

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Pocono II

    The summer stretch continues for the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season as they head east to “The Tricky Triangle” known as Pocono Raceway, located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania.

    It will be the 15th race of the season when the ARCA drivers hit the track Friday afternoon for the FORTS USA 150. And with six races remaining, the championship points race heats up between the top five drivers including Michael Self, Bret Holmes, Christian Eckes, Travis Braden and Joe Graf Jr., who all still have a realistic shot at winning the title. But some will need extra help in order to have a chance at the championship.

    Last week’s winner and breakout star, Chandler Smith, will look to carry that momentum over to the 2.5-mile racetrack. While Smith has no starts at Pocono, the 17-year-old did compete in last month’s open test.

    “This biggest thing I learned in the test is discipline,” he said. “The main thing is going to be passing. We were extremely strong when we went there. We all felt like if we raced, we were going to whoop the field. The main thing is being able to race around the aero and getting used to that much side force.”

    While Smith doesn’t have the experience at Pocono, his teammate Michael Self does. And overall, his experience has been alright for the most part but he wants to do better. He has two starts at Pocono with a best finish of third in 2017 when Self did not compete with Venturini Motorsports. Self’s only start with Venturini came last month where he started third and finished 11th.

    Self hopes to have a better outcome this time around.

    “Our first race here a few weeks ago was definitely frustrating,” Self says. “We struggled with balance throughout practice but felt like we made progress on it and had an idea of which direction we needed to go during the race. Then, as soon as we rolled off the grid, we started losing power due to the alternator going bad. It kind of just went downhill from there as we had an axle issue around halfway, and then we completely lost power with about five laps to go when it was looking like we might’ve still been able to manage a top-10. I’m definitely wanting to put all that in the rearview mirror this weekend and put together a clean day at a track that I really enjoy going to.”

    Self competed in the open test last month but noted that it did not go as well as he hoped.

    “On test day I was overdriving it really bad,” he said. “I watched the Dartfish video and decided that I was going to calm down and we went out and finished third that day.”

    Christian Eckes will have twice the track time when he visits Pocono Raceway Friday afternoon. Eckes will be competing in the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports truck and will have plenty of practice time to get the handle of the track.

    “Pocono has always been a place I’ve enjoyed going to,” said Eckes. “It’s pretty flat, and for whatever reason, I’ve always been good at places like that. We have a little bit of momentum coming in and we’re really excited to get back to the track. It hasn’t been an easy year by any means, but I’m confident our JBL Team can get us back on track at Pocono this weekend.”

    Eckes has three starts dating back to his first race in June of 2018, all for Venturini Motorsports. His best finish came recently in last month’s race, where the New York native finished third after starting ninth.

    It will be hard to stop the Venturini Motorsports powerhouse team, as Smith won the race at Iowa with Eckes finishing second and Self in third.

    With a disappointing couple of weeks and races, Joe Graf Jr. finally earned a top-10 finish at Iowa last weekend, placing ninth. Sitting fifth in the championship points standings, Graf hopes that top-10 finish will be the spark that he needs to go on a tear for the last six races of the season.

    “Hopefully, we can have a good finish on Friday afternoon, we desperately need it,” said Graf who sits fifth in the championship standings. “We’ve been OK this year – definitely not the performances or finishes we would be ecstatic with, but everyone at Chad Bryant Racing continues to work hard knowing we’re capable of contending for race wins.”

    Even though Graf earned a top-10 finish last week, the Chad Bryant Racing driver is hungry for a win heading into Pocono.

    “I’m ready to win, I go to the race track every weekend wanting to win,” he added. “Pocono would be a great place to do it. To sweep the season for Chad Bryant Racing and to get my second career ARCA Menards Series win at a place where I’ll have a lot of friends and family cheering me on, that’s a big deal.”

    “It’s not going to be that easy though – just driving to the front and staying there. It’s a competitive field and there hasn’t been a lot of falloff between those running in the top-10. At the same time, that can be frustrating but it’s also like motivation.”

    Graf has three starts at Pocono, earning two top-10 finishes with a best finish of seventh in his first outing in June of 2018. In last month’s race, he finished eighth after starting sixth.

    While Graf has a little bit of experience at Pocono, his teammate Corey Heim will be making his speedway debut this weekend at “The Tricky Triangle.” Despite not having any racing starts at Pocono, Heim competed in the open test last month. The Chad Bryant Racing driver is excited about his debut and will take the time he needs in order to get up to speed.

    “Very excited about my speedway debut in ARCA,” said Heim who finished sixth in the series’ most recent race at Iowa Speedway. “I’m very fortunate that Chad Bryant Racing and my crew chief Paul (Andrews) continue to give me fast race cars and I know sooner or later – it will be time to shine in Victory Lane.”

    This is the biggest race track I’ve ever competed on in my racing career, so while that’s exciting, it can also be a little bit intimidating too. Luckily, I have a lot of good people around me that can help.”

    “It’s important to make sure we get our No. 22 Speedway Children’s Charities Ford Fusion dialed in during practice, qualify up front and then see what happens in 60 laps. It will be a quick race and I think strategy will be crucial for the winning move.”

    With Ty Majeski making all six starts and being quite successful in most of them, Heim will be in the car for the rest of the season until the season finale at Kansas in October.

    Making a return to the ARCA Series after a short hiatus is Willie Mullins as his family-owned No.3 team returns to the track. It’ll be the first time since Charlotte in May where we will see the Virginia native on track. When Mullins gets on track Friday, it will almost like a homecoming race for his team.

    “A lot of our crew live in the Pocono area, so it’s a homecoming for them to get to run their local track,” Mullins explained. “Kevin Belmont, our spotter, is from up there. George Kerner and all of those guys, that is where their home is. It’s kind of a homecoming for them and I’m glad we can run their local track.”

    Mullins goal and mindset is simple; finish the race and leave the track without any major incident.

    “We want to come out of there and not tear up a race car,” Mullins said. “We’ve raced two times this year and we’ve left the track with torn up cars two times this year. We’re expecting a top-15 finish; we just need to go out there and not tear up the car.”

    After starting 19th in last week’s race at Iowa, Bret Holmes and the family-owned No. 23 team finished eighth. Coming into Pocono, Holmes has five starts and recently earned his best career track finish of fifth in last month’s race.

    “Even though we had a top-five finish last time at Pocono Raceway, we’re still working hard to improve on that run. Before that race, I felt like Pocono was my worst track. After that top-five run, it gave me a lot more confidence heading into this race. I think there’s still some things I need to work on and figure out. There are only a few races left in the season, so we’re putting in as much work as possible to come out with the best finishes we can. Every position matters at this point when it’s so close in the point standings.”

    Since 1983, Pocono Raceway has seen a grand total of 69 ARCA races with a wins list that has seen multiple winners with ARCA legends and future NASCAR superstars who all made their mark by winning at Pocono. Former ARCA Series competitor and legend Tim Steele has the most wins with nine victories.

    Other drivers on the entry list include Bobby Gerhart, J.J. Pack, Don Thompson, Ed Pompa, Tommy Vigh Jr., Dick Doheny, Todd Gilliland, Travis Braden, Raphael Lessard, Austin Wayne Self, Sean Corr, Thad Moffitt, Brad Smith, Mike Basham and Tim Richmond.

    It will be a one day show for the ARCA Menards Series drivers with the only practice session scheduled for Friday morning at 9 a.m. ET on arcaracing.com and General Tire pole qualifying at 1:35 p.m. ET, also live on arcaracing.com.

    The FORTS USA 150 is slated to get underway a little after 4 p.m. ET with a 60 lap dash live on Fox Sports 1.




  • ARCA Menards Series Preivew- Iowa

    ARCA Menards Series Preivew- Iowa

    The ARCA Menards Series continues the summer stretch by staying in the Midwest, visiting Iowa Speedway this Friday night. The track is located in Newton, Iowa just a few minutes east of Des Moines.

    It will be the 14th race of the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season and with that, there are six races remaining until the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October.

    With hot temperatures around all week and expected for tomorrow night’s race, the on-track action has certainly been heating up as well. Last week, future NASCAR superstar Chandler Smith continued his winning ways at Elko Speedway taking the checkered flag once again. It was Smith’s fifth win of his career and the third of the season. Speaking of Smith, his teammates had a little brush up on the last lap when Michael Self and Christian Eckes got together in the final turn taking each other out.

    Shifting gears one week later, the young rookie Smith hopes to continue the on-track success at Iowa. He already has one start this season at Iowa by making his NASCAR national series debut last month for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Smith will try to take what he learned and apply it to Friday night’s race.

    “This is a short track but it’s a big short track,” Smith said. “The biggest thing I will take back is how much I moved around the racetrack and all of the grooves. It’s a fast track and aerodynamics are important. I learned some things in the Truck race and I will be able to play around with some aero as well.”

    His teammate Christian Eckes is having an inconsistent 2019 so far, but he is not giving up quite yet as he sits fourth in the points standings, 115 points behind teammate Michael Self. The Middletown, New York native has three starts at Iowa with a best finish of eighth in 2017.

    “It’s definitely been a rough run at it so far this year,” said Eckes. “Our No. 15 JBL Audio Camry has had so much speed, just things haven’t been going our way by any means. Morale is high heading into Iowa this weekend. We’re ready to turn it around. We’ve done it before and we can do it again; let’s do it.”

    After feeling dejected about taking out his teammate last week on the final lap, championship points leader Self looks forward to Friday night’s race at Iowa and hopes to come away with a clean racecar.

    “Iowa is always a track I look forward to racing at,” Self says. “I’ve got a ton of experience there between K&N, ARCA and Xfinity, and have been fortunate to win there a couple of times and have some strong runs, so it’s nice going to a track that I’m comfortable at and know better than anywhere else we go on the schedule. Unfortunately, I feel like I’ve shot myself in the foot two years in a row there in the ARCA races and cost myself a shot at a win both times, so I definitely want to go in and be smart this weekend and put a solid run together without any mistakes.”

    At Iowa, Self has two starts over the past two years, earning a fourth-place finish in his first outing there in 2017. Last year, he was taken out in a crash on Lap 92, which relegated him to an 18th place finish after leading 44 laps.

    With all three Venturini Motorsports drivers having experience at Iowa, Stadium Super Truck driver Gavin Harlien will be making his second career ARCA start. Harlien recently competed at Gateway, which some think is a similar track to Iowa.

    “I have been eager to get back in the car ever since the checkered flag waved at Gateway,” said the Phoenix, Arizona native. “Now that I have one ARCA race under my belt, I’m definitely feeling more confident heading into Iowa. I was able to get those first race nerves out of the way and run a clean race in the top 10. My goal was to get the car to the finish and learn as much as I can. Now that I’ve done that, I plan on being more aggressive in my last two races this season.

    One team looks to break the powerhouse team of Venturini Motorsports and that’s Chad Bryant’s team of the No. 77 and No. 22.

    Joe Graf Jr. sits fifth in the points standings, 225 points behind championship leader Michael Self. He earned a top-10 finish last weekend at Elko after a somewhat difficult couple of weeks.

    Like Smith, Graf Jr. also competed at Iowa not too long ago in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he finished 19th for Richard Childress Racing. The New Jersey native also had a recent test at the 7/8-mile speedway.

    “Been looking forward to going back to Iowa for the last couple of weeks,” said Graf. “It’s a cool short track and without a doubt the more laps I circle around there, I feel like the better I get it.”

    Despite earning that top-10 finish last weekend, he still wants more for Friday night’s race.

    “We really need to have a strong run on Friday night,” Graf continued. “It hasn’t been the season we had been hoping for, but we still have a bunch of races stacked on the schedule and I’m hoping we can turn some heads this season.”

    Graf’s teammate Corey Heim, however, does not have any starts at Iowa. Heim will be leaning on his crew chief Paul Andrews to help him learn about the track in Newton, Iowa.

    “This weekend at Iowa Speedway is going to be a very new and exciting experience for me,” Heim said. “I’m really looking forward to a bigger track like Iowa because of my performance at Gateway a few weeks ago.”

    While Heim does not have any prior starts at Iowa, he did compete in a test a couple of weeks ago to help him adjust and prepare for the race.

    “We tested at Iowa a few weeks ago, and I feel good about it,” he added. “The track was very hot and slick, just like it’s going to be on race day.”

    With Iowa being a short track, the youngster does have some short track experience by competing at racetracks like Pensacola (finished fifth), Salem (finished fifth), Nashville (11th), Toledo and Madison (10th), a fourth at Gateway and he finished fifth at Elko last weekend.

    Eighteen-year-old Colby Howard will be returning to an ARCA car Friday night for Win-Tron Racing’s No. 32 machine. It will be his first start since finishing ninth at Madison last year for Mason Mitchell Motorsports.

    “I’m really excited to be back in the ARCA Menards Series and making my first start with Win-Tron this weekend,” said Howard. “With our pro late model success, I was really wanting to try my hand at a bigger car again. I feel like I’ve grown as a driver and my management team at PMG hooked me up with Kevin Cywinski and Win-Tron to give me the opportunity to showcase my talents at this level once more. I’ve always enjoyed tracks where there are multiple grooves, and that’s one reason I’m looking forward to Iowa this weekend. It’s the biggest and fastest track I’ve ever been on, too.”

    Another driver making his Iowa Speedway debut is KBR Development driver Carson Hocevar, in the No. 28.

    “I am so stoked for Iowa. It is one track that I have had circled since the beginning of the season. It’s a really cool race track and based off our performance at Gateway, I think we will be strong this weekend in our GMPartsNow Chevrolet.”

    While Howard and Holby do not have any starts at Iowa, Munford, the Alabama native has two starts to his name with a best finish of eighth in last year’s race.

    “I can’t wait to get to Iowa Speedway. I think it’ll be a perfect race for us to bounce back from last weekend at Elko Speedway and get a string of consistent top-five finishes back. We could set ourselves up for a good points day and even better, a win. It’s a racer’s track for sure, which makes it all that more fun to race. There’s not one preferred line, that makes it exciting to pass and race with the cars around you.”

    With Iowa Speedway being the 14th race of the season, it will mark the halfway mark for the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge championship series. With just five races remaining for this challenge, Venturini Motorsports driver Chandler Smith leads the way with a 70-point lead over Joe Gibbs Racing driver Ty Gibbs. Michael Self follows in third, Bret Holmes and Carson Hocevar in a tie for fourth, and Corey Heim in sixth place.

    Over the span of the next five races, the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge will visit dirt tracks like Springfield and DuQuoin. Then it will visit Salem in September and have its season finale at the famed Lucas Oil Raceway on October 5.

    Past champions include part-time JR Motorsports and full-time GMS Racing Gander Outdoors Truck Series driver, Sheldon Creed, who won in 2018. Austin Theriault won in 2017 driving for Ken Schrader Racing, current Xfinity Series Stewart-Haas Racing driver Chase Briscoe won in 2016 and Kyle Weatherman won in 2015 while driving for Cunningham Motorsports which is now owned by Chad Bryant.

    Other drivers on the entry list include Tim Richmond, Jason Miles, Eric Caudell, Tommy Vigh Jr., Rick Clifton, Ty Gibbs, Travis Braden, Brad Smith and Scott Melton, which makes up 19 cars total for Friday night’s race, Fans With Benefits 150.

    Iowa Speedway has seen 12 ARCA races since its first year back in 2006. The list of winners includes Steve Wallace, Frank Kimmel, Matt Hawkins, Parker Kligerman, Tom Hessert III, Ty Dillon, Alex Bowman, Grant Enfinger, Mason Mitchel, Chase Briscoe, Dalton Sargeant and Sheldon Creed.

    If you want to win, you better have a good starting spot. The winners have come from inside the top five, nine times. Only once has the winner came outside the top-10 and that was Hawkins who did it in 2008. Drivers have won from the pole at least three times set by Creed in 2018, Dillon in 2011 and Wallace in its first race in 2006.

    The speedway has only seen two first time winners, Hawkins and Hessert.

    As in most cases, it will be a one day show for the ARCA Menards Series. The only practice session will take place from 11:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. Central time, live on arcaracing.com.

    The General Tire pole qualifying is slated for 3:45 p.m. Central time and will also be live on arcaracing.com.

    The Fans with Benefits 150 green flag is scheduled to fly a little after 8 p.m. Central, live on MAVTV and arcaracing.com.

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Elko

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Elko

    After a few weeks off, the ARCA Menards Series returns to action and continues their stretch toward the championship finale at Kansas Speedway in October.

    The series will see their 13th race of the scheduled 20 this Saturday night at Elko Speedway, located in Elko, Minnesota in what is still a relatively new track for the ARCA Menards Series. So new that only a few of the series regulars have starts there.

    That includes current ARCA Menards Series championship points leader Michael Self. Self has no starts at the short track in Minnesota but has been preparing himself by watching footage of old races.

    “I’m usually not a huge fan of the short tracks,” Self admits, “but I’m actually really looking forward to Elko. I’ve watched a couple of the past races there as well as some onboard footage and the track just reminds me so much of the places we raced out west in the K&N series. Roseville, Colorado National, I-44, Stockton, and the Vegas Bullring were all 3/8-mile tracks that were on the schedule at some time when I was running it, so those are the tracks that really formed my stock car racing roots.”

    Self leads the series standings over Bret Holmes by 35 points. He will look to stay as the points leader following Elko.

    Another driver who does not have any starts, but is having a breakout year is NASCAR superstar Hailie Deegan. Deegan has only competed a couple of times this year in the ARCA Series but the results have been somewhat of a disappointment for the breakout star.

    Deegan has only managed to finish one race that occurred at Pocono back in June, where she started fourth and finish seventh. Her other finishes include an 18th at Toledo after being wrecked out and 12th at Madison after her engine expired late in the going. Deegan hopes to have a better outing in her limited starts this time around at Elko.

    “Coming out of the gate really strong is big for me,” said Deegan. “I like to come out of the gate strong and not have to work at it to get up to speed too much. I like to make my goal for each race and then get better throughout the day. As a racer, I always want to win. But I’m still early on in my career and still learning these ARCA cars. The goal for Elko is a top five. We have a top 10 in the ARCA series, now we need a top five. Once we get that first top five then we’ll adjust to our first win. We need to set a new goal every week and then work our way into it.”

    Deegan has short track experience by competing and making a lot of noise in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West and East. Her best is in the West having two wins, five top fives and six top-10 finishes with 67 laps led, most of them occurring on short tracks like Irwindale, Tucson, Colorado and Douglas County.

    While Self and Deegan do not have any track experience for the upcoming race at Elko Speedway, Bret Holmes, who currently sits second in points, does. Holmes has one start in his family owned No. 23 machine two years ago in 2017 where he finished fourth after starting second.

    Elko is a short track where there has been some bumping and banging going around the last couple of years to determine the winner. If Holmes was put in the position Saturday night, he is not afraid to rub some fenders with the race leader, but also knows he has to keep the big picture in mind.

    “I don’t mind it if it comes down to it,” Holmes said. “I own all of this stuff so it’s different when a driver owns all of the stuff. It’s more family-based and I work with our construction company and we try to make as much money as we can to come do this. I don’t think a lot of the guys we are racing against have that thought. I don’t mind it and I don’t want to outright wreck people but I don’t mind replacing some body panels.”

    Like Holmes, Chad Bryant Racing driver Joe Graf Jr. has one start which came in last year’s race. Graf Jr. started fifth and finished third in the Chad Bryant owned No. 77 Ford. Despite his up and down year, he believes he can get back on track at Elko this Saturday.

    “Being at the front and on the bottom,” he chuckled, “I learned a lot last year. Gus and I raced hard. Yeah, it got a little physical on the restart but I don’t think anyone expected different. You need to have tires, track position and luck to win at Elko. I’ve been waiting to get back to Elko since last year and I feel like it may be one of my best opportunities to get back in Victory Lane this season.”

    While his Venturini Motorsports teammates do not have any recorded starts, the No. 15 of Christian Eckes does and he has been close to victory lane twice in his two starts. In 2017, he started fourth and finished second after leading 91 laps. In 2018, Eckes started on the pole and finished second while leading 36 laps.

    “Elko has always been a track that I’ve really enjoyed going to,” said Eckes. “Grabbing the pole and finishing second last year definitely makes me excited coming back. It’d mean a lot to win there especially with the bit of a drought we’ve had here lately. All the guys on this JBL Audio team have been working extremely hard to get this year turned around, so we’re ready to go have some fun this weekend.”

    Travis Braden and his family owned No. 27 also has one start at Elko, where he finished seventh after starting 11th. Braden believes, however, that Elko will be an intense and exciting short track race Saturday night.

    “It’s always intense on short tracks, and this is the shortest, so you do the math,” he said with a laugh. “It’s going to be pressure-filled start-to-finish. Elko tends to allow for two grooves of racing in the corners, but those tiny straightaways sure get narrow if you end up side-by side.  Sparks will fly at some point. You will have to be aggressive and take risks at some point in the race if you want to go to the winner’s circle. There’s no room to breathe until you get there.”

    One driver, Corey Heim, who is taking over the No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing machine for the rest of the season has no experience at Elko. Despite not having the experience, Heim will have his teammate Graf Jr. and his team to rely on for any advice this weekend. What a birthday present it would be for the now 17-year-old future prospect to win on Saturday night.

    “I’m very fortunate to have a lot of people around me who have plenty of experience around Elko,” Heim added. “They are all veterans. Paul’s been here before so I know he can set up our car pretty good and then I can talk to Joe if I need help with my driving line and whatnot. Saturday will go by in a hurry – but I’m excited to see what another new track brings for me.”

    Heim does have short track experience this year, finishing fifth at Pensacola and Salem, 10th at Toledo and Madison, and the last time he raced at Gateway, he finished fourth.

    There will be other drivers trying to make a name for themselves like Alex Clubb, Ty Gibbs, Chandler Smith, Sam Mayer, Carson Hocevar, Tim Richmond, Eric Caudell, Dale Shearer, Brad Smith, Howie DiSavino III, Mike Basham and rookie Tommy Vigh Jr.

    The racetrack in Elko, Minnesota has seen five races since its first race back in 2012. Since then, there have been five different race winners and more than likely, we will see its sixth different winner Saturday night.

    Brennan Poole won the first race in 2012 for Venturini Motorsports, Frank Kimmel in 2013 for ThorSport Racing, current Truck Series regular Grant Enfinger in 2014 for Howard Bixman, Austin Theriault in 2017 for Kenny Schrader and Gus Dean who won last year’s race for Win Tron Racing in a thrilling last-lap battle for the win.

    If you’re going to have a shot at the win, you’re going to need to qualify well. The last five winners have come within the top five, with the exception of two that came from the top-10 in 2013 and 2018. No one, however, has ever won from the pole position. The closest a winner has come from was second back in 2014 by Enfinger.

    It will be a one day show for the ARCA Menards Series at Elko Speedway. The only practice session of the day is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. ET lasting until 3:30 p.m. ET, live on arcaracing.com. General Tire Pole Qualifying will be seen at 5:15 p.m. ET and ARCA drivers will have two laps to qualify. It will also be live on arcaracing.com.

    The Menards 250 green flag flies shortly after 9 p.m. ET Saturday, live on MAVTV with live leader board on arcaracing.com.

  • Ty Majeski Puts On Dominating Performance At Chicago

    Ty Majeski Puts On Dominating Performance At Chicago

    Ty Majeski returned to the Chad Bryant Racing No. 22 Ford Friday night at Chicagoland Speedway and to no ones’ surprise, returned to victory lane for the third time this season.

    The turning point came when Majeski made a gutsy call at the end to stay out on a late race pit stop.

    “I’ll be honest, I was real nervous,” Majeski said in his post race interview with Fox Sports 1. “We had such a deficit or a gap on the field lap time wise. That was the same call by Paul (Andrews, Crew Chief) especially if we would have gotten a late caution, we would have set left lane.”

    The Bounty 150 was delayed due to lightning in the area for well over an hour and a half.

    When the race got started, Michael Self was on the pole. Christian Eckes and Travis Braden didn’t get to qualify due to mechanical issues, and both were forced to start in the back. Joe Graf Jr. also started in the rear due to being in a backup car.

    As the green flag flew, the race was action-packed from the get-go. Morgen Baird was off pace early but then stalled on the bottom of Turn 4 to bring out the first caution of the night. The No. 1 of Jason Miles also had a flat left front tire go down on the lap eight restart which brought the caution out again.

    Majeski started to come in to play on Lap 13, as he and Michael Self battled side-by-side for the lead. However, Majeski would have to wait a little bit before he could run away with the lead, as another caution came out on Lap 17 for the No. 7 of Eric Caudell who spun on the frontstretch grass.

    Majeski would go on to lead until the caution flew once more on Lap 52, just past halfway for the No. 54 of Tanner Gray, who hit the wall in Turn 3 after having a flat tire go down. This would set up a round of pit stops and it would see Self stalling on pit road, but eventually got the car re-fired. Unfortunately for Gray, his night was done early.

    After the pit stops, Harrison Burton was able to gain the lead and led for a little bit until the fourth caution came out on Lap 65 for Christian Eckes, as he would go spinning around after his left rear tire went down off Turn 2.

    One more caution would occur on Lap 76, as Majeski’s teammate, Joe Graf Jr. had his tire go down and spinning on the backstretch. Self would also suffer another issue on his pit stop under caution, as he tried taking off when his left rear tire was not on properly. However, he escaped with any major damage and was able to get back on track.

    While Self pitted, so did other racers who were in contention to win the race. However, one did not. Majeski stayed out in hopes of getting the track position he needed to propel him to the win.

    Despite staying out and a late race restart, a five-car battle occurred for second, allowing Majeski to run away for his third win of the 2019 ARCA Menards Series season.

    “This thing was so dominant, it’s cool,” Majeski added in his post-race interview. “We ran four times already and had different scenarios every race. You know, Charlotte, where we won on a late race restart, Pocono we won on a green flag pit stop and Michigan, we almost won on fuel strategy. This one, we straight up smoked them. I hope people are paying attention, realize that and find different ways to win races. Just a testament to everybody on my team, Paul Andrews (Crew Chief), Chad Bryant Racing, this Crestliner Ford Fusion was really fast tonight.”

    This was Majeski’s third win of the season, which also marked his third of his career in the ARCA Menards Series.

    There were six cautions for 31 laps, along with four leaders among six lead changes. Majeski led three times for 72 laps en route to his third career victory of the season. His next scheduled ARCA race is the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October.

    Official Results

    1. Ty Majeski
    2. Harrison Burton, 9.179 seconds
    3. Bret Holmes, 9.566 seconds
    4. Michael Self, 10.528 seconds
    5. Travis Braden, 10.607 seconds
    6. Riley Herbst, 10.641 seconds
    7. Christian Eckes, 12.104 seconds
    8. Austin Wayne Self, 15.125 seconds
    9. Thad Moffitt, 30.228 seconds
    10. Scott Melton, One lap down
    11. Joe Graf Jr., One lap down
    12. Tim Richmond, Six laps down
    13. Morgen Baird, 18 laps down
    14. Eric Caudell, Out
    15. Tanner Gray, Out
    16. Brad Smith, Out
    17. Tommy Vigh Jr., Out
    18. Con Nicolopoulos, Out
    19. Jason Miles, Out
    20. Stefan Parsons, Out

    Up Next: After a few weeks of racing in the summer stretch, the ARCA Menards Series will take a couple of weeks off before returning on track at Elko Speedway on Saturday night July 13 on MAVTV.

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Chicago

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Chicago

    Last week gave us an exciting ending to the race at Gateway as Ty Gibbs, grandson of Joe Gibbs, took the checkered flag in the last corner of the race. This week the ARCA Menards Series stays in the Illinois state as it heads north to Chicagoland Speedway.

    It’s been an electrifying ARCA season so far and we are one race past of the halfway point. Believe it or not, Chicago will mark eight races left until the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October.

    Chicagoland Speedway is somewhat of a home game for the Venturini’s who originate from the city and look to be successful every time they visit the 1.5-mile racetrack located in Chicago, Illinois.

    The same can be said for Michael Self, the previous race winner who won last year’s race. Self visited victory lane two races ago at Michigan (another 1.5-mile track). Since then, his up and down season has continued. At Madison, he followed his win at Michigan to finish second the week after, then finished a disappointing 13th last week at Gateway.

    Despite the finish outside the top-10 last week, Self is looking forward to getting to Chicago, as he lists it as one of his favorite tracks and hopes to relive last years special victory for the Venturini team.

    “Chicagoland is definitely one of my most favorite tracks on the schedule,” says Self. “It’s such a unique track with so much character. I’ve been fortunate to race there a handful of times now, and every time has been a lot of fun, and last year was definitely cool to bring home a win. It’s a special place for Venturini Motorsports with Chicago being their home town, that definitely adds some excitement and emotion to race day.”

    After being out of the car for the last couple of races, as upcoming racer Corey Heim took over, Ty Majeski climbs back into the No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing machine Thursday night for what will be his final ARCA start until his final start in the season finale at Kansas in October.

    “I feel really good about heading into Chicago,” said Majeski. “I feel like it is my best 1.5-mile track. It has a ton of character and you’re able to move around and find speed. We went for it in my last ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway and were just a corner short of our third win of the year. I think we can go to Chicago this weekend and look to finish what we started there.”

    Majeski has won two races this year and almost has a possible third at Michigan but ran out of gas coming out of Turn 4 and got passed by eventual race winner Michael Self. Heim has piloted the machine the last two races, finishing 10th at Madison and fourth at Gateway. Majeski has two starts at Chicago, both coming in the top-10. His last start came two years ago, driving the Cunningham Motorsports machine where he finished seventh after starting second and leading 50 laps.

    The Seymour, Wisconsin driver has one other ARCA start, competing in the Roulo Brothers No. 17 Ford, in 2016 where Majeski finished eighth after leading three laps.

    Like Majeski, his teammate Joe Graf Jr. is looking for a top-10 this week after finishing 11th at Gateway last Saturday. Graf Jr. has one start, which came in a Chad Bryant Racing car last year where he finished 13th.

    “I’ve learned a lot since last year,” added Graf. “Just about how to handle these cars, move them around the air by myself or around other cars. You are always learning. We’ve shown that our Chad Bryant Racing cars have speed on the bigger tracks this year, I’m hoping to earn our second top-five of the year on Thursday night.”

    Another driver who has experience is Bret Holmes, who drives the family owned No. 23 Chevrolet. Holmes has one start, that came in 2017 where he earned a top-10 finish.

    This weekend, Holmes will have an exciting sponsorship with Techworks Trailer Sales, a company located in Elkhart, Indiana. Holmes is excited about having the company aboard his No. 23 machine and hopes to celebrate with them in victory lane Thursday night.

    “I’m honored to have Techworks Trailer Sales on our Chevrolet this week for Chicagoland Speedway,” said Holmes. They’re a great group of people and are loyal to their Elkhart, Indiana base. It’s really cool to be able to bring them into the sport, and I hope our fans will show them as much support as they show us. I know we’re going to unload a fast Techworks Trailer Sales Chevrolet this week. Our intermediate track program is strong this year. What better way to welcome Mr. Barnes and Techworks Trailer Sales to the BHR family than with a win.”  

    One driver, Christian Eckes, however, does not have any starts at Chicago and will be making his first one on Thursday night with Venturini Motorsports. Eckes is looking forward to visiting the city, but also realizes his job comes first and that’s to win.

    “I wish we had more time to go out and spend some more time in the city,” he said. “For the most part it’s hard to go see the scenes of whatever city we are in. At the very least we’ll go have a good time with the team and go out to dinner but sometimes that’s it. I’d like to go into town and see some of the buildings, go see the lake, go to Navy Pier and all of that. But at the same time we need to stay focused on why we’re here.”

    While he knows winning is always a possibility and the expectation going into races like this, Eckes is focused on winning the ARCA championship at the end of the season.

    “The biggest thing for the next half of the season is to start putting races together. We have had the speed, we have just lacked in execution. Whether it’s mechanical failures or me dialing out the car, we need to execute better.”

    There are 20 drivers entered on the entry list for the annual Bounty 150.

    Other drivers entered in the race include Eric Caudell, Jason Miles, Con Nicolopoulos, Tim Richmond, Scott Melton, Tanner Gray, Brad Smith, Thad Moffitt, Austin Wayne Self, Travis Braden, Harrison Burton, Riley Herbst, Morgen Baird and Tommy Vigh Jr.

    Chicagoland Speedway has seen 18 ARCA Series races since the track opened up in 2001.

    The list of winners include Ed Berrier, Chad Blount, Frank Kimmel, Kyle Krisiloff, Dawayne Bryan, Steve Wallace, Michael McDowell, Scott Lagasse Jr, Justin Lofton, Patrick Sheltra, Ty Dillon, Kevin Swindell, Mason Mitchell, Ryan Reed, Chase Briscoe, Christopher Bell and the defending race winner, Michael Self.

    Qualifying is important at Chicago, where only three times, the winner has come from the back. Berrier won this race in 2001 after starting 34th, Krisiloff won after starting 11th in 2004 and Reed in 2015 after starting 28th.

    Surprisingly, there has been no repeat winners since the track opened in 2001.

    Race day activities will get underway with the only practice session at 1 p.m. ET. General Tire Pole Qualifying is scheduled for 5:35 p.m. ET. Practice and qualifying will air live on arcaracing.com.

    The Bounty 150 race will be televised live on Fox Sports 1 with a scheduled start time shortly after 8 p.m. ET.


  • ARCA Menards Series Preview- Gateway

    ARCA Menards Series Preview- Gateway

    After a dominating performance to take the win last week at Madison, breakout superstar Chandler Smith and his team set their sights on the next ARCA Menards Series race at the newly renamed World Wide Technology Raceway at Gateway.

    It’s a bigger entry list this time around, as there are 22 racers entered hoping to drive into victory lane. Chandler Smith will be making his first ever stock car start at this track. The 16-year-old will also have extra track time as he will be competing in his second Truck Series start as well. At the end of Saturday’s Truck race, Smith will be in a stock car or racecar a mere 14 hours.

    “I think it’s going to be all mental. You are going to have to want to have the drive to do it. If you are like ‘oh my gosh, I have to do that?’, if you have that attitude, you are going to suck at it,” he said. “I’ve never been to the track before. I know you need to be patient and hit your marks there. There is definitely going to be a big learning curve. I have never raced on a track like that before. I have practiced there a little on the simulator. I have a good bit of laps under me and I have a general idea so when we get there I will know what to do.”

    Another driver who will be making his first ARCA start at Gateway will be his Venturini Motorsports teammate, Michael Self. Even though Self has no starts or experience at the track, he is excited to get on track Saturday.

    “Gateway has definitely been a track that I’ve been looking forward to racing at,” Self says. “I love the bigger tracks, and this one is kind of unique in that it’s an intermediate track by length classification, but a short track in the sense that it’s completely flat and not particularly fast. I’m anxious to make my first laps out there and see if I can figure it out.”

    In 2019, Self has three wins, seven top fives and top-10 finishes along with three poles. He looks to carry that momentum through the second half of the season.

    “When I think about the first half of this season, there were definitely some negative moments that stand out, but more positive moments. There really hasn’t been a race where we’ve just struggled for speed throughout the weekend. We’ve either shown up and been fast off the gate like at Michigan, or Shannon and the guys have worked hard to figure things out and get us where we need to be, which happened at Madison. I have all the confidence in the world in those guys and look forward to every weekend with them, knowing we’re still learning about each other, but also that there’s a lot of trust and good chemistry established.”

    At 19-years-old, Gavin Harlien will be making his first ever ARCA start this weekend competing in the No. 55. It will be the first of three races for Harlien and the Venturini Motorsports team.

    “Making my first ARCA start is obviously really an exciting opportunity for me and one I’ve been looking forward to since our deal came together,” said Harlien. “But I’m probably most excited about sharing this moment with my sister, Presley, and running the Autism Awareness paint scheme on my Toyota Camry.”

    Harlien does not have much stock car seat time, but he did get in a car last week at Motor Mile to get some testing done.

    “With limited stock car experience, it was great to get behind the wheel last week and spend a day testing with the team. I was able to work with Frank Kimmel and get comfortable behind the wheel working on pit stops and restarts, two things we don’t do in the trucks. I feel good about coming into this weekend but I also know my first time out is all about gaining experience. Venturini Motorsports has a great team and I’ll have a few of the best teammates on my side at Gateway to learn from.”

    Harlien will be making his other two starts at Iowa and Salem Speedway, and competing in the Stadium Super Trucks Series in the meantime.

    After a disappointing finish last weekend at Madison, Chad Bryant Racing driver, Corey Heim will look forward to getting on track this weekend at Gateway and putting last weekend behind him.

    “I’m still pretty frustrated about last weekend at Madison, to be honest,” said Heim. “These Chad Bryant Racing guys pour their guts out to put competitive cars on the track and for us to be taken out by someone is tasteless. But by the time the garage opens at Gateway this weekend, I need to put Madison behind me and focus on making my Gateway debut as positive as possible.” 

    Like Harlien, Heim tested last week as well

    but at Gateway.

    “I think our test went great last week, added Heim. “We unloaded with a great car and got better with each and every run. I think we’ve got a great price for this weekend’s race. Gateway is a very unique track as it is, I’ve never raced on something like it. Both corners are completely different, and you have to downshift in turns one and two, which I’ve never done before. I think a good goal for us this weekend will be a top-five.”

    Heim has five starts to his ARCA Series career in 2019 with a best finish of fifth twice occurring at Pensacola and Salem.

    A driver who does have experience at Gateway, however, and is possibly being overshadowed, is Bret Holmes and in the family owned No. 23 machine. Holmes has one start, which came in last year’s race where he finished 10th.

    “I think we will be a lot better than we were last year,” Holmes said. “It is a very different place. It took me a while to get a hold of it. I watched a lot of videos from there. They put down some traction compound so that’s something we’ll have to get used to. We haven’t decided whether or not we will be shifting. It’s a very unique track, and I like tracks like that. It’s a cool size. It’s hard to pass at Gateway but it’s a cool place to go and make some laps at.”

    Despite earning a top-10 finish, he says that it will not be comparable to the race this year.

    We can’t compare this year to last year,” he said. “A lot of it has been some changes in mentality. Last year it just felt like nothing was going right for me. When you’re not doing well in racing it seems to carry over to outside of racing and things just didn’t seem to be going right. With Shane (Huffman) on board, it has really changed so many things. I don’t like to think about last year a lot. I don’t even like to watch the races from last year. It’s just a part of it. You go through people and make changes and then you get to where you want to be and you get to start over again.”

    Chrisitan Eckes for Venturini Motorsports also has one ARCA start to his name and he earned a fourth-place finish after starting second in last year’s race. Eckes also led 36 laps in that race. Like his teammate Smith, Eckes will also be doing double duty by competing in the Truck Series race as well.

    “I’m pretty excited about running the double this weekend at Gateway,” said Eckes. “I couldn’t pick two better teams in Venturini Motorsports and Kyle Busch Motorsports to go do it with, Gateway is one of my favorite race tracks and a place where I feel we should have won at last year for sure. I’m ready to go give it my all and hopefully end up in victory lane twice by the end of the night.”

    Another driver who is looking to turn his season around and make a late race charge back to the front is Joe Graf Jr. Graf Jr. finished eighth in last year’s race in the No. 77 Chad Bryant Racing Ford.

    “Madison wasn’t what we hoped, even though we came out of there with a top-10 finish,” said Graf Jr. who occupies fifth in the championship standings with 10 races remaining. “As a team, we’ve got to do a better job with execution and start running more consistently inside the top-five. Gateway would be a good place to kick off the second half with that.”

    Looking to beat all those guys with experience mentioned above is KBR-Development driver, 16-year-old Carson Hocevar.

    “I am really excited to get to Gateway, as it will be a whole new challenge for me with aero and intermediate style of racing. It will be difficult with the limited amount of track time and lack of experience on a track like this. I’m very confident in our KBR guys though, as well as my ability to adapt quickly and perform well with our Chevrolet.”

    Hocevar has eight starts in his young ARCA career with four top fives and six top-10 finishes, along with two poles.

    ARCA Menards Series drivers will have two practice sessions to gain experience this weekend.

    The first practice session is slated to last 50 minutes from 11:35 a.m.-12:25 p.m. CT and the final practice will last roughly 55 minutes and will take place from 1:30 p.m.-2:25 p..m. CT. ARCA General Tire pole qualifying is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.CT. Practices and qualifying can all be seen live on Arcaracing.com.

    The Day to Day Coffee 150 for the ARCA Menards Series is set to get underway shortly after 6:45 p.m. CT, 7:45 p.m. ET, live on MAVTV.