Tag: venturini motorsports

  • Ty Dillon and Kyle Fowler Make Up Front Row for ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona

    Ty Dillon and Kyle Fowler Make Up Front Row for ARCA Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona

    [media-credit name=”arcaracing.com” align=”alignleft” width=”258″][/media-credit]When the green flag drops tomorrow for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, two 18 year old drivers will lead the field to the green flag.

    Richard Childress’ grandson Ty Dillon (No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio/Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) won the pole with a lap of 48.509 seconds (185.533mph) to win the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell. This is the fastest lap that has been run at Daytona since Kirk Shelmerdine in 2001 with a pole speed of 187.352mph. 

    “It was really special to me. I’ve been coming here for a long time since I was a little kid to see my grandfather, watching races, watching qualifying, and this being my first time at a superspeedway and to have this car get the pole is really special to me,” Dillon said. “I’m glad we could do it with UNOH.

    “Our team has definitely worked hard enough so that we have one of the best cars in the garage. I believe we can definitely win this race tomorrow. I just have to be patient; we have the car to do it.”

    This marks the start of a solid weekend for Dillon, who is trying to go for his third consecutive win in a row after winning the final two races last year – Kansas & Rockingham. Dillon has also been running a dirt modified at Volusia Speedway Park each night to get more experience.

    “I think it just helps me with my experience, getting as much seat time as possible,” he said. “It’s been hard every night getting back to the hotel at 1 in the morning and getting up at 6 to come here to be with the guys, but I love racing. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else.”

    Starting second will be Venturini Motorsports rookie Kyle Fowler, who drove a lap of 48.65 seconds (184.995mph) in his No. 15 Chevrolet.

    “Venturini definitely has an awesome piece there with the 15 car, and I’m just the lucky guy that gets to hold the steering wheel,” Fowler said.

    Fowler has made just five prior starts in the ARCA Racing Series, but none on a track larger than a mile-and-a-half.

    “It was absolutely incredible to make those first few laps around here,” he said. “Heck, I got goosebumps just walking on the premises. It’s every driver’s dream to race here. It’s racing’s biggest stage, and I just want to be there at the end.”  

    Following the rookies will be Venturini Motorsports veteran Steve Arpin (No. 25 Mike’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet), with a lap of 48.762 seconds (184.57 mph).

    “We were really focused (in practice) yesterday on qualifying stuff,” said Arpin, who led the series with three victories last year. “It’s really hard at Daytona, because you’ve got to try to qualify the best you can because track position’s really important, but at the same time you’ve got to make the car drive as good as it can.

    “We tried to find that happy medium and balance the car the best we could. The best thing I’m excited about is that our car drives awesome in the draft and that’s all that’s important – to get that trophy at the end of the day tomorrow.”

    Matt Merrell, who is making his first start since 2009, will start fourth, in his No. 32 Red Line Oil Toyota. Six-time Daytona ARCA winner Bobby Gerhart completed the top five in fifth with his No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet.

    Practice leader Hal Martin, motocross superstar Ricky Carmichael, Mark Thompson, Tim George Jr., and Tom Hessert will fill out the rest of the first five rows.

    Other notables include IndyCar star Milka Duno who will start 23rd in his first ARCA start while nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel will start 26th in his 20th ARCA Daytona start.

    The 80-lap, 200-mile Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 airs live on SPEED at 4:30 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, with live timing and scoring and live audio presented by ARCA Nation and News 1150 WNDB at ARCARacing.com. Bobby Gerhart (No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet) is the defending and all-time leading winner at the track, with wins in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2010. Gerhart also won four consecutive poles between 2003 and 2006. The race is scheduled as the first of 19 this season.

    The ARCA Racing Series will host a final, 45-minute practice at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Live timing and scoring will be presented by ARCA Nation at ARCARacing.com.

    Starting Grid

    2011 Event #1, ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards    
    Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Beach FL, 2-12-11    
    Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200      
               
    February 11, 2011 / 3:49 PM      
               
    POS NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM & CAR TIME SPEED
    1 41 Ty Dillon/Lewisville NC UNOH Chevrolet 48.509 185.533
    2 15 Kyle Fowler/Smyrna GA Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet 48.650 184.995
    3 25 Steve Arpin/Fort Frances ON Mike’s Hard Lemonade-Trent’s Tire Toyota 48.762 184.570
    4 32 Matt Merrell/Portland TX Red Line Oil Toyota 48.881 184.121
    5 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet 48.961 183.820
    6 55 Hal Martin/Galliano LA NOLA Motorsports Park Toyota 48.977 183.760
    7 4 Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL Monster Energy Chevrolet 48.981 183.745
    8 66 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA Phoenix Air Toyota 49.083 183.363
    9 31 Tim George Jr./New York NY RCR Development Chevrolet 49.112 183.255
    10 52 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ Federated Auto Parts Toyota 49.249 182.745
    11 28 Miguel Paludo/Nova Prata Brazil STEMCO-Duroline Toyota 49.276 182.645
    12 98 Kevin Swindell/Goodlettsville TN Curb Records-Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota 49.291 182.589
    13 16 Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL Rip It Energy Fuel-Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet 49.314 182.504
    14 22 Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN Ferrellgas-Syngenta Dodge 49.355 182.352
    15 19 Brian Rose/Louisville KY Harris Trucking-ASE Toyota 49.358 182.341
    16 6 Jason Bowles/Ontario CA Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota 49.368 182.304
    17 14 John Ferrier/Middletown NY CGS Imaging Ford 49.386 182.238
    18 30 Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario Jones Group Dodge 49.388 182.230
    19 17 Chris Buescher/Prosper TX Roulo Brothers Racing Ford 49.408 182.157
    20 09 Benny Gordon/DuBois PA VSI Ford 49.537 181.682
    21 94 Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY Hudson Performance Drivelines Dodge 49.583 181.514
    22 11 Bryan Silas/Stuart FL National Speed Sport News-Fast Track Ford 49.584 181.510
    23 63 Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela Citgo Lubricants Dodge 49.604 181.437
    24 12 Maryeve Dufault/Sorel Quebec TMR Dodge 49.726 180.992
    25 77 Joey Licata/Van Nuys CA Wrong Inc. Dodge 49.727 180.988
    26 44 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN Ansell-Menards Ford 49.775 180.814
    27 82 Sean Corr/Goshen NY Empire Racing Ford 49.782 180.788
    28 1 Chad McCumbee/Supply NC ModSpace Ford 49.791 180.756
    29 18 Chris Lawson/Troutman NC Ideal Steel Custom Flame Cutting Dodge 49.801 180.719
    30 00 Ed Kennedy/Coppell TX Thunder 2 Lubricants-Daytona Lagoon Chevrolet 49.811 180.683
    31 36 Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL BeasleyAllen.com-Excaliber Coach Dodge 49.846 180.556
    32 26 Tommy Joe Martins/Como MS Martins Motorsports Dodge 49.924 180.274
    33 23 Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA Fox Realty Chevrolet Provisional
    34 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN IndustrialDepot.com Ford Provisional
    35 48 James Hylton/Inman SC Radon.com Ford Provisional
    36 10 Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa NY Rifenburg Construction-Double H Ranch Chevrolet Provisional
    37 06 Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD CanadianHeroes.com Chevrolet Provisional
    38 68 Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg KY Honda of Prestonburg-Harley of Pikeville Dodge Provisional
    39 7 Brent Cross/Cortland NY Cummings Auto Machine-Quadraflex Chevrolet Provisional
    40 58 Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH Tastee Apple Chevrolet Provisional
    41 75 Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL Drive To End Hunger AARP Toyota Provisional
    42 3 Brent Brevak/Eau Claire WI Red’s Auto Ford Provisional
    43 42 Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL Yellow Stripes Making The Driver Ford Provisional

    To see more articles by Ashley McCubbin and live updates from the weekend, check out http://newsfromthepits.blogspot.com/

  • Hal Martin, Ty Dillon and Kyle Fowler Lead ARCA Practice No. 1

    Hal Martin, Ty Dillon and Kyle Fowler Lead ARCA Practice No. 1

    [media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignleft” width=”287″][/media-credit]The ARCA Series Presented by Menards opened up their first day of on-track action today with a four hour practice this afternoon.

    Like in testing last month, Hal Martin drove his No. 55 NOLA Motorsports Park Toyota to the top of the practice chart as his team, Venturini Motorsports, took three of the top four positions.

    “What a successful day, all in all,” Martin said. “We’ve spent a lot of long hours at the shop, and I’ve put in a lot of long hours of mental prep for this day. There were some things in practice we wanted to try, and the car just ran fast. That’s all I can say. It’s driving really well, and dicing in and out of traffic. We did a lot of drafting this afternoon and ran well in every situation.”

    Martin’s best lap was 48.092 seconds, hitting an average speed of 187.141mph. Martin’s teammates Kyle Fowler (No. 15 Chevrolet) and Steve Arpin (No. 25 Mike’s Hard Lemonade/Trent’s Tire Toyota) were third and fourth.

    Sandwiched in second was Richard Childress Racing driver and Childress’ grandson Ty Dillon (No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio Chevrolet), with his teammate Tim George Jr. (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) in fifth to complete the top five. Contributing to a top-five sweep by Venturini and RCR was the drafting that was done during practice as Martin cited all his two teammates and the RCR teammates as “dancing partners”.

    Though Martin notes that he spent the beginning during mock qualifying runs as this is the only practice they’ll get before qualifying.

    “We started out the day with mock qualifying runs, just to see where we stood basically,” he said. “Hopefully, we get the pole, but you never know what will happen out there. I hope we can get a solid top-five start and go win it from there on Saturday. If we can start up front, we hope to stay out front.”

    Steve Blackburn, Matt Merrell, Bryan Silas, Brian Rose, and Tom Hessert comprised the remainder of the top 10.

    Other notables include six-time and defending Daytona ARCA Bobby Gerhart, who drove his No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet to the 20th position on the chart, one spot ahead of nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel.

    Some people were concerned what the rain earlier in the day would do to the track, however Martin said it had no effect.

    “The grip level’s still there,” Martin said. “You know, it’s not like a track where it’s been worn in and you get a little rain and the track gets green and there’s no grip. That didn’t happen. I know we had a good bit of rain this morning – it woke me up in the motor home at 5 or 6 a.m. – but the track is just like it was at the test. The tires aren’t wearing.”

    Fowler says as a whole, the track hasn’t actually changed that much from before the paving.

    “We talked about the old and the new, as far as whatever he was doing and what it was like to run around this place, and where I’m running around this place, and the similarities,” Fowler said. “Over time, it hasn’t really changed as much as people think even through different pavements. The core of it is still the same.”

    Though Fowler says he is ready for whatever happens.

    “I’ve been mentally preparing,” Fowler said. “Preparing, preparing, preparing. I’ve been doing a little bit of the iRacing (computer simulation) stuff, because I’ve got to get familiar with this place more. I’ve been watching tapes of races and (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver) David Ragan’s been giving me advice.”

    With three of the five drivers at Venturini Motorsports in the top five, its no wonder Venturini Motorsports General Manager Billy Venturini is happy.

    “All the cars seemed really good,” Venturini said. “The Nos. 15, 25, and 55 seemed to be the best three cars during single-car runs. So, I think we will have a very solid performance in qualifying. No. 28 (Miguel Paludo) and No. 66 (Mark Thompson), we expect to put them in the top 10 also. (In) drafting practice, all the cars seemed extremely strong. I think that we should be tough to beat. All the hard work seems to be paying off. I expect to qualify very well and make sure we can back that up on Saturday with a victory.”

    All 47 entered drivers took laps; 43 will start in Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, scheduled to air at 4:30 p.m. on SPEED. The starting field will be set in Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell, tomorrow at 2 p.m.

    2011 Event #1, ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards
    Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Beach FL, 2-12-11  
    Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200    
             
             
    POS NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN TIME SPEED
    1 55 Hal Martin/Galliano LA 48.092 187.141
    2 41 Ty Dillon/Lewisville NC 48.133 186.982
    3 15 Kyle Fowler/Smyrna GA 48.378 186.035
    4 25 Steve Arpin/Fort Frances ON 48.415 185.893
    5 31 Tim George Jr./New York NY 48.421 185.870
    6 68 Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg KY 48.493 185.594
    7 32 Matt Merrell/Portland TX 48.837 184.286
    8 11 Bryan Silas/Stuart FL 48.863 184.188
    9 19 Brian Rose/Louisville KY 48.970 183.786
    10 52 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ 48.970 183.786
    11 16 Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL 48.983 183.737
    12 36 Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL 48.999 183.677
    13 14 John Ferrier/Middletown NY 49.002 183.666
    14 26 Tommy Joe Martins/Como MS 49.003 183.662
    15 09 Benny Gordon/DuBois PA 49.019 183.602
    16 4 Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL 49.053 183.475
    17 1 Chad McCumbee/Supply NC 49.085 183.355
    18 98 Kevin Swindell/Goodlettsville TN 49.095 183.318
    19 77 Joey Licata/Van Nuys CA 49.100 183.299
    20 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA 49.104 183.284
    21 44 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN 49.104 183.284
    22 6 Jason Bowles/Ontario CA 49.245 182.760
    23 30 Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario 49.266 182.682
    24 63 Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela 49.339 182.411
    25 66 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA 49.358 182.341
    26 28 Miguel Paludo/Nova Prata Brazil 49.440 182.039
    27 97 Matt Lofton/Mooresville NC 49.570 181.561
    28 22 Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN 49.729 180.981
    29 17 Chris Buescher/Prosper TX 49.778 180.803
    30 00 Ed Kennedy/Coppell TX 49.804 180.708
    31 82 Sean Corr/Goshen NY 49.862 180.498
    32 94 Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY 49.869 180.473
    33 75 Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL 50.045 179.838
    34 42 Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL 50.096 179.655
    35 59 Drew Charlson/New Bremen OH 50.182 179.347
    36 12 Maryeve Dufault/Sorel Quebec 50.189 179.322
    37 48 James Hylton/Inman SC 50.198 179.290
    38 3 Brent Brevak/Eau Claire WI 50.562 177.999
    39 54 Will Vaught/Crane MO 50.649 177.694
    40 18 Chris Lawson/Troutman NC 50.767 177.281
    41 24 Ricky Byers/Birmingham AL 50.796 177.179
    42 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN 51.127 176.032
    43 23 Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA 51.258 175.582
    44 58 Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH 51.529 174.659
    45 10 Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa NY 51.932 173.304
    46 7 Brent Cross/Cortland NY 51.991 173.107
    47 06 Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD 54.744 164.402

    Credit to the ARCA Racing Network for Picture and Quotes

  • Venturini Motorsports’ Steve Arpin Set for ARCA Slick Mist 200 at Daytona

    [media-credit id=4 align=”alignleft” width=”124″][/media-credit]With only five days till the ARCA Re/Max Series Slick Most 200 at Daytona International Speedway, many teams are set to go and releasing their final details. Venturini Motorsports is no exception as they have plans set in stone for veteran driver Steve Arpin.

    When it came to the test at Daytona last month, Arpin went down there to help out Venturini Motorsports’ young drivers Hal Martin, Kyle Fowler and Mark Thompson.

    “The new surface is awesome,” he told me of the test. “It’s going to make for awesome racing. I tested twice there since the new surface has been down – the tire test for Hoosier and the ARCA test for Venturini Motorsports. Venturini had a whole fleet of fast racecars there; it’d be cool to go back there and drive one, but the new race track is going to make for awesome racing. I think you’re going to see the whole bunched up, nose-to-tail, a lot tighter, more so like you do at Talladega. But then in token with the transitions so much more aggressive at Daytona, it’s going to make for a lot of interesting scenarios throughout the race.”

    Though after talking with sponsor Mike’s Hard Lemonade and starting to work out details, the 2010 ARCA Racing Series Most Popular Driver is set to run the season opener, driving the No. 25 for Venturini Motorsports.

    “Venturini has always put a great effort into Daytona,” Arpin said in a press release. “The problem with restrictor plate racing is that anything can happen and you have to play every one of your cards right and hope that luck is on your side.

    “But on the same token, all we have control over is the effort that we put in. Being at the shop, I see firsthand the time and effort the entire team is putting into it, not just me as a driver. I think in all of the years that we have gone to Daytona, they have come a long way with their restrictor plate program each and every year. I think it is going to be a cut above the rest this year more so than any other year.”

    The Fort Frances, Ontario native brings experience to the table as last year he won three races in 18 starts and despite missing two races, he finished 12th in the standings. He almost won the restrictor plate at Talladega Superspeedway after making a move in the late going.

    Arpin also brings the Nationwide Series experience he gained in 2010 after running seven races for JR Motorsports, including a top 10 at Daytona in July. His experience on the restrictor plate tracks has taught him lessons he hopes to put in use come this Saturday afternoon.

    “It takes such incredible focus and concentration to be going 200 miles an hour and your spotter is on the radio telling you that you’re six or seven deep, three-wide, in the middle. You’re an inch off the guy’s bumper in front of you, you’ve got two or three inches on either side of you and there’s another guy on your rear bumper and it’s just a mental thrill maintaining your line and using the air (drafting) to gain an advantage and get past the guy in front of you or to use the air (pull out of the draft) to slow another guy down.”

    His success in 2010 earned him the Inside Track Reader’s Choice Awards Canadian Racer of the Year Award.

    “To be recognized for any award is fabulous,” Arpin said. “But it is such a special honour to have the fans vote for you. This kind of award is something that means far more to me than the trophies for points. Everything I’ve accomplished so far was made possible by the support I’ve received, not just from Mike’s, but from the fans all across the country. I’m living my dream right now, and these people are along on the ride with me.”

    Lastly, Arpin brings back Mike’s Hard Lemonade, which sponsored him throughout his 2010 ARCA campaign and looks to move forward with him.

    “It’s great having Mike’s Hard Lemonade back with us this year,” Arpin said in the release. “Last year was a great success for everyone involved and we are excited about our continued partnership.”

    Arpin’s relationship with Mike’s Hard Lemonade began back when he was running at Deer Creek Speedway on dirt.

    “This is something we’ve been working on since our dirt-tracking days back at Deer Creek Speedway (near Rochester, Minn.),” Arpin told the Toronto Star. “We developed a great relationship with them there. They were a sponsor at that race track and when we raced there we did everything we could to help them out. As I’ve moved up to the higher levels of motorsports, we’ve kept that relationship going.”

    Arpin plans to take the Mike’s Hard Lemonade sponsorship with him to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and beyond.

    “In a perfect world, I’d like to race a full season this year in the Camping World Truck Series and a full Nationwide season — and let’s throw in a couple of Cup races for good measure. But right now I’m focusing on trucks and I’d like to take Mike’s with us. As drivers, we have to market ourselves, we have to brand ourselves so that a corporation thinking about coming into the sport sees value in us, sees value in building a brand around us.

    “Mike’s has never been involved in a full-blown NASCAR program and we want them to be just as comfortable moving forward as we are. At the end of the day, this isn’t about me, it’s not about my wife, it’s about us doing a good job for them. We have to build their brand into the sport — and secure my future as a race car driver, as well.”

  • Kyle Fowler Holds Best Time of ARCA Test Single Car Runs for Venturini Motorsports

    Teammate Hal Martin made of had the quickest time for Thursday morning’s session, however Kyle Fowler holds serve of being the quickest car on the property for single car runs.

    Martin drove the No. 55 Toyota to a best lap of 48.815 seconds (184.37 mph) to lead the Thursday morning session. That lap ranks fifth-best over the single-car runs only for the entire test session. Overall, the lap ranks 16th-best of the test week as Benny Gordon’s 48.414-second effort holds the top from the drafting session.  

    “It’s windier today, that’s for sure,” Martin told the ARCA Racing Network. “We had a little bit of a headwind going down the backstretch, which slowed us down a little bit. Other than that, our cars are quick. The Venturini guys put in a heck of a lot of work coming in and leading into this week and this test session, and the cars are all fast. The cars are performing like they should be.”

    Fowler ranked second on Thursday’s board with a lap of 48.943 seconds (183.887 mph), though holds first on the board for the entire test in single-car runs with a time of 48.668-seconds in the No. 15 Chevrolet.

    For Thursday’s board, teammates Steve Arpin and Mark Thomspon followed behind Martin and Fowler in third and forth.  Arpin drove the No. 25 Toyota to a lap of 48.978 seconds (183.756 mph), and Thompson drove his best lap in 49.208 seconds (182.897 mph). 

    Venturini Motorsports officials said that they have elected not to run the afternoon session as they’ve accomplished their goals. 

    “We had a game plan coming into this test session,” Martin said. “We were able to run through our list of things we wanted to try and see what benefited the car and what hampered our performance. We got our checklist done and completed, so we’re done.”

    Finishing out the top 10 for Day three was Brian Rose, Bobby Gerhart, Randy Renfrow, Patrick Sheltra, Grant Enfinger, and Jason Bowles. A number of teams, including Richard Childress Racing, Kimmel Racing, and Enfinger Motorsports, chose not to participate in the final day of testing.

    ARCA Racing Series testing at Daytona will conclude this afternoon with a drafting session, scheduled for 1-5 p.m.

    Gordon, who led yesterday’s drafting session, does not plan on running this afternoon.

    “I think we’re done,” Gordon said. “We were only planning on two days. (The team) has some stuff they want to do back at the shop, so I think we’re going to get out of here and pack it up, let them do their work, and see if they can’t make it better for when it comes back.”

    Meanwhile, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, son of Kerrry Earnhardt, is looking to use these three days as a learning experience.

    “It means a lot coming here,” the 23-year old said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for this track. With everything that’s happened here, it’s really awesome being here.

    “I’m just hoping to learn a lot. They say this track is pretty much in my DNA, but I guess we’ll find that out.” 

    Single-Car Run Speeds Combined From The Test

    1. #15 Kyle Fowler – 48.668 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    2. #55 Hal Martin – 48.697 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    3. #25 Steve Arpin – 48.796 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    4. #31 Tim George Jr. – 48.985 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    5. #66 Mark Thomson – 49.208 seconds – Thursday Morning
    6. #4 Brian Rose – 49.290 seconds – Thursday Morning
    7. #17a Chris Buescher – 49.315 seconds – Tuesday Morning
    8. #63a Milka Duno – 49.371 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    9. #41a Ty Dillon – 49.383 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    10. #22 Dakoda Armstrong – 49.438 – Wednesday Morning
    11. #42a Scott Stenzil – 49.457 – Wednesday Morning
    12. #36 Grant Enfinger – 49.486 – Tuesday Afternoon
    13. #16a Joey Coulter – 49.543 – Tuesday Afternoon
    14. #77 Joey Licata, Jr. – 49.549 – Wednesday Morning
    15. #14b John Ferrier – 49.562 – Tuesday Afternoon
    16. #18a Ryan Glenski – 49.578 – Wednesday Morning
    17. #5a Bobby Gerhart – 49.624 seconds – Thursday Morning
    18. #16 Randy Renfrow – 49.659 seconds – Thursday Morning
    19. #63 Patrick Sheltra – 49.660 seconds – Thursday Morning
    20. #75b Benny Chastain – 49.680 seconds – Tuesday Morning
    21. #10a Ed Pompa – 49.686 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    22. #6 Jason Bowles – 49.709 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    23. #18c Jeremy Frankoski – 49.714 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    24. #09 Benny Gordon – 49.743 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    25. #36b Brett Hudson – 49.804 seconds – Thursday Morning
    26. #12b Maryeve Dufault – 49.853 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    27. #12c Chase Austin – 49.925 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon 
    28. #5c Damon Lusk – 49.945 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    29. #97 Matt Lofton – 49.946 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    30. #2 Kevin Swindell – 49.949 seconds – Thursday Morning
    31. #11 Bryan Silas – 49.977 seconds – Thursday Morning
    32. #1 Chad McCumbee – 49.978 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    33. #54 Will Vaught – 50.007 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    34. #42b Joey Gaze – 50.048 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    35. #95 Tommy Joe Martins – 50.049 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    36. #68 Steve Blackburn – 50.059 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    37. #75a Hannah Baker – 50.075 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    38. #42c Ryan Lynch – 50.080 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    39. #23a Jake Crum – 50.113 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    40. #14a John Graham – 50.145 seconds – Thursday Morning
    41. #10b Rick Clifton – 50.355 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    42. #3a Bobby Dale Earnhardt – 50.477 – Thursday Morning
    43. #3 Brent Brevak – 50.540 – Thursday Morning 
    44. #18e Lelani Munter – 50.544 – Thursday Morning
    45. #44 Frank Kimmel – 50.596 seconds – Tuesday Afternoon
    46. #82 Sean Corr – 50.607 seconds – Thursday Morning 
    47. #08 James Hylton – 50.694 seconds – Thursday Morning 
    48. #80b Richard Herriman - 50.773 seconds – Thursday Morning
    49. #18d Sloan Henderson – 50.790 seconds – Thursday Morning
    50. #62 Drew Charleson – 50.821 seconds – Thursday Morning
    51. #23 Levi Youster – 50.939 seconds – Wednesday Morning
    52. #18b Tyler Speer – 50.949 seconds – Thursday Morning
    53. #58 Chad Hackenbracht – 51.244 seconds – Tuesday Morning 
  • Kyle Fowler Leads Venturini Motorsports 1-2 in ARCA Wednesday Morning Speed Chart

    Kyle Fowler Leads Venturini Motorsports 1-2 in ARCA Wednesday Morning Speed Chart

    Kyle Fowler led the speed charts following day one and after the morning session day two, Fowler was still on top of the standings.

    Fowler completed 12 laps in the morning session on Wednesday with a best lap of 48.668 seconds (184.926 mph). This lap stands as the best of the two days, also.

    “I’m really pleased with (Kyle) Fowler in the 15,” general manager Billy Venturini said. “That’s been a real pleasant surprise. That car has been awfully good, and was really good in the wind tunnel. It’s good to see a kid that’s never been here before run that well.”

    His teammate Hal Martin ran 15 laps to end up second on the charts with a lap of 48.697 seconds (184.816 mph).

    “Wow, we have fast cars! The PME engine we’re using, that’s a lot of horses under the hood,” Martin told the ARCA Racing Network. “The car is driving really well; we’re hugging the yellow line and slamming the nose to the ground into the corners. It’s driving really fast and flat into the turns. We’re going to continue with single-car lines this afternoon. I’m looking forward to it. It’s been a really solid day so far.”

    The 25-year old Louisiana native will race five races for Venturini Motorsports in 2011 – Daytona, Talladega, Chicagoland, Pocono and Michigan.

    “I’m really looking forward to hitting the track again at Daytona,” Martin said. “I had a bit of a head start on the field by being able to participate in the Hoosier Tire test here in December for Venturini Motorsports – so I feel I had a good chance to get somewhat acclimated to the track with some laps logged.”

    Martin has made six career ARCA Racing Series starts, including one with Venturini. He finished 10th at Talladega last season.

    “We’ve got strong talent among all of our drivers, and our reputation stands behind the equipment and support we’re able to provide each and every one of them,” Tom Venturini, a team representative said. “Hal has proven his talent for our organization in the past, as well as on the Gulf Coast Late Model tracks. We’re really excited to see how he’ll perform this season. He has tremendous talent. We’re hopeful he will not only add more top-10s to that resume, but also top-fives and maybe even a trip to Victory Lane.”

    Along with Martin, Venturini Motorsports will run rookies Alastair Jackson, Max Gresham, and Darren Hagen in the 2011 season.

    Richard Childress Racing development driver Tim George Jr. drove 11 laps to end up third on the charts with a lap of 48.985 seconds (183.73 mph).

    “That’s the car we ran at Talladega, and it was really fast at Talladega,” George said after yesterday’s test. “I was comfortable with the car right out of the box; it’s not like getting used to a new car. I’ve been running the banking for the past four days here in the Rolex Series, and we were third on the board there, so it feels good to be back on top of the board with a different tire and a different car.”

    Venturini Motorsports driver Steve Arpin finished the morning fourth with a lap of 49.222 seconds (182.845 mph) while Cunningham Motorsports’ driver Dakoda Armstrong ended up fifth with a lap of 49.438 seconds (182.046 mph).

    Armstrong, the 2010 ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year, plans to run both the February 12th Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway and the April 15th Talladega ARCA 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, as according to Cunningham Motorsports. Armstrong won two races – Talladega Superspeedway and Salem Speedway – last year for them driving the No. 22.  

    Scott Stenzel, Ty Dillon, Joey Licata Jr., Grant Enfinger, and Ryan Glenski rounded out the top 10 for the morning.

    For Dillon, it marked his first laps ever on a Superspeedway as he looks to run his first full ARCA racing season.

    “It’s awesome,” Dillon said of the experience yesterday. “It’s really exciting. You go really fast. The track’s really smooth, so it’s fairly easy to get up to speed. We have a good car and there’s still some speed to gain. We’re just going to keep working on it. I just want to learn. I’ve got to learn to make our car better, and I’ve got to learn a lot, especially in the draft. We’ll just get as many laps as we can get and hopefully keep it up.”  

    Dillon’s teammate George Jr. said he looks forward to working with Dillon after having some years of ARCA experience under his belt.

    “He’s been racing cars way longer than I have,” George said. “You know, he’s much younger than I am. I’m going to lean on him for some stuff and he’ll probably lean on me for some stuff on the road courses and maybe the superspeedways. There’s a lot that he’s done in his racing career that I’m looking forward to doing, including winning in the ARCA Racing Series. It’ll be good to have support between him and I, and I’m looking forward to it.”

    IndyCar star Milka Duno was 16th on the speed charts today after being in the top 10 throughout the day yesterday.Other notables include six-time Daytona ARCA winner Bobby Gerhart ended the three-hour session tied for 21st, at 50.007 seconds (179.975 mph), and nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel finished 36th, at 50.733 seconds (177.399 mph).

    “Well, we wanted to go out and make sure the thing runs real fast,” Kimmel said. “Unfortunately, it’s not running real fast right now. We’ve got some work to do. This is the car we tore up here last year in the race. We qualified 13th, and we expect to be there or in the top 10 by the time we’re done. We have some work to do right now.” 

    Drafting testing will take place this afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. and lasting for four hours. A maximum of six cars per pack will be allowed to test.

    DAYTONA INT’L SPEEDWAY TEST – 1/11-13/11  
    ARCA RACING SERIES PRESENTED BY MENARDS  
    JANUARY 12, 2011, MORNING SESSION    
               
      CAR # DRIVER MAKE TIME SPEED
    1 15 Kyle Fowler Chevy 48.668 184.926
    2 55 Hal Martin Toyota 48.697 184.816
    3 31 Tim George Chevy 48.985 183.730
    4 25 Steve Arpin Toyota 49.222 182.845
    5 22 Dakoda Armstrong Dodge 49.438 182.046
    6 42a Scott Stenzil Ford 49.457 181.976
    7 41a Ty Dillon Chevy 49.517 181.756
    8 77 Joey Licata, Jr. Dodge 49.549 181.638
    9 36 Grant Enfinger Dodge 49.559 181.602
    10 18a Ryan Glenski Ford 49.578 181.532
    11 14b John Ferrier Ford 49.621 181.375
    12 66 Mark Thompson Toyota 49.679 181.163
    13 10a Ed Pompa Chevy 49.686 181.138
    14 63a Milka Duno Dodge 49.708 181.057
    15 6 Jason Bowles Toyota 49.709 181.054
    16 18c Jeremy Frankoski Ford 49.714 181.036
    17 09 Benny Gordon Ford 49.743 180.930
    18 16 Randy Renfrow Chevy 49.763 180.857
    19 36b Brett Hudson Dodge 49.849 180.545
    20 1 Chad McCumbee Ford 49.978 180.079
    21 5 Bobby Gerhart Chevy 50.007 179.975
    22 54 Will Vaught Chevy 50.007 179.975
    23 12b Maryeve Dufault Dodge 50.021 179.924
    24 5c Damon Lusk Chevy 50.054 179.806
    25 75b Benny Chastain Chevy 50.065 179.766
    26 5a Bobby Gerhart Chevy 50.070 179.748
    27 17a Chris Buescher Ford 50.106 179.619
    28 11 Bryan Silas Ford 50.139 179.501
    29 14a John Graham Ford 50.145 179.480
    30 68 Steve Blackburn Dodge 50.213 179.236
    31 2 Kevin Swindell Toyota 50.280 178.998
    32 95 Tommy Joe Martins Dodge 50.281 178.994
    33 75a Hannah Baker Chevy 50.339 178.788
    34 10b Rick Clifton Chevy 50.355 178.731
    35 82 Sean Corr Ford 50.729 177.413
    36 44 Frank Kimmel Ford 50.733 177.399
    37 3 Brent Brevak Dodge 50.811 177.127
    38 23 Levi Youster Chevy 50.939 176.682
    39 08 James Hylton Ford 51.070 176.229
    40 58 Chad Hackenbracht Chevy 51.443 174.951
    41 17b Chris Buescher Ford 52.126 172.659
    42 62 Drew Charleson Chevy 54.853 164.075
    43 4 Brian Rose Dodge    
    44 16 Brian Smith Chevy    
    45 12 Jared Marks Dodge    
    46 18 Tyler Speer Ford    
    47 25 Hal Martin Toyota    
    48 48 James Hylton Ford    
    49 97 Matt Lofton Chevy    
    50 12c Chase Austin Dodge    
    51 16a Joey Coulter Chevy    
    52 23a Jake Crum Chevy    
    53 42b Joey Gase Ford    
    54 42c Ryan Lynch Ford