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  • Ty Gibbs bounces back for Winchester victory

    Ty Gibbs bounces back for Winchester victory

    After finishing a frustrating second place at Bristol Motor Speedway Thursday night, Ty Gibbs and the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing team rebounded to a dominating victory at Winchester Speedway Saturday afternoon after starting on the pole.

    “Yeah, that was fun,” Gibbs told MAVTV in his post-race interview about the Winchester victory. “I’m just trying to get as much experience as I can (in these cars). I think I led almost every single lap. It was a fun time. It was a dream come true to win here at Winchester. It’s a really cool track with a lot of history and it’s cool to win here. I’m just excited we can move on and win some more races after this.”

    The Toyota 200 marked the 17th race of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season and the second ARCA race of the week, just two days removed from previously competing at Bristol on Thursday night. There were three segments throughout the 200-lap event. The first segment ended on Lap 75, the second on Lap 150 and the final at Lap 200 when the checkered flag flew.

    Before the event started there were a few notable changes. Eric Caudell in the No. 7 was added to the entry list and there were three driver changes. The No. 10 was originally supposed to be driven by Owen Smith but he was replaced by Rick Clifton. The No. 11 change took place when Mike Basham took over after Ed Pompa jumped out of the machine and Owen Smith took over the No. 12 after Basham went to the No. 11.

    Segment 1: Lap 1 – Lap 75

    When the green flag flew, it was all Ty Gibbs who led every single lap throughout the first segment. There was only one caution that flew on Lap 60 for the No. 4 of Hailie Deegan who spun around off Turn 2, but kept going without further incident. However, Deegan, along with her teammate, Taylor Gray, pitted right before the green flag flew for a right-rear tire flat.

    The restart came at Lap 64 but no one proved to be a match for Gibbs as he led through the first segment. Self, Love, Holmes, Dollar, Gray, Deegan, Basham, Caudell, Smith, Nicolopoulos, and Clifton were the Top 10.

    During the segment break, Deegan received the free pass and got back on the lead lap.

    Segment 2: Lap 79 – Lap 150

    Just one caution slowed the second segment. This time, Deegan was back in the wall and unfortunately, her day was done early, as the damage to the California native’s No. 4 machine was too catastrophic to repair. Deegan would be credited with a 12th place finish, out of the race.

    Like the first segment, everyone found themselves riding behind the dominating No. 18 of Ty Gibbs who once again led through the first 150 laps until caution flags flew for the second break of the race. Completing the Top 10 were Self, Love, Holmes, Gray, Dollar, Basham, Caudell, Smith, and Nicolopoulos.

    Segment 3: Lap 153 – Lap 200

    During the remaining laps of the Toyota 200, no more yellows were flown for any other incidents, which allowed Ty Gibbs to run away for his fifth checkered flag of the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season.

    Michael Self came home in the second position, earning his 11th top five of the season, and he still leads the championship points standings over Bret Holmes.

    “This was fun, two fun racetracks,” Self said. “Bristol was a heart breaker for us the other night. We had a super fast car, and I thought we had a chance to win that one. The guys made some great changes and got caught up in a little bit of a wreck by hitting the right-rear but still was able to rebound.

    “Here at Winchester, I’m really proud of the No. 25 SinClair Oil team and everyone at Venturini Motorsports. It’s no secret, we’ve struggled pretty bad as of recently. We’ve been frustrated. We’ve beaten ourselves up, myself up. Despite that, we’ve been thrashing, and the guys have been working hard on the cars and I think it showed. There was a time about five races ago, where we couldn’t keep the 18 (Ty Gibbs) in sight, and today, we were within a adjustment or two of running with him. I’m just really excited as we’re finding speed at the right time. We got good tracks in front of us, and hopefully we can keep our momentum up.”

    While Gibbs celebrated with another victory, drivers such as Brad Smith, Eric Caudell, and Con Nicolopoulous enjoyed a career-high day as they all gained their first Top 10 finish in an ARCA Menards Series competition. Smith’s top 10 came in 363 starts at the age of 51, whereas Caudell’s came in just his 49th start at the age of 53, and Nicolopoulous in just 87 starts at the age of 58.

    Smith’s thoughts about his Top 10 finish are below.

    Official Results following the Toyota 200 at Winchester Speedway.

    1. Ty Gibbs, led 199 laps
    2. Michael Self, led one lap
    3. Bret Holmes
    4. Jesse Love
    5. Taylor Gray
    6. Drew Dollar, 1 lap down
    7. Mike Basham, 6 laps down
    8. Eric Caudell, 18 laps down
    9. Brad Smith, 25 laps down
    10. Con Nicolopoulos, 30 laps down
    11. Rick Clifton, 32 laps down
    12. Hailie Deegan, OUT, Crash
    13. Owen Smith, OUT, Brakes
    14. Wayne Peterson, OUT, Valve Spring

    Up Next: The ARCA Menards Series will visit Memphis International Speedway for Round No. 18 of the 2020 season Sunday, Sept. 26, and will air live on NBC Sports Gold Trackpass.

  • SHORT TRACK: An Homage to a Forgotten Series

    SHORT TRACK: An Homage to a Forgotten Series

    The Stephen Cox Blog is presented by Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions

    Hard to believe it’s been nearly 20 years since the Championship Auto Racing Series (CARS) ran exciting, wheel to wheel stock car races on short tracks around Indiana. This series was distinct from and should not be confused with today’s southeastern CARS series that descended from the old Hooters ProCup series.

    The original CARS series was Indiana-based, founded by former ARCA driver Morris Coffman. The concept was built around a spec stock car chassis powered by 305 cubic inch Chevrolet small block engines with two-barrel carburetors that produced about 335 horsepower. The hard compound tires were grooved to limit grip. A completed car, ready to race, was available for about twenty thousand dollars while kits could be purchased for half that price and assembled by the race teams.

    The result was a fun, affordable mid-level touring series that frequented premier Midwestern short tracks including Indianapolis Raceway Park (now Lucas Oil Raceway), Winchester Speedway and Illiana Speedway.

    The crowds were good. The race cars were fun to drive. They had enough power to slide through the turns but not so much grip that engine prices soared into the stratosphere. For a while – a very short while – CARS provided an excellent platform to learn the craft of stock car racing.

    I competed in the series from early 1999 until August 2000. My record was marginal, winning two of the series’ smaller events, sitting on the pole at Winchester and finishing sixth in the season points championship. But the competition sharpened my driving skills and introduced me to some great people who remain friends nearly two decades later.

    Jeff Cannon (33) battles Stephen Cox (21) at Winchester Speedway, 1999

    On September 19, 1999, we put on a pretty good show for Winchester Speedway’s race fans on a bright and cool Sunday afternoon. The top five cars broke away from the field and ran nose-to-tail and sometimes side by side on Winchester’s extreme, 32-degree banking for most of the 20-lap feature. My father and spotter, Nelson, coached me up to fourth place late in the event. The whirlwind speeds of Winchester’s high groove took your breath away, especially when running in a two or three-wide pack of five cars, all vying for a win before a huge crowd at a historic track. I finished fourth in one of the best short track races of the year.

    Series front runners included many outstanding drivers who had already proven themselves winners at other levels of racing. Mark Fesmire could do no wrong in the 1999 season and left us all in the dust on his way to the first CARS championship title. Indiana short track legend Eddie Van Meter won in front of 25,000 fans at Indianapolis in May 2000. Jeff Cannon was so fast he couldn’t keep tires under his car. Bob Dumke, Tim Green, Wes Bullock, Tim Wallen and other fine drivers competed in my era with many more joining after I departed for the Hooters Pro Cup Series in late 2000.

    Jerome Branscum, who won the 2003 CARS championship title and later purchased the series, said, “It was a series that we could get into for ten grand and get a nice looking car and we could go racing. I was 44 years old and had never driven a race car before. It was a real thrill for me. It was the excitement of getting to go racing every week, and on a budget.”

    Going through multiple ownership changes, the series was active as late as 2012 although it struggled to draw entries. It eventually faded away, forgotten by all but a handful of former competitors.

    The Championship Auto Racing Series existed in the era immediately preceding the Internet, so not a trace of its history can be found online. It existed in the earliest era of digital photography, so traditional 35mm photos are scarce and the few available digital pictures are of poor quality. As far as I can tell all records of its races and indeed, the very existence of the series, have been lost.

    “I would like it to be remembered like it was in the early years,” Branscum recalled, “when you could go racing and it wouldn’t cost you a fortune. You could meet friendly people, race hard and have fun.”

    Stephen Cox
    Driver, Super Cup Stock Car Series and FIA EGT sportscar championship
    Co-host, Mecum Auctions on NBCSN
    CEO, Sopwith Motorsports Television Productions

  • ARCA Winchester News and Notes: Venturini Motorsports, Tom Hessert and More

    

    While the race was won by Dakoda Armstrong, a bunch of other drivers came home with solid finishes to be proud of.

    This year, Venturini Motorsports has made it a habit of finishing in the top 10 with a variety of drivers. The latest driver to add his name to the list is Ryan Blaney.

    Blaney drove the team’s No.25 Lauren Briant/Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet to a sixth place finish after suffering a flat right front tire on lap 162 in his ARCA debut.

    “We were trying to take it easy in the race, just trying to save our stuff,” Blaney said, after leading 154 of the first 161 laps. “I think if we could have had 10 more laps after we blew a tire, we could have passed Ty for the lead and then we would have been one lap down and got that caution and been in business. It just wasn’t meant to be.

    “I ran the same line I did 50 laps in a row. I was just taking it so easy, especially to help that right front and to keep it from doing what it did. I don’t know if our camber was off or what. But it was a great night. I’ve got to thank Venturini for letting me run this car and making it as good as it was. We’ll get ‘em next time.”

    The son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney is hoping that he can make some more starts this season.

    “It’s great to race in the ARCA (Racing) Series,” Blaney said. “There are really good guys racing, especially here, a place like Winchester.”

    Venturini Motorsports also debuted John Blankenship, who finished 10th in the No. 55 Chevrolet, meaning that so far this year Venturini has 11 top 10s with nine different drivers.

    Meanwhile, finishing fifth in front of Blaney was Tom Hessert, who was proud to impress numerous guests from Federated Auto Parts, who were on hand as the race’s sponsor.

    “The guys in the pits did a really good job of getting us back out,” he said. “We didn’t have the best car; we had a couple issues that were keeping us from being better, but it was a good top-five for the Federated car at a Federated race. It’s good to have a good showing for them. It’s too bad we couldn’t get a win, but in a couple weeks we’ll go to Berlin and we always run really well there.”

    For points leader Ty Dillon, it was also a solid day for him as he still finished fouth to pad his points lead despite bottoming out lap in the race.

    “It’s unfortunate,” Dillon said. “It doesn’t happen to us often, but it’s still a good points day. We qualified well and led a couple of laps. I’m happy. I just like winning, so it’s a little disappointing to lead laps there at the end of the race and fall off so bad. We saved our stuff all day and rode and were hoping for what happened to happen, for guys to wear their stuff out and us be patient as usual to let the race come to us, but something happened there and we just got too loose.”

    The next race for ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is July 9th at Berlin Raceway.

  • Chad Hackenbracht’s Biggest Hurdle Not the Racing But His Own Last Name

    Chad Hackenbracht’s Biggest Hurdle Not the Racing But His Own Last Name

    Chad Hackenbracht had his best ever career finish in this past weekend’s ARCA race, scoring a fourth place in his family-owned No. 58 Tastee Apple CGH Motorsports Chevrolet at Michigan International Speedway.

    [media-credit name=”Photo Credit: CGH Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”225″][/media-credit]But even greater than the challenge of the intense competition on the track is the 19 year old driver’s challenge in just getting folks to pronounce his last name correctly.

    In addition to being on a quest for name recognition, the driver is having a little fun with it all. His team has just developed T-shirts, which say “What’s a Chad Hacken-something?”

    The correct pronunciation of that all important last name is in parentheses (hock en bra) on the new T-shirts, which are on sale on Hackenbracht’s website  www.cghmotorsports.com for just $19.95.

    “That actually was started by my marketing guy who is looking for sponsorship for us,” Hackenbracht said of the T-shirt venture. “It has turned into a really big hit.”

    Hackenbracht, however, is focused solely on his racing and was thrilled with his good performance at Michigan.

    “We wound up getting a fourth place out of it which wasn’t too bad,” Hackenbracht said. “We were up there in contention.”

    “It’s a career best for us,” Hackenbracht said. “It was really good.”

    The young driver from New Philadelphia, Ohio has been on a tear even before the career best finish in Michigan.  He scored an 11th place finish at Toledo in May, a ninth-place finish at New Jersey and seventh place finish at Pocono Raceway.

    This is Hackenbracht’s first full year in the ARCA Series, after running a limited schedule in 2010, with just the televised races on the docket. Prior to that, the young driver ran the Legends series, scoring 18 wins and the national championship.

    Hackenbracht is a bit unusual as far as his driving pedigree. He is not from a traditional racing family, but instead caught the racing bug by seeing it on television.

    “I basically was watching the Daytona or Talladega Cup race and I saw it and said to my parents, ‘Hey, I want to race.’ Hackenbracht said. “I don’t think they took me seriously but they said to come up with different options.”

    “I came up with four-wheelers and go karts and my mom said no to both of them,” Hackenbracht continued. “So, then we saw quarter-midgets and started with that.”

    The young driver has been moving on up the ranks ever since, with his eye eventually on a Truck or Nationwide ride. Like so many others, Hackenbracht definitely sees himself in the Cup Series sometime in the near future, with just the economy standing in his way.

    “I’m in the perfect age range,” Hackenbracht said. “But just the wrong economic time.”

    “In a couple years, you’ll have a lot of rides opening up,” Hackenbracht continued. “But you’ve got to survive until then.”

    Hackenbracht survives with a little help from his friends, particularly those in the Cup garage, as well as good friend and mentor Ron Hornaday, Jr.

    “ARCA is kind of like a big family,” Hackenbracht said. “All the teams work with you.”

    “I’ve got a connection with Ron Hornaday in the Truck garage,” Hackenbracht continued. “He’ll stop in the shop after a race and we’ll talk a little bit.”

    Hackenbracht does follow one particular Cup driver, one in fact that he has inherited from his mother.

    “My mom’s driver is Jeff Gordon,” Hackenbracht said. “I follow him just because of my mom and dad.”

    “But I really like Mark Martin myself,” Hackenbracht continued. “He races hard but he races clean. That’s what I do and what I want to be.”

    In addition to the racers that Hackenbracht follows on the track, he also models himself after the premiere drivers in the sport as far as putting time in at the shop and at the gym. But he does have one other duty that has led to yet another name for the young driver.

    “The guys at the shop call me ‘Sticker Boy’ because I put all the details on the car,” Hackenbracht said. “That’s kind of my thing.”

    Whether you call him ‘Hacken-something’ or ‘Sticker Boy’, Hackenbracht will next be doing his thing in the ARCA Racing Series on Saturday, June 25th in the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts at Winchester Speedway in Indiana.

    “We came to Michigan and showed our performance was no fluke,” Hackenbracht said. “I’m anxious to get to Winchester as I feel we have a shot at our first career win.”