2012-09-25

Vermonster 150 Enduro Returns to Devil's Bowl Speedway

ATTACHED PHOTOS (credit MemorEvents): Devil's Bowl Speedway will host the "Vermonster 150" Enduro event on Saturday, October 20 - rain, shine, or snow!

$1,500-to-win, Halloween-themed crash-fest on October 20

 

For Immediate Release                                                                                                                                                                     DBS-091912-1

 

WEST HAVEN, VT – It’ll be Halloween at 100 miles per hour on Saturday, October 20, as the Vermonster 150 Enduro returns to Devil’s Bowl Speedway in West Haven, VT.  The race is a survival-of-the-fittest test for man, woman, and machine, featuring strictly stock automobiles bashing and smashing their way around the half-mile oval for 150 laps.  With Vermont’s unpredictable fall weather a possible factor, management has decided to hold the race whether there’s rain, sun, or even snow.

 

The Vermonster 150 will be the third Enduro race of the season at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, and Hinesburg’s Eric “Mongo” Messier will have the opportunity to win the trifecta.  Messier piloted two different Ford Probes to win 75-lap races in June and August.  More than 40 cars and drivers entered the last Enduro; should 50 or more enter the Vermonster, the first driver to complete the 150-lap distance will earn a cool $1,500 top prize.

In addition to the Enduro, the Vermonster event will also feature the always exciting Spectator Races that pit street-legal vehicles against each other in one-lap, single-elimination match-ups.  Brothers Gary and Gerald of Addison, VT have provided a few thrills in the Spectator Races this year; Gary’s 2008 Ford Mustang defeated Gerald’s 2010 Toyota Tundra pick-up truck in June.  Pat Cram of Whitehall, NY beat Tyler Davis of Mount Holly, VT with his 1982 Pontiac Grand Prix in August after Gerald Grant’s truck nearly hit the concrete retaining wall in a preliminary race.

General admission for the Vermonster 150 Enduro is only $5 for adults, and free for children 12 and under.  Registration to compete in the Enduro is $20 per car, and pit admission is $30.  Rules and entry blanks are available online at www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com or by calling (802) 265-3112.  The pre-registration deadline is Monday, October 15 at 5:00pm.

Devil’s Bowl Speedway is located on Route 22A in West Haven, VT, four miles north of Exit 2 on US Route 4.  For more information, call (802) 265-3112 or click www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com.  Devil’s Bowl Speedway is on Facebook at facebook.com/devilsbowlspeedway and Twitter at @DevilsBowlSpeed.

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Roy Clinches NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Rookie Honors

For Immediate Release

 

 

Veteran Gosselin Helps Guide Quebec Newcomer

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 21, 2012) – Martin Roy has one race remaining on the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, but he’s already assured of bringing home at least one honor. The Napierville, Que., driver has clinched the series’ Rookie of the Year title.

Roy has been the top-finishing rookie on four occasions this season. His best finish on the season, to date, was a fifth-place effort on July 22 at Edmonton (Alberta) City Centre Airport behind the wheel of his No. 90 Veloce/Lemken/Batteries Expert Dodge. He has one top-five finish and five top 10s this season and is currently ninth in the championship point standings.

 

 

Coming into the season, Roy had four series starts – all road-course events – under his belt, but was hardly a neophyte to oval racing. He is an accomplished dirt Modified racer and has won several championships in that discipline throughout Quebec and Northeastern United States.

 

“The adjustment wasn’t that difficult,” said Roy. “The races last year even though they are road courses were pretty helpful in getting used to the cars.”

 

Making that adjustment easier was crew chief Mario Gosselin, also a Quebec native. Gosselin is a NASCAR veteran at its highest levels as both a driver and crew chief. As a driver, he has 46 career starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and also has NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series starts to his credit.

 

“From the very start of the season the communication with (Gosselin) has been very good,” noted Roy. “We wouldn’t be where we are today without his knowledge of the sport.”

 

Mike Scholz of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., will finish second followed by Larry Jackson, who hails from Oakville, Ont., in third.

 

Past winners of this award include Jason White (2008), Joey Hanssen (2009), Derek White (2010) and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin a season ago.

 

The official presentation of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 Rookie of the Year Award will take place at the NASCAR Touring Series Awards on Saturday, Dec. 8 in the Crown Ballroom of the Charlotte (N.C.) Convention Center at the NASCAR Hall of Fame along with the top rookie drivers from NASCAR’s other touring series.

 

Contact:

Shon Sbarra

Integrated Marketing Communications

 


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Un Festival de voitures américaines, motos et courses d'accélération pro

 

Communiqué pour publication immédiate

 

Les 29 et 30 septembre prochains se tiendra l’ American Muscle Festival organisé en collaboration avec Saint-Jérôme Chrysler au Circuit ICAR de Mirabel.

 

Mirabel, Québec, le 20 septembre 2012  Les 29 et 30 septembre prochains se tiendra le Festival Muscle au circuit Icar de Mirabel. Organisé en collaboration avec Saint-Jérôme Dodge Chrysler et présenté par Perry Auto Performance & Compétition. Le festival se veut un hommage aux « Muscle » américain, avec des compétitions de courses d’accélération pro de la série Remorques Montréal de Drag Race Québec, une exposition de voitures américaines et une section de motos commanditée par Harley-Davidson.

 

 

 

 

 

Plusieurs Activités exclusives!

Plusieurs surprises sont prévues sur place en plus de l’animation et d’une course « High Heels », organisée et publicisée par la radio CHOM 97.7, dans laquelle plusieurs participants masculins devront parcourir le plus rapidement possible un 1/8 de mile en robe et avec des talons haut de plus de 1’’ pour avoir la chance de remporter un grand prix d’une valeur de 10 000$ pour modifier le véhicule de leur choix. Le grand prix est commandité par Perry Auto Performance & compétition, Decograph, Continental Tires, Fast Wheels et Suncor Energy. Tout un spectacle à ne pas manquer!

 

L’entrée sur le site est de 15$ pour les spectateurs et de 35$ pour les exposants, 25$ en préinscriptions. Vous pouvez trouver le formulaire d’inscription via notre site web sous l’onglet événement.

 

Pour plus de détails sur l’évènement, ou pour vous procurer une place d’exposant en pré-inscription, vous pouvez joindre le circuit au 514 955-ICAR (4227) ou en visitant le www.circuiticar.com sous l’onglet événement.

 

— 30 —

 

Renseignements aux médias :

Dave Paradis

T. 514 955-4227, poste 112

C. 514 476-5122

dparadis@circuiticar.com

 

Photo Dragster Pro au X-Treme PRO DRAG 20 et 21 juillet 2012

Crédit photo : Emmanuel Bonan / Burn-out.ca

Les photos sont disponibles sans frais pour les médias.

 

--

Dave Paradis // Circuit ICAR

 

Courriel :: dparadis@circuiticar.com

T :: 514.955.4227 # 112

F :: 450.476.0271

C :: 514.476.5122

 

www.circuiticar.com

 

 


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LES QUÉBÉCOIS AU BOND AUTO INVITATIONAL

Pour diffusion immédiate (20-09-12—41)

Samedi au New-Hampshire Motor Speedway

Tel que mentionné antérieurement six pilotes québécois, Patrick Laperle, Donald Theetge, André Beaudoin en remplacement de Karl Allard, Jean-François Déry, Dany Trépanier ainsi que David Michaud devraient participer à la quatrième édition du Bond Auto Invitational au New-Hampshire Motor Speedway, samedi après-midi dans le cadre du week-end du Sylvania 300.

 

Pour ce groupe, il s’agira d’une deuxième présence consécutive, mais Laperle, Theetge et Déry en seront à une quatrième visite au New-Hampshire.

Jusqu’à présent, cet événement annuel a été remporté à deux reprises par Eddie McDonald (2009 et 2011) alors que le jeune Joey Pole a été l’autre gagnant. On sait que ce dernier a triomphé lors de l’Oxford 250 cette année et cette prestation fait de lui un grand favori pour cette confrontation de 50 tours dont le vainqueur empochera la jolie somme de 5 000 $.

Sur le plan québécois, c’est à Patrick Laperle, le pilote de la Fusion LaSalle Ford que revient la meilleure prestation alors qu’en 2009, il avait été le quatrième à franchir la ligne d’arrivée. Dans le cas de Laperle, quadruple champion ACT, il y a une statistique que personne ne regarde, mais qui est plus qu’éloquente. En remportant son troisième titre dans la série ACT-Castrol, Laperle a porté son nombre de succès à 17. Ce qui est encore plus impressionnant est lorsque l’on cumule ses victoires dans les deux séries, il devient le deuxième meilleur pilote de l’ACT avec 35, soit deux de moins que Brian Hoar, huit fois monarque de l’American Tour.

Pour sa part, Déry a connu sa meilleure présence à cet événement en 2010, alors qu’il avait été le 6e à terminer la course. Le meilleur résultat d’Allard est une 9e place en 2011 alors que Theetge n’a jamais réussi à se retrouver parmi le top 10.

Trépanier en sera à une deuxième participation alors que pour Michaud, il en sera à une troisième visite. En 2011, Trépanier avait terminé 27e alors que Michaud avait été contraint à l’abandon en raison d’un problème de suspension.

-30

Pour informations :     ACT

                                    www.acttour.com

                                    media@acttour.com

Collaboration : Yvon Larrivée

                                    acttour@gmail.com

Photos :                       Stéphane Lazare

 

 

 


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2012-09-19

DEVIL'S BOWL SPEEDWAY

                                                        

  2743 Route 22A, West Haven, Vt. 05743                             (802) 265-3112                            www.devilsbowlspeedwayvt.com

 

 

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Dear Racers, Fans, and Friends,

 

                  The weekly 2012 racing season has come to a close here at Devil’s Bowl Speedway, and now there’s some time to finally take a breath and soak it all in.  We want to extend our deepest and most sincere thanks and appreciation to each and every one of you for your belief in and support of our new undertaking at Devil’s Bowl Speedway.

 

                  To be honest with you, we didn’t really know what to expect after our first “town meeting” last October, but the first real indication was when 30 dedicated race teams and a couple dozen die-hard fans showed up for practice on April 22 in a 25-degree wind chill with a touch of snow – that’s when we knew we really had a special group behind us.

                  The racing was outstanding in all four of our weekly divisions all year, and the personalities really shined on both sides of the pit fence all year.  There was a feeling of both competitiveness and community every week, and you were all an integral part of it – from the first heat race on opening day to the pancake eating contest to the final checkered flag at the Vermont 200 last weekend.

                  We thank the officials from the NASCAR Home Tracks and Whelen All-American Series programs, the more than 50 local companies that committed sponsorship and support to Devil’s Bowl Speedway and its racers, and the amazing group of people working here behind the scenes keeping things running smoothly and successfully.

                  Our racers are our backbone, and there would be no racing without the drivers, teams, and families who pour their hearts and souls into this sport.  Thanks to you and every one of your sponsors.  Likewise, every time our fans cheer for a winner or boo someone who makes a mistake, that’s enough of a payoff for us to keep going.  Your passion for this sport and Devil’s Bowl Speedway is obvious, and it’s why we’re here.  Thank you all. 

Asphalt racing wasn’t supposed to work at Devil’s Bowl, right?  We are proud to be the ones who are helping to prove that theory wrong.  All it takes is a little work and a lot of belief in what you’re trying to accomplish.  We believe in our program, and thankfully, so do you.  That means everything to us.  We’re already working on the 2013 racing season, and we can’t wait to bring it to you.

 

 

                                                            Thanks again,

                                                            Mike & Alayne

Mike & Alayne Bruno

 


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2012-09-18

Martin Roy et Isabelle Tremblay récoltent tous deux des "Top 10" en Nouvelle-Écosse

COMMUNIQUÉ DE PRESSE - POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE

 

 

Excellent résultat ce week-end en NASCAR Canadian Tire...

 

 

Antigonish (Nouvelle-Écosse), le 16 septembre 2012.- Isabelle Tremblay et Martin Roy étaient en piste ce week-end sur l'ovale du Riverside International Speedway (à Antigonish) pour disputer l'avant-dernière étape 2012 de la série NASCAR Canadian Tire. Au terme d'une course spectaculaire, les deux pilotes sont parvenus à décrocher des "Top 10", confirmant ainsi l'excellente progression tant d'Isabelle Tremblay, dixième aux commandes de sa Dodge No.07 Frank Lyman Design que de Martin Roy, huitième et plus que jamais solide meneur au championnat des recrues avec sa Dodge No.90 Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre/Batteries Expert.

 

 

 

 

 

Vice-championne recrue en NASCAR Canadian Tire en 2011 et seule pilote féminine inscrite en 2012, Isabelle Tremblay était attendue avec impatience à Antigonish, les compagnies de Nouvelle-Écosse Tim's Service Center, Highland Home Hardware et Auto Eastern s'étant impliqués aux côtés des commanditaires habituels afin de rendre possible cette participation qui s'est révélée couronnée de succès. « J'ai été très à l'aise avec la voiture dès les essais libres, ma Dodge No.07 Frank Lyman Design a été performante d'entrée de jeu et je n'ai eu aucun problème mécanique, ce qui m'a permis de progresser sans cesse » indique Isabelle qui, qualifiée quatorzième, est remontée de quatre positions en course pour terminer dixième. « J'ai lutté avec des pilotes d'expérience pour plusieurs positions. C'est le résultat d'un beau travail de toute l'équipe de Martin Roy ainsi que la jeune Amely Meehan (jeune fille de 17 ans qui performe très bien en stock-car en Nouvelle-Écosse et qui mon éclaireur pour la course) et Scott Allen, un pilote de la série Sportsman locale, qui, avec des membres de son équipe, nous a donné un fier coup de main » précise-t-elle.

 

Pour Martin Roy, la découverte du circuit ovale d'Antigonish et sa journée de course sont à classer parmi les très bons moments de la saison 2012. le pilote recrue précise : « je me suis qualifié sixième et le début de course a été excellent. J'ai mené une bonne dizaine de tours mais, lors de mon arrêt aux puits, nous avons eu un problème avec les écrous d'une roue de sorte que cette malchance nous a coûté un tour. Après cela, je suis resté dans le rythme des meneurs, les écarts ne bougeaient pas, mais il y avait ce tour qui m'empêchait de gagner plus de positions » explique Martin qui croise la ligne d'arrivée au huitième rang et une fois encore premier des pilotes recrues. « Antigonish est une super belle piste de NASCAR et je suis heureux d'avoir pu y mener. À force d'aller en tête, on va finir par y rester ! » confie le pilote de la Dodge No.90 Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre/Batteries Expert.

 

                       

 

 

Pour toute l'équipe de Martin Roy, le bilan est donc fort positif : « notre préparateur Mario Gosselin, Francis Landreville et toute l'équipe ont fait de l'excellent travail. Isabelle aussi, je suis très content de la voir récolter un nouveau "Top 10" car elle a très bien piloté et ses équipiers ont été impeccables » conclue Martin Roy, qui sera de retour en piste le week-end prochain, pour l'ultime course de la saison 2012 de NASCAR Canadian Tire sur l'ovale de Kawartha (près de Peterborough, en Ontario).

 

L'équipe de Martin Roy dispute cette saison les douze courses de la série NASCAR Canadian Tire avec Martin Roy, qui vise le titre des pilotes recrues. La seconde voiture de l'équipe est utilisée par Isabelle Tremblay lors de six épreuves. Il est à noter également qu'Isabelle Tremblay est présentement en première position dans les votes des fans pour élire le pilote le plus populaire de la série NASCAR Canadian Tire. « J'invite tout le monde à aller sur le site de la série (http://www.nascar.com/news/120817/2012-mpd-canadian-tire/index.html#results) pour voter dès à présent une fois par jour. Cela va faciliter notre recherche de commandites » rappelle Isabelle.

 

 

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Remerciements...
 
Isabelle Tremblay ayant disputé sa dernière course 2012, elle tient à remercier : Mario Gosselin, Phillip Matthews, Francis Landreville, Sébastien Bérubé, Sylvain Dagenais, Jocelyn Dubois, Dany Lapalme, Daniel et Miguel Laliberté, Martin Roy et toute sa famille, Sonia, Sabrina et Normand Roy, Annie et Jean-Claude Fortin. « Toutes les personnes qui m'ont aidé de près comme de loin, en particulier Bertrand Godin, Guy Gilain, Daniel Demers, ma famille, mes précieux commanditaires ainsi que tous les fans qui me donnent de l'énergie jour après jour et me motivent à pousser mes limites toujours plus loin !»
 

Info : communicationmartinroy@live.ca (Martin Roy)

            ou contact@isaracingteam.com (Isabelle Tremblay)

 

 

 


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2012-09-17

NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 News & Notes: Kawartha Closing Time For Kennington

For Immediate Release

 

 

 

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Sept. 17, 2012) – The 2012 season has belonged to D.J. Kennington and now it’s time for him to close it out.

 

The scenario for Kennington to claim his second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 championship in three years is simple and straightforward. Assuming a full 26-car field in the season finale on Saturday, Sept. 22 in the Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge at Kawartha Speedway near Peterborough, Ont., Kennington has to finish 19th or better should second-place J.R. Fitzpatrick win the race and lead the most laps. That would give each driver the same point total, but Kennington gets the tiebreaker by virtue of his six victories this season. Andrew Ranger and defending series champion Scott Steckly have been mathematically eliminated from the title hunt. Ranger, like Fitzpatrick, could end up with the same point total as Kennington should Ranger win the race and lead the most laps with Kennington finishing last, but, again, the tiebreaker advantage goes to Kennington.

 

 

Kennington’s only finish outside of the top five all season was a 21st-place showing on Sept. 8 at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway when his race was undone by a fuel pump problem.

 

“The Barrie thing was nobody’s fault. We couldn’t see that coming, but it’s crunch time now and we’ll see to everything we can,” said the driver of the No. 17 Castrol Edge/Mahindra Tractors Dodge.

 

The St. Thomas, Ont.-based driver is coming off his sixth victory of the season having won at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S., on Sept. 15. With that triumph, Kennington tied the single-season series mark established by Ranger in 2009. He’ll have a chance to take sole possession of that record with a win at Kawartha, where he claimed victory in 2009 and 2011.

 

“It’s been a phenomenal year. I’ve got the best race team out there and they’ve worked tirelessly to make this a possibility,” said Kennington. “We’ve got one race to go, though, and nothing is clinched yet.”

 

Kennington is not one to count his chickens before they’ve hatched having been a three-time runner-up in the final Canadian Tire Series standings and coming up just a little short on more than one occasion in the former CASCAR series.

 

“There are just so many things that can go wrong with mechanical equipment and out on the track,” he stated. “We’ll take care of everything we can, but then it’s up to fate which I don’t really like. That’s racing, though.”

 

Kennington won five races in his first championship season in 2010 and this season has followed a similar tack. Dominance on the ovals and holding serve on the road courses has been the recipe for success. This season he has victories in five of the six oval-track events and a road-course win at Edmonton, Alta.

 

Earlier in the year he equaled a mark held by the likes of NASCAR Hall of Famer Richie Evans, multi-time NASCAR champions Herschel McGriff and Mike Stefanik and longtime NASCAR Sprint Cup Series competitor Ricky Craven by winning five consecutive NASCAR touring series events.

 

“That’s a great honor to be mentioned with those names, but I’m not sure how much it will mean if we don’t go out and win this championship,” Kennington explained. “So, I guess we’ll just have to go out and do it.”

 

 

RACE: Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge

PLACE: Kawartha Speedway, Fraserville, Ont.

DATE: Saturday, Sept. 22

TIME: 5 p.m. ET

TV SCHEDULE: TSN, Sat., Oct. 6, 4:30 p.m. ET; RDS2, Wed., Oct. 24, 9:30 p.m. ET

RADIO SCHEDULE: NASCAR Home Tracks Radio internet audio stream, Sat., Sept. 22 at 4:25 p.m. ET, at NASCARHomeTracks.com.

TRACK LAYOUT: .375-mile paved oval

2011 WINNER: D.J. Kennington

2011 POLESITTER: Steve Mathews

EVENT SCHEDULE: Practice 11-11:30 a.m., Noon-12:30 p.m.; Qualifying 3 p.m.; Autograph Session 3:45 p.m.; Pre-Race Ceremonies 4:25 p.m.

TRACK CONTACT: Jim Clarke, (705) 939-8881, clarkemotorsports@hotmail.com

TWITTER: @KDSpeedway

EVENT TWITTER HASHTAG: #Pinty250

NASCAR IMC CONTACT: Shon Sbarra, (704) 309-5493 or ssbarra@nascar.com, Twitter: @ShonSbarra

If photographs or graphics are needed for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1, please contact Shon Sbarra at ssbarra@nascar.com or (704) 309-5493.

 

FAST FACTS

The Race: This is the 12th and final event of the 2012 season for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 and the seventh of seven oval-track events on the schedule. This is the series’ sixth visit to Kawartha.

 

The Procedure: The starting field is 26 cars, including provisionals. The first 23 cars will qualify through two-lap time trials while the remaining three spots will be awarded through the provisional process. The race will be 250 laps covering 93.75 miles.

 

The Track: Kawartha Speedway is part of the Kawartha Downs and Speedway complex in Fraserville, Ontario, near Peterborough, east of Toronto. The .375-mile banked asphalt oval speedway with progressive banking is surrounded by a harness-racing horse track, the opposite of Dover (Del.) International Speedway.

 

The Records: The one-lap qualifying record for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series at Kawartha is 17.704 seconds (76.254 mph), set by Mark Dilley on Sept. 23, 2007. The 250-lap race record is held by Pete Shepherd III at 1 hour, 49 minutes, 7 seconds set on Sept. 25, 2010 for an average speed of 51.550 mph.

 

KAWARTHA RACE NOTES

Mad Max: Two-time Rolex 24 at Daytona winner and former Grand American Road Racing Association champion Max Papis will make his NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 debut in the Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge. Earlier this season in Montreal NASCAR Nationwide Series regulars Austin Dillon and Timmy Hill made their Canadian series debuts. The Italian-born Papis has 35 career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts to go along with 44 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and 11 NASCAR Nationwide Series starts. He also has competed in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Formula One.

 

Dodge Dominance: A Dodge has won the previous five Kawartha events, but D.J. Kennington (2009 and 2011) is the only repeat winner at the Ontario oval. Jason Hathaway (2008), Pete Shepherd III (2010) and Scott Steckly (2007) are the other Dodge drivers to visit Victory Lane at Kawartha.

 

Overtime: The TSN & RDS2 telecasts of the season finale at Kawartha will be 90 minutes in duration as opposed to the normal 60-minute shows. The TSN premiere of the Pinty’s 250 presented by Dodge will be on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 4:30 p.m. ET while that of RDS2 will be on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET. There will also be a season recap show that will be telecast by TSN on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 3 p.m. ET.

 

LAST TIME OUT: ANTIGONISH

First To Repeat: With his win in the Wilson Equipment 300 D.J. Kennington became the first repeat winner in the six Canadian Tire Series races at Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, N.S. He also won the 2010 event en route to the series championship.

 

Another Second: J.R. Fitzpatrick led 101 laps in the Wilson Equipment 300 but succumbed to the dominance of Kennington to finish second. It was Fitzpatrick’s third runner-up finish in five starts at the Nova Scotia track.

 

String ‘Em Up: Noel Dowler, after establishing a career best with a third-place finish on Sept. 8 at Barrie (Ont.) Speedway, finished ninth at Riverside for back-to-back top 10s. He reeled off three consecutive top-10 finishes earlier in the season.

 

Finish Strong: Ron Beauchamp Jr. has a history of strong finishes to the season in the Canadian Tire Series. At Riverside he logged his first top five of the season with a fifth-place effort and now has six top 10s in his last seven starts overall. It was his first top five since a fourth in July 2011 at Motoplex Speedway in Vernon, B.C.

 

 


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Buescher, Roulos Share Potential Defining Moment in Comeback;

For Immediate Release:

Monday, September 17, 2012

 

ARCA Racing Series News & Notes from Salem

 

(TOLEDO, Ohio) - After leaving Salem Speedway and the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic, Chris Buescher has an 85-point lead atop the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards standings, greater than any leading driver's advantage through 18 races this year.

 

 

 

Immediately following Lap 48 of Saturday's race, though, such a scenario might have been completely unexpected. Buescher (No. 17 Roulo Brothers Racing Ford) found himself caught up in a Turn 4 accident with substantial rear end damage, among other issues. Having taken the lead from Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell winner Chase Elliott on the first lap, Buescher had led every lap but found himself driving to pit road. He came back onto the track 15th, the last driver on the lead lap.

 

Buescher rebounded to finish second, though, passing Elliott with less than 10 laps to go to take the first spot behind race winner Tom Hessert. On a night when Buescher's championship hopes could have taken a severe blow, he actually improved his chances and made the race one to remember.

 

"It was too eventful for me, that's for sure," Buescher said. "We were really, really good right off the start there. Chase Elliott, I think he was really toying with me for the first couple laps, but he raced me really clean and I tried to return the favor there late in the race. It was a lot of fun with him so I've got to say thanks to him."

 

Buescher drove to pit road several times following the Lap 48 incident for service from his Roulo Brothers Racing crew. He did not need much time to pass his main championship rival, Frank Kimmel, who assumed second place behind Elliott after the initial crash. On Lap 87, with Kimmel falling back, Buescher passed him for seventh place. By the race's halfway point at Lap 100, Buescher was in the top five.

 

At night's end, Buescher had clinched the Bill France Four Crown and extended his lead over Kimmel by 25 points. Buescher has now gained 70 points on Kimmel in the last two races after leaving the Illinois State Fairgrounds with a 15-point advantage on August 19.

 

"The Roulo Brothers did a really nice job, but we ended up with a torn-up race car," he said. "We took second place and got the Four Crown, so that's always good, really good news for us. We still gained some points. All in all, these guys did a nice job battling back. We had our radiator leaking and lost water pressure there. It took everything we could do to keep it cool, so it was a very nice job. I just wish we could have gotten a Ford in Victory Lane here."

 

Now, one week and two races in October will decide the ARCA Racing Series title. The October 14 event at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds and the October 19 season finale at Kansas Speedway place Buescher at tracks where last season he finished first and second, respectively.

 

"We need to do what we've been doing," he said. "We're showing up with fast cars every week and it's showing. This was about the roughest night we've had in a long time and we ended up second, so we're doing the right things. We're trying really hard. We just need to get a sponsor on this car to help out."

 

All Top-Fives for Buescher in Four Crown Run: With his second-place finish at Salem Speedway, Chris Buescher clinched the Bill France Four Crown Award over Frank Kimmel and Alex Bowman. Buescher earned 765 race points in the competition.

 

The award, depictive of the series' versatility, is a separate point fund that tests drivers on four very different tracks. This year's Bill France Four Crown included events in four different months on the calendar: the June 15 race at Michigan International Speedway; the July 1 road course event at New Jersey Motorsports Park's challenging Thunderbolt Raceway; the August 19 dirt mile race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield; and Saturday's short track showdown at Salem. 

 

The award is certainly important for whom it's named after - Bill France Sr. - but also for what it represents: variety. No other touring series requires drivers to compete on as many different styles of tracks as the ARCA Racing Series does. The award truly captures the essence of ARCA competition.

 

Buescher won at Michigan just weeks before finishing third at New Jersey. His low point was still a strong fifth-place finish in Springfield. By earning top-fives in each Four Crown race, Buescher became the first Four Crown winner to accomplish that feat since Parker Kligerman took two wins and two runner-up finishes to win the 2009 prize.

 

Kimmel was the only other driver to drive to top-10 finishes in every Four Crown race. He finished 40 points behind Buescher. Bowman was third, 55 points from the top. Spencer Gallagher (-150) and Brennan Poole (-180) rounded out the top five.

 

Buescher Continues to Gain: As referenced above, Chris Buescher's 85-point lead atop the standings is greater than any other lead by a first-place driver in the 17 races prior to Saturday's Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic presented by Federated Car Care.

 

Frank Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota) finished fourth, only two positions behind Buescher, but lost more ground than those positions would indicate. Buescher qualified second to earn 10 bonus points while Kimmel was outside the top three, and Buescher also led laps to earn a five-point bonus there. Still, at just a 4445-4360 deficit to Buescher, Kimmel is in a fair position with two races remaining at tracks where he has a combined seven wins (five at DuQuoin, two at Kansas).

 

Brennan Poole (No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet) finished eighth and remained third, 175 points out of the lead. Alex Bowman (No. 22 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Dodge) finished fifth and stands fourth, 220 points under Buescher.

 

Chad Hackenbracht (No. 58 CGH Motorsports Chevrolet) remained fifth, but Matt Lofton (No. 16 Strutmasters.com Chevrolet) closed his gap to the top five with a 10th-place finish. He now stands just 20 points short of Hackenbracht for fifth place.

 

The rest of the top 10 also remained unchanged: Spencer Gallagher (No. 23 Allegiant Air Chevrolet), Nelson Canache (No. 35 Venezuela Tourism Chevrolet), Tom Hessert (No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet), and Josh Williams (No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Chevrolet) fill the seventh through 10th positions, respectively.

 

ARCA will release the full and official standings Tuesday. The unofficial top 10 is posted at ARCARacing.com.

 

Hessert Leads First Oval Laps of '12 in Win: Before Saturday, Tom Hessert had led in just one race in the 2012 ARCA Racing Series season. Back in July, Hessert led six laps at New Jersey Motorsports Park, the road course in his home state. He took the lead on Lap 123 Saturday and did not look back, accounting for 78 laps and the Aaron's Lap Leader race award to go along with his second career victory.

 

On the spotter's stand for Hessert was team owner Ken Schrader, who received heavy congratulations from his counterparts for his first ARCA win in two seasons as Hessert's car owner.

 

"Kenny was here and it's always good to have him at the race track. It's very cool to have him here when we won. I wouldn't have it be any other way."

 

Hessert confirmed today in a radio interview that he will race at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds on Sunday, October 14. Schrader even invited him to run in a dirt modified race in Terre Haute, Ind. two days before that. Hessert's status for the October 19 season finale at Kansas Speedway is uncertain.

 

Bowman Takes Rookie Lead after Tight Arrival: Alex Bowman finished fifth in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic just hours after landing in Salem, Ind. to complete a rare racing doubleheader.

 

Bowman made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut over 200 miles to the northwest at Chicagoland Speedway earlier Saturday afternoon, and had to hustle to arrive at Salem before the green flag. He finished 17th at Chicagoland at 5 p.m. Central, or 6 p.m. Salem time, and almost immediately boarded a helicopter and then a private plane to travel to southern Indiana. Bowman's plane landed at Salem Municipal Airport, just behind Turns 1 and 2 at Salem Speedway, at 7:18 p.m. Fans watched his plane touch the ground as the first several drivers were being introduced. Bowman took a golf cart to pit road, where he signed in with an ARCA official and then waited for his turn to be introduced to the crowd.

 

Though Dakoda Armstrong - like Bowman, a past Salem winner for Cunningham Motorsports - had qualified 10th, Bowman had to start at the back of the field because of the driver change.

 

"Man, it's been a long day," Bowman said after the race. "From everybody at Turner Motorsports to everybody at Cunningham Motorsports, I just can't thank all the guys enough. I struggled a little bit in the Nationwide race and came out here and started off struggling. We were really free, but Paul Andrews and the guys got the No. 22 St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital Dodge all tuned up there at the end. We drove around the whole field the best we could to get to fifth, and we were the fastest car on the race track, but it is what it is.

 

"It's cool to see Tom win another one. He's a great guy and has been a really cool competitor and good friend off the race track."

 

Bowman was the top-finishing registrant in the Team Messina Rookie Challenge for the race, his ninth such honor this year. Though Brennan Poole has more rookie points when all 18 races are counted, Bowman holds the lead in adjusted points. He has outscored Poole 422-418 over each driver's best 15. Bowman had entered the race with a 12-point deficit in the adjusted standings.

 

Six Races, Six Top-10s in Elliott's First ARCA Year: Sixteen-year-old Chase Elliott (No. 9 Aaron's Dream Machine/HendrickCars.com Chevrolet) finished a busy week with a third-place finish at Salem Speedway. He led 41 laps.

 

Earlier in the week, Elliott had traveled to Chicago for media obligations as one of NASCAR's Next 9, highlighting the top drivers in NASCAR's developmental divisions. On Friday, though, Elliott shifted his focus to the ARCA Racing Series, participating at an autograph session in downtown Salem with 12 other drivers. The next day, he posted the fastest practice speed and earned his first Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell.

 

"It started off good but didn't end the way we wanted it to," Elliott said. "We had a great car. I couldn't have asked for a better car tonight. The way the cautions fell, they didn't really fall our way but you can't do anything about that. The way I ran the tires, I was hoping to get two more there at the end and really get after it hard, but that was just my fault. You live and you learn. We'll just have to come back and be stronger."

 

Elliott finished his first ARCA season with three top-fives and six top-10s in six starts, with the highlights a second-place finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park in July and Saturday's pole win and third-place run. He ended happy to have made some improvements throughout the year.

 

"It was a lot of fun," he said. "I feel like we made, from the first race at Mobile and the first race here at Salem, a lot of gains. We had a great run at the road course and a good run here tonight, so I feel like we're making gains. If we can just continue to improve, then next year we'll come back even stronger."

 

Race runner-up Chris Buescher said Elliott raced him clean while running second to him over the first quarter of the race. Buescher tried to return the favor when passing Elliott for second in the final 10 laps, and Elliott took note.

 

"I appreciate it," he said. "He raced me clean all night. This is a race track where you have to give and take and the last thing I want to do is mess up what these guys have going for a championship. For him to get in that wreck and come back and rebound like that was extremely impressive. They made the right call on pit strategy and did the right things with their tires."

 

Kimmel Fourth but Leaves Tires Behind: Frank Kimmel finished fourth at his home track, but did not have the chance to take on new tires late in the race and potentially improve his position.

 

"The car was pretty daggone good most of the night," Kimmel said. "We stayed out too long on tires and it caught us and we got a lap down. We came in and put on four to get our lap back and drove right back to the front there. We were getting caught up pretty quick there but just ran out of time there at the end. We had two more tires there in the pits. We thought with about 30 to go, hopefully, we'd have a caution and be able to put the two on and try to make a run at it, but it wasn't to be."

 

The last 48 laps of the race went off without incident, and the veteran commented on the clean racing at the usually tumultuous Salem oval.

 

"I think it just goes back to how good the equipment is," he said. "These young kids are good race car drivers. They're all bringing really good race cars and we just don't see a lot of silly failures anymore."

 

On Gridiron or Grid, Mingus Competitive: Mason Mingus (No. 32 811 Call Before You Dig Toyota) arrived at Salem Speedway later than most drivers Saturday morning, traveling in from his home state of Tennessee after playing a high school football game the night before.

 

The 17-year-old, a student at Franklin Road Academy, helped his team to a 29-28 victory over a school from Kentucky. The next morning, he flew to Salem Speedway and arrived just before the 11:15 a.m. driver meeting in the track grandstands. He then finished sixth in his 12th start of 2012 for Win-Tron Racing, tying his career high.

 

"Yeah, it was definitely a busy two days," Mingus said. "We had a great game last night. It came down to the very end. We had to play all four quarters all out and won by one. Then we get on a plane this morning and flew here. I got here just in time to go to the driver meeting. I'm definitely exhausted at this point, but we had a good run going. We needed one more caution. We got hurt on the start and fell back and it cost us a lap. We fought it. We had two tires; I think us and Kimmel might have been the only people with two tires still in the pits, so it's too bad we didn't have one more caution. I think we would have had something for them. We had a great race car."

 

Mingus will turn 18 this November and plans to return to the ARCA Racing Series in 2013.

 

"We're ready to come back here next year. I think we'll have a car to win."

 

Duno Captures Second Hard Charger Award: Milka Duno (No. 94 David Leiner Racing/Milka Way Toyota) started 26th and improved to 13th by the checkered flag in Saturday's race, and her 13-position improvement helped her earn the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award for the event. Duno earned the honor once prior to Saturday, at New Jersey Motorsports Park in July.

 

"It's a great feeling to win the CGS Imaging Hard Charger of the Race Award, especially at a challenging track like Salem," Duno said in a team press release. "We've been doing really well gaining positions in the races and (crew chief and team owner) Dave Leiner and the team have been working very hard. We need to work on our qualifying runs and if we can get more out of the car there then we'll have a chance to finish up in the top."

 

Career Highs for Several in Top 20: Outside of Tom Hessert and Mason Mingus, six drivers in the top 20 surpassed or matched career-best finishes in the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic.

 

Frank Kimmel II (No. 09 Casite.com/Motor Honey/Roush Yates Performance Parts Ford) finished seventh to match his result at Salem from last fall. He led 34 laps around the middle of Saturday's race, and at one point lapped even his own father.

 

Ed Pompa (No. 10 Classic 3/Fast Track Dodge) was 16th, Tim Walter (No. 2 MPBToday.com/racersfood Dodge) was 19th, and Ronnie Souders Jr. (No. 87 Power Bore Cylinder Sleeves Chevrolet) was 20th; all of those performances were career bests.

 

Debut drivers finishing in the top 20 included Evan Pardo (No. 40 Carter 2 Motorsports Dodge) in 14th and Caleb Armstrong (No. 15 Mudd Advertising/Drive for Savings Chevrolet) in 15th.

 

"Driving an ARCA car took a lot of getting used to and I was a couple seconds off from where I needed to be in practice, but Carter 2 Motorsports was really patient with me and coached me, which helped me pick up a second in qualifying," Pardo said in a team press release. "As the race started I was just trying to find a groove and get comfortable but by the end of the race the No. 40 Dodge was set perfect and it showed as we ran with the third-place car. I would like to thank everyone for their hard work: C2M and my sponsor, Life Partners Inc. I had a blast and can't wait to do it again."

 

The third debut driver in the field, England's Jack Clarke, finished 30th.

 

Fans Supportive at Salem: Salem Speedway co-owner Beverly Thompson said campers started to arrive at the southern Indiana facility on Monday, and general manager Richard Deaton said the facility hosted its largest camper turnout for an ARCA Racing Series event. That was evident on Saturday before and after the race, as the camper lots were near capacity, just like the grandstands. Many fans stayed after Saturday's race to enjoy a live concert behind the main grandstand.

 

Another Attempt at DuQuoin: Points leader Chris Buescher is the defending race winner as the second dirt race of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season is up next, on Sunday, October 14 in DuQuoin, Ill.

Practice for the Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care will begin at 9 a.m. and last for one hour, with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell starting at 11. The 100-lap, 100-mile race will take place at 1 p.m. All times are Central. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage throughout the day, and ARCA Racing Network hosts Charlie Krall and Tim Clagg will deliver a live audio call for the race on the site. The race had been scheduled for Labor Day, but was postponed because of severe weather in southern Illinois.

 

2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards' 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

 

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 26 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.375 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series visited Alabama's Mobile International Speedway and Minnesota's Elko Speedway for the first time.

 

Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.

 

CONTACT:

Griffin Hickman, ARCA

Don Radebaugh, ARCA

 


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