Newberry, Bowman Lead Open Test on Michigan's New Pavement as 15 Drivers Top Track's ARCA Qualifying Record
Tuesday, May 22, 2012 (BROOKLYN, Mich.) - ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards newcomer Brennan Newberry and three-time race winner Alex Bowman led today's open testing speed charts at Michigan International Speedway, as 15 drivers posted lap times better than Cale Gale's ARCA qualifying record at the track from one year ago. ARCA held the annual test to allow teams to prepare for the RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan, scheduled for Friday, June 15. The race will be ARCA's 31st at the track since 1980, and will air live on SPEED at 5 p.m. |
Newberry, driving the No. 92 Chevrolet for NTS Motorsports, posted an early afternoon lap of 37.083 seconds (194.159 mph), edging Bowman and the No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge by 0.009 second for the day's best time. Until today, Newberry had never driven an ARCA car or seen Michigan's two-mile oval. The 22-year-old from Bakersfield, Calif. has made 10 career starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series since 2010, and four in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this year. "Obviously, the track is very smooth and fast," he said. "I've never been in an ARCA car before and never saw the track until today, so it was very rewarding to run so well here. I'm really not too surprised by our lap times today. The car felt so good right off the trailer. We had to make adjustments on it, but nothing drastic. "We plan to come back and race and I think we'll be just as strong. My job will be to drive my tail off it, get everyone excited on this family-owned team, and see where it leads us. Hopefully, we'll get to run a few more." Bowman had led the three-hour morning session at 191.266 mph, creating a buzz that more drivers would surpass Gale's qualifying mark of 189.623 mph over the five-hour afternoon period. Drivers and teams delivered after the mid-day break, as five topped 193 mph and four others drove above 192 mph. In all, 15 drivers turned laps in over 190 mph and beat Gale's time - which continues to stand as the official ARCA lap record at Michigan. Bowman suffered from a flat right front tire after his fast lap and hit the Turn 4 wall, one of two incidents in that area. He did not sustain any injury in the crash, and learned something about car care in the process. "We had a tire go down; it happens," said Bowman, who has won two Menards Pole Awards in 2012. "We'll be really good when we come back. I do think we'll need to keep an eye on the right front tire wear at these speeds. It's just something I think we're going to have to look out for." Below Newberry and Bowman were the following drivers, in order from third to 15th: Joey Coulter, Brennan Poole, Ryan Reed, Chris Buescher, Jared Marks, Kyle Larson, Matt Lofton, John Blankenship, Aleks Gregory, Brandon Miller, Dylan Kwasniewski, Clay Rogers, and Kevin Swindell. Larson, 19, and Kwasniewski, 16, tested cars for Eddie Sharp Racing. Neither have raced in the ARCA Racing Series, and both currently compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series. Kwasniewski, of Las Vegas, leads the West point standings, and Larson, of Elk Grove, Calif., is third in the East division. The full speed charts are below. Morning
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The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will visit Elko Speedway in Minnesota for the first time on Saturday, June 2, in the Akona 200 presented by Federated Car Care. In 60 seasons, the tour has hosted races in 28 states, and Minnesota will be the 29th. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring and live audio coverage from the race, which will begin at 8 p.m. Central. 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 28 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 0.4 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 for the first time. In June, the first event at Minnesota's Elko Speedway will give ARCA a race in a 29th state. 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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