Texan Matt Merrell a strong second in ARCA run at Berlin Raceway
July 26, 2009
MARNE MI (7-25-09) - Justin Lofton, who had gradually fallen behind ARCA RE/MAX Series point leader Parker Kligerman in the championship chase, came to Berlin Raceway with a newly-announced game plan in place; and it worked.
The Westmorland, California driver also held off the lead-lap pack during a green-white-checker finish to win the Wolverine Power Systems 200 Saturday night at the legendary Marne, Michigan short track.
“What an incredible night,” said Lofton. “My guys were perfect tonight. We had the best car and it certainly showed. This is my favorite car. We went off a different pit strategy and it worked. I really have to hand it to my guys for making the call. This win feels every bit as good as the one at Talladega.”
Lofton, who pitted just once out of sequence with the leaders, drove back to the front and stayed there for the remainder of the race to earn his third career series victory. He also closed to within 100 points of Kligerman headed to Pocono Raceway for the next event on tour.
Through it all, it was a banner night for Lofton, who, not only won the Menards Pole Award with a new one-lap track record, led 171 of 207 laps. Lofton also snapped Kligerman’s four-race win streak after proclaiming earlier in the week that was racing for wins alone from here on out rather than racing for points.
Matt Merrell got to within a half-length of Lofton on the final lap in turn three but washed up the track as Lofton sailed off the bottom end of turn four toward the checkered flag. Merrell finished a career-best second, three lengths away in the ColinsHope.org-Red Line Oil Dodge.
Matt Merrell in the Win-Tron ARCA machine
“I thought I had a chance to get by Justin Lofton but I just couldn’t keep up with him at the end of the race,” said Merrell. “He was getting some really good runs. I don’t think the 6 car was necessarily better; we were pretty even-but this track really eats up tires and that’s what got us at the end.”
Matt Merrell works closely with the Colin's Hope organization
Seventeen-year-old Chad Finley, in the Auto Value Service Centers-AutoParts2020.com Chevrolet, finished a career-best third, but not before causing some controversy resulting from an altercation with series veteran Frank Kimmel.
“Everybody comes in to this place and dives up the track,” said Finley. “I probably should have been more patient with him [Frank Kimmel] especially with as much experience as he has here and as good as he has been here, so I apologize for that. It feels good, but it’s not all me. It’s everyone over at BKR Racing; especially my crew chief [Wayne Setterington]. He’s just awesome and we work really well together.”kimmelcrashberlin09.jpg
Finley, who was battling Kimmel for third under five laps to go, turned Kimmel off turn four. That left Kimmel sideways on the frontstretch and an open target for Michel Disdier, who plowed into Kimmel’s left-front corner on the way by. Kimmel then crawled back to pit road in a shower of sparks before returning in time to finish a disappointing 12th.
“What a night,” said Kimmel. “We had a great car all day - from practice to qualifying and on into tonight. Overall, though, it was great to battle for the lead, even if we had somewhat of a disappointing finish. We were definitely a factor until the 29 car turned us and we just flat got ran over. That was really frustrating. It would have been great to not only have the finish we deserved but to have reached that 10,000 laps led mark. Either way, we still accomplished another goal here by leading our first laps of the season, which is a great thing for this team because they’ve worked hard all year long.”
Kimmel, after leading 36 laps, inched closer to yet another milestone. The Clarksville, Indiana stock car legend is now just 6 laps shy of leading 10,000 laps in ARCA RE/MAX Series competition.
Pete Shepherd finished fourth in the Venturini Motorsports-National Exhaust Systems Chevrolet. Joey Coulter was fifth in the Darrell Gwynn Foundation-Tempest Cycles Chevrolet.
Lofton led the first 108 laps before finally making his one and only pit stop for new tires and fuel, long after every other lead lap driver had pitted. Kimmel took control of the top-spot from there until the eventual winner, who rejoined the field in eighth, quickly charged back through the pack to take the lead for good and lap 145.
Kligerman, suffering from the flu, ended up finishing sixth in the Cunningham Motorsports Dodge.
“That’s what championships are made of,” said Kligerman. “They are made of making the best out of your bad days, and that’s what we had today-a bad day. I’m feeling sicker and sicker as the adrenaline wears off. It was a rough day out there. No one seemed to have any room for us. Funny how that works out. We’ll go to Pocono and make up for it, hopefully with a win.”
Craig Goess was seventh in the Greenville of North Carolina Toyota in front of Justin Lloyd, who finished eighth in his career-first start on the LNCS-Calero Investments-RM Technology Chevrolet.
Bryan Silas fought his way back onto the lead lap after getting spun early in the race to finish a solid ninth in the Rockingham Speedway-Holland Pumps Chevrolet. Tom Hessert finished 10th in the Cherry Hill Classic Cars Ford.
The ARCA RE/MAX Series travel next to Pocono Raceway for the Pennsylvania ARCA 200 Saturday, August 1st, live on SPEED at 1:00 PM ET. The ARCA Racing Network will also carry live streaming audio of all the on-track activity at ARCAracing.com
From ARCAracing.com
Texan James Buescher qualifies 7th for Daytona ARCA event
February 7, 2009
DAYTONA BEACH FL (2-6-09)-Justin Lofton earned the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell at Daytona International Speedway on Friday afternoon with a time of 49.418 seconds (182.120 mph) around the 2.5-mile speed plant. The Eddie Sharp Racing Driver starts Saturday’s Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race alongside Daytona Beach, Florida native Alli Owens. The race is live on SPEED beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern.
“The car felt really good,” said Lofton. “Driving around here doesn’t require too much but a good handling car. We came here exactly with what Bryan Clauson sat on the pole with here in the NASCAR Nationwide Series race last year and it worked again.”
The top-five starters for Saturday’s ARCA RE/MAX Series race will all be sporting the Toyota nameplate, led by Lofton and Owens. Local favorite Owens, who is making her first career ARCA RE/MAX Series start with D’Hondt Motorsports this weekend, qualified a career best second in the No. 19 ElectrifyingCareers.com Toyota with a time of 49.584 seconds (181.510 mph).
“That was awesome,” said Owens. “I waited so long to be able to see my name up front at the top of the charts during qualifying and the crew and everyone over at Eddie D’Hondt racing has done a really good job supporting me. I want lots of pictures so all of you people out there taking pictures send them to me. I thought to myself ‘here’s your chance Alli. Here’s your chance to accomplish what you’ve been waiting for.’ And I went out there and hit my marks and I couldn’t be happier.”
James Buescher
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Rookie Joey Logano qualified third in a Toyota owned by Bill Venturini, followed by Michael Annett in the No. 01 Visit Japan Campaign Toyota and Brian Scott in the No. 8 Venturini-prepared Albertson’s Toyota. Five-time ARCA Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart starts sixth in the No. 5 Lucas Oil-Slick Mist Chevrolet, followed by James Buescher, Will Kimmel, Craig Goess and Tom Hessert.
The Series will hold a final practice session from 5:10-6:15 p.m. Friday in which teams will only be allowed to make a limited number of pre-approved adjustments. The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 is live on SPEED beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern on Saturday. A live radio broadcast of the race will accompany live timing and scoring on arcaracing.com.
For more information on the ARCA RE/MAX Series, visit http://www.arcaracing.com/.
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