ARCA Nation

CORYDON IN (2-28-10) – Weather conditions forced Brad Smith, driver of the #26 car for ApplianceZone.com Racing, to withdraw from the Tire Kingdom 150 at Palm Beach International after just ten laps. It was the first time ARCA has used a ‘wet’ tire compound in its 58-year history.

JUPITER FL (February 26, 2010) - In preparation for the Tire Kingdom 150 presented by Modspace, Frank Kimmel and the No.44 Ansell/Menards Ford ran six practice segments and completed 27 total laps in the three-hour practice session today at Palm Beach International Raceway.
 
"Practice went really well," said Kimmel. "The car has been very responsive to some of the changes we made since the test here a few weeks ago and to the changes we made today."
 
During today's practice session, the Ansell/Menards Ford was in the ninth quickest position for most of the day. However, Kimmel's fastest lap came in the third segment with a lap time of 80.003, positioning the Ansell/Menards car 11th in the 34-car field.

When it comes to Daytona, the stars always come out. Celebrities in the ARCA garage are nothing new at the World Center of Racing. And if you stick around, you’ll eventually see some. As it turns out, legendary Grateful Dead band member Bob Weir wasn’t the only celebrity strutting through the ARCA garage at Daytona.

Actually, there were several, including former ARCA racer David Ragan, who spends his time these days behind the wheel of the no. 6 Roush-Fenway Racing UPS Ford in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a part-time schedule in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Ragan made 31 career ARCA Racing Series starts since 2003 with 11 top-5 and 14 top-10 finishes including 1 win at Lanier Nat’l Speedway in 2005.

You just never know who's gunna show up in the ARCA garage. A few years back, it was recording artist/rock legend Alice Cooper, whose car just happened to win the ARCA race at Daytona. This year, it's longtime Grateful Dead rythym guitarist Bob Weir, who just happens to be ARCA driver Leilani Munter's brother-in-law. Weir, who is still active with the remaining Grateful Dead band members, is married to Leilani's sister Natascha Munter. They have two daughters. 

Among the entries for the upcoming Tire Kingdom 150 presented by ModSpace at Palm Beach Int'l Raceway, none currently on it are former ARCA road course winners. As it will turn out, some skillful driver will add his or her name to the record books, taking its place among a very elite group of ARCA road course winners. That list of former ARCA road course winners includes Fred Lorenzen, Nelson Stacy, Curtis Turner, Elmer Musgrave, Jack Bowsher, Ken Schrader, Darrell Waltrip, Scott Lagasse, Sr., John Finger, Justin Allgaier and Patrick Long.

If there's one driver who's got a good shot of going to victory lane at PBIR, it very well may be Robb Brent, who not only cut his teeth on road courses, but finished a career-best 4th at the New Jersey Motorsports Park road course in 2009.

"When I read that ARCA was going to another road course I was so excited," said Brent. "It's my favorite kind of place. To start the year off on one and finish up on one later in the year works for me. Wish they'd throw a few more road courses on the schedule - I'd be ok with that."

(2-14-10) - No doubt ARCA hit a major league homerun in this year’s event at Daytona. The 58-year sanction got the best of both worlds. Danica Mania drove the ratings through the roof and a true-blue ARCA regular/independent won the race.

While the Danica coverage could be considered overkill, the sanction should make no apologies for the biased coverage centered around Danica. Through it all, more people saw Bobby Gerhart win at ARCA’s marquis venue because of the increased visibility that Patrick pulled in. More people saw Alli Owens run third for much of the race. More people saw everything that happened at Daytona, good and bad, because of Danica.

Unfortunately for Nelson Piquet, Jr., who was making his stock car debut, a record audience also saw him perform in such a way that left little to be desired.

DAYTONA BEACH FL – Alli Owens nearly made history Saturday at Daytona; instead she left disappointed following her outstanding run in the 47^th annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200. Amidst Danica Mania, Owens was in position to win, riding third for more than half the race before she got shuffled back …….. way back. Owens went from making her move into the record books as ARCA’s first female winner to 23^rd in the final running order.

According to Owens, Patrick Sheltra, who finished fifth, had something to do with her mass exodus from the front. Their relationship seems to be somewhat strained.

Congratulations to Jim Michels of Olney, Illinois, winner of ARCA Nation's 'Pick the Pole' contest. Jim will soon be receiving an ARCA-branded Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell hat signed by the Daytona pole winner James Buescher and a 2010 ARCA Racing Series Schedule T-Shirt.