Catchfence

ARCA RE/MAX Series

The time is quickly approaching where the green flag will fly on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season. And despite the world’s current economic troubles it doesn’t appear that will keep the teams from tackling the high banks of Daytona International Speedway in just three weeks. Hopefully, the expected entries for Daytona won’t diminish as the highly anticipated 22-race schedule marches forward.

2008 was literally an incredible year for the ARCA RE/MAX Series. A flock of new talent, new fashion senses, the launch of ARCA Nation and oh a five-man battle towards the championship chase concluding in explosive fashion at Toledo Speedway. Ironically, many people expect this year’s ARCA season to be no-different than last season.

Cool.

While the fashion sense is gone for now, (thanks Scott Speed!) and the ‘08 ARCA champ Justin Allgaier can be reached through the new 3G Network at Penske Racing in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, the door appears wide-open as far as the championship is concerned. The first race of the season kicks off at Daytona with all roads leading to Rockingham in October. Better sit down and buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride!

My 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series preview will go through the full-time teams expecting to compete in the series this year but I won’t be afraid to throw some names in there who I think we’ll see around from time-to-time this year too.

Let’s roll.

Justin Allgaier Motorsports: The 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series championship team is still hoping to be around in some capacity this season. While the team plans to run Justin Allgaier in a limited schedule this season, the team is also hoping to give another promising driver a run for the championship this year. No further details have been announced about the team’s plans to run Daytona in February.

Andy Belmont Racing: When Andy Belmont decided to hang up his helmet for good, it was the best decision he ever made for his race team. Now with TH3 (Tom Hessert III) resigned for another full-year campaign, some expect this team to emerge to new levels. No doubt about it that ABR has figured out their restrictor place program and have really become a team that everyone is literally chasing. The team is expected to keep that restrictor plate status this year too. If the team can get the rest of their program as strong as their plate deal, look out.

Don’t be surprised if ABR fields a second-car from time-to-time. Word on the street that Brett Butler, the brother of prior ARCA winner Ken Butler III will drive the team’s No. 14 entry at Daytona.

Bell Racing Enterprises: Roger Carter II is In the seat for the newly formed Bell Racing Enterprises, Carter II hopes to lay down some fine ARCA results this year. The team has obtained sponsorship from Evergreen Clean Energy and is hoping to run a full plate in 2009.

BlackJack Racing: There’re back, I’m just not sure in what capacity just yet. After a year driving for Spraker Racing Enterprises, Dexter Bean is back at home with his family-owned team. The team has sponsorship from Five Star Telecom for Daytona. The team will also invade the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with Bean also expected to drive. The team will once again hoist the No. 6. We’ll all have to wait and see what BlackJack Racing’s actual schedule turns out to be.

Brad Smith Racing: I have to admit, I don’t know how he does it but somehow some way, Brad Smith continues to show up each week doing what he loves best, race. Likely his yearly budget is probably that of a salary of a full-time employee, but he makes it work. His never give up attitude will keep him chugging as long as he possibly can in 2009. A worthy mention to say the least.

Clement Racing: The quiet yet likable Matt Carter had big shoes to fill heading into the 2008 season and despite posting just one win at Toledo Speedway last year, the former USAR star didn’t disappoint. Keeping focused, Carter overcame challenges and persevered to a strong third in the championship standings and taking the Rookie-of-the-Year crown away from a competitive Scott Speed.

Carter and his team have been quiet about their 2009 plans. Speculation is that the team has half of their sponsorship lined up and we’ll see them in Daytona. The team knows their weaknesses from their rookie campaign with Carter and if they can hang in there, results should be better this year.

Cunningham Motorsports: Most arguably, the quietest team on the ARCA schedule has yet to announce their plans for the 2009 season. I’ve heard that the team will compete this season and it’s already been released that Nur Alli will under for Mark Gibson Racing under the Cunningham Motorsports banner at Daytona. Other than that, no news is good news as far as I’m concerned. The rest of us will have to sit back and watch. Whoever pilot’s the team’s Dodge Chargers this season will be strong. Parker Kligerman and Brandon Thomson are two names I would like to see more of in 2009.

Darrell Basham Racing: Bottom line can’t imagine a season with Darrell Basham and his posse. Sure they don’t come with the most competitive stuff each and every week but that shouldn’t keep them from being in the field. I can’t even grasp the ARCA scene without Basham and I know many would feel the same way. The team is expected to have some backing from Anti-Monkey Butt powder and hopefully that’s enough to keep the season around for a full-year.

Eddie D’Hondt Motorsports: Alli Owens has found a new home and she seems pretty pumped about it. The bigger kicker is that she is planning to run a full-season slate in 2009. The new duo unleashed themselves at Daytona last month and looked strong. Owens though has limited experience on the restrictor plate tracks looked calm, collective and solid. The TOYOTA horsepower underneath the hood of their No. 19 ElectrifyingCareers.com won’t hurt either. I hope the expectations that I’ve set for Owens this season won’t be a disappointment.

Fast Track Racing: Bryan Silas and Fast Track Racing are back together for another year and they’re looking for their best season yet. The team has a new crew chief and I really think he’ll make a difference. The team enters Silas’s junior year of ARCA competition off his strongest Daytona-preseason test ever and that is huge confidence for the Stuart, Florida native. Seven top-10 finishes last year was excellent for Silas who will also run in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series this season, a higher number is likely for Silas this year.

Eddie Sharp Racing: The team has enjoyed monstrous success over the years in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. From Josh Wise, Michael McDowell and Scott Speed the wins, dominance and presence have been commendable but this year ESR has their work cut out for them. The bright side is Justin Lofton is back with the team in the Lofton Cattle TOYOTA. I think he’ll do great. He showed strength last year and I expect that to continue this year.

Now comes the bad news, well not really. ESR this year has a lot of rookies. Tim George, Jr, Craig Goess and Steven Arpin will all run under the banner this year. With George, Jr and Goess running full-time, don’t be surprise if Arpin speedway schedule turns into a championship effort giving ESR four full-time teams this year. Hey it can happen.

I think the biggest surprise out of the ESR rookie clan will be Goess. I like him. I think the kid has some natural talent. He spent the last year competing in the NASCAR Camping World Series, but he’ll have a big rock to climb this year. He can get it done, but I don’t expect it to happen without a few minor bumps along the way.

Arpin, he’s your sleeper from the ESR camp. He doesn’t have a lot of stock-car experience, but that’s not a bad thing. No bad habits. Tim George, Jr. A lot of eyes will be on him. He didn’t impress the scene in his debut at Nashville but turned heads with his performance at Talladega. Now with ESR on his shoulders, the sky is the limit.

Frank Kimmel Racing: A lot of “what if’s” surround the home of the nine-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel. Recent published reports have Will Kimmel; the nephew of Frank Kimmel will pilot the team’s No. 44 entry at Daytona. So what happens with Frank, who holds the second spot in all-time wins? Silence is golden. Catchfence.com will continue to dig into this story with hopes of an update when Thunder Crew launches it’s season premiere on January 27.

Hixson Motorsports: Hixson Motorsports is another team that continues to solider on in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. The family duo of Brandon and Donnie Kelley made a run for the championship in 2008, but the team has yet to announce their 2009 plans. The team has filed an entry for the season-opener at Daytona and we hope to know more in the coming days who the driver will be.

Mike Harmon Motorsports: Somehow some way, Mike Harmon continued his dream of racing race cars and competed in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2008. A top-10 finish in his inaugural debut at Cayuga Motor Speedway was definitely a high, but Harmon daunted plenty of lows. Through it all, Harmon kept digging and has gathered sponsorship from HotJackets.com to make his annual trip to Daytona. I’m glad you’ll be there.

RAB Racing with Brack Maggard: Unfortunately, we won’t see RAB Racing who easily earned the title as “everyone’ best friend” last season in the ARCA RE/MAX Series full-time roster this season. While the team plans to run Daytona and quite possibly the four remaining events afterwards, their ARCA plans from there are unknown. John Wes Townley will run Daytona since I’m completely stunned that NASCAR won’t approve him for Nationwide race. Nonetheless, the team will be there and competitive and that’s exactly where they left off. If Townley is not in the car, except maybe a RAB Racing affiliate like Clay Rogers to give them a shot at victory.

Robby Benton, the leader behind RAB Racing received more nods than any other person in the ARCA garage at the Championship banquet in December for his ability to loan / assistance other team’s in time of need, making his team “everyone’s best friend.” Let’s hope someone is there to step up to that plate in 2009.

Sheltra Motorsports: Obviously, this is a team that everyone is pointing at to be in the prime position to win the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series championship. The team is surrounded by the most improved driver from his first year to his second year and that’s Indiantown, Florida native Patrick Sheltra. Sheltra is getting it, enough said. He has improved tremendously in his driving style. He knows when to push it; he knows when to lay back. That’s going to make him a serious championship contender this year.

He will be a winner this year. He has a great team and has moved to Dodge practically full-time. The team is already looking strong after setting the fast-time at Daytona International Speedway last month, putting them as an easy favorite for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona.

Stringer Motorsports: She’s got it. Referring to Gabi DiCarlo, I mean. After an up-and-down rookie year, Gabi DiCarlo showed incredible improvement and determination in 2008. A slew of top-10 finishes have everyone thinking that DiCarlo will continue to shine this year. The team won’t run a full schedule, but none-the-less; they’ll be around for a majority of it.

The team brought a new crew chief, Randy Nelson in at the end of last year and he made a world of difference. Confidence is everything and the team will have it for sure. Oh and when DiCarlo isn’t playing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, she’ll be vying to make a name for herself in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

Venturini Motorsports: Year after year it’s a true blessing to have Venturini Motorsports on the sidelines. Bill and Cathy Venturini are like patriarchs of the ARCA RE/MAX Series and they always will be in my book. This team will be back in full competition in 2009 and people are looking forward to that.

The team has Canadian Ryan Fischer signed for the team’s No. 15 entry for the full 2009 ARCA season with Joey Logano and Brian Scott running a limited schedule.

Fischer will surprise people, you will watch and see. He had some strong runs in 2008 the only item that was pivotal from making his season stronger was seat time. That won’t be missing this year.

We all know what Joey Logano can do for Venturini Motorsports and well, Brian Scott, no one can’t help to like the kid and the Venturini’s know they are lucky to have him.

What they might be missing is that Brian Scott knows he’s lucky to have Venturini Motorsports. Scott is a driver that can add another victory to the Venturini platform.

Win-Tron Racing: They’ll be around this year and that’s a good thing. The team is trying to sign a full-time driver for the 2009 season but in the mean time they will continue to field an entry and help further blossom the career of James Buescher, who holds thanks to Win-Tron Racing the title as the youngest winner in ARCA RE/MAX Series history.

The team tested three drivers at Daytona with Matt Merrell, who will run a limited ARCA schedule this year and a new hot-gun Derek Murphy, who I think will get a shot or two this year. The team is the defending restrictor plate pole-winner after Buescher pushed his TOYOTA Camry to the prime spot at Talladega Superspeedway last October. It’s been a while since the team has went to victory lane, but they will cross that name off their list this year.

Odd ‘N’ Ends (Teams /Drivers):

Michael Annett: Looking to defend his ARCA RE/MAX Series Daytona title, Annett is expected to run in at least the season opener for Germain Racing. Annett has won the last two ARCA restrictor plate events he’s started. He’s looking to make it three-for-three in February.

Robb Brent: After posting four top-10 finishes in just eight starts in 2008, Robb Brent is hoping to return to ARCA RE/MAX Series competition a little more competitive this year. After dabbing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series last year, Brent has reshifted his focus to ARCA and hopes that sponsorship will be able to materialize a much stiffer schedule this year.

Sean Caisse: Driving for former Camping World Truck Series driver Shigeaki Hattori last year, Sean Caisse’s 2009 season is still silent. It doesn’t appear that Hattori has been able to secure the full-season funding that the team had been hoping for. Nonetheless, I think Hattori will get everything worked out and Caisse will be on track in some way shape or form this year.

Dominick Casola: Not much has been said about his 2009 plans, but Casola tested for Jones Racing at Daytona and was impressive. The New Jersey native has hinted he has big plans for the year, hopefully it will allow him to return to top-10 status.

Jeremy Clements: Seven races didn’t seem like enough for Jeremy Clements last season but producing five top-10 efforts in seven starts was commendable in ‘08. The Jeremy Clements Racing team is expected to run again in 2009, but the team is vying for a return to victory lane.

Joey Coulter: Another young-gun on the move. He’s going to run the Daytona ARCA race for Bobby Gerhart Racing and the word is he might be around a lot longer than that. His experience in other series have him a prime contender on the short tracks but hopefully he won’t be a wandering duck at Daytona. He’ll need to stay close to Gerhart and in the lead draft to give the other drivers sensibility that he’s respectful of his surroundings. That could pay off later this year.

Bobby Gerhart: We know that the multiple Daytona ARCA RE/MAX Series winner Bobby Gerhart will be a contender at Daytona but I hope that his team has their cars figured out. Other than Daytona and a well-deserved top-five at Pocono, BGR had nothing else to show for their runs last year. 2009 is a new year and new change for the team.

Matt Hawkins: In just five races last year, Hawkins stunned the ARCA world. In his first start of the season, Hawkins soared to victory lane at Iowa Speedway before keeping his top-10 efforts alive at all his other races except at Michigan International Speedway where a mechanical failure in the late stages of the race took Hawkins from top-five competition once again. The team will run 10 races this year expecting to kick off their year at Rockingham and I look for nothing but the same type of performances this year.

J.R. Heffner: Leaving the dirt scene behind, J.R. Heffner is ready to give his BCR team some momentum in their 2009 ARCA season. The team looked very strong in pre-season testing and is hoping to back it up come February. The team will run six-to-eight races in 2009 and you can expect to see this team and former dirt champion in the mix.

Mikey Kile: This name continues to come across my next computer as a driver to watch in 2009. Driving for Brad Keselowski Racing, Kile showed some strength in the draft at Daytona International Speedway, but he’ll need to find some speed in the single-car runs in order to make his ARCA debut in February. I’m keeping my eye on him and see how he’ll develop in 2009.

Brett Hudson: The Salem Speedway ace will once run a limited ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule this year with his family-owned Brett Hudson Motorsports team. While the team still posted two top-10 finishes in five starts last year, Hudson is looking for his results from 2007 which saw the Owensboro, Kentucky native in the top-10 more often than not. A five-to-seven race venue is of order for BHM this year. Jared Bartlett will continue to serve as crew chief.

Chase Mattioli: The grandson of the owner of Pocono Raceway will run a limited schedule for Hamilton-Sadler Racing this year and it appears it could start as early as Daytona. Mattioli hasn’t had the break he’s needed in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, but I believe it will come in time. A little more seat time and the wealth of knowledge feeding from car owner Bobby Hamilton, Jr. could be an equal opportunity for Mattioli this year.

Leilani Munter: She hasn’t made an ARCA RE/MAX Series start yet, but that is likely out the window as a big deal appears on the line for the former open-wheel driver this year. She has plenty of testing at Daytona International Speedway, but now she’ll have a prime opportunity to strut her stuff.

Peyton Sellers: The former NASCAR Camping World East Series driver is backing his own team in Cardinal Motorsports and will run a limited ARCA RE/MAX Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series schedule this year. Sellers is no stranger to the ARCA RE/MAX Series and won’t be a surprise when he’s seen upfront. Hopefully, we’ll see him around ARCA a little more longer than his team’s already proposed.

TRG Motorsports: After running a successful NASCAR truck program in 2008, TRG Motorsports extended it’s program to include the ARCA RE/MAX Series and they did fairly well. A mix of drivers produced good results last year not to mention a pole for Andy Lally at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The team tested Beau Slocumb and JR Fitzpatrick at Daytona last month with Slocumb expected to lead the team in the Daytona march in February. The team will be around in 2009 and should do well with the advisement of Butch Hylton and Jon Wolfe.

Other drivers to watch at some point this year include: Andy Hanson, Jack Bailey, Ricky Carmichael, Jennifer Jo Cobb, Austin Dillon, Matt Kurzenski, Billy Pauch, Jr, David Ragan Ken Schrader, Michael Simko, Ben Stancill and Pete Shepherd.

Food for thought: Where’s Stuart Kirby? A strong figure for the ARCA scene has been missing for a long while. The Bowling Green, Kentucky native has 13 ARCA starts since 2001 and has finished in the top-10 in seven of those 13 starts. He has two runner-up finishes. This former ARCA driver would be a good role model for any of these young-upcoming kids and who knows it could lead the former NASCAR Nationwide / Sprint Cup Series driver back to the seat where he belongs.

So that’s a wrap on the 2009 preview. The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona is just weeks away and when that green flag flies on Saturday, February 7 just after 4:00 p.m., race fans on SPEED and in the stands at the “World Center of Racing” will be in for quite a treat.

I’ll be back on Thunder Crew (ARCA Thunder) with host Mike Harper, Lori Munro and Dennis Michelsen on Race Talk Radio (racetalkradio.com) every Tuesday night starting January 27, 2009 starting at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time. If you haven’t listened to the show before, tune in. You’ll enjoy it!

And for former ARCA RE/MAX Series car owner Shannon Feldmann, we’ll miss seeing your smiling face at the races. But, best of luck in your new endeavors! We’re proud of you at Catchfence.com.

See you at the races!