Catchfence

Salem, Ind. (Sept. 20, 2010) – Craig Goess fought problems on the track Saturday night at Salem Speedway for the ARCA Racing Series’ Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic. Goess drove the No. 81 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota to 13th place after battling a broken throttle linkage early in the race.

The event at the .555-mile short track was condensed to a one-day show, and the day started with the lone practice session of the event. The No. 81 looked good in practice and laid down a lap of 17.523 seconds (114.022 mph). His time landed him second in practice, and the team was poised for success going into qualifying.

Goess capitalized on his quick car from practice, and his quick two laps during qualifying earned his series-leading third Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell with a lap of 17.096 seconds (116.869 mph).

Starting from the front of the field, Goess was ready to take on the short track of Salem Speedway when the green flag dropped on the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic on Saturday evening. Goess quickly took control of the field, leading 34 laps early in the race.

Goess came down pit road for an unscheduled pit stop, and the No. 81 team went to work to assess the problem. The team worked quickly to fix a broken throttle linkage, and Goess returned to the field 12 laps down.

Throughout the remainder of the race, Goess fought to gain his laps back and stay on track to complete the event. He regained one lap, but the early, unscheduled pit stop relegated the team to the 13th position, 11 laps down. Dakoda Armstrong crossed the finish line first, grabbing his second victory of the season.

“It was a tough day for our team,” said Goess. “We felt really good after practice and qualifying, and I was thrilled to earn my third pole award. Unfortunately, we found bad luck early in the race and could not come back from it. With only two races left in the season, we are going to focus on putting our best effort into everything. I want to go into Kansas and Rockingham and regain those points lost this weekend. We are still in it for the championship, and the No. 81 Greenville Toyota of N.C. team is going to give it all we have.”

After the race, Goess fell to third in the championship chase, 30 points behind leader Tom Hessert. Post-race inspections led to infractions for both Hessert and race-winner Armstrong, and penalties followed for the two drivers. In the unofficial point standings, Goess remains in the third position, 20 points behind leader Sheltra, and five points behind Hessert. Official point standings from the infractions should be released later today from ARCA Racing Series officials.

Goess and the ARCA Racing Series have this weekend off before heading to Kansas Speedway on Sept. 30 for the Kansas Lottery 150. The 150-mile event will be broadcast live on SPEED at 5 p.m. EST.

About Eddie Sharp Racing

Eddie Sharp set up shop in 2005 in Denver, N.C. after several years of transforming young, talented drivers into ARCA championship contenders. Today, Eddie Sharp Racing has evolved into the rite of passage for any serious upcoming driver with an ambition for professional stock car racing. Located in Denver, North Carolina just north of Charlotte, Eddie Sharp Racing occupies a top-notch facility that closely resembles a five-star NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, both inside and out. The two ESR buildings contain two teams where on any given day, championship contending cars are assembled, engines tuned and teams strategize to score the next race day victory.

- Activ8 Communications Press Release