Catchfence

Kansas Speedway

Date: September 30, 2010

Craig Goess and the No. 81 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Eddie Sharp Racing team enjoyed a weekend off from the ARCA Racing Series schedule. The series returns to the track this Thursday, and the No. 81 team is rested and prepared for the final two events of the 2010 season. With a full weekend of ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series action at Kansas Speedway, the ESR team looks to continue its trek to the ARCA Racing Series championship.

Craig Goess Fast Facts:

Last Race: Salem: Goess earned his third-career Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell at Salem Speedway two weeks ago. His fast lap of 17.523 seconds (114.022 mph) was good enough to land him on the pole for the start of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic.

The green flag waved, and Goess led 34 laps before pulling into the pits for a problem with the throttle linkage. The No. 81 ESR team worked hard to quickly get the car back on the track, but the early, unscheduled stop put the No. 81 12 laps down. Goess was able to regain one lap and finished in the 13th position, 11 laps down from the winner.

1.5-mile Tracks: Goess has momentum on his side around the 1.5-mile tracks in the ARCA Racing Series circuit. This season, the series competed at the 1.5-mile ovals of Texas Motor Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway, and Goess collected top-five finishes at both (2nd, 5th). The trend reaches back to Goess’ rookie season in 2009, where he also collected four top-10 finishes at Kentucky Speedway (7th, 4th), Chicago (8th) and Kansas (10th).

Goess in the Sunflower State: Goess competed at Kansas Speedway only once in the ARCA Racing Series. In 2009, Goess started from the sixth position and fought a loose racecar around the 1.5-mile track. The No. 81 ended up 10th at the event.

Companion Races: Goess and the ARCA Racing Series will be a part of a busy weekend at Kansas Speedway. With the ARCA Racing Series event on Thursday at the track, the NASCAR Nationwide (NNS) and Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) will come into town for events beginning on Friday. The ARCA Racing Series competed in eight companion race weekends this season with the NSCS, NNS or the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. In the eight companion races, Goess has one win, four top-fives and seven top-10s.

In the Points: Goess fell to the third position in the ARCA Racing Series points standings. The tight point battle continues to get tighter as ARCA officials levied a penalty after the Salem Speedway race against then-leader Tom Hessert for post-race inspection infractions. With penalties included, the official point standings places Patrick Sheltra in the lead, followed by Hessert in the second position, 15 points back. Goess is in third place, 20 points behind the leader. With two races remaining in the season, Goess looks to capture his first ARCA Racing Series championship.

ESR Success at Kansas: Over the past three years, ESR found success at the Kansas City track. In 2009, then-ESR driver Justin Lofton won the pole award and finished second in the event on his way to capture the 2009 ARCA Racing Series championship.

The 2008 season also brought success for the team at Kansas as then-ESR teammates dominated the weekend; Ken Butler III won the pole award, and Scott Speed collected the win. Butler still holds the ARCA Racing Series qualifying record at Kansas with a lap of 30.799 mph (175.330 mph). Speed holds the race record at the track with a speed of 124.855 mph.

Craig Goess

Goess on running at Kansas Speedway: “I like the bigger tracks. Kansas Speedway is an amazing facility. We’re lucky to get to race there with some of the other series that go there. Our intermediate package has been really good, so it’s kind of like the Chicago race. We ran well there, and we ran well at Michigan and Pocono. We should do really well at Kansas. With two races left, the No. 81 team is going to give it everything that we have. We are still in the chase for the championship, and we’re looking forward to regaining those points that we lost at Salem last race.”

- Activ8 Communications Press Release