ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards

Graham’s morning lap of 48.229 seconds (186.61 mph) in the No. 88 Ford gave him the lead in the weekend’s fifth testing session, and in turn the only top 10 time outside of Saturday afternoon’s drafting session. Duno, Jared Marks, Will Kimmel, and Alex Bowman comprised the remainder of the morning top five.

Only 30 cars participated in the last afternoon session, which Duno led with a best lap of 48.34 seconds (186.161 mph). She was followed by Joey Coulter, Brandon McReynolds, Bowman, and Josh Richards. Full speed charts for both Sunday sessions are available at ARCARacing.com.

Overall, Venturini Motorsports ended the weekend with the top positions among 79 drivers who took laps over 21 hours. Bowman’s Saturday afternoon lap of 47.787 seconds (188.336 mph) in the No. 25 Chevrolet will stand as the test’s top effort, just ahead of teammates John Stancill, Brennan Poole, and Ryan Reed. Marks, driving a Tony Marks Racing Dodge, ended the weekend fifth.

Duno’s Saturday afternoon lap in the Sheltra Motorsports Ford ended the test sixth overall, just ahead of Venturini’s Nelson Canache, DC Racing’s Drew Charlson, Graham, and Coulter Motorsports’ Matt Lofton.

The overall weekend results are listed below.

CAR # DRIVER MFG TIME SPEED

1 25a Alex Bowman Chevy 47.787 188.336
2 55 John Stancill Toyota 47.811 188.241
3 25 Brennan Poole Chevy 47.812 188.237
4 15 Ryan Reed Toyota 47.821 188.202
5 12 Jared Marks Dodge 47.832 188.159
6 63 Milka Duno Ford 48.166 186.854
7 35 Nelson Canache Chevy 48.212 186.676
8 51 Drew Charlson Chevy 48.221 186.641
9 88 Buster Graham Ford 48.229 186.610
10 16 Matt Lofton Chevy 48.234 186.590
11 94 Steve Blackburn Chevy 48.245 186.548
12 69a Fain Skinner Ford 48.251 186.525
13 58 Chad Hackenbracht Chevy 48.340 186.181
14 61 Joey Coulter Chevy 48.363 186.093
15 4 Brandon McReynolds Chevy 48.364 186.089
16 32 Chris Windom Toyota 48.380 186.027
17 66 Josh Richards Toyota 48.438 185.805
18 68 Will Kimmel Ford 48.488 185.613
19 08 Ross Chastain Ford 48.569 185.303
20 12 Maryeve Dufault Dodge 48.573 185.288
21 75 Ginny Quinones Toyota 48.674 184.904
22 44 Frank Kimmel Toyota 48.773 184.528
23 6 Cale Gale Chevy 48.803 184.415
24 14 John Ferrier Chevy 48.839 184.279
25 05 Derrike Cope Chevy 48.846 184.253
26 00 Ed Kennedy Chevy 48.865 184.181
27 66 Mark Thompson Toyota 48.931 183.932
28 1 Alli Owens Ford 48.953 183.850
29 90 Zachary Ralston Ford 48.971 183.782
30 29c Bobby Pelland Dodge 49.076 183.389
31 29a Sam Edwards Dodge 49.092 183.329
32 5a Bobby Gerhart Chevy 49.169 183.042
33 82a Sean Corr Ford 49.190 182.964
34 61 T.J. Duke Chevy 49.193 182.953
35 11b Rick Clifton Chevy 49.340 182.408
36 75a Benny Chastain Toyota 49.392 182.216
37 17 Chris Buescher Ford 49.417 182.124
38 29b Sloan Henderson Dodge 49.461 181.962
39 5b Damon Lusk Chevy 49.469 181.932
40 14a Josh Williams Ford 49.609 181.419
41 05 Spencer Gallagher Chevy 49.625 181.360
42 1a Jeremy Petty Chevy 49.725 180.995
43 40a Michelle Therault Dodge 49.745 180.923
44 10a Dennis Strickland Ford 49.793 180.748
45 13 George Cushman Dodge 49.985 180.054
46 69 Chris Brown Ford 50.133 179.522
47 18 Michael Affarano Chevy 50.207 179.258
48 10b Ryan Glenski Chevy 50.223 179.201
49 90a Grant Enfinger Ford 50.258 179.076
50 40t Nick Tucker Dodge 50.390 178.607
51 11 Paul Harraka Chevy 50.403 178.561
52 11c Trevor Edwards Chevy 50.517 178.158
53 10 Derrick Griffin Ford 50.539 178.080
54 1b Thomas Praytor Ford 50.560 178.006
55 11a Ed Pompa Chevy 50.579 177.939
56 29 Bob Bryant Dodge 50.606 177.845
57 11e Sunny Hobbs Chevy 50.617 177.806
58 29d Andy Jones Dodge 50.626 177.774
59 18f Chris Coker Ford 50.640 177.725
60 04c Danny Esposito Dodge 50.651 177.687
61 04 Scott Edwards Dodge 50.695 177.532
62 1c Alexsander Gregory Ford 50.715 177.462
63 40b Trent Mayo Dodge 50.926 176.727
64 04a Juan Carlos Blum Dodge 51.029 176.370
65 40d Larry Barford Dodge 51.054 176.284
66 11d Bill Coffey Ford 51.162 175.912
67 40d Josh Watkins Dodge 51.162 175.912
68 06 Ricky Byers Chevy 51.173 175.874
69 11h James Hylton Ford 51.243 175.634
70 10f Brad Lloyd Chevy 51.257 175.586
71 10b Daryl Eustice Ford 51.277 175.517
72 18c Tyler Speer Chevy 51.348 175.275
73 89 Chris Lafferty Chevy 51.563 174.544
74 40c Ryan Rust Dodge 51.605 174.402
75 7 Brent Cross Chevy 51.792 173.772
76 40 Michael Bockler Dodge 51.795 173.762
77 40b Roger Carter Dodge 51.827 173.655
78 89a Korbin Forrister Chevy 52.314 172.038
79 74 Jimmy Nowell Chevy 60.220 149.452

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will return to central Florida in less than two months, as the February 18 Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway will open ARCA’s 60th Anniversary Season. The 80-lap, 200-mile race is scheduled as the first of 20 races in 2012 and will air live on SPEED, with additional coverage available at ARCARacing.com.

The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series will visit Alabama’s Mobile International Speedway and Minnesota’s Elko Speedway for the first time; ARCA’s first visit to Minnesota will give ARCA a race in a 29th state.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

- Automobile Racing Club of America Press Release

ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Thumbnail

Ryan Reed drove the No. 15 Toyota to a best lap of 48.857 seconds (184.211 mph) in the second session of ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards open testing at the 2.5-mile oval, just edging teammates Brennan Poole, John Stancill, and Mark Thompson for the day’s best times. T.J. Duke, driving for Coulter Motorsports, finished the day fifth.

Poole led the three-hour morning period with a best lap of 48.915 seconds, and he and Reed were the only drivers to top that mark in the four-hour afternoon session.

Reed has never competed in the ARCA Racing Series, but is a track champion and super late model Rookie of the Year and race winner at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale in California. Just months past his 18th birthday, Reed enters ARCA with three NASCAR K&N Pro Series starts to his credit. In February, as he prepared to move to North Carolina from Bakersfield, Calif., Reed was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

Rick Clifton, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year Joey Coulter, Chris Windom, Nelson Canache, and Sloan Henderson filled out the top 10 for the first day. Seven-time and defending Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart ended the day 13th, and 2011 Daytona runner-up and ARCA Rookie of the Year Chris Buescher finished 27th.

Open testing for teams and drivers will continue Saturday and Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

The full list of every driver’s best speed is available below.

CAR # DRIVER TIME SPEED

1 15 Ryan Reed 48.857 184.211
2 25 Brennan Poole 48.862 184.192
3 55 John Stancill 48.921 183.970
4 66 Mark Thompson 48.931 183.932
5 61 T.J. Duke 49.193 182.953
6 11b Rick Clifton 49.340 182.408
7 61 Joey Coulter 49.350 182.371
8 32 Chris Windom 49.360 182.334
9 35 Nelson Canache 49.439 182.043
10 29b Sloan Henderson 49.461 181.962
11 5b Damon Lusk 49.469 181.932
12 82a Sean Corr 49.475 181.910
13 5a Bobby Gerhart 49.502 181.811
14 58 Chad Hackenbracht 49.552 181.627
15 4 Brandon McReynolds 49.553 181.624
16 99 Buster Graham 49.637 181.316
17 14 John Ferrier 49.666 181.210
18 94 Steve Blackburn 49.717 181.025
19 16 Matt Lofton 49.725 180.995
20 00 Ed Kennedy 49.761 180.865
21 12 Jared Marks 49.772 180.825
22 63 Milka Duno 49.787 180.770
23 1 Alli Owens 49.813 180.676
24 69a Fain Skinner 49.862 180.498
25 68 Will Kimmel 50.016 179.942
26 6 Cale Gale 50.034 179.878
27 17a Chris Buescher 50.035 179.874
28 90 Zachary Ralston 50.114 179.591
29 08 Ross Chastain 50.131 179.530
30 69 Chris Brown 50.133 179.522
31 18 Michael Affarano 50.207 179.258
32 10b Ryan Glenski 50.223 179.201
33 90a Grant Enfinger 50.258 179.076
34 75 Ginny Quinones 50.278 179.005
35 11 Paul Harraka 50.403 178.561
36 75a Benny Chastain 50.461 178.356
37 11a Ed Pompa 50.579 177.939
38 11c Trevor Edwards 50.681 177.581
39 04 Scott Edwards 50.695 177.532
40 51 Drew Charlson 50.744 177.361
41 05 Spencer Gallagher 50.903 176.807
42 13 George Cushman 50.928 176.720
43 04a Juan Carlos Blum 51.029 176.370
44 04c Danny Esposito 51.089 176.163
45 11d Bill Coffey 51.162 175.912
46 06 Ricky Byers 51.173 175.874
47 10b Daryl Eustice 51.277 175.517
48 04b Nick Tucker 51.405 175.080
49 40d Larry Barford 51.511 174.720
50 04d Josh Watkins 51.674 174.169
51 40b Roger Carter 51.827 173.655
52 40 Michael Bockler 51.990 173.110
53 05a Derrike Cope 52.067 172.854
54 7 Brent Cross 52.376 171.834

2012 will be the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The season begins with the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 18. The event will air live on SPEED.

The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series will visit Alabama’s Mobile International Speedway and Minnesota’s Elko Speedway for the first time; ARCA’s first visit to Minnesota will give ARCA a race in a 29th state.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

- Automobile Racing Club of America Press Release

Ty Dillon (L) and car owner and grandather Richard Childress (R) celebrate the ARCA Racing Series championship during the annual awards banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center (Photo Credit: ARCA)

Dillon and his No. 41 Chevrolet team were officially crowned ARCA champions at the series’ annual Championship Awards Banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. The 19-year-old from Lewisville, N.C. was among 15 drivers from the top 20 in the final point standings to be honored on stage, and left with more than $100,000 in point fund and special award earnings, as awarded by the numerous series partners at the ceremony.

To honor Dillon’s position as the 29th ARCA Racing Series champion in 59 seasons, ARCA president Ron Drager presented the driver a letter signed by North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue, as well as a series championship ring and a leather championship jacket featuring the series logo.

As is the custom, a video tribute featured photographs from the champion’s youth and ascent to championship status; special additions to this season’s video included special messages from Richard Childress Racing drivers Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, as well as a collection of footage showcasing Dillon’s use of the word “awesome” in Victory Lane interviews.

Joining Dillon on stage were his grandfather and team owner, Richard Childress, grandmother Judy Childress, and crew chief Scott “Flash” Naset, who was joined by his wife Stephanie.

“It doesn’t really hit you, how special it is to do something like this, until you’re up on the stage like this and all these people you’ve worked so hard against all year are staring up at you and you’re getting crowned the champion,” said Dillon, who finished the season with seven wins, 13 top-fives, and 16 top-10 finishes. “It hit me pretty hard, and I’m just proud to be with the group of guys I’m with. It’s almost just surreal, to finally take it in. This experience right here has changed me a lot.”

Among the top awards Dillon and his team received were: $10,000 for winning the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell after securing seven poles in 2011; $6,000 from Sunoco Race Fuel; $5,000 for winning the Aaron’s Lap Leader of the Year Award; $5,000 from Messina Wildlife Management; $5,000 from Hoosier for most wins by a car owner; $2,500 from the University of Northwestern Ohio; and the Fast Track High Performance Driving School Award. Jeff Abbott of Menards presented Dillon a check representing his winnings from the series points fund.

Naset also visited the stage on his own to accept the Cometic Crew Chief of the Year Award.

David Ragan, a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series and ARCA Racing Series race winner, served as the Guest of Honor. SPEED television analyst Phil Parsons acted as the banquet host for the third consecutive year.

Chris Buescher, who drove to second place in the final standings for Roulo Brothers Racing, received the $10,000 ARCA Rookie of the Year Award, as well as $2,500 in cash and product certificates from Print Resources and $500 from JRI. Buescher also accepted the $15,000 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Award and the R.E. Lightning Challenge Award, among other prizes.

Buescher won three of the season’s last four races, and the team’s Russell Roulo won the Klotz Engine Mechanic of the Year Award. Gary Roulo joined Buescher on stage when he was introduced for finishing in second place.

The team left with more than $100,000 in point fund and special award earnings after a season in which Buescher drove to three wins, 14 top-fives, and 16 top-10s.

Frank Kimmel was recognized on stage for finishing third in the series standings, as well as for winning the CGS Imaging Hard Charger of the Year Award and the S&S Volvo Laps Completed Award. He was joined for a final time on stage by brother and crew chief Bill Kimmel; the two will separate for the 2012 season with Frank Kimmel moving to ThorSport Racing.

Chad McCumbee, who finished fifth in the final series standings, joined owner Jennifer Belmont on stage to accept the Bill France Four Crown Award for his combined performances at New Jersey, Michigan, Springfield, and Salem.

Fourth-place driver Grant Enfinger and owner Mike Allgaier were introduced, as were fellow pairs from the top 10 in the final standings: Tom Hessert and team owner Ken Schrader (sixth); Tim George Jr. and crew chief Gere Kennon (seventh); Chad Hackenbracht and team owner Greg Hackenbracht (eighth); Sean Corr and team owner John Corr (ninth); and Darrell Basham (10th).

The top-10 honor – Basham’s first since 1976 – turned out to be the second recognition of the night for Basham. Earlier, he was honored with his second Spirit Award, following the same honor in 2003. The Spirit Award is given to a person for dedication and support of ARCA, uplifting spirit by way of example, perseverance, and positive attitude. Despite a late 2010 garage fire that destroyed nearly all his race equipment, Basham displayed all of those characteristics in driving to his best season finish in 35 years.

Nick Ramey accepted the Crane Cams Engine Builder of the Year Award on behalf of Roush Yates Engines, and Ramey himself was presented the H.G. Adcox Sportsman of the Year Award for his consistent willingness to assist any team in the garage.

In addition to stepping to the stage with Hessert, Schrader appeared to accept the Marcum Award, annually presented to an individual or entity whose positive efforts have elevated ARCA’s motorsports stature to the benefit of all associated. Schrader is a 15-time winner in the ARCA Racing Series, and continues to promote the series today as a team owner and television broadcaster.

Cathy Venturini and Nate Thiesse, the fourth and 10th-place owners, respectively, both spoke on stage.

To complete the honoring of the top 20 drivers, James Hylton (11th), Brad Smith (12th), Levi Youster (14th), Will Kimmel (15th), and Maryeve Dufault (16th) visited the stage to receive congratulations.

Jeff Kettman accepted the Manufacturer Championship on behalf of Chevrolet.

Andy O’Neal, dean of the College of Technology of the University of Northwestern Ohio – ARCA’s Official High Performance Education University – awarded a group of ARCA scholarships on behalf of the university.

Likewise, Parsons announced the winners of the Bob Loga Memorial ARCA Scholarships. Brianna Peterson – granddaughter of ARCA competitor Wayne Peterson – won $1,500. Peterson, of Hoover, Ala., holds a 4.23 grade point average as a sophomore veterinary student at Auburn University. Brittany Gaddis of Romulus, Mich. won $500. She is the daughter of ARCA Figure 8 driver Danny Gaddis, attends Romulus High School, and plans to study nursing at Wayne State University in Detroit.

The ceremony concluded just after 10 p.m. with a special video featuring an interview with Mildred Marcum, known widely as an ARCA founder. The interview led into a short mention of ARCA’s 60th Anniversary Season and the surrounding celebrations that will occur throughout 2012. A press conference in the afternoon included major series and team announcements.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards featured 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. In 2011, the series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

The 2012 ARCA Racing Series schedule is currently available at ARCARacing.com. Testing for ARCA’s 60th Anniversary Season will begin Friday, December 16 at Daytona International Speedway. The season’s first race is scheduled for Saturday, February 18 at Daytona.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

- Automobile Racing Club of America Press Release

Allgaier Motorsports Logo Thumbnail

Enfinger on the heels of a strong 12th place NCWTS finish last weekend at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway driving for his Late Model-owned Bragg Racing Group (BRG) is excited about having the opportunity to carry the Allgaier Motorsports name at one of the most historic short tracks on the circuit.

“I’m very excited about running Martinsville this weekend with Allgaier Motorsports,” said Enfinger, who placed fourth in the final ARCA championship standings. “It’s been something we have been talking about for a while now. Mike (Allgaier), Justin (Allgaier), myself and everyone involved is putting a lot of effort into making this transition a success. This is actually a truck that they (Allgaier Motorsports) built last year for Justin to run but it never worked out. So, now I’m the lucky one that gets to sit behind the wheel.”

The team will be able to hoist the No. 36 in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series as the operation tries to keep as much of the ARCA sentimental elements together as possible. The family-owned team will also welcome England’s Stove Works as the primary marketing partner for Saturday’s short track showdown.

Grant Enfinger

With 41 trucks pre-entered for the final short track contest of the season, the Allgaier Motorsports team will have to beat five other competitors in order to make the starting grid. To help them with the task, the team has turned to veteran racing crew chief John Monsam who will call the shots on the No. 36 England’s Stove Works Dodge Ram this weekend.

After a lengthy tenure in the ARCA Racing Series, Monsam recently has been working in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at MacDonald Motorsports where he is trying to guide rookie driver Blake Koch to the 2011 Rookie of the Year honors.

“I’m looking forward to being on the same team with John this weekend,” Enfinger added. “He has been around racing forever and I’ve known him a long time. Plus, he is well respected in the community, so it just makes sense to have him call the shots on Saturday.”

Despite Enfinger’s impressive short track resume in various types of racecars, the Fairhope, Alabama has never made the trip to Martinsville Speedway. Obviously thankful for the opportunity and eager to roar onto the pavement, the 26-year old is remaining optimistic.

“I’ve never actually raced at Martinsville, but I’ve raced Late Models at tracks similar to it,” the 26-year sounded. “I think coming off a good run at Talladega with another new team to NASCAR will provide a little momentum and feel like I gained some respect from the full timers in the garage. I honestly feel like if we can race in the top-10 and show some good speed and bring home a whole for Mike Allgaier and the entire Allgaier Motorsports team, then everyone will consider the weekend a success.”

Allgaier Motorsports will unveil further plans for its NASCAR Camping World Truck Series effort in the near future.

The Kroger 200 (200 laps / 105.2 miles) is the 23rd of 25 races on the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series tour. The first of two practice sessions is set to begin on Friday, October 28th from 11:00 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. Final practice which consists of a one hour and 10 minute session begins at 2:10 p.m. and set to conclude at 3:20 p.m. Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, October 29 set to launch at 10:40 a.m. The field will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 2:00 p.m. with live coverage on SPEED, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage of the contest lifts off at 1:30 p.m. also on SPEED. All times are local (Eastern).

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to allgaierMotorsports.com.

To learn more about England’s Stove Works, please click onto englanderstoves.com.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

Cunningham Motorsports

The team tested at Caraway Speedway last week in an effort to reacquaint Wallace with the ARCA Series cars. She last raced with the ARCA organization in 2008, competing at Talladega and Pocono—a definite change in track configuration to the .5 mile Toledo Speedway. When the #22 rolled off of the trailer, Wallace hit the track for the first practice session very comfortable, as she told crew chief Paul Andrews, “Everything is handling really, really well.” After the crew made many adjustments throughout the first 45 minute practice, Wallace showed 15th on the speed chart. She found the car more to her liking in the final practice, posting the 8th quickest time, picking up .5 seconds, with a 16.390. After finding another .25 seconds, Wallace posted the 5th fastest qualifying time.

After a two and a half hour rain delay on Sunday, the green/yellow flag flew for the 200 lap event. The first 41 laps were run behind the pace car, in order to continue the drying process after continuous rain. After multiple cautions over the first 30 laps under green flag conditions, Wallace maintained the 6th spot. Wallace ran the fastest lap, turned by all cars, during the race on lap 51.

Chrissy Wallace

A few laps later the caution flew again, awarding Wallace the Aaron’s Lucky Dog award, since she was the first car not on the lead lap. During this caution Wallace brought the car in for 4 fresh Hoosiers. One more pit stop for the Cunningham crew occurred on lap 159, to repair some cosmetic damage which happened during the previous spin, with Wallace restarting in 20th. From this point until the checkered flag flew, Wallace picked up one spot at a time. The final caution flag waved on lap 198 when the second place car of Ty Dillon spun out then-leader, Brandon Poole. The green flag flew for the final time on lap 205, with Wallace earning the 11th spot.

The top 5 finishers in the Federated Car Care 200 were Chris Buescher, Ty Dillon, Chad McCumbee, Tom Hessert and Grant Enfinger. Dillon won the season-long championship, with Buescher finishing second.

Cunningham Motorsports is looking forward to 2012, with many potential prospects for next season. Look for updates on the 2012 season on twitter @cunningham_race.

- Cunningham Motorsports Press Release

Win-Tron Racing

Wilson, making his second consecutive start for Win-Tron Racing and fourth of the season behind the wheel of the No. 32 Champion Brands Toyota Camry, the team was anxious to get their rookie driver on the track. Knowing that their prior success with rookies at the half-mile oval had offered a boastful point, the team still had to make sure that their Randleman, North Carolina native was comfortable behind the wheel.

It didn’t take long for Wilson to show his comfort zone at Toledo Speedway as he quickly wrestled his No. 32 Champion Brands Toyota Camry around the track and instantly showcased as one of the strongest cars in the field by posting the third quickest lap overall by the conclusion of first practice. In happy hour, the final practice session leading up to qualifying, the team’s attempt at a qualifying run would be halted due to lap traffic, but the veteran ARCA team still showcased the 11th fastest lap.

Turning their efforts to qualifying, the NASCAR Whelen-All American Series (NWAAS) amateur took to the Northern Ohio racetrack contesting to make his fifth career start overall. Picking up the pace from his quickest lap in practice, Wilson overall maneuvered the 14th best lap after 42 cars took an attempt to make the season finale.

No. 32 Champion Brands Toyota Camry

Unfortunately, teams returned to the ARCA-owned racetrack on Sunday under gloomy skies and consistent rain showers. Ultimately, the start of the contest would be pushed-back nearly two hours before the command to fire engines was given. ARCA would choose to utilize the 35-car starting field to finish the track drying process throwing both the green and yellow flags simultaneously for the first 40 circuits of the contest. With the yellow flag retracted and the green “officially” given to the field, Wilson was anxious to get the front and he didn’t hide it.

Quickly moving in the 13th position by lap 45, Wilson set his sights on the strong group of lead cars ahead of him. Just six laps later, Wilson found himself inside the top-10 and posting lap times comparable to the leaders.

Normal short track racing consists of typical beating and banging and Wilson had demonstrated that fact by lap 58 as contact while racing to inch up the leader board would cause a tire rub and ultimately force a trip down pit road during an early race caution where crew chief Mike Chaffee advised his team to change right side tires and pull the fender from the No. 32 Champion Brands Toyota Camry before sending their driver back into competition.

Finding himself deep in a lead lap group, Wilson restarted 18th but quickly began making progress and found himself in 13th by lap 92. Moving into 12th by lap 121, another yellow flag waived allowing Chaffee to bring his driver down pit lane for two left side tires and a splash of fuel. The strategy call would pay off and move the winner of last Fall’s Richard Petty Driver Search II back into the top-10 in ninth on lap 124.

Tight racing would see Wilson shift in the running order over the next 25 laps slipping to as low as 11th before climbing into eighth on lap 144. With 50 laps remaining, Wilson would make a pass by the No. 68 of Will Kimmel for seventh and the two late model drivers would duke it out for that position for many laps before eventual contact was made sending Kimmel into the outside wall and Wilson barely escaping unscathed.

Trying to shake off the incident and re-focus on the job at hand, Wilson continued to move forward and had lifted into the sixth position by 178. Wilson hovered in sixth coming to the white flag only to see the yellow flag raise just seconds later throwing the field into overtime and also rising the 19-year old to fifth after the leaders collided in turn two.

On the restart, Wilson would find himself in a torrid battle with the No. 36 of Grant Enfinger where the two would hash it out the entire final lap with the No. 36 pulling ahead of the No. 32 by inches at the checkered flag with Wilson delivering a sixth place finish, accelerating past his prior ARCA best of ninth at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway earlier this season.

Upon conclusion of the race, Wilson unbuckled himself from his automobile and personally found Will Kimmel to apologize about the incident near the end of the race. After the two conversed, Wilson then digested the afternoon’s race with the members of his team.

Ryan Wilson

He added, “This was my fourth race with Champion Brands as a sponsor and I was proud to represent them. We were excited to have Southern Pharmacy Services on-board for Toledo and we’re hoping to put some stuff together during the off-season that will see us back on track together in 2012.”

Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his sentiments on the Federated Car Care 200. “We’re impressed, especially with Ryan never seeing Toledo Speedway before arriving on Friday night. He’s an incredible person with a wealth of talent. He did an amazing job during the race and showed that he has the ability to race with the best of the best in ARCA. We’re proud to end the year with a positive finish, just like we started the year and to have been associated with Ryan and his group this season. We’re going to work hard towards trying to keep him in this seat for 2012.”

Wilson has five career ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit. In those five outings, he has maneuvered two top-10s, four top-15s and a career-best qualifying effort of fifth at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Wilson has also controlled the ARCA field once for three laps at Kansas Speedway.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is the 2011 championship banquet which is set for Saturday, December 10th at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati. The top-20 drivers and top-10 owners and drivers will be recognized for their participation in the series this year.

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641

For more on Champion Brands LLC and their extensive line of products, please log on to championbrands.com or championsusechampion.com.

Additional input on Ryan Wilson is available by logging on the web at RyanWilsonMotorsports.com.

- Win-Tron Racing Press Release

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The family-owned team elected to bring back the same No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger that they recorded a second-place finish in the Spring event at the half-mile oval. Looking to finish what they started, the Kelly Kovski-led organization had high hopes for the season finale.

With the United States Auto Club (USAC) sharing Saturday with the ARCA Racing Series at Toledo Speedway, practice which was normally run as one session would now be combined into two forty minute-efforts. Mounting the second and first quickest laps in each practice respectively, the short track ace along with his team were looking forward to strutting their stuff in Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell.

Despite not being able to maneuver his second pole of the season, Enfinger did log the third quickest lap which gained him five crucial points in the critical championship race. Somewhat content with their starting position, the team remained focused on the bigger goal at hand.

Unfortunately, teams returned to the ARCA-owned racetrack on Sunday under gloomy skies and consistent rain showers. Ultimately, the start of the contest would be pushed-back nearly two hours before the command to fire engines was given. ARCA would choose to utilize the 35-car starting field to finish the track drying process throwing both the green and yellow flags simultaneously for the first 40 circuits of the contest. With the yellow flag retracted and the green “officially” given to the field, Enfinger hovered inside the top-three waiting for the early stages of the race to settle in.

No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger

Settled in third, a caution waived just before lap 90, allowing Enfinger to bring his automobile to the attention of Kovski where the team changed tires and added fuel, electing to get out of sequence with the leaders – hoping it would pay off in the long run.

The lap 94 restart showed the Fairhope, Alabama native in the 18th position but quickly negotiating his way through the field. Climbing into the top-10 by lap 110, Enfinger proved that he had a car capable of running the multiple grooves around the racetrack.

When the leaders dished to pit road, Enfinger did the same offering the final stop of the afternoon with more tires and a splash of fuel. With the significant number of cars on the lead lap, Enfinger restarted the race deep in the pack in the 17th position.

With a determined attitude, Enfinger began charging his No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger through the tough field once again finding himself knocking on the door of re-entering the top-10 by lap 132.

12 laps later, the mission had been accomplished with Enfinger officially being scored in the 10th position. That though wasn’t good enough for the short track standout as he continued to manhandle his way through the field. By lap 175 and a few cautions later, Enfinger had moved into seventh position.

On the bumper of the No. 32 of Ryan Wilson, the two would hash it out coming to the white flag, but as the two began racing for a spot inside the top-five, leaders Dillon and Brennan Poole collided. With the No. 25 of Poole stalled on the racetrack, Enfinger passed him bumping him up into the sixth position. Now set for a green-white-checkered finish, Enfinger knew that the opportunity to outsmart Wilson, a new recruit to the ARCA Racing Series was capable.

With the green and white flags waiving together, the two began hashing it out fighting for a spot inside the top-five. As the two cars shoved their way out of turn four onto the frontstretch, Enfinger’s No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger cleared the No. 32 by inches awarding the team with their seventh top-five of the year.

Grant Enfinger

He added, “That was a good battle on the last lap with Ryan (Wilson). He raced me hard but cleaned and it gave the fans something to watch coming to the checkered flag.”

With the team’s 14th top-10 finish of the year, Enfinger unofficially secured third place in the championship standings, the best championship effort for Allgaier Motorsports since notching the 2008 championship with driver Justin Allgaier. In all, the team tallied 19 starts, one pole, seven top-fives, 14 top-10s, 18 top-15 finishes. All season long, the team had just one effort outside the top-20 late in the season at Salem (Ind.) Speedway where a rear-end failure relegated a 22nd place run.

“We didn’t have a lot as far the sponsorship department went, but we still made it,” Enfinger explained. “This is a team with a lot of heart and desire. We had our share of ups and downs, but it was worth it. I’m so appreciative of the Allgaier family for the opportunity and hope that sponsorship can materialize, so that they can race in 2012.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is the 2011 championship banquet which is set for Saturday, December 10th at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati. The top-20 drivers and top-10 owners and drivers will be recognized for their participation in the series this year.

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to AllgaierMotorsports.com.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

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In May, Enfinger, driver of the No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger made just his second career ARCA short track start. Despite the lack of his inexperience, the Fairhope, Alabama native fooled everyone after qualifying a strong 10th before surging to control the field for a whopping 35 laps before eventually finishing second to Ty Dillon.

This weekend, crew chief Kelly Kovski has elected to bring that same chassis back to the Northern Ohio short track where the duo hopes to finish what they started in the final event of the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season.

“Since May, we’ve been anxiously awaiting for our return to Toledo,” said Enfinger. “We had a super bad fast car there. It pretty much did what we wanted to. We’ve hardly made any changes to the car since then and we’re looking forward to picking up where we left off when the green flag drops Sunday afternoon.”

Despite being faced with potentially different weather characteristics, the avid late model ace is relying on the experience of his veteran Allgaier Motorsports team who capped off their 2008 ARCA championship season in style with a victory Hantz Group 200 presented by Belle Tire & Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway. Knowing that his Mike Allgaier-owned team is familiar with the path to victory circle, Enfinger believes that a victory is the one reward that has eluded his team this year.

No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger

No matter what the outcome though, the Allgaier Motorsports team with Enfinger in his first full season of competition of ARCA Racing Series competition don’t have much to fret when it comes down to performance. In 18 races, the No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger mounted six top-fives, 13 top-10s and 17 top-15 efforts only struck by a 22nd place finish at Salem (Ind.) Speedway last month when a gear failure relegated the team to a 22nd place run.

“In all accounts, we cannot complain about our year,” Enfinger remarked. “Without the Allgaier family (Ashley Allgaier, Justin Allgaier and Mike Allgaier) this all would not have been possible. We’ve ran extremely well this season on limited sponsorship, but we made it work. We’ve proven that even know that we may not have all the necessities that may be vital to a flawless season, we still could get the job done. My biggest way to thank them for the opportunity would be to win Sunday’s race.”

Grant Enfinger

“Allgaier Motorsports proved in 2008 that you can overcome a deficit with hard work and a “never give up” attitude,” Enfinger sounded. “It won’t be easy to move into third, let alone protect fourth, but we’re just going to go out there and do our thing and hope for the best when the checkered flag falls on Sunday afternoon.”

Entering Toledo, Enfinger has 36 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit. In those events, he has maneuvered 13 top-fives and 23 top-10 finishes including a career-best finish of second three times at Kentucky Speedway (July 2009), Chicagoland Speedway (August 2009), and Toledo Speedway (May 2011). He has controlled the field nine times for 216 laps. His best qualifying run occurred at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where Enfinger bolted to his first career pole.

The Federated Car Care 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the 19th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 70th ARCA race at Toledo Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, October 15 with a forty five minute practice session planned from 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m. A final forty five minute “happy hour” session has been etched in from 1:40 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. A one hour on-track autograph session has been etched in from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. on race day (Sunday). The contest will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 16. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,331st race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to AllgaierMotorsports.com.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

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After participating in the open ARCA Racing Series test at the 1.5-mile oval last month, Enfinger and his Kelly Kovski-led team took their No. 36 Beasley-Allen Law Firm / Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger back to their shop and made some adjustments to their automobile with the intentions of propelling Dodge back into victory lane in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

Earlier in the week, the team officially announced that Beasley-Allen Law Firm had joined the veteran ARCA team as the primary marketing partner for the 18th race of the season. The addition of a new partner to the Mike Allgaier-owned operation only gave the team further incentive and motivation to storm into the spotlight in the final speedway event of the season.

The No. 36 Beasley-Allen Law Firm / Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger driven by Grant Enfinger in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for Allgaier Motorsports.

Satisfied with the performance of their Chrysler nameplate the team headed into Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying with encouraging thoughts. During his time trials run, Enfinger hustled his automobile to a lap of 31.697 seconds or 170.363 miles per hour, a substantial pickup from their quickest lap in practice earlier in the day. Once qualifying was complete, Enfinger found himself ironically seventh on the starting grid.

Buckling in for the inaugural night race at Kansas Speedway, Enfinger and 37 of ARCA’s finest took the green flag shortly after 7:45 p.m. local with the notorious short track racer quickly inching forward. By lap five, Enfinger had moved into the sixth position with his eyes set on fifth place runner Cale Gale.

10 laps later, Enfinger continued to hover comfortably in the top-10 battling the No. 20 of Scott Lagasse for the sixth position. When the first caution flag waived on lap 24, the 2008 ARCA championship team found themselves occupying the seventh position. Reporting a loose condition to Kovski, the team elected to join a majority of the field on pit road for tires, fuel and a slight chassis adjustment to tighten up his No. 36 Beasley-Allen Law Firm / Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger.

Restarting the event in the fifth position thanks to superior work on pit lane by his crew, Enfinger would challenge Cale Gale for fourth immediately after the restart before ducking his blue and white machine behind Gale to maintain a spot inside the top-five.

While still battling a loose racecar, Enfinger still managed to post competitive laps times and fight for a spot comfortably inside the top-10. Another caution would slow the field with Kovski informing his driver to stay on the racetrack where he would restart the contest in the ninth position.

Just past the halfway point of the event, the yellow flag waived again with Kovski deciding to bring his pilot to pit road for more tires, fuel and another chassis adjustment to thwart the car’s aggravating condition.

Racing resumed with 44 laps remaining with Enfinger in the ninth position. Quickly, the 26-year old began slicing and dicing his way through the field. By lap 57, he had climbed to sixth with his sights set on reassuming a spot inside the top-five.

With 28 laps left in the event, Enfinger made the pass on the No. 55 of Alex Bowman to claim fifth and set his sights on fourth place runner Max Gresham. On lap 87, the rising star utilized his strong racecar to pass the No. 33 of Gale to move into the fourth position.

Luckily, a yellow flag with 13 laps remaining allowed the former PASS Super Late Model competitor to tag onto the bumpers of the leaders which consisted of Max Gresham, Ty Dillon and Chris Buescher giving the Allgaier Motorsports driver an opportunity to battle it out for the win. With Dillon having to pit because of damage occurring on the racetrack, Enfinger would restart the race in the third position.

The green flag flew with five laps remaining with Enfinger hunting his prey. With three laps remaining, Enfinger made a bold move to pass the No. 25 of Gresham but he would be no match for the No. 55 of Bowman who rocketed through the field with four fresh tires, sliding Enfinger back into the third position.

Able to pull away from his closest competition of Gresham and Gale, Enfinger took the checkered flag in the third spot claiming sixth top-five finish of the year and his best effort since finishing fifth at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in August. It was the team’s 13th top-10 of the season in 18 races.

Grant Enfinger

With just one race remaining in 2011, Enfinger retains fourth in the ARCA championship standings sitting 125 points behind nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel for third. Mathematically, the Allgaier Motorsports team has the potential to bump Kimmel from that spot at Toledo Speedway.

Speaking of Toledo Speedway, the ARCA Toledo 200 presented by Federated Car Care is set for Sunday, October 16th set to launch at 2:00 p.m. local live on SPEED. In May, Enfinger finished second behind winner and expected 2011 ARCA champion Ty Dillon after starting 10th and leading 35 laps.

Exiting Kansas, Enfinger has 36 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit. In those events, he has maneuvered 13 top-fives and 23 top-10 finishes including a career-best finish of second three times at Kentucky Speedway (July 2009), Chicagoland Speedway (August 2009), and Toledo Speedway (May 2011). He has controlled the field nine times for 216 laps. His best qualifying run occurred at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where Enfinger bolted to his first career pole.

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to AllgaierMotorsports.com.

To learn more about Beasley-Allen Law Firm and its capabilities, please click onto beasleyallen.com.

PHOTO CAPTION 1: The No. 36 Beasley-Allen Law Firm / Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger driven by Grant Enfinger in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for Allgaier Motorsports.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

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The Mike Allgaier-owned team also hopes to utilize the 18th race of the season to rebound from their worst finish of the 2011 season at Salem (Ind.) Speedway last month where after starting fifth, the team would be relegated to a 22nd place finish after a rear-end failure took them out of competition after 99 of 200 laps.

“Salem was a disappointment because we had a super-fast car,” said Fairhope Alabama’s Grant Enfinger. “Sometimes in racing, you cannot predict obstacles like the ones we faced to occur and we just got bitten. Since then we’ve polished our assets and we’re ready to go, you will see.”

Part of the team’s eagerness to get back to the track comes on the heels of a solid testing session at Kansas Speedway on Tuesday, September 20th and the addition of Beasley-Allen Law Firm as the primary marketing partner for this weekend’s contest. Since the beginning of the ARCA season, the team has been patiently but aggressively working on their Kansas automobile fine tuning it and prepping it for Friday night’s shootout.

Unofficially, the 26-year old and his Kelly Kovski-led team maneuvered the 14th quickest lap during the eight hour test session but the veteran ARCA team was quick to point out that they were not showing their full deck of cards.

Grant Enfinger

Set to make his third start at Kansas Speedway in his ARCA career and the first time in two years, Enfinger is hoping to build on his third place finish in 2009 after starting 29th.

“If you have a good car, you can show that despite how quick the race goes by that you can get to the front if you use your head and bide your time. We think we’re going our No. 36 Beasley-Allen Law Firm / Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger is going to be capable of starting somewhere inside the top-10. It will just be a matter of hitting our marks and keeping ourselves in-check to have a shot at the win when the time comes.”

He added, “It really means a lot that the Beasley-Allen Law Firm has agreed to sponsor us for this race. The last time we were with them at Kansas Speedway we finished third. Hopefully, we can pick up two more spots for them on Friday night and take them and all of our other great marketing partners to victory lane.”

In 1979, Jere Locke Beasley founded the firm, which is now known as Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C. The firm represents plaintiffs and claimants in civil litigation. Currently, the firm employs more than 60 lawyers and over 200 support staff.

Their support staff includes full time nurses, investigators, computer specialists, technologists and computer experts, a public relations department and a comprehensive trial graphics department. They are one of the country’s leading firms involved in civil litigation on behalf of claimants, having represented hundreds of thousands of people. We hold state and national records for the largest jury verdicts in numerous categories.

Mathematically, the Allgaier Motorsports team still has the potential to surge from fourth to second in the overall championship standings, but third place seems a little more realistic. Sitting just 155 points behind third place runner Frank Kimmel and 260 markers behind runner-up Chris Buescher – Enfinger is hopeful to reclaim the position he once held this year but also is ready to protect his current position with a comfortable cushion over fifth which consists of 105 tallies.

“It’s going to come down to the last lap at Toledo to decide the final rundown in the top-five as far as the championship standings are concerned,” commented Enfinger. “We know that Ty (Dillon) pretty much has the championship crowned wrapped up, but the heat is on from second to fifth. One bad for any one of us and we could lose a lot. It happened at Salem. We don’t know what these final two races hold for us. All we did know is that we’re going to the track with the same mentality we’ve hoisted all year long.”

Entering Kansas, Enfinger has 35 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit. In those events, he has maneuvered 12 top-fives and 22 top-10 finishes including a career-best finish of second three times at Kentucky Speedway (July 2009), Chicagoland Speedway (August 2009), and Toledo Speedway (May 2011). He has controlled the field nine times for 216 laps. His best qualifying run occurred at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where Enfinger bolted to his first career pole.

The Kansas Lottery 98.9 (99 laps / 148.5 miles) is the 18th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 11th ARCA event held at Kansas Speedway is a one-day show. Practice begins Friday, October 7 with a two hour and 15 minute practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. -11:15 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin later in the day at 5:35 p.m. The field will take the green flag approximately two hours later at 7:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,330th race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to AllgaierMotorsports.com.

To learn more about Beasley-Allen Law Firm and its capabilities, please click onto beasleyallen.com.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

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The ARCA Mobile 200 will see the national championship stock car tour contest a 200-lap race on the half-mile, semi-banked paved oval on Saturday, March 10. Since the series’ inception in 1953, the series has raced at over 200 different tracks but this will be the first at Mobile International Speedway.

“The 2012 season is ARCA’s 60th, and Mobile will be the first short track on the schedule following the season opener at Daytona in February,” said ARCA president Ron Drager. “ARCA Racing Series short track racing has proven to be highly competitive and entertaining regardless of the venue, and we look forward to bringing our superspeedway-style full-size stock car racing with live pit stops to Mobile in a long distance event.”

Although the event marks ARCA’s first appearance at Mobile, ARCA Racing Series history in Alabama reaches back to 1961 when, on November 5, Ernie Derr won a 250-lap race at Birmingham. ARCA race events at the Fairgrounds in Montgomery in 1962, at Huntsville Speedway in 1963 and 1965, and a long tenure at Talladega Superspeedway (1969-present) have kept ARCA’s presence in Alabama alive over the decades.

“Having the ARCA Racing Series come to Mobile International Speedway is a real honor for me and our track,” said Rick Crawford, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series veteran and the speedway’s manager and promoter. “In the Truck Series we spent many weekends around the country sharing track facilities with the ARCA Racing Series and these guys put on a heck of a show. I can’t wait to see them on my home track. The effort to bring the ARCA Racing Series to Mobile is a team effort, and wouldn’t be possible without the Mobile Convention and Visitors Bureau, Mobile Sports Authority, and our elected officials.”

Opened in 1964, Mobile International Speedway is Alabama’s fastest half mile and is currently host to the Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship Series and Miller Lite Late Model Series, along with a regular schedule of Saturday night racing. Lee and Ida Fields purchased the track in 1972 and for almost 40 years the duo produced “The Fastest Fun Around.” In 2011, the track embarked on a new era of track management when Mobile native, multi-time track champion, and all-time NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts leader Rick Crawford returned to Mobile to become the track’s manager and promoter.

Mobile International Speedway has a long history with numerous racing legends, having attracted Alabama Gang racers Bobby Allison, Donnie Allison, and Red Farmer. Notably, Farmer won his 500th feature race at the track. More recently, ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR contenders like Grant Enfinger and Cale Gale have cut their teeth on the half-mile oval in various forms of racing.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

- Automobile Racing Club of America Press Release

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After taking two races to trade his radio for a driver’s uniform, Kelly Kovski returned to the role as crew chief of the No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger for the 17th race of the season.

With a plan of attack for Enfinger’s second tango with the intimidating half-mile oval, following the lone practice session of the day, the team owned by ARCA veteran and 2008 champion owner Mike Allgaier were pleased with their direction.

No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger

Comfortable with the racecar after conquering a little bit of tight condition in practice, the team shifted their concentration towards the next-to-last short track battle of the season.

The green flag waived for the 90th ARCA race at Salem Speedway with the No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger holding its ground safely inside the top-five.

A caution inside the race’s first 10 laps of competition would keep Enfinger on the bumper of the lead pack. When racing resumed, leader Chris Buescher would stretch his lead with Enfinger left having to battle the No. 52 of Tom Hessert for fourth.

Despite a gallant effort, Enfinger would give-way to his fellow racer, quickly dipping behind Hessert but remaining in the fifth position. With the field stretched out by the completion of the first quarter, Enfinger hovered in fifth while also strategizing with Kovski on what to do with their racecar during their mandatory pit stop.

The team’s opportunity to come to pit road came to life when the yellow flag flew on lap 65 when second-place runner Chad Hackenbracht cut down a tire. Subsequently, Hessert also suffered misfortune which quickly rose the team up in the running order. Though, Kovski would bring his driver in where he granted Enfinger two new tires and fuel exiting pit road in second place behind the No. 68 of Will Kimmel.

The duo though would be in the treks of new leader Frank Kimmel II who elected to stay out during the caution. When racing resumed, Enfinger held his own inside the podium standings and in the clutches of second-place runner Kimmel II before the team’s night took a sudden turn on lap 96 when the No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger began to slow on the backstretch.

Slowly making his way to his pit stall, Enfinger would advise his team that he thought the problem was mechanical. After inspecting their Chrysler nameplate, the team identified their problem with the rear gear. Unable to successfully repair their automobile, the team would be forced to withdraw from the event and be credited with completing 99 of the scheduled 200 laps and a disappointing 23rd place finish.

Grant Enfinger

He added, “Kelly (Kovski, crew chief) and my Allgaier crew deserve a lot more credit than they have been receiving. Every week, we’ve put solid racecars on the track and most of the year have been able to turn those into top-10 finishes. I still would like to get a win for them by the end of the year and we have two races to do it. So we’ll go to Kansas next and see what we can do.”

With two races remaining on the ARCA Racing Series schedule, Enfinger sits fourth in the championship standings sitting 155 markers behind third place holder Frank Kimmel and a 105-point cushion on Chad McCumbee who controls fifth. To prepare the family-owned team for the final speedway race of the year, the team will participate in an open-test at the 1.5-mile oval of Kansas Speedway on Tuesday, September 20th in preparation for the Kansas Lottery 98.9 which is set to launch on Friday, October 7 live on SPEED.

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to AllgaierMotorsports.com.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

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Sixteen races down, three to go, the Mike Allgaier-owned team has nothing to be ashamed about in 2011. This year, the team has produced one pole, five top-fives and 12 top-10 efforts and 122 laps led all with the Fairhope, Alabama native at the helm.

Even though Enfinger has yet to enter victory circle in his ARCA Racing Series career, his chances increase significantly as the Allgaier Motorsports team captured the checkered flag in the fall event at the historic short track in their championship season in 2008.

No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger

After working with interim crew chief Tommy Bear in two of the last three races, while regular crew chief Kelly Kovski competed in rounds 14 and 16 of the year on the dirt ovals of the Illinois State Fairgrounds and the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, Kovski resumes his routine role on Saturday night.

“Believe me it was a blast to race with Kelly at Springfield and DuQuoin,” explained Enfinger. “He taught me a lot about dirt racing in the ARCA Racing Series and was instrumental in making sure our team was taken care of first before his team was attended too. That’s a man of devotion. While it was fun racing side-by-side with him for a spot inside the top-10, it’s a sense of relief knowing that we’re going to the track together on the same turf on Saturday night.”

The 26-year old continued, “The checkered flag to the end of the season is on the horizon and we’re really trying to get this No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Dodge Charger before crossing that line. “Kelly deserves it, the guys have earned it and the Allgaier family (Mike Allgaier, Justin Allgaier and Ashley Allgaier) would love it. For me, it would be satisfying after being so close so many times to finally celebrate as number one. We can’t over confident though. The field is tough every week. We may have to do something out of the box to have that opportunity to win. But, the goal is still to finish as strong as we possibly can.”

Mathematically, the Allgaier Motorsports team still has the potential to surge from fourth to second in the overall championship standings. Sitting just 70 points behind third place runner Frank Kimmel and 135 markers behind runner-up Chris Buescher – Enfinger is hopeful to reclaim the position he once held this year but also is ready to protect his current position with a comfortable cushion over fifth which consists of 170 tallies.

Grant Enfinger

Entering Salem, Enfinger has 34 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit. In those events, he has maneuvered 12 top-fives and 22 top-10 finishes including a career-best finish of second three times at Kentucky Speedway (July 2009), Chicagoland Speedway (August 2009), and Toledo Speedway (May 2011). He has controlled the field nine times for 216 laps. His best qualifying run occurred at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where Enfinger bolted to his first career pole.

The Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic by Federated Car Care (200 laps / 111 miles) is the 17th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 87th ARCA event held at Salem (Ind.) Speedway is a one-day show. Practice begins Saturday, September 17 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 1:05 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. The field will take the green flag later in the evening at approximately 7:15 p.m. The event will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,329th race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to AllgaierMotorsports.com.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

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After dishing out a 12th place run in his inaugural dirt stock car debut at the Illinois State Fairgrounds two weeks earlier, the Fairhope, Alabama native entered the Labor Day traditional event focused as ever.

In the quick one-day show, Enfinger in his No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Chevrolet Impala was one of the first cars to tackle the one-mile oval. With normal crew chief Kelly Kovski electing to participate in the 16th race of the season, Enfinger and acting crew chief Tommy Bear wanted to utilize as much of the track time as possible to dial in there Chevrolet bowtie.

Comfort was the key agenda for the veteran ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards team. At the conclusion of practice, Enfinger hoisted the 15th quickest lap noting that he was still learning how to master the Southern Illinois racetrack. After consulting with both Bear and Kovski, the team made some routine yet aggressive changes to their No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Chevrolet Impala hoping to find stability in the race.

Before turning their attention towards the contest, the team had to first maneuver their way through qualifying. In time trials, the short track ace negotiated the 14th quickest lap overall in the 34-car starting field.

Trying not to set any unobtainable goals for the race, the team was focused on completing the event and knocking out the best finish possible. Despite the yellow flag waiving shortly after the start of the race, Enfinger had sliced his way into the 13th position.

By lap 11 under green flag racing, Enfinger had picked off yet another position finding himself sitting 12th overall. The family-owned team would hold that position through the race’s first 20 circuits.

Another yellow slowed the field on lap 22 which opened the door for Bear to bring his driver down on pit road for two Hoosier tires and fuel. Exiting pit road, Enfinger found himself back to his original starting position but relived that his mandatory pit stop was behind him.

Rocketing when racing resumed, the No. 36 slipped into the first half-dozen competitors by lap 30. Another yellow would fly just six laps later with the team still locking the 12th position in the rundown.

Several of the lead cars chose to make their mandated trip to pit lane which shot Enfinger up the leaderboard and lining up fifth for a lap 40 restart.

Enfinger would strut his stuff hanging on to the fifth position and even battling side-by-side with Kovski for several laps. With aging tires, Enfinger would be a sitting duck for the competition on a lap 62 restart. Trying to fend off the machines of nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel and current points leader Ty Dillon would prove to be a huge challenge as the two cars were able to modestly work their way around the No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Chevrolet Impala by lap 65.

Falling back into the clutches of the cars he was battling at the beginning of the race, Enfinger would find himself gunning for a spot inside the top-10. Over the last 15 laps, the No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest / racetires.com Chevrolet Impala found itself battling with the No. 1 of Chad McCumbee, No. 68 of Will Kimmel and the No. 31 of Tim George Jr. before taking the checkered flag in 10th, collecting his 12th top-10 finish of the 2011 season.

Kovski would fight for the win before having to settle for a career-best ARCA Racing Series finish of fourth in the No. 39 Central Illinois Security / Schluckebier Farms / Modern Paving Chevrolet Impala.

Grant Enfinger

He added, “I want to personally thank Tommy (Bear) for stepping in and helping our team so Kelly (Kovski) could race. It was nice to reconnect with an old friend and have some fun.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is a return trip to Salem, Indiana for a Saturday-night shootout at the brutal half-mile short track for the running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic by Federated Car Care. The one-day show is set for Saturday, September 17th with the green flag scheduled to drop just after 7:15 p.m. In his debut with the treacherous short-track, Enfinger finished 10th after starting 13th.

Exiting DuQuoin, Enfinger has 34 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credit. In those events, he has maneuvered 12 top-fives and 22 top-10 finishes including a career-best finish of second three times at Kentucky Speedway (July 2009), Chicagoland Speedway (August 2009), and Toledo Speedway (May 2011). He has controlled the field nine times for 216 laps. His best qualifying run occurred at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway where Enfinger bolted to his first career pole.

For more on Grant Enfinger, please visit grantenfinger.com.

Additional input on Allgaier Motorsports is available by logging on to AllgaierMotorsports.com.

- Allgaier Motorsports Press Release

CGH Motorsports Thumbnail

After a 10th place effort at the Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) two weeks prior, the freshman team was eager to show more stability under the leadership of crew chief Kevin Reed.

Getting the job done was top priority for the rising star. The team was hopeful for a solid starting position that would aid them towards a stout run in the 16th race of the season.

After practicing 13th, the team turned their attention towards time trials. In Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying, it was Hackenbracht’s No. 58 Tastee Caramel Apple Chevrolet Impala SS that stunned the field with an exceptional lap that was good enough for fourth quickest overall, easily surpassing his previous best qualifying run of seventh which occurred earlier this summer at Iowa Speedway.

No. 58 Tastee Caramel Apple Chevrolet Impala SS

When A.J. Fike stalled on the track on lap two, the first yellow flag of the day was thrown with Hackenbracht making the move past Vaught and in the clutches of Dillon and Kovski.

The field restarted on lap five with Hackenbracht making a bold pass on the outside passing both cars by the time they entered turn one sending Hackenbracht into the lead for the fourth time this season.

The CGH Motorsports development driver would maintain the top-spot through lap 14 before Dillon and Kovski, both considered dirt aces reeled back in the No. 58. With Dillon passing the No. 58 by lap 15, it was Hackenbracht not going down without a fight after re-taking the lead on lap 16 from the Richard Childress Racing (RCR) rookie.

On lap 17, Hackenbracht found himself in a torrid battle with Dillon and Kovski for the top-spot. The No. 39 of Kovski shoved his way around the No. 58 on the backstretch to take the lead and drop the No. 58 to second. Keeping the fans in the stands cheering, Hackenbracht would again hustle his way past Kovski on lap 18 for a fourth consecutive lead change.

The CGH Motorsports team would maintain the top-spot through lap 22 before a dicey move by Dillon in lap-traffic moved the No. 41 back into first and shuffling the No. 58 into the runner-up spot. Coming to the start-finish line, the yellow flag would waive slowing the field down to 45 miles per hour.

Playing “follow the leader”, Reed elected to keep his driver on the race track when Dillon opted not to pit; once again putting them back in line together for a restart. When racing resumed, Hackenbracht once again tried to utilize the high line to pass Dillon but would be passed by the No. 32 of Chris Windom as the lead cars exited turn one.

A spin on the frontstretch on lap 36 would bring out the caution once again allowing Reed to bring his driver down pit road for his mandatory pit stop taking on four tires and fuel.

Restarting 14th on lap 40, Hackenbracht found himself in a wad of racecars trying to throttle his way back towards the front while trying to show patience at the same time.

Intense racing kept the field close with Hackenbracht 12th by the half-way mark. With the yellow flying for the fourth time of the day on lap 56 for the No. 11 car, it offered a chance for Hackenbracht and the rest of the pack to catch-up and line-up bumper-to-bumper.

A stout restart by Hackenbracht on lap 61, saw the No. 58 pick off four cars would be stalled as he was unable to get to the preferred bottom line entering turn one, deducting all the positions that the No. 58 had gained.

Settled in 11th by lap 65, Hackenbracht was eagerly trying to slice and dice his way through a pack of five racecars but the team would soon realize that track position would be the pivotal story of the day.

Despite battling back and forth for a position inside the top-10, the former Legends Car champion would hover between ninth and 11th until Mark Littleton spun in turn one on lap 86.

Knowing that it was now or never, Hackenbracht once again tried to utilize the high line to his advantage on the restart and made it work and found himself battling Will Kimmel (No. 68) and Grant Enfinger (No. 36) for a spot inside the race’s recognizable top-10.

Giving all he had behind the wheel, as Hackenbracht exited turn four on lap 98, his No. 58 Tastee Caramel Apple Chevrolet Impala SS slid into the treacherous high groove causing the rookie to lose control of his machine and slide into the outside wall immediately throwing the yellow flag into the air. Bruised and battered, Hackenbracht brilliantly did not lose a position on the track despite the spin and restarted 11th for the green-white-checkered finish.

The mangled General Motors piece would be a sitting duck on the final restart but with a determined driver behind the wheel, Hackenbracht during the two-lap shootout would lose just three positions due to an ill-handling automobile to take the checkered flag in the 14th position, one of 19 cars on the lead lap.

Chad Hackenbracht

He added, “I was giving all I could behind the wheel but once I got up in the real loose stuff near the end of the race, I just couldn’t hold on. It stinks, because we were working towards re-entering the top-10 when it happened. I guess this is a race where the finish doesn’t reflect the performance for sure.”

Reed praised his driver for his efforts at DuQuoin. “Chad was impressive. For his second dirt race ever, I think he amazed a lot of people with his car control and being able to hash it out with two of the best on the dirt early in the race. If we would have known that getting back to the front was as difficult as it was, we would have come when the other group stopped earlier. At that point of the race, we had to do what the leader did and our plan of attack was unable to materialize.

This is definitely a race where you look back at the finishing results and say you know and everyone that was their (at DuQuoin) knows that you were better than 14th but you couldn’t show it. We’ll just go to Salem and look to finish what we started there in May.”

Unofficially with three events remaining on the 2011 schedule, Hackenbracht continues to secure eighth in the championship standings just 170 markers from seventh now held by Tom Hessert III.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is a return trip to Salem, Indiana for a Saturday-night shootout at the brutal half-mile short track for the running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic by Federated Car Care. The one-day show is set for Saturday, September 17th with the green flag scheduled to drop just after 7:15 p.m. The CGH Motorsports returns to the Southern Indiana track looking to redeem themselves from the Spring event where transmission issues halted the team from not making an attempt at victory lane after cleverly running in the top-five.

CGH Motorsports still has marketing partnerships available for the remaining 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule and all of 2012. Interested parties can contact Jordan Dahl at Jordan@cghmotorsports.com or 570.234.5449.

For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.com and CGHMotorsports.com.

To purchase the popular “What’s A Chad Hacken-Something” tee-shirt, please log on to store.cghmotorsports.com or CGHMotorsports.com.

Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.

About CGH Motorsports:

CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team has stepped up their commitment from a partial schedule in 2010 to a full-effort in 2011 with the prospects of a two-car operation in 2012.

- CGH Motorsports Press Release