ARCA RE/MAX SERIES TESTING DAY 2
ESR'S SCOTT SPEED TOPS CHARTS AT ROCKINGHAM TEST
STEADY PROGRESS CULMINATES IN FASTEST LAP IN MORNING SESSION
Rockingham, NC. (March 22, 2008) – The ARCA RE/MAX Series concluded a two-day test at Rockingham Speedway over the weekend (March 21 & 22) where 39 drivers participated in preparation for the inaugural May 4th Carolina 500.
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Scott Speed, in the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota, set the weekend's fastest lap Saturday morning at Rockingham.
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Scott Speed, in the Eddie Sharp Racing Red Bull Toyota, turned in the quickest speed of the weekend Saturday morning, circling the historic, high-banked oval in 24.942 seconds, an average speed of 144.335 mph.
“It’s definitely a cool track,” said Speed. “And I think they’ll be two good grooves come raceday. The tires go away in a hurry; they lose grip right away, so the drivers that manage their tires the most effectively will be the guys you’ll see up front.
“We actually tested here in November, and the track has lost some grip since then. We were not good yesterday, and we threw everything at it except the clipboard, but fortunately we were able to learn a lot over the course of two days. We made qualifying runs all day today, so now I think I know what the car should feel like for qualifying. But after all the changes, we still ended up close to our baseline.
“Again, the key during the race will be tire management. You’ve got to slow yourself down as the tires lose grip. Otherwise you just slide around out there and hurt your tires even more.”
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ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series TESTING RESULTS: DAY 2
Rockingham Speedway; March 22, 2008 |
| SESSION |
CAR |
DRIVER |
POS |
TIME |
SPEED |
| MORNING PRACTICE |
2a |
Speed |
1 |
24.942 |
144.335 |
| |
20 |
Lofton |
6 |
25.499 |
141.182 |
| |
22 |
Butler III |
10 |
25.663 |
140.280 |
| |
93 |
Bourque |
30 |
26.223 |
137.284 |
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| OVERALL TEST SPEEDS |
2 |
Speed |
1 |
24.942 |
144.335 |
| |
20 |
Lofton |
12 |
25.499 |
141.182 |
| |
22 |
Butler III |
17 |
25.663 |
140.280 |
| |
93 |
Bourque |
29 |
26.223 |
137.284 |
The inaugural Carolina 500 will be LIVE on SPEED at 12 noon Eastern Sunday, May 4th. The event is spread out over three days with practice on Friday and Saturday. SIM Factory Pole Award Qualifying rolls off at 10:00 am Saturday with second round qualifying to follow at 2:30 pm.
The next event for the ARCA RE/MAX Series will be the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts at Salem Speedway, Sunday, April 13th.
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ARCA RE/MAX SERIES TESTING
EDDIE SHARP RACING TESTING AT THE ROCK
ALL FOUR ESR TEAMS LIMBER UP AFTER A SIX WEEK BREAK AND SOGGY SESSIONS LAST WEEK
Rockingham, NC. (March 22, 2008) – The garage at Rockingham Speedway opened Friday morning with sunshine, chilly temperatures, and the electricity of a track that has been waiting the return of the ARCA RE/MAX Series. Eddie Sharp Racing haulers rolled in and unloaded cars for drivers Scott Speed, Ken Butler, III, Justin Lofton, and Pierre Bourque. Following a six-week hiatus and last weekend’s rain-drenched test sessions at Salem Speedway and Kentucky Speedway, the drivers and crew members were anxious to get back on a dry race track.
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Rookie ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Justin Lofton debriefs with Team Owner Eddie Sharp (right) and the No. 20 car team.
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The morning session, which concluded around 12:15 PM, found all four cars struggling slightly and scraping the track surface. Teams worked to make adjustments and remedy the issues. In the morning practice, Speed topped the ESR crew with an 8th position on the speed charts with his fast lap of 139.362 mph (25.832 sec). Ken Butler, III followed his teammate in the 13th position with a 26.035 second lap at 138.275 mph and Justin Lofton ran a 26.200 second (137.405 mph) lap in 19th. Pierre Bourque ended the morning in the 30th position with a lap at 128.150 mph (28.092 sec.).
“I really like this track,” commented Butler, III with a big grin. “The surface is nice and wore out and I have a lot of fun on tracks like that. I’m looking forward to racing here in May!”
Returning to the track following the one-hour lunch break, the Eddie Sharp Racing teams saw much improvement in speed and car handling.
“What a great track Rockingham is. It’s great to be back in such this historic area,“ said Bourque. “It’s been a real challenge for me today but great work by Dave Leiner, my crew chief and all my guys. The lap times have been coming down incrementally and I think we’re in great shape for tomorrow’s test session.”
The first day of testing at Rockingham concluded at 5:00 PM ET. Justin Lofton sat on top of the ESR speed charts with a 25.811 second lap, placing him seventh overall. He was closely followed by teammate Ken Butler, III who ran a 25.900 second lap (eighth overall). Speed’s 26.096 second lap placed him 14th on the speed sheet. And Pierre Bourque finished the day in the 30th spot with a fast lap of 26.752 sec. 39 cars made laps in the afternoon test session at Rockingham Speedway.
“I’m really happy with the way we ended today,” said Lofton. “We struggled a bit this morning and the guys worked really hard to make the changes we needed. We got back out there this afternoon and saw a big improvement in the car. I think we’re going to be really competitive back here in May.”
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Rockingham has become a test track for many Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series teams because of testing restrictions by NASCAR on active tracks.
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Team owner Eddie Sharp was very pleased with the day’s activities. “We are leaving today with all four cars still having all four corners on. That’s not a bad day at the Rock,” stated Sharp. “This brings back a lot of memories being here. This is where I ran my first Busch East Series race myself. This is a driver’s race track and to be in the top-10, especially with two guys that have never even seen the place, speaks volumes for this program and the quality of drivers that we have here.”
Testing reconvenes Saturday morning at 9:00 AM. Race fans are admitted into the grandstands and infield free of charge. The ARCA RE/MAX Series returns to action at the Salem Speedway on April 13, 2008.
ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series TESTING RESULTS
Rockingham Speedway; March 21, 2008 |
| SESSION |
CAR |
DRIVER |
POS |
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| MORNING PRACTICE |
2a |
Speed |
8 |
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22a |
Butler III |
13 |
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20 |
Lofton |
19 |
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93 |
Bourque |
30 |
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| AFTERNOON PRACTICE |
20 |
Lofton |
7 |
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22a |
Butler III |
8 |
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2a |
Speed |
14 |
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93 |
Bourque |
30 |
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