ARCA Racing Series Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 presented by ApplianceZone.com
SALEM SPEEDWAY

Craig Goess Scores Second at Salem!

Craig Goess, Jr.

Goess worked in the first laps to move up the leader board. By lap 7, the No. 81 made a strong push to the 12th position. Goess maintained the 12th position until lap 50, when the yellow flag dropped. The No. 81 came down pit road when the pits opened on lap 51, and the ESR crew went to work, giving the car two right-side tires and fuel.
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The green flag dropped on lap 55, and Goess continued to pick up positions. With a fast car and his hard-working crew, Goess moved into the top-10, looking to continue to pick off cars.

On lap 79, the No. 81 got pinched into the wall, and the right front of the car sustained damage. Even with the unfortunate luck, Goess continued to move forward. By lap 84, he was up to fifth place and held close to the front of the pack for most of the race. The race was not short of competitive driving, with 11 cautions on the .555 high-banked track.

Going down to the final laps, Steve Arpin, Patrick Sheltra and Goess battled to the finish. After a wreck on lap 187, Goess got a jump on the final restart on lap 192, as he and Justin Marks worked to pass Sheltra's No. 60. On the last lap, both Goess and Marks made their moves on Sheltra, going under the No. 60 on the backstretch. Sheltra grazed the turn 4 wall as Goess crossed the finish line in second place behind Arpin.

"I think the race went well considering everything that happened," said Goess. "I wish we didn't get caught up, with those two cars fighting in front of us, and knock our right front in a little bit because we could have won the race. All things considered, I think it was a good day for us."

Goess was named the CGS Imaging Hard Charger of the race, adding to the excitement of his career-best ARCA Racing Series finish. The award goes to a driver who has attempted to compete in every event on the 2010 schedule and has advanced the most spots over his or her official starting position at each ARCA Racing Series event throughout the year.

Eddie Sharp, team owner, is excited about the momentum of Goess' finish going into next week's race at Texas Motor Speedway. "Craig needed this," said Sharp. "We had a rough start to the season, but now we have a little momentum going into Texas. Our Texas test went exceptional, so to come out here, finish second and gain points, it has been a good day. Going into next weekend, we need to keep rolling with the momentum. We are still way ahead of where we were last year."

The ESR team and the ARCA Racing Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 16 for its first race in more than a decade. Live race coverage for the Rattlesnake 150 begins on SPEED at 6:30 p.m. local time (7:30 p.m. EST) and will be broadcast live on ARCARacing.com.

Brandon McReynolds

When the green flag dropped on the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 presented by ApplianceZone.com, McReynolds was ready to charge to the front. Eddie Sharp, team owner, also held the role of spotter for the 18-year-old driver.

A yellow flag waved on lap one after a stack up of cars caused debris on the track , and the No. 6 sustained minor damages to the left front fender from the debris. McReynolds continued to work hard through the field, reaching the 13th position by lap 9.

McReynolds and ESR teammate Craig Goess worked together in an effort to get through traffic. "In my first ARCA Racing Series start, I learned a lot from my teammate Craig Goess," said McReynolds. "I rode behind him for quite a few laps until he let me pass on the outside, and I fell in line. He had a great day finishing second, and I was happy to learn from him this weekend."

The No. 6 came into pit on lap 52 under yellow, but a pit incident caused causing ARCA officials to send McReynolds to the back of the lead-lap pack.

Blocked imageBoth crew chief and spotter encouraged McReynolds to have patience and focus on passing cars one at a time. "After the pit stop, we had to drop to the back," McReynolds explained. "A caution came out soon after, and we started marching our way towards the front, like I predicted we would."

On lap 64, McReynolds' bad luck continued. "We got up into the No. 30 car of Terry Jones," said McReynolds. "I couldn't get past, and Eddie kept telling me to be patient as he continued to hold us up. He started to spin off turn two, and I got into him."

He immediately radioed that he could feel there was something wrong with the motor, as his crew chief told him to bring the No. 6 into the pits. After a quick inspection, the ESR crew determined that the car was beyond repair with a hole in the radiator and the engine overheated.

"It was disappointing to have to come in that early," said McReynolds. "I definitely think we had a top-three car, and I wish we could have seen how far our car would have gone. Overall, I am so happy with the whole experience, and I think all our expectations were exceeded during the laps I ran. I am so thankful to Eddie and my crew for their hard work this weekend."

McReynolds finished the race in 26th place, completing only 64 laps. His next ARCA Racing Series race will be the Talladega ARCA 250at Talladega Superspeedway on April 23rd.

PRACTICE/QUALIFYING
Successful Practice for Eddie Sharp Racing; Hopes to Gain Speed on Sunday

Goess

SALEM, Ind. (April 10, 2010)- Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) got to a quick start at Salem Speedway on Saturday. Practice kicked off the afternoon with both ESR cars logging their first short track laps of the season.

Craig Goess, driver of the No. 81 Toyota of Greenville, and team worked through practice to get comfortable with the southern Indiana track. Goess finished practice fourth fastest with his quickest lap of 17.528 seconds and a speed of 113.989 mph.

After practice, Goess was the first car to qualify, completing his fastest lap time of 18.161 seconds. The Greenville, S.C native will start 19th in tomorrow's Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 presented by ApplianceZone.com.

"Practice went well, and the track is a lot of fun," said Goess. "I wish we would have qualified higher, but I think we have a really good car. It is going to be interesting to see what the track has in store for tomorrow."

McReynolds, making his ARCA Racing Series debut, made his first laps at Salem Speedway during practice, finishing with a best time of 17.715 seconds and a speed of 112.786 mph. The 18-year-old driver finished practice 10th fastest.

McReynolds

"I think I still need some work, mainly getting used to the race track," said McReynolds. "I think that practice went really well, and all of our expectations were exceeded. Obviously, we still have work to do, but in the long run, we will be really sporty."

McReynolds, driver of the No. 6 ESR Toyota, qualified in the 14th position with a time of 17.866 seconds.

The green flag drops on the Kenuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 presented by ApplianceZone.com Sunday at 2:15 p.m. The race consists of 200 laps (111 miles) on the .555-mile paved oval, and live audio of the race can be found on ARCARacing.com.

CAR NO. 2 DRIVER PREVIEW
Brandon McReynolds

Brandon McReynolds

MOORESVILLE, NC (APRIL 7, 2010) - Brandon McReynolds and the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 6 Toyota will take the track at the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 presented by ApplianceZone.com at Salem Speedway on April 11, 2010 at 2 PM.

First ARCA start for McReynolds- This weekend marks McReynolds's ARCA Racing Series debut as well as his first trip to Salem Speedway.

Successful Tests- McReynolds fielded an ESR car at the ARCA Racing Series open test at Texas Motor Speedway on March 9. In a successful test, McReynolds finished second quickest overall at 185.752 mph. He also traveled to Talladega this week with ESR for a private test at Talladega Superspeedway. McReynolds also partnered with ESR at the open-test in Daytona this past December. McReynolds found himself with a top-five fastest time the first two days, leading ESR and McReynolds to stay an extra day for drafting practice. The team once again found themselves in the top-five fastest in the eighteen-year-old's first laps in a draft.

Famous Family- McReynolds is son of former crew chief and current Fox race analyst Larry McReynolds. The young McReynolds grew up around the track when his dad was crew chief for racing greats like Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison. He credits his success at the ARCA tests to his comfort level at the track.

ESR Success at Salem- Over the past three years, ESR has had success at Salem Speedway. In the 2009 spring race, ESR driver Justin Lofton won the pole and finished second. The same year, Lofton won the fall race at the southern Indiana track. In 2008, Scott Speed brought ESR two top-10 finishes at Salem in both the spring and fall races. Michael McDowell won the pole in the 2007 spring race and finished third. McDowell also finished third in the fall race.

QUOTES
McReynolds on his first ARCA start:
"I am excited for my first ARCA Racing Series start. For me to succeed this weekend, it is just a matter of getting used to the ARCA culture, getting comfortable with the car and experiencing thing in the race like live pit stops. Obviously, the test sessions we have done with ESR have been really successful, so I am looking forward to it."

McReynolds on his first trip to Salem:
"I've never even been to Salem in person. I've actually driven it a lot on my iRacing game trying to get prepared for this weekend as much as I can. I've never been there, so it should be a new experience."

On racing with Eddie Sharp Racing
"I definitely know I will have great equipment with ESR. I am thrilled to have this opportunity to run with this great team! I'm excited to get to the track and get comfortable in the car.

Eddie Sharp on McReynolds at Salem:
"I am really excited about being part of Brandon's first ARCA Racing Series race this weekend at Salem. With his success with ESR at the previous tests, I think he is going to do really well in the No. 6 ESR car. "

About Eddie Sharp Racing
Eddie Sharp set up shop in 2005 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 each 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.

CAR NO. 81 DRIVER PREVIEW
Craig Goess

Craig Goess, Jr.

MOORESVILLE, NC (APRIL 7, 2010) - Craig Goess and the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 81 Greenville Toyota of NC Toyota will take the track at the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 presented by ApplianceZone.com at Salem Speedway on April 11, 2010 at 2 PM.

Wet-Finish at PBIR - Goess finished 13th in the last ARCA Racing Series race at Palm Beach International Raceway on Feb. 27, 2010. After a lap one incident on the road course, Goess fell from 10th to 22nd position. The heavy rains and unsafe racing conditions forced series officials to end the race five laps short of the original distance.

ESR Success at Salem- Over the past three years, ESR has had success at Salem Speedway. In the 2009 spring race, ESR driver Justin Lofton won the pole and finished second. The same year, Lofton won the fall race at the southern Indiana track. In 2008, Scott Speed brought ESR two top-10 finishes at Salem in both the spring and fall races. Michael McDowell won the pole in the 2007 spring race and finished third. McDowell also finished third in the fall race.

Construction at Salem - Phase one of a major transformation is currently underway at Salem Speedway. The first part of the project includes an addition of a 3/8-mile asphalt oval in the infield of the existing .555-mile track for oval, figure-8 and road course racing. The infield scoring tower was removed for the new short-track inside the facility and a new scoring tour was constructed on the top floor of the front-stretch spotter location.

QUOTES
Goess on Salem Speedway:
"I am looking forward to going back to Salem. I always have a lot of fun there. In my previous two trips to Salem, we qualified well both times but had unfortunate luck. As long as we have some luck on our side, we should have a great finish."

"Salem is an awesome track," said Goess. "You have to be up on the wheel and can't take your attention away for a moment. If you lose your focus for a split second, it could be trouble. This isn't like Daytona where you have the straightaway to collect yourself."

Eddie Sharp on Goess
"I am really looking forward to this weekend at Salem Speedway. Craig has shown a lot of speed at this track, and I think it is going to be a great race for Craig."

TRACK FACTS
SALEM SPEEDWAY
Location	Salem, Indiana
Address	2729 W State Road 56, Salem, IN
Phone:	(812) 883-6504
Length	.555-mile paved
Turns	33 degrees banking
First ARCA Race	1955
EVENT SCHEDULE
SATURDAY, APRIL 10th
12:30-2 PM	ARCA RE/MAX Series Practice
3:30 PM	Pole Qualifying (All Positions / 2 laps
SUNDAY, APRIL 11th
2:15 PM	ARCA RE/MAX Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 (200 miles/111 laps)