Goess 6th; Arpin 10th; George 15th; Lofton 22nd

ROCKINGHAM, NC (April 19, 2009) -As the rain barely held off Sunday, Eddie Sharp Racing hit the pavement a little after 1 pm to compete on the one-mile oval at Rockingham Speedway. The weekend started out slow for the ESR gang, with four drivers starting the race from all over the grid. Tim George, Jr. started 22nd, Justin Lofton started 5th, Steve Arpin started 20th and Craig Goess, Jr. would start in the 12th position.

After a conservative practice and qualifying the whole team was ready to race, but the 200 laps around ‘The Rock’ would prove to be anything but easy. Driver of the No. 81 Greenville Toyota Camry, Craig Goess, Jr. came over the radio 3 laps in and complained his car was too tight, but crew chief, Patrick Donahue assured him, ‘You’ll be fine. Just get in a rhythm here.’ Goess would go on to finish 6th.

It was a bumpy start for Steve Arpin and the No. 20 Taylor Motorsports Toyota team. Practice and qualifying did not sail smoothly and the crew made adjustments throughout the day, clear up until the green waved. All the hard work paid off and Arpin would go on to capture a top-10 finish.

Justin Lofton, driver of the No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota Camry qualified in the 5th position and ran as high as 4th throughout most of the day, but trouble struck on lap 130. Lofton got loose off turn 4 and landed in the wall. The incident set him back to the 24th position and he later finished the race 22nd.

Tim George Jr. in the #2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota

Next Stop: The whole Eddie Sharp Racing gang travel to Talladega, Alabama this weekend for the ARCA RE/MAX 250. The green flag drops at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, April 24, 2009 and will air LIVE on SPEED.

Lofton starts 5th; Goess: 12th; George: 22nd; Arpin: 27th

Rookie Steve Arpin and the #20 car crew struggled through practice and qualifying but are hoping all the adjustments yield a positive result on Sunday

ROCKINGHAM, NC (April 18, 2009) -ARCA RE/MAX Series point leader Justin Lofton qualified fifth (144.341 mph) in the Eddie Sharp Racing Lofton Cattle Toyota this afternoon at Rockingham Speedway.

Teammate Craig Goess Jr. will start tomorrow's race from 12th position in the #81 Greenville Toyota Camry.

#2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota driver Tim George Jr. starts 22nd.

The #20 Toyota of Canadian Steve Arpin qualified 27th in preparation for tomorrow's ARCA RE/MAX Carolina 200.

Driver intros for Sunday's Carolina 200 race is scheduled for 12:40 with the command to start engines at 1:10. Live coverage on SPEED for the Carolina 200 starts at 1:00 PM ET.

ARCA RE/MAX Series coverage also includes live timing & scoring at ARCAracing.com and live streaming audio of all on-track activity.

All ESR teams strong: Arpin 23rd; George, Jr. 24th

9X ARCA Champ Frank Kimmel kidding around with 2009 points leader Justin Lofton at the Rockingham Thunderfest autograph session on Friday

ROCKINGHAM, NC (April 18, 2009)-Eddie Sharp Racing drivers Craig Goess and Justin Lofton were third and sixth in practice for tomorrow's ARCA RE/MAX Carolina 200 at Rockingham Speedway. Teammates Steve Arpin and Tim George, Jr. spent the session making adjustments and ran 23rd and 24th respectively.

ESR drivers Tim George, Steve Arpin and Justin Lofton participated in the Rockingham Thunderfest festivities Friday. The day long celebration featured a hauler parade, food, driver autograph sessions, live music and live driver interviews all afternoon on the ARCA Racing Network at ARCAracing.com.

At high noon, dozens of ARCA RE/MAX Series haulers assembled in the staging area at Rockingham Speedway, and formed a parade through the streets of Rockingham.

Menards Pole Award Qualifying presented by Ansell is set for 2:30 ET today. A UARA Late Model race follows ARCA qualifying Saturday afternoon.

Driver intros for Sunday's Carolina 200 race is scheduled for 12:40 with the command to start engines at 1:10. Live coverage on SPEED for the Carolina 200 starts at 1:00 PM ET.

ARCA RE/MAX Series coverage also includes live timing & scoring at ARCAracing.com and live streaming audio of all on-track activity.

ROCKINGHAM SPEEDWAY
ESR READY TO ROCK THE ROCK

Eddie Sharp

DENVER, N.C. (April 15, 2009) – Eddie Sharp Racing heads to Rockingham Speedway this weekend for the Carolina 200 looking to capitalize on the momentum from a very strong appearance at the Salem Speedway. Although three of the four ESR teams will be making their career debuts at the ‘Rock’ this weekend, team owner Eddie Sharp is old friends with the legendary track. In February 1993, Sharp made his first NASCAR Nationwide Series start in the Goodwrench 200.

“I remember that qualifying was rained out and it was freezing cold,” said Sharp with a chuckle. “There were icicles hanging from the rigs. It was a big deal for me and a big chance. I wasn’t in a competitive car, but just the opportunity to do it was huge. There were drivers on that track that I had always admired and looked up to, for example [Dale] Earnhardt, Sr.”

Sharp continued that “It was more than just the chance to race at Rockingham. It put me here; where I am today. I’m still chasing the dream, just a slightly altered dream. Back then, I couldn’t afford a good car to drive. Now I have 40 great cars in my shop, but I don’t drive them, I own them and get to help other young, talented drivers with opportunities that I didn’t.”

Eddie Sharp returns to the Rockingham Speedway with a team of very talented young drivers in his ESR corner – Tim George, Jr., Justin Lofton, Steve Arpin, and Craig Goess, Jr. All four drivers cut their teeth on the one-mile oval track at a test session earlier this year and found it to be a valuable learning experience for the teams.

Tim George

Tim George, Jr. (No. 2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota Camry)

"I am really looking forward to racing at Rockingham. The anticipation of seeing that GREEN flag and heading into turn one, really gets my heart rate going. I think that it will be a great chance to showcase my experience. I am very comfortable on the intermediate tracks and I look forward to racing at Rockingham. My Rockingham goals are to keep working on building my team’s synergy. We have made great strides in the first 2 races (Daytona and Salem) and I feel that we are really starting to find our groove. I have a great group of guys working around me on this team. They are doing their part in the pits, and I am going to do my part on the track. Together we will showcase all of our abilities. My goal is to qualify and finish within the Top 10.”

Steve Arpin

Steve Arpin (No. 20 Taylor Motorsports Toyota Camry)

“Rockingham is going to be great. We tested there a few weeks back and learned a lot. My crew chief, Wayne Carroll, has taken all of our data from the tests and we feel like we will definitely unload with a good package. We are setting our goals pretty high this weekend. I am feeling more at home in these cars every lap I make, and all the guys here at ESR are working harder every week to put awesome equipment under me. We are looking to be at the top of the board after practice Saturday and back it up with a good qualifying run. Sunday, a trip to Victory Lane is at the top of our priority list, but we just need to be smart and be there at the end to make that happen.”

Justin Lofton

Justin Lofton (No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota Camry)

“I am really excited to be heading back to Rockingham this weekend. Myself, along with the whole team feel as if this is our track to shine at. We have had the performance on the track, but not the results we wanted at the end of the day. We are heading in to the race with momentum and determination to take home the trophy.”

Craig Goess

Craig Goess, Jr. (No. 81 Greenville Toyota Camry)

“I can’t wait to get Rockingham. The whole team has been working hard for this weekend at Rockingham and I couldn’t be more excited. I think we have a good car and if we can get some luck on our side, I think we will be good to go.”

ROCKINGHAM SPEEDWAY
ARCA RE/MAX Carolina 200

DENVER, N.C. (April 15, 2009) –Tim George, Jr., Justin Lofton, Steve Arpin, and Craig Goess, Jr. will join fellow ARCA RE/MAX Series drivers signing autographs at the Rockingham ThunderFest event in Downtown Rockingham on Friday, April 17, 2009, from 6-7 p.m.

ARCA RE/MAX Series on-track activities start Saturday, April 18 with practice from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM followed by Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell at 2:30. Driver introductions go off Sunday afternoon race day at 12:30 PM followed by the start of the Carolina ARCA RE/MAX 200 shortly after 1:00. The race is also LIVE on SPEED at 1:00 PM. All times listed are EASTERN.