ARCA Racing Series Rattlesnake 150
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY

Craig Goess Scores Second Second in a Row; Piquet Ninth

FORT WORTH, TX (April 17, 2010) - Craig Goess finished second in the Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway Friday night with the ARCA Racing Series Presented by RE/MAX and Menards.

Craig Goess, Jr.

After a successful open test at TMS in March, Goess was prepared to compete for the win on Friday. With 21 other cars at the test, Goess and the No. 81 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Eddie Sharp Racing machine finished fourth fastest out of 21 cars with a speed of 184.074 mph.

Goess continued to find speed at TMS at practice Thursday afternoon. The Greenville, N.C. native posted the fourth fastest time of 29.009 seconds and speed of 185.810 mph.

Qualifying was washed out on Thursday, and the starting grid was completed based on the2009 ARCA Racing Series car owner point standings, providing Goess with a sixth place starting position for the race. Coming off his career-high second place finish last week at Salem Speedway, Goess was ready for the race.

Goess started the race strong and worked his way to the front, leading 28 of the 100 laps in the Rattlesnake 150. Thirty laps from the finish, the No. 81 entered the pit for his second and final pit stop. The ESR crew put on fresh tires, and the No. 81 came off pit road fifth.

The rest of the race, Goess worked hard to get back to the front of the pack. The caution flag flew for the final time with only two-laps to go, and an overtime green-white-checkered flag finish was in store. Arpin edged Goess in the exciting finish, winning by only .326 seconds.

"It's great to run good, to run up front, but it's disappointing to be this close and not win," Goess said. "We had a little miscue in the pits, but I don't know whether we could have beat Steve tonight anyway."

Along with his second-place finish, Goess earned the Messina Wildlife Halfway Challenge award. The award is given to the team leading the event at the half-way point.

The No. 81 crew chief also won Friday, winning both the Cometic Crew Chief and Klotz Engine Mechanic awards. Heading into Talladega next week, Goess sits 11th in points and hopes to continue working his way up in the standings.

FORT WORTH, Texas (April 18, 2010)- Nelson Piquet Jr. finished ninth in Friday night's Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway in the ARCA Racing Series Presented by RE/MAX and Menards.

The Brazilian driver felt more prepared for the race at TMS after he attended the ARCA Racing Series open test at the Fort Worth, Texas track in March with Eddie Sharp Racing. Piquet finished 16th quickest with a speed of 180.186 mph. The added seat-time in the No. 6 at TMS proved beneficial Thursday and Friday.

Nelson Piquet, Jr.

Practice Thursday was successful for Piquet Jr., as he posted the ninth-quickest time of 29.405 seconds and speed of 183.642 mph. As rain showers loomed over the track, ARCA officials were forced to call off qualifying. The starting grid, chosen by the 2009 season standings of owner points, placed Piquet Jr. on the pole. The No. 6 was driven by 2009 ARCA Racing Series Champion Justin Lofton.

Piquet Jr. led the field of 38 cars across the start-finish line as the former Formula One driver began his second-career ARCA Racing start. Justin Marks quickly took over the lead, but Piquet Jr. remained near the top of the leader board for much of the race. The race produced eight cautions for 43 of 100 laps of the Rattlesnake 150.

On lap 34, Piquet Jr. and ESR teammate Craig Goess battled for second place, as Goess continue to plow through the field on the way to his eventual second-place finish. Piquet Jr. battled and remained in the top-five for much of the race.

A yellow flag waved with two laps to go, forcing an overtime green-white-checker restart. Starting tenth on the restart, Piquet Jr. was able to muscle his way into the ninth position as he crossed the finish line.

"The car was okay at the beginning," explained Piquet Jr. "After the first few cautions, however, it didn't handle so well. During the race, we tried changing the set-up in the pit stops, but it didn't get much better. In the last quarter of the race, I was being cautious and not risking anything on the restarts because the car wasn't going to win. Plus, there were some crazy guys that were a bit too nervous, and I didn't want to risk crashing."

Piquet Jr.'s next scheduled ARCA Racing Series appearance with Eddie Sharp Racing will be June 11 at Michigan International Speedway and July 31 at Pocono Raceway.

The ARCA Racing Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway next week for the Talladega ARCA 250 on Friday, April 23.

QUALIFYING
Qualifying Rained Out, Field Set by '09 Owner Points. Piquet on Pole. Goess starts 6th.

Nelson Piquet, Jr.

FORT WORTH, TX (April 15, 2010) - Nelson Piquet Jr. will sit on the pole for today's Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway with the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards. Craig Goess posted the fourth quickest time during practice and will start sixth Friday night.

Rain showers crossed the 1.5-mile Texas track Thursday throughout the afternoon and forced series officials to cancel the qualifying session. The starting grid will be set using the 2009 ARCA Racing Series car owner point standings.

Piquet Jr., driver of the No. 6 Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota, will start at the front of the pack Friday, after ESR won the 2009 ARCA Racing Series Championship. Justin Lofton drove the No. 6 ESR the points championship in the car Piquet Jr. will drive on Friday.

"We're just lucky to be in the championship winning car," said Piquet Jr. "Hopefully, starting up front will allow us to lead some laps and run in the clean air."

During practice Thursday afternoon, Piquet Jr. was ninth fastest with a time of 29.405 seconds and speed of 183.642 mph.

Coming off a career-high second place finish last weekend at Salem Speedway, Goess will start in the sixth position on Friday night. The Greenville, N.C. native had a successful practice earlier Thursday posting the fourth fastest time of 29.009 seconds and speed of 185.810 mph.

Craig Goess, Jr.

"We tried a few different things in practice and qualifying, but I think we are going to go back to the original set-up to gain more speed," said Goess. "I don't think it helped us, but we tried to get the car as balanced as we could for a longer run. It's tough when you are practicing in the heat, and the sun is out, especially when you know the track is going to be completely different Friday night. The car feels pretty comfortable, so I think we are going to have to wait and see. I feel like we are going to have a good finish. "

The Rattlesnake 150 is scheduled to take the green flag Friday evening at 6:30 pm. Live, flag to flag television coverage will be available on Fox Cable Network SPEED. Friday's race will also be featured in Live streaming audio at ARCAracing.com.

CAR NO. 2 DRIVER PREVIEW
Nelson Piquet, Jr.

Nelson Piquet, Jr.

MOORESVILLE, NC (APRIL 15, 2010) - Nelson Piquet and the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 6 Toyota will take the track at the Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 16, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

Continued Relationship with ESR: Piquet Jr. will rejoin Eddie Sharp Racing this weekend after making his ARCA Racing Series debut with ESR at Daytona in February. After his start at TMS this Friday, the 24-year-old will compete with ESR at Michigan International Speedway on June 11 and Pocono Raceway on July 31.

Seat Time at Texas Test: Piquet Jr. went to TMS in March to test with ESR at the ARCA Racing Series open test. The test provided another opportunity for the former Formula One driver to gain experience at a 1.5-mile speedway and more seat time in a stock car. Piquet Jr. finished the test 16th quickest with a speed of 180.186 mph.

Second Place Finish: The Brazilian driver competed last weekend in the first Copa Chevrolet Montana race in at the Autódromo Internacional in Curitiba, Brazil. Piquet Jr., invited as a special guest, was the quickest car in the field of 32 in the first practice, 11th quickest in the second practice and qualified in the sixth position. In the main event, Piquet Jr. finished second behind Júlio Campos.

ARCA back to TMS: The Rattlesnake 150 marks the first time the ARCA Racing Series has raced at TMS since the inaugural Z-MAX 250 on Sept. 18, 1998. Of the 36 cars entered for the race, only Brad Smith and Frank Kimmel have competed with the ARCA Racing Series at TMS.

QUOTES
Piquet Jr. after the Texas Test:
"Every day I've been learning a lot, hearing stories. The driving part is taking time because I'm not in a car every day. For me, it's tougher to run these kinds of cars than a normal road course. Hopefully, I'll eventually get more and more used to it. It was a big day for me."

On Racing at TMS:
"I'm really excited to be back in the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 6 car, and to be with such a good team for more wheel to wheel racing. I'm looking forward to applying what I learned during last month's test at Texas and taking advantage of this opportunity to better prepare myself for the June 4 Truck race at Texas Motor Speedway. I'm also looking forward to meeting more people this weekend and continuing to learn more about NASCAR."

Eddie Sharp after the Texas Test:
"The test was an eye-opener for Nelson. The only thing he had to relate to was Daytona, so Nelson got another chance to see what he still needs to learn. Seat time and running more ARCA races are really going to help him. I think if he went back and tested the next day, he would have done even better. Nelson really has a lot of talent. I am excited to work with him and see him develop into a great stock car driver."

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 15, 2010) - Craig Goess and the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 81 Greenville Toyota of NC Toyota will take the track at the Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway on Friday, April 16, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

Great Finish at Salem: In an exciting race at the .555-mile Salem Speedway, Goess battled to the end for a second-place finish. After getting pinched into the wall, the No. 81 sustained minor damage to the right front fender. Goess, who had a great car and a determined crew, maneuvered his damaged car around the Southern Indiana short-track. In the last laps, Goess battled to the finish line with Patrick Sheltra, Justin Marks and eventual winner Steve Arpin.

Successful Texas Test: Goess and ESR participated in the ARCA Racing Series open test on March 9, 2010. Goess tested the No. 81 ESR Toyota, finishing fourth fastest out of 21 cars with a speed of 184.074 mph. The test allowed Goess to take his first laps around the 1.5-mile racetrack.

ARCA back to TMS: Goess joins a long list of drivers who will compete in their first race at the Fort Worth, Texas speedway. The Rattlesnake 150 is the first time the ARCA Racing Series has raced at TMS since the inaugural Z-MAX 250 on Sept. 18, 1998. Of the 36 cars entered for the race, only Brad Smith and Frank Kimmel have competed with the ARCA Racing Series at TMS.

QUOTES
Goess on Texas after the Test in March:
"It was my first time driving at Texas," said Goess. "It's fast. You find yourself holding your breath for the first few runs. It takes a while to figure out just how much corner speed you can carry here. The winner of this race is going to have to be on his toes."

Goess on the outlook to Texas:
"We had a really good test at Texas, and we have a car sitting in the shop that can finish in the top-10. We just have to get down there and get it done. We are ready to go."

Eddie Sharp on Goess:
"We have a little momentum going into Texas. Our Texas test went exceptional and to come out of Salem finishing second, gaining a lot in the points, allows us to go into Texas and keep rolling with that momentum. We are still way ahead of where we were last year."

TRACK FACTS
TEXAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
Location	Fort Worth, Texas
Address	3545 Lone Star Circle, Fort Worth, Texas
Phone:	(817) 215 8500
Length	1.5-mile paved oval
Turns	24 degrees banking
Last ARCA Race	1998
EVENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, APRIL 15th
12:30-2:30 PM	ARCA RE/MAX Series Practice
4:30 PM	Pole Qualifying (All Positions / 2 laps
FRIDAY, APRIL 16th
6:30 PM	ARCA RE/MAX Rattlesnake 150 (150 miles/100 laps)