ARCA RE/MAX RACE REPORT
SPEED WINS! BUTLER III ON POLE!

WINNER: Speed and No. 2 crew celebrate victory No. 1 on the podium at Kansas Speedway!

Focus and determination put Speed in Victory Lane at Kansas Speedway

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 25, 2008) – Scott Speed effortlessly led the first lap and the last lap of the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand. Window net down, lap down, lucky dog, and stellar restarts, the 98 laps in between were anything but easy as Scott Speed truly earned his first stock car win and the first Eddie Sharp Racing win for 2008.

A loose window net put the No. 2 Red Bull car down a lap

Starting on the outside pole, Speed took the lead into Turn 1 and started pulling away from the field. It looked like the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota was untouchable and that the 100-lap race could make for a rather boring Friday afternoon. However, at lap 10 Speed reported that the window net was down. ARCA officials black flagged the former Formula 1 driver on lap 13. Two laps later, Speed came down pit road for an unscheduled green flag stop. The team quickly fastened the window net and filled the tank with fuel. Returning to the track, Speed was one-lap down and buried deep in the field. Nothing boring here, the excitement was just about to begin.

Speed, cool, calm and unaffected by the situation, simply returned to driving the Red Bull hot rod in the 28th position. Hitting his marks and passing car after car, Speed moved himself into the Lucky Dog spot by lap 46. When the caution came out at lap 54, Speed had pushed himself into the 16th position and gained his lap back with the Lucky Dog award.

"I don't let things that I can't control affect me while I'm driving," said Speed following the race. "Obviously, something like a window net I can't control. I just got really aggressive after that happened so that we could be in a position to earn the Lucky Dog."

With 25 laps to go, Speed pushed into the top-10. The driver lobbied to remain on the track rather than come in and take fresh tires during the lap 88 caution, ultimately putting Speed in place to contend for the win. Speed restarted the race in the second position on lap 93. Attacking restarts all day like a seasoned professional, Speed jumped out and quickly took the lead from the No. 30 of Jesse Smith.

With only six laps to go, the final caution of the day occurred. Restarting strong on lap 97, Speed held off the final charge of Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and had a five car length lead going into turn one. The No. 2 Red Bull Toyota kept the lead for the final three laps and pulled right into Victory Lane.

"Everything we are doing, every lap we make on the track is beneficial," commented Speed. "This is where I am learning the most. Every time I am on track I am learning."

"My team works really hard to give me these cars and I really appreciate everything they do," Speed stated and then added with a smile, "I know I couldn't get up as early as they do,"

With his first win in only five ARCA RE/MAX Series starts, Speed grabbed Red Bull its first stock car win and moved himself into the fourth position in the championship point standings, trailing leader Matt Carter by only 90 points. Speed, who earned the SunTrust Highest Finishing Rookie honors, also set a new race record at 124.855 mph. Crew Chief Patrick Donahue was the Cometic Crew Chief of the Race.

POLE-SITTER: Ken Butler III leads the field to the green flag in the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine

First Pole and Another Top-10 for Butler, III at Kansas Speedway

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 26, 2008) – Ken Butler, III and his Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine team started right where they wanted to in the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand, up front and on the pole. With a track-record shattering 175.330 mph lap, KBIII claimed his first career pole position. The No. 22 Toyota remained strong all day, never falling out of the top-15 and finished seventh at Kansas Speedway.

"It was really exciting to get my first pole today," stated Butler. "I wish we could have finished in the same position, but I'm really happy for Scott and the No. 2 team. Our No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine was really fast. We sat at the top of the speed charts during practice. And qualifying, I just drove it as hard as I could. Speed laid down a fast lap and I knew it would take something else to knock him off the top. I also knew we had it. It's odd that a top-10 feels so disappointing, but I know the cars we've had are worthy of victory lane. We'll get there soon, I'm sure of that."

Ken Butler III enjoying the view from the front row

Butler started the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand on the pole. Teammate Scott Speed quickly jumped out to take the lead. Not wanting to risk damage to the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog, Butler settled in right behind the Red Bull Toyota.

The race remained green for the first 41 laps. Pitting under caution on lap 44, the Luck Dog Dream Machine team put four tires on the No. 22, made track bar and air pressure adjustments in order to help the car's handling.

Back in the pits when the caution came out at lap 55, Butler picked up another four tires, fuel and additional adjustments to help the driver with his tight car. Crew Chief Wayne Carroll coached his young driver to "be smart, be patient." KBIII returned to the track in the 14th position, having to restart at the tail end of the longest line due to a pit road speed violation.

With 15 laps to go, KBIII climbed back into the top-10. At lap 88 a caution came out when teammate Justin Lofton was tagged and sent spinning on the front stretch. Butler narrowly missed making contact as the No. 93 of Lofton slid down the track and into the grass. Cruising under the caution, Carroll radioed his driver and asked what the car was doing.

"We're loose at the beginning of the run, and we are running tight at the end of the run," reported Butler.

With no track positions to lose and only those to gain, Butler came down to his pit for right-side tires and a final track bar adjustment. Butler restarted the race in the tenth position and, in only one lap, moved into the eighth position when the caution came out for the last time. Restarting one final time on lap 97, Butler advanced another spot and finished the race in the seventh position.

"Well, there is no doubt that we have fast cars at Eddie Sharp Racing," commented Butler. "The Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine was great today. We put it on the pole in qualifying and finished in the top-10. And we're solidly in the top-10 in ARCA Championship points going into our fifth race of the season. We'll continue to work on our setups and car handling and I think we'll get to Victory Lane here pretty soon. Wayne Carroll and all my guys work really hard week in and week out and I really appreciate their efforts."

Next Stop: KBIII and the Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Team return to North Carolina to race this weekend at the resurrected Rockingham Speedway. The Carolina 500 goes green at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, 2008. The race will air LIVE on SPEED.

Justin Lofton's wild ride following contact with the No. 99 car, near collision with teammate Ken Butler III and finally spinning into the infield.

Lofton Goes for a Wild Ride and Finishes 12th at Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 26, 2008) – Justin Lofton fought a poor handling Lofton Cattle Dodge throughout Friday's Kansas Lottery $150 Grand. With a solid qualifying lap, the No. 93 lined up in the tenth position. Wrestling the tight car and going for an exciting spin on the front stretch, Justin Lofton finished the day in the 12th position.

"The No. 93 Lofton Cattle Dodge was just too tight all day long," said Lofton. "And it was definitely down on power compared to our past races. All my guys had a great race today. I want to thank them as always for their hard work. They never give up. We get better and better each week."

Lofton and his ESR team were unable to get a mock qualifying run in during the Friday morning practice session. Struggling with cooling issues, the team simply ran out of time.

"We put in a solid lap for not getting a chance to do a mock run in practice," stated Lofton. "The car should be great in the race."

Lofton took the green flag to start the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand in the tenth position. By lap 3 Lofton was already reporting that the Lofton Cattle Dodge was "real tight in the center." At lap 28, Lofton radioed to Crew Chief Randy Nelson that he was able to "kill them in the corners but they kill me on the straightaway. We need more power." Lofton also continued to report that the car's handling was simply way too tight.

Lofton came to pit road under caution at lap 43. Struggling in the pit on the first stop of the day, the Lofton Cattle team changed four tires, added fuel and made adjustments to improve the tight condition.

At lap 55, Lofton reported again that the car was still tight. Nelson opted to pass up the opportunity to bring his driver back down pit road in order to better the track position. Lofton restarted the race in the seventh position on lap 60. Lofton continued to run in the top-10, reporting for the next 20 laps that the car is "way too tight from the center off." Lofton added, "I need help off the corners."

On lap 88, contact with the No. 99 of Ricky Stenhouse just off of turn four sent Lofton spinning on the front stretch. Lofton stayed in the gas, keeping the car off the wall and narrowly missing other cars including teammate Ken Butler, III. The No. 93 spun down into the grass, turned back onto the track and returned to the pit on lap 90.

"Wow," exclaimed Lofton. "What a ride!"

The No. 93 returned to the track with four fresh tires and a tank full of fuel. Moderate damage was caused to the left front fender of the Lofton Cattle Dodge when it spun through the grass. On lap 93 the race restarted with Lofton in the 14th position and on the lead lap.

Crew Chief Randy Nelson encouraged his driver, "The left front damage is probably not going to help you do much. Just stay with it and we will get a good finish!"

Lofton climbed to the 12th position and held it for the remaining laps, claiming his highest career ARCA RE/MAX Series finish.

"Thank you to all of my guys today," said Lofton. "Everyone did a great job! We were just way to tight today in the No. 93 Lofton Cattle Dodge. It's frustrating because I know as a team we are better than a 12th-place finish. The car, today, just was not. We'll move forward and continue to build on the season. I'm looking forward to heading to Rockingham next weekend. We had a solid test there last month and it should be a very positive weekend for our team."

Next Stop: Justin Lofton and the Lofton Cattle team return to North Carolina to race this weekend at the resurrected Rockingham Speedway. The Carolina 500 goes green at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 4, 2008. The race will air LIVE on SPEED.

ARCA RE/MAX QUALIFYING
ALL ESR FRONT ROW AT KANSAS

Kansas pole-sitter Ken Butler III

KANSAS CITY, KS (April 25, 2008) - Toto, Eddie Sharp Racing is really happy to be in Kansas! Teammates Ken Butler, III and Scott Speed dominated ARCA SIM Factory Qualifying at Kansas Speedway. Ken Butler, III laid down a 30.799 second lap to shatter the track record and earn him his very first pole position. Speed followed closely with a 30.855 second lap to round off the ESR front row.

With whipping winds, dropping temperatures and threatening skies, the ARCA RE/MAX Series was finally able to practice and qualifying without rain cancellation. Practice ran from 8:30 a.m. until 10:50 a.m. Entering the weekend as true Kansas Speedway rookies, each of the four Eddie Sharp Racing drivers turned their first laps on the 1.5-mile track.

Ken Butler, III, driver of the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine sat at the top of the pylon for practice with a lap of 31.101 seconds. Teammates Scott Speed followed in the sixth position (31.561 seconds), Justin Lofton in the 17th position (32.255 seconds), and Pierre Bourque in the 24th position (32.858 seconds).

As temperatures continued to fall, the teams lined up on the grid for qualifying. Pierre Bourque, driver of the No. 02 impreMedia Dodge was the first of the Eddie Sharp Racing teams to qualify. Bourque ran a lap in 32.724 seconds, putting the No. 02 in the 24th starting position.

Scott Speed

Lofton followed Bourque, with a 31.655 second lap that placed driver of the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge firmly in the tenth starting position for the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand at Kansas Speedway.

Rounding out the ESR team for qualifying was Ken Butler, III. With Speed on the pole already, KBII pulled off pit road with only one goal, to edge the Red Bull Toyota into the second position. His first lap was good enough to do it. A 30.799 second lap not only put the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine on the pole, but also broke the track record.

"I'm just so excited to be on the pole for the first time," said Butler, III with a huge grin. "I'm so proud of my team. They really gave me a great car for this race. All of the Eddie Sharp Racing cars are really strong so this should be a great race."

The green flag for the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand at Kansas Speedway drops Friday, April 25th, at 5:00 p.m. and will be rebroadcast tape-delayed on SPEED Saturday, April 26, 8:30 p.m. All times listed are EASTERN.

ARCA RE/MAX PRACTICE

Ken Butler III

BUTLER III TOPS CHARTS IN PRACTICE

KANSAS CITY, KS (April 25, 2008) - Ken Butler, III was right on target in his No. 22 Aaron's Rent Toyota Friday morning at Kansas Speedway. The Lilburn, Georgia native, in an Eddie Sharp-owned Toyota Camry, posted a fast time of 31.101 seconds, (173.628 mph).

"The Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine was great today," said Butler. "We unloaded a little on the tight side. But my crew chief Wayne Carroll made some great changes. We changed springs, track bar, and front camber. The car dialed in fantastic. We were really consistent on the older tires. We threw on a pair of stickers and ripped off a great mock qualifying lap! I really want to thank my guys for all their hard work so far today. We are ready to go qualifying now and I'm confident that the Aaron's Dream Machine will be starting up front."

Here's how it works: Positions one through 32 will be determined by qualifying speeds, with the rest of the starting field set by provisional positions. Positions 32 through 36 are reserved for car owners based on final 2007 ARCA point standings, while positions 37-40 are reserved for "Golden A" eligible teams who competed in 100 percent of the series races in 2007. Position 41 is made available for a past ARCA RE/MAX Series champion. If no past champion is in need of a provisional, the position is made available to a "Golden A" eligible team who competed in 100 percent of series races in 2007.

DENVER, N.C. (April 22, 2008) - Eddie Sharp Racing unloads four teams this weekend at Kansas Speedway. Already scoring a Top-5 at Salem and two Top-10's at Iowa this season, the ESR squad is a good bet to hit the Kansas Lottery $150 Grand. Having previously found victory lane at similar 1.5-mile tracks such as Kentucky and Chicagoland speedways, ESR looks to add Kansas Speedway to that list.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see all of our cars in the Top -10. And hopefully one in Victory Lane!" -Eddie Sharp

"It was disappointing that we were unable to get the test in here a few weeks ago," said team owner, Eddie Sharp. "It would have helped us a lot. However, I am confident that we will still have a very successful weekend. We have very talented drivers that can learn and adapt quickly to a new track, such as Kansas. And we have an experienced group of Crew Chiefs and crew to support them and coach them on the mile and a half. I wouldn't be surprised to see all of our cars in the Top -10. And hopefully one in Victory Lane!"

The Eddie Sharp Racing team of Scott Speed, Justin Lofton, Ken Butler, III and Pierre Bourque will be turning their first laps on the Kansas Speedway this weekend. Attempting to test there a few weeks ago at the ARCA RE/MAX Series open test, efforts were thwarted due to rain.

Although none have raced at the Kansas Speedway, Speed, Butler, III, and Bourque each have experience on other 1.5 mile tracks. Most recently, Scott Speed competed at Atlanta Motor Speedway in March with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. At Kentucky Speedway in May 2007, Ken Butler, III and his teammate Michael McDowell qualified the Eddie Sharp Racing machines 1-2, with only 0.02 second separating pole-sitter McDowell from KBIII. Pierre Bourque finished 25th in his first experience at the Chicagoland Speedway in September 2007.

Speed will extend his Kansas Speedway experience this weekend in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Speed will be behind the wheel of the No. 22 Red Bull Toyota for Bill Davis Racing. This is the first of a multi-race deal with BDR in the NCTS.

As a part of Kansas Speedway's RaceFest, Scott Speed, Justin Lofton and Ken Butler, III will be signing autographs with fellow ARCA RE/MAX Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series drivers at The Legends on Thursday, April 25, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The Legends at Village West is located between Nebraska Furniture Mart and Community America Ball Park (T-Bones). It is adjacent to Kansas Speedway.