ARCA 250
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY

GOESS SCORES THIRD TOP-5 IN A ROW; PROBLEMS PLAGUE McREYNOLDS

Goess Finishes Fourth at Talladega in Career-Best Showing at a Superspeedway
The No. 81 Overcomes Engine Problems Early

Craig Goess, Jr.

TALLADEGA, AL (APRIL 23, 2010) - Craig Goess drove his No. 81 Toyota of Greenville NC Toyota to a fourth place finish in the Talladega ARCA 250 Friday afternoon. The top-five finish marks Goess' career-best finish at a superspeedway.

The weekend got off to a bumpy start Thursday, when the No. 81 engine blew during practice. "We ran the first few laps. The team was testing how much tape they could put on the car, and the motor blew," said Goess. The ESR crew worked hard to get the car ready for qualifying later in the day.

With the new engine installed, the No. 81 qualified 22nd with a run of 52.34 seconds (182.958 mph).

Friday afternoon the Talladega ARCA 250 got underway, as Goess prepared for the start of the 94-lap race. By lap 12, Goess worked his way to the 19th position.

The No. 36 hit the wall on lap 19, causing the yellow flag to wave. Goess and team took advantage of the caution and came into the pits for fuel only, picking up two positions to come out in 17th place.

When the green flag waved on lap 22, Goess and ESR teammate Brandon McReynolds began to work together. Goess and McReynolds drafted around the 2.66-mile superspeedway, missing another incident on the tri-oval. Goess stayed out during the caution and moved up to 10th place.

By lap 34, Goess proved how quick the No. 81 Toyota was as he worked his way into the top-five and continued his way to the front of the 42-car field. Up to second place, Goess escaped "The Big One" on lap 50, a multi-car accident causing a prolonged yellow flag at Talladega Superspeedway.

Goess and the leaders began to hit a stride, lengthening the distance between the top-nine cars and the rest of the field. Crew Chief Johnny Allen radioed to Goess with a strategy to win the race. "Don't make a move until lap 90, stay nose to tail and keep doing what you are doing," said Allen.

The No. 81 held steady in the third position throughout much of the race, waiting to make his move. As a Talladega race usually ends, everyone was running single-file until the last lap. When the No. 22, 60 and teammate McReynolds got a run on the outside, Goess stuck to the inside, as he did for much of the race. The last pass of the tri-oval was every man for himself, and Goess muscled to a fourth place finish.

"I think it was a pretty good day, from how we had run at superspeedways last year," said Goess. "We kind of just got caught up in accidents that were unavoidable. We got through the pack clean and stayed out front. For where we started and having to change motors, it was a good day for us."

The fourth-place finish marks the third-straight race Goess finished in the top-five. He finished second at Salem Speedway and last weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Prior to Friday's top-five finish, Goess suffered from on-track incidents and finished 30th at Talladega and 34th and 17th at Daytona International Speedway.

Goess and his No. 81 ESR crew will take a few weeks off before the next ARCA Racing Series event on Sunday, May 23 at Toledo Speedway for the Menards 200.

McReynolds Overcomes Adversity to Finish 24th in Superspeedway Debut
An Overheating Engine Plagues the No. 6

Brandon McReynolds

TALLADEGA, AL (APRIL 23, 2010) -Brandon McReynolds finished 24th in the ARCA Talladega 250, after an eventful day at Talladega Superspeedway. The No. 6 Eddie Sharp Racing Talladega/Texaco Walk of Fame at the Davey Allison Memorial Park Toyota had over-heating problems with the engine.

McReynolds started the race in the 18th position. The ARCA rookie worked his way up to the top-10 by the 14th lap and was battling to the front with the race leaders. The yellow flag waved for the first time on lap 18, and the No. 6 came into the pits for his first stop. The ESR crew gave the car fuel, put on four tires and took tape off the front grill.

Soon after, another yellow flag waved, following a single-car spin in the tri-oval. Mike Calinoff, McReynolds' spotter for the race, encouraged the driver to "stay low, low, low" until the No. 6 was all clear.

On lap 33, the green flag waved with McReynolds in 11th as he continued to compete in heated three-wide battles. "The three-wide racing here at Talladega is like nowhere else," said McReynolds. "It was certainly exciting."

McReynolds continued to compete hard and three-wide, but lost spots as he got caught up in traffic. On lap 40, McReynolds radioed to the crew that the car was running hot and needed to come into the pits.

"We started strong, but the front of the car got pushed up against James Buescher and the nose got messed up," said McReynolds. "That's when the engine started to overheat. I didn't want it to blow, so I came in for the crew to work on it."

The crew worked hard to cool down the car but had issues fixing the car with the damage endured. McReynolds went back out for a few laps but had to go behind the wall, just missing the "big one" on lap 50. A large portion of the 42-car field was involved in the accident.

The No. 6 came back out on lap 57 to race for owner's points. "We came back out to salvage points, but we did not back down," explained McReynolds. "Everyone knew we were out there, and I'm happy about that."

By lap 63, the No. 6 was running in the 24th position, nine laps down. McReynolds didn't back down and continued trying to gain positions with 10 laps to go.

Although the No. 6 was nine laps down, he didn't let it stop him from running with the leaders. While getting valued seat time, McReynolds helped push the No. 60 car of Patrick Sheltra and eventual winner, Dakoda Armstrong, to the lead on the last lap.

"Next up, I have the Denny Hamlin Showdown on April 29," said McReynolds. "I'm looking forward to competing against some of the best NASCAR and short-track drivers. We are really working hard to put deals together to run more races in the ARCA Racing Series."

QUALIFYING
ESR Geared Up for Talladega ARCA 250 with Practice and Qualifying

No. 81 Greenville Toyota Toyota of ESR's Craig Goess, Jr. required an engine swap during practice.

TALLADEGA, AL (APRIL 22, 2010) Eddie Sharp Racing had a busy day Thursday preparing for the Talladega ARCA 250. Brandon McReynolds in the No. 6 and Craig Goess in the No. 81 took the track for practice in the morning and finished the day with qualifying runs.

McReynolds Pays Homage to Godfather in First Superspeedway Race
McReynolds ran 22 laps in his No. 6 Talladega/Texaco Walk of Fame at the Davey Allison Memorial Park Toyota during the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards practice Thursday. He posted a fast lap time of 51.895 seconds (184.526 mph).

After practice, McReynolds was optimistic about the car. "I think we had a good practice," explained McReynolds. "I don't think that you can do a whole lot with single car runs, but I was glad to get on the track for 22 laps. Our performance tomorrow is the most important thing, and I'm looking forward to qualifying in a few hours."

After a four-hour intermission, the ARCA Racing Series and ESR prepared to qualify. McReynolds went out sixth of 42 cars, and a solid qualifying run around the 2.66-mile track landed McReynolds in the 18th position with a lap of 51.962 seconds (184.203 mph).

"I think qualifying went well, but the real test is tomorrow," said McReynolds. "We have a good car, and I think it's ready to draft. I'm ready for tomorrow."

Goess Looks to Overcome Obstacles for Raceday
Goess, coming off two-consecutive second place finishes, was excited to come into Talladega with momentum in the No. 81 Greenville Toyota of N.C. Toyota

The morning practice proved to be disappointing, however, when the No. 81 had engine problems after running ten laps. He finished practice with a lap of 52.125 seconds (183.712 mph).

"We ran the first few laps, and the team was testing how much tape they could put on the car, and then the motor blew," explained Goess. "We will get it changed and work to get the car back where it needs to be."

After hard work from the No. 81 ESR team to change the motor, the team was ready to qualify. Goess qualified 22nd, with a time of 52.34 (182.958 mph).

"We're disappointed, but I know that the car will race much better than we qualified," explained Goess. "It's a shame that we got caught up in the melee with the engine problems, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

A final practice session is set for 9:30 a.m. CDT Friday morning. The green flag will wave on the Talladega ARCA 250 Friday at 4 p.m. CDT for the 94-lap, 250.04-mile race. The race will be covered live on SPEED and timing and scoring will be available on ARCARacing.com.

CAR NO. 2 DRIVER PREVIEW
Brandon McReynolds

Brandon McReynolds

MOORESVILLE, NC (APRIL 21, 2010) Brandon McReynolds and the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 6 Toyota will take the track at Talladega Super Speedway for his second ARCA Racing Series start. The Talladega ARCA 250 is set to begin at 4 p.m. CDT Friday, April 23, 2010.

Debut at Salem: McReynolds made his ARCA Racing Series debut at Salem Speedway on April 11, 2010. The Mooresville, N.C. native qualified 14th, impressing both competitors and team owner Eddie Sharp with his solid qualifying run. McReynolds ran well at the beginning of the race but ran into trouble as he battled with another car. The No. 6 suffered a hole in the radiator and engine problems, which ended the day early for McReynolds. The No. 6 finished 26th.

The Godfather: This weekend at Talladega, McReynolds will have a new partner for the ESR No. 6: The Talladega/Texaco Walk of Fame at the Davey Allison Memorial Park. The park honors the famed NASCAR driver Davey Allison, who was the Godfather of McReynolds. The memorial is a beautiful landscaped park that covers one full city block of downtown Talladega. The park was dedicated in the summer of 1994 and serves as a memorial to the late Davey Allison and a tribute to NASCAR "all-star" drivers chosen by fans each year.

Working with Eddie Sharp Racing: This is McReynolds' second ARCA Racing Series start with the Eddie Sharp Racing crew. The ESR No. 6 won the Talladega race last April with Justin Lofton at the wheel. Lofton went on to claim the 2009 ARCA Racing Series crown.

Showdown with Denny Hamlin: McReynolds will compete in the Short Track Showdown on April 29, 2010 at Southside Speedway in Midlothian, V.A. The annual race is hosted by the Denny Hamlin Foundation, and proceeds go the foundation created to raise funds and awareness for Cystic Fibrosis research and treatment. McReynolds will compete against NASCAR stars such as Bobby Labonte, Kevin Harvick, Elliott Sadler, Aric Almirola, Marcus Ambrose, Tony Stewart, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano.

Alabama Connection: Larry McReynolds, father of the 18-year-old driver, was born 50 miles east of Talladega Superspeedway in Birmingham, A.L. The racing analyst on Fox Sports and retired crew chief has been integral in his son's racing career.

QUOTES
McReynolds on Talladega:
"I am really looking forward to racing at Talladega. Except for the ESR private test, I haven't been down there since I was a little kid. I learned a lot from the Salem Speedway race, and I can't wait to take what I have learned back to the track. We are taking the car Nelson Piquet Jr. qualified fifth in February at Daytona International Speedway because of how well it ran. At Talladega, you never really know where you are going to end up, but I cannot wait to get out there and race."

On the No. 6 Talladega/Texaco Walk of Fame at the Davey Allison Memorial Park:
"I'm so happy to have the Talladega/Texaco Walk of Fame at the Davey Allison Memorial Park on the car at Talladega. It holds a really special spot in my heart, as it does with a lot of long-time stock car fans. Plus, Davey was my Godfather, so to have the park that is named after him on my car when I turn my first competitive laps at Talladega will be really special. Davey was a special part of my family, and I can only hope to carry him to Victory Lane come raceday."

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 21, 2010) - Craig Goess and the Eddie Sharp Racing No. 81 Greenville Toyota of NC Toyota will take the track in the Talladega ARCA 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday, April 23, 2010 at 4 p.m. CDT.

Twice as Nice: For two weeks in a row, Goess finished in the second position. The No. 81 began a busy weekend at Texas Motor Speedway showing speed and finished fourth fastest in practice with a speed of 184.074 mph. Rain washed away qualifying, and the starting grid was based on the 2009 ARCA Racing Series car owner point standings. Goess started in the sixth position. The No. 81 ran up front most of the race, especially at the end of the 100-lap race. In a fierce battle, Goess was edged out by Steve Arpin by a mere .326 seconds.

Second Showing at Talladega: In Goess' first running at Talladega in 2009, the No. 81 qualified second and was prepared to stay at the top of the leaderboard. An early incident, however, took Goess out of the running with an ignition issue and overheating after the front end received damage. Goess finished in the 30th position after the tough day. Goess hopes use the momentum from his consecutive runner-up finishes to conquer the 2.66-mile track this weekend.

In the Points: Goess' consecutive second-place finishes moved him up to seventh in the ARCA Racing Series points standings and is only 30 points shy of entering the top-five.

QUOTES
Goess on Talladega:
"We are going to Talladega to try to win the race. We have had a really good car, but we haven't always had the best of luck at superspeedways. I am really looking forward to this race, and I hope we can bring home the win."

TRACK FACTS
TALLADEGA SUPERSPEEDWAY
Location	Talladega, Alabama
Address	3366 Speedway Blvd, Talladega, AL 35160
Phone:	877-Go2-DEGA (877-462-3342)
Length	2.66-mile tri-oval
Banking	North and south turns: 33 degrees Grandstands tri-oval: 16.5 degrees
First ARCA Race	1969
EVENT SCHEDULE: (all times local)
Thurs, Apr 22:
10:00 AM - 1:30 PM;	Practice
5:05 PM	Qualifying (2 laps)
Friday, Apr 24:
4:00 PM	ARCA RE/MAX 250

Live Timing and Scoring with Live Streaming Audio on ARCANation.com.