Scott Speed

SPARTA, Ky. (May 10, 2008) – Some things just are not meant to be and this weekend Scott Speed and the Red Bull team were not meant to be in Victory Lane at Kentucky Speedway. Speed dominated the race, leading more laps than any other driver and earning him the Aaron’s Lap Leader award for the caution-extended 168-mile Drive Smart! Buckle Up Kentucky 150. With restarts plagued caution after caution, missing a gear and running on fumes, the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota was passed by Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. in the second late-race restart. Unable to get past Stenhouse in the final one-lap dash, Speed finished the night in the second position.

“There is no doubt that we made the right decision to stay out,” said Speed. “We pitted a lot earlier than everyone else and didn’t really get worried about running out of fuel until we kept getting restart after restart. We lost third gear on one of the last restarts. Stenhouse was able to get past us and I just couldn’t catch him in the final lap. It was frustrating because we did everything right tonight. Some things you can’t control and we couldn’t control all those cautions.”

Speed started the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota in the seventh position after qualifying with a 30.770 second lap on Saturday afternoon. When the third of the day’s ten cautions came out on lap 26, Crew Chief Patrick Donahue made the call to come to the pits for four tires and fuel. The team also removed a strip of tape from the grill to adjust the car’s tight condition. Speed restarted the race at lap 34 in the 15th position.

The fourth caution quickly came out again at lap 36. The remaining leaders came to the pits with the exception of the No. 48 car of Jake Francis. The race restarted on lap 45 with Speed in the second position. Speed worked to chase down the 48 and on lap 52, while maneuvering through lapped traffic, the Red Bull Toyota pulled into the lead.

Spotter Slugger Labbe commented to his driver, “way to work the traffic there driver. Nice move!”

Speed dominated the next 55 laps and it looked like the Red Bull team was going to visit Victory Lane for the second time this season. Every caution aided in the fuel conservation since the only pit stop made by the No. 2 was on lap 29. Follow the seventh caution of the day, the race restarted with three laps to go. Every member of the Eddie Sharp Racing organization held their breath as they watched one of their teammates poised to take the checkered flag.

The racing gods, however, decided to throw a curve ball on lap 99. The eighth caution of the day came out with a big wreck in turn one. With debris scattered on the track, the cars were halted and the race red-flagged. It was during the red flag that Speed radioed to his team that “third gear is gone. It happened on that last restart.”

When the field returned to caution laps, the teams readied for the green-white-checkered finish. The green flag came out at lap 103 and Speed, the leader, too the white flag at lap 104. Shortly after the leaders crossed the start-finish line with one-to-go, yet another caution came out. Due to an ARCA RE/MAX Series rule that no race finishes under caution, all remaining restarts would be one-lap dashes to the checkered flags.

On the green-white-checkered attempt, Ricky Stenhouse managed to pull into the second position. Speed led the lap 107 restart, and handicapped without a third gear, was passed by the strong No. 99. Before the single-dash lap could be completed, the tenth and final caution of the race came out during lap 107. When the race restarted at lap 112, Speed was second to Stenhouse and just did not have enough left to get past him.

“We had GREAT restarts all night long,” stated Speed. “We had that race won three times, who know it was going to have to go an extra 12 laps. At that point, we weren’t sure if we would run out of gas or not. It was the right thing, not coming in after that early pit stop. We took a gamble and it almost paid off. It put us in the position to win. Thank you to the team for another great car. Today was a good points day. That will help us dig out of the hole that Rockingham put us in. And I know that we’ll get back to Victory Lane very soon.”

With his second-place finish, Speed advanced into the sixth position in the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points standings, 125 points behind new leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

Ken Butler III

SPARTA, Ky. (May 10, 2008) – Ken Butler, III earned the Casite Hard Charger award in Saturday’s Drive Smart! Buckle Up Kentucky 150 for climbing 16 spots from his 20th-place starting position. Butler, III stayed out of trouble for what extended into a 168-mile race, driving the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine to the checkered flag in the fourth position.

“The Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine was pretty good tonight,” said Butler, III. “it was a tick on the tight side, but nothing that was overwhelming. This was a 100-lap race – well it was supposed to be at least. We didn’t qualify very well, but stayed out of wrecks and on the lead lap, which allowed us to be in the top-5 in the end.”

KBIII started the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota in the 20th position following a conservative 31.250 second qualifying lap. Following the first caution at lap 4, KBIII restarted in the top-15 on lap 7. The No. 22 team followed the early pit strategy with their teammate, Scott Speed, coming in on lap 29 for four tires and fuel. Butler, III restarted in the 18th position due to lead cars opting not to pit. The remaining leaders pitted under caution at lap 36, allowing for the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine to climb to the front of the field. KBIII restarted on lap 45 in the third position.

With 25 laps remaining in the race, KBII held strong to the third position. When the caution came out at lap 75, Butler, III radioed that the Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota was “not bad but a little tight in the corners.” Crew Chief Wayne Carroll made the call to come to pit road for four tires, fuel, and wedge and track bar adjustments to aid in the tight condition. KBIII restarted on lap 81 in the tenth position. The race did not stay green for one lap and another caution came out at lap 81. With cars wrecking around him, KBIII and the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota received only slight cosmetic damage out of the melee and restarted on lap 86 in the tenth position.

The eighth caution of the day came out with a big wreck in turn one on lap 99; two laps shy of the finish. With debris scattered on the track, the cars were halted and the race red-flagged. The race would be completed with a green-white-checkered finish. Butler, III restarted on lap 103 in the eighth position.

On the white-flag lap of 104, the caution came out yet again. Due to an ARCA RE/MAX Series rule that no race finishes under caution, all remaining restarts would be one-lap dashes to the checkered flags, with the green and white flags waved simultaneously. Two additional cautions and fuel mileage eliminated cars in front of the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota.

With twelve additional laps, the checkered flag for the Drive Safe! Buckle Up Kentucky 150 was finally displayed. The No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine finished in the fourth position.

“Today was one of those races where it worked to stay on the lead lap, stay out of trouble, and drive smart,” said Butler, III. “With that and good pits stops from my guys, we were in the top-five at the end. This was a great point’s day for the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine team. We made up some ground in the points from our poor finish at Rockingham. We’ll head to Toledo next weekend where the ESR teams have always been strong and look to continue that trend! I want to thank Aaron’s for their support. We had some Aaron’s employees here today so it was great for them to see such a crazy race at the end and for us to get our best finish so far this season.”

The top-five finish is Butler’s season-best finish and advanced him into the ninth position in the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points standings, 200 points behind new leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

Lofton Comes Home with a Solid Finish After a Difficult Day

Buckling up a problem in the Drive Smart! Buckle Up Kentucky 150

Justin Lofton

SPARTA, Ky. (May 10, 2008) – Eddie Sharp Racing’s Justin Lofton entered the Drive Smart! Buckle Up Kentucky 150 ARCA RE/MAX Series race with high hopes after a disappointing effort at Rockingham. A 13th-place qualifying effort gave the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge a great starting spot. Unfortunately, Lofton’s seat belts came undone on lap 6 and he was unable to regain the laps lost in the pits while fixing the problem. The car was strong and Lofton managed to come home in 23rd place.

“Our car was really strong, I feel so bad about the belts,” said Lofton after the disappointing finish. “I am speechless. I just can’t believe of all things, my belts came undone. We were just making laps and trying to bring the car home in one piece once we knew we couldn’t get our laps back.”

The sun was bright when practice began on Saturday afternoon. Lofton and Crew Chief Randy Nelson made changes to the No. 20 that helped it gain some needed speed. The car began the day a bit tight and the team was able to work to adjust the handling during the 2-hour practice session.

“I am speechless. I just can’t believe of all things, my belts came undone."

“I have never been here before so I’m still learning the track,” stated Lofton as he climbed into the car for ARCA SIM Factory Pole Qualifying. “I will be happy with a top-15 qualifying today.”

Lofton was able to make a lap in 30.987 seconds (174.287 mph) and put the car solidly in the field with a 13th starting position.

“I’m happy with that,” said Lofton following qualifying. “I am really looking forward to a great race”

As the sun set and the track lights gleamed brightly, it was perfect weather for night racing in Sparta, Kentucky. The green flag dropped at 8:00 p.m. and the Lofton Cattle No. 20 quickly moved through the field.

“The car feels balanced,” radioed Lofton on Lap 3 as he was passing for the 10th position. The first of ten caution flags came out on lap 4. While under caution Justin and Crew Chief Randy Nelson were discussing race strategy. Suddenly, Lofton radioed that his seat belts had just come undone. As the race restarted, Lofton was forced to bring the No. 20 to pit road on lap 6. The team quickly helped him re-buckle but the green flag pit stop was costly and Lofton lost 3 laps.

As the race leaders continued to put additional cars a lap down, the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge was never in the position to receive the Lucky Dog Award to get their lost laps back. The car was strong and Lofton gained valuable respect from veteran drivers as he simply stayed out of trouble and logged laps for the remainder of the race.

“We didn’t want to tear up the car tonight,” said Lofton as he was debriefing with his team. “We knew it was fast but if we couldn’t fight for the win, there was no use in wrecking it. Man, I really hope our luck turns around, this team deserves so much more and it seems like the little things are biting us.”

Scott Speed

DENVER, N.C. (May 8, 2008) –Many drivers like to say they have a hot rod with them at the track. Scott Speed definitely has the right to brag about his No. 2 Red Bull Toyota. The chassis has four wins in five starts. The car’s only defeat was last season at Nashville where, despite running on only seven cylinders, it managed to continue to dominate the field until the motor finally gave up the ghost with only three laps remaining in the race. Kentucky has been very good to the Eddie Sharp Racing Organization and the Red Bull team is ready to continue that trend in this weekend’s Drive Smart! Buckle Up 150.

“I’m looking forward to racing at Kentucky,” said Speed. “We tried to test here several times earlier this year but the weather just refused to cooperate. The car we are bringing this weekend is our Kansas car. It has won four races now and we are looking to make it five.”

This will be Speed’s first career start at the 1.5-mile paved tri-oval. Speed’s mile and a half track debut at Kansas left no doubt that the former Formula 1 driver is a big fan of this track type. Speed qualified second and finished first only two weeks ago at Kansas Speedway and earned a top-10 the following day in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race.

Ken Butler III

DENVER, N.C. (May 8, 2008) –With a pole-winning Toyota loaded on the hauler, Ken Butler, III and the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine team are looking forward to returning to the Kentucky Speedway. Not only do they have a hot rod ready to start this weekend’s Drive Smart! Buckle Up 150, but the Kentucky Speedway is where Eddie Sharp Racing started a streak of success in 2007. Last season, Ken Butler, III and teammate Michael McDowell started 1-2 at the speedway.

“I’m really looking forward to heading back to Kentucky,” said Butler, III. “I really like the 1.5-mile tracks and I definitely feel like I am going back with more experience and more confidence. We have a great car that we are bringing so it should be a very positive weekend.”

This weekend marks the second career start for Ken Butler, III at the 1.5-mile paved tri-oval. In 2007, KBIII qualified 2nd for this race by a mere 0.02 seconds behind ESR teammate Michael McDowell.

Justin Lofton

DENVER, N.C. (May 8, 2008) – Justin Lofton and the Lofton Cattle team head to Kentucky Speedway this weekend for the Drive Smart! Buckle Up 150. Looking to rebound from a disappointing run at Rockingham, the Lofton Cattle team is anxious to return to a mile and a half speedway where the Eddie Sharp Racing organization has had plenty of success.

“The No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge should be really strong this weekend,” said Lofton. “I think we have had enough bad luck since the season started. We are due for a turn-around. Our qualifying effort at Rockingham was definitely the quality of runs that is expected out of this team. Now, we just need to get the finishes to complete the package.”

This weekend marks the first event that the team will be running a car for the second time this season. Applying some “lessons learned”, the Lofton Cattle team is ready to “Buckle Up” and run up front at Kentucky Speedway. This is Lofton’s first career start at the 1.5-mile paved tri-oval.

SCOTT SPEED QUICK FACTS:

2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series Stats:
Best Start: second (twice) at Daytona International Speedway, February 2008 and Kansas Speedway, April 2008
Best Finish: first at Kansas Speedway, April 2008

Notes of Interest:
> Eddie Sharp Racing is bringing car #101 (aka chassis #619) to the Kentucky Speedway. This Toyota Camry was last seen on-track at Kansas Speedway, where Speed started second and finished first.
> Car #101 has won four out of five races - Kansas Speedway, April 2008 (Speed); Kentucky Speedway, July 2007 (McDowell); Pocono, August 2007 (McDowell); and Chicagoland, September 2007 (McDowell).
> First career start at Kentucky Speedway for Scott Speed.

KEN BUTLER, III QUICK FACTS:

2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series Stats:
Best Start: first at Kansas Speedway, April 2008
Best Finish: seventh (twice) at Iowa Speedway, April 2008 and Kansas Speedway, April 2008

Notes of Interest:
> Eddie Sharp Racing is bringing car #109 to the Kentucky Speedway. This Toyota Camry was last seen on-track at Kansas Speedway, where KBIII earned his first career ARCA SIM Factory Pole Award.
> In 2007, Eddie Sharp Racing had a streak of successful starts and finishes beginning at Kentucky Speedway (Kentucky: McDowell and Butler, III started 1-2; Toledo: McDowell started first, KBIII won; Iowa: McDowell finished second)
> Second career start at Kentucky Speedway. In May 2007, Butler, III qualified 2nd and finished 31st due to damage from an accident.