2 CAR RACE REPORT
OH, SO CLOSE! MCDOWELL FIVE LAPS SHORT OF WIN After earning 4th pole of 2007, McDowell’s dominance doesn’t equal to win
TOLEDO, OH (May 21, 2007) – It was almost as if everything aligned perfectly at Toledo Speedway for Michael McDowell. After putting his No. 2 Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge on the pole for a fourth time in 2007, McDowell put on a race filled with drama, suspense, and a highlight-reel’s worth of offensive driving.
The weekend kicked off with a bang as McDowell cut a lap of 16.544 to win his third consecutive ARCA SIM Factory Pole Award. Immediately, the Arizona native looked to be the driver to beat in the Hantz Group 200 by Federated Car Care.
As soon as the green flag fell Sunday afternoon, it was clear that McDowell was racing on another plane as the rest of the 35-car field. After a cycle of pit stops, veteran racers Ken Schrader and Frank Kimmel drove out to large leads in the heart of ARCA country; however, McDowell was on the prowl for a victory.
With less than 30 laps to go, McDowell, running fifth, passed Schrader, a NASCAR Nextel Cup Series regular with a “pass-in-the-grass” coming off of Turn 3 to capture fourth-place in the running order. Worn tires on the cars or Kimmel and Justin South made them easy pickings for McDowell who then zeroed in on teammate Ken Butler III for the lead.
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McDowell blew by Butler with five laps to go when an accident in turn 3 brought out a caution flag... |
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McDowell blew by Butler with five laps to go when an accident in Turn 3 brought out a caution flag. As that wreck occurred, Butler and McDowell collided, resulting in McDowell spinning but saving his Dodge from imminent harm. He would regroup for the final two laps and bring home a 7th place finish.
“I just can’t believe it,” said McDowell “We had this race—we had the car. It is a shame that our own teammate spun us for the win. Personally, that’s the best I’ve driven a race car and our team, Patrick (Donahue) and his guys poured their hearts and souls into this effort. Seventh-place is great, but that win is what we deserved.
“It seemed like everything fell into place for us. From the moment we unloaded, we knew we had an opportunity to do something really exciting. I hate it for the 2 crew that we couldn’t be the ones in victory lane but the Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge will live to fight another day.”
Up Next: Eddie Sharp Racing will take on the jet-fast Iowa Speedway on Saturday, June 2. |
22 CAR RACE REPORT
BUTLER III CLAIMS FIRST ARCA RE/MAX SERIES WIN
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Race winner Ken Butler III |
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MOORESVILLE, NC (May 21, 2007) – Ken Butler III may have been a rookie in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, but he didn’t drive like one, as he was able to hold off Nextel Cup Series regular and former ARCA RE/MAX Series winner, Kenny Schrader, to claim his first career ARCA RE/MAX Series victory at Toledo Speedway (OH).
“It feels great to be in victory lane,” said Butler. “But it’s a bittersweet victory. We made contact with Michael (McDowell) there at the end, and I am not sure exactly why it happened. He seemed to slow down there, and I slammed on my brakes as hard as I could and we still made contact. When he got sideways, I was hoping he would be able to save it. I waited to see if he was going to be able to, but the caution was already out for another incident out on the track.”
“I was hoping that ARCA would put him back in first, and I would be in second for the restart, but they didn’t do that. I can only control what I can, so we just had to keep on going.”
Despite the incident that occurred at the end of the race, Butler drove a smart race. He was able to start his No. 22 Domino Dodge up front in the sixth position and kept it right around the top five for most of the event.
“I knew that both McDowell’s and my car were both really good. From practice on, I knew our car was strong. It was the same car that we had at Lakeland, and it was just as strong.”
“I am not always the greatest qualifier, but we were really fast in practice, and we qualified up in the sixth spot. We just slowly worked our way up to third, and then we pitted. My pit crew guys are awesome. They are a huge reason we are here in victory lane. Every time that we had to pit they got us out first, and all I had to do was focus on driving. It made my job a lot easier.”
Smart pit strategy and quality driving put him up front with 10 laps to go, and Butler was just laps away from becoming an ARCA RE/MAX Series winner.
A late-race caution put that victory temporarily on hold. Butler was set to restart first, but he had very tough competition looking in his rear view mirror in the form of Kenny Schrader, but that wasn’t enough to keep this rookie from leaving his mark in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
“I was pretty nervous those last few laps when we had to hold off Schrader for the win,” added Butler. “It was a little nerve-wracking knowing that there was a NEXTEL Cup driver behind me. I just tried not to look in the mirror and made sure that I hit all of my marks. When we crossed the start-finish line when they threw the checkered, I didn’t even know that it was over until the guys started screaming on the radio that we had won. It was awesome.” |
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Pacesetter Michael McDowell leads all drivers in ARCA Sim Factory Pole Awards (4) and is second among all drivers in laps led in 2007. |
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TOLEDO OH (MAY 19, 2007) - How hard does rookie sensation Michael McDowell have to bang on the door before it finally opens to the top of the podium? We're in the process of finding out.
McDowell, in Eddie Sharp's No. 2 Z Line-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge, earned his third consecutive SIM Factory Pole Award and fourth of the 2007 season Saturday afternoon at Toledo Speedway.
The Phoenix, Arizona native starts on the point for Sunday's Hantz Group 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo. Teammate Ken Butler III will start from 6th position in the No. 22 ESR Domino's Pizza Dodge |
"The guys from SIM Factory were joking around, saying that they need to start engraving my name onto the trophy beforehand," said McDowell. "We need to make sure that we follow through with this pole and bring home a win. It's time for us to show that we're not one lap wonders."
"Scoring the fourth pole of the year--thats amazing-- that's a testament to Patrick Donahue and the crew. Eddie Sharp has been great to us. We've got to pull this win off and give him a trophy to show off in Charlotte."
| TOLEDO QUALIFYING RESULTS / STARTING GRID |
POS |
NO |
DRIVER |
CAR |
TIME |
SPEED |
POLE |
2 |
McDowell |
Z Line-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge |
16.544
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108.801 |
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|
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6 |
22 |
Butler III |
ESR -Domino's Pizza Dodge
|
16.763
|
107.379 |
The race is scheduled to air LIVE on SPEED Sunday, May 20th beginning at 12 Noon Eastern. |
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"It's only a matter of time before they bring home a trophy." - Team Owner Eddie Sharp |
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MOORESVILLE, NC (May 16, 2007) – Both of the Eddie Sharp Racing entries suffered heavy doses of bad luck last weekend at Kentucky Speedway. After sweeping the front row, Michael McDowell in the No. 2 and Ken Butler III in the No. 22 both encountered torrid luck leading to finishes of 31st and 39th respectively.
But Toledo Speedway brings forth a new weekend and a new opportunity for a strong showing at one of ARCA’s most heralded race tracks. The Hantz Group 200 by Federated Car Care this Sunday has both ESR teams hopeful.
Butler returns to the seat of the No. 22 this weekend for his first trip to Toledo. The short track scene has been a learning process for the Georgia native, qualifying 9th and finishing 20th at Lakeland and qualifying 16th and finishing 33rd at Salem; however, team owner Eddie Sharp is optimistic about his upcoming task in Ohio: |
“The 22 team has been excellent with their qualifying setups and also the overall performance of the car,” said Sharp. “Obviously, it takes time to get a stranglehold on some of the short tracks we run in this series but Ken is doing that. He needs to focus on a having a complete race and that comes with experience. Toledo could be a breakthrough for him and the 22 team.”
If the No. 22 entry has been fast, the No. 2 team has been flirting with the sound barrier. McDowell claimed his third pole of the 2007 ARCA campaign last weekend at Kentucky. The team has emerged as one to beat each weekend in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and that delights Sharp:
“The whole 2 team has been very fast and very efficient, they just haven’t been lucky. Michael (McDowell) gets stronger as a driver every time he takes to the track and, working with Patrick (Donahue, crew chief), it’s only a matter of time before they bring home a trophy.”
ARCA Pole Qualifying takes place Saturday at 3:30 pm EST. The race will begin Sunday at 12 pm EST. |
