ARCA RE/MAX SERIES RACING FOR WILDLIFE 200 RACE REPORTS
Arpin Nabs Career-best at Michigan; Disappointment for Lofton
Craig Goess & Tim George finish 10th & 13th

Brooklyn, MI (June 12, 2009)-- The race is run and the results are in. Eddie Sharp Racing's Steve Arpin
brought home his best result of his ARCA RE/MAX rookie season, finishing 8th. Mechanical problems brought
a disappointing result to Justin Lofton's efforts for the day. Craig Goess earned another top-10 and
teammate Tim George brought his Ruby Tuesday/Chrome Heats Camry home 13th.

Full race reports for each Eddie Sharp Racing team below...

Arpin: "We're getting our program straightened out and definitely heading in the right direction."

Arpin nabs career-best eighth at Michigan
 
Eddie Sharp Racing's Steve Arpin nabbed his highest finish to date in the ARCA RE/MAX Series on Friday at Michigan International Speedway, finishing a career-best eighth in the Racing for Wildlife 200.
 
Action on the two-mile Michigan track was set to begin on Thursday but rain plagued the day's schedule, forcing ARCA to move the one and only practice session to Friday morning. The rainout also prompted the field to be set by point standings, giving Arpin and crew a 13th place starting spot.
 
The first half of the race was slowed multiple times by caution flags, making pit strategy a tough call. Up until that point, Arpin played it safe, collecting laps and slowly gaining position. But by lap 51, Arpin's Toyota had reached its fuel window and the team was forced to pit under green. A lap later, the caution flew again, pinning Arpin a lap down.
 
Racing feverishly to regain the lost track position, Arpin's Toyota caught a pack of cars. While caught in the traffic jam, Arpin's machine got loose and made slight contact against the outside retaining wall with the right front fender.

Arpin and George in formation

Fortunately, the damage wasn't enough to force an early pitstop and the damage was repaired under the next exchange of stops.
 
Back on the lead lap despite the sporadic racing throughout the caution-plagued 100-lap race, Arpin made his final pitstop on lap 87. Arpin's Jefferson Hodges-led team hopped into action over the wall, changing tires and adjusting the track bar.
 
Just 10 laps from the finish, the ninth and final caution flag of the day dropped, leaving the field with just a one-lap dash to the checkered flag after a lengthy caution flag for cleanup after a wreck in turn 2. At the time of the restart on lap 99, Arpin's No. 20 was running in the 13th spot. Once the green flag waved for the final time, Arpin, with the help of spotter Lorin Ranier, dug in, making it four-wide in the outside groove, picking up five positions in the closing laps.
 
"In all we had a really good day today. We got caught a lap down, due to pit strategy and we were able to race our way back onto the lead lap. Jefferson made great decisions all day and gave me the best car we have had all year. Without pacing under caution the last 10 laps, I think we could have had a top-three run today," Aprin said.

Goess: "That's our second top-10 in a row. I'm happy for the guys, they work so hard on this Greenville Toyota Camry, and now I'm excited to get another next week."

Goess earns fourth top-10 of season

Craig Goess, Jr. earned his fourth top-10 of the season in the No. 81 Greenville Toyota on Friday in the Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

After rain knocked out the team's qualifying run, Goess and the Patrick-Donahue led 81 team started from the eighth spot based on the point standings.

Unfortunately, there wasn't much racing going on in the early portion of the race. Caution flags peppered the 100-lap event, reeking havoc on race strategy and green flag racing.

The stop and go order of the race didn't leave Goess much time to feel out his machine, but he faired well, running 13th before making his a pitstop just past the halfway mark on lap 57.

Once Goess wheeled his Greenville Toyota down pitroad to the attention of his crew, the team opted for a minor spring rubber adjustment in addition to four fresh Hoosier tires.

By lap 72, Goess had maneuvered his hotrod through the field leaving him and his Eddie Sharp Racing teammate Steve Arpin were within car lengths of each other; Goess running in the eighth position and Arpin's No. 20 in 11th.

It was tires only when Goess brought the 81 in for the final stop on lap 87

Another caution flag waved on lap 85 and two laps later, Goess again brought his machine down pitroad. This time, the final stop of the day, the team took on tires only, with no adjustments to their stout racecar.

As the laps clicked down, one more caution flag dropped with just 10 laps remaining and after a lengthy cleanup following a wreck, the restart fell just one lap from the finish.

Goess took the restart from the 10th spot and despite a gaggle of cars vying for the same piece of real estate as they made their way around the two-mile track one final time, he held off the challenges, bringing home a solid top-10 finish.

"It was a long race today with all of those yellows. We had a good car and it's good to get another top-10 in the books," Goess said.

George: "It was a pretty short race. I could have gone another 200 laps!"

George narrowly misses top 10 in Michigan, comes home 13th

Tim George, Jr. claimed his fifth top-15 finish of the young ARCA RE/MAX Series season on Friday at Michigan International Speedway.

With new associate sponsor Chrome Hearts on board for the race, George started the Racing for Wildlife 200 from the 10th position after rain knocked out the qualifying session on Thursday. With that, the one and only practice session was moved to Friday morning as well.

After the practice run, George and the Jon Wolfe-led crew found themselves 18th on the speed chart. But, finding speed wasn't the only worry pre-race. Wolfe, George, and team owner Eddie Sharp were also paying close attention to the tire wear on the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday / Chrome Hearts Toyota.

Once the field took the green flag in the 100-lap race, two early caution flags fell, giving George a chance to pit.  On lap 28, he took that opportunity, changing the tires, allowing the team to check the Hoosier tire wear. With car owner Sharp in the pitstall looking things over, the tires all appeared to be okay.

Tim George's 2 car featured new associate sponsor Chrome Hearts

There were nine caution flags throughout the race, slowing the race dramatically. 49 of the 100 laps were run under yellow, affecting not only pit strategy but George's ability to race under green flag conditions.

The final caution flag of the day waved just 10 laps from the finish. Prolonged cleanup for a wreck in turn 2 however, left only one lap of green flag racing once the field saw the green flag on lap 99.

At the time, George was 14th. On the restart, the jumbled up field fought for all of the available track position and George muscled the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota through the melee, picking up a spot and closing out the day in the 13th position.

 "We had an issue on the last restart and that was our top 10. I hate it for my guys who work very hard," George said.

"It was a pretty short race. I could have gone another 200 laps. The car was a lot better than it was last week at Pocono. The guys worked really hard over the last week. I really wanted to finish in the Top 10, especially for my sponsors, Ruby Tuesday and Chrome Hearts. We got close. Maybe I'll have better luck at Mansfield next week. The track is a lot like Toledo and I did very well there, so we'll see what happens.

Lofton: "It is unfortunate we had that problem. We had a great car and we were pulling away. I felt good about our chances here; got the win last year, finished second last week, we had all the makings of a good run,"

Mechanical issue bites Lofton, No. 6 ESR team
 
Justin Lofton had high hopes entering the race weekend at Michigan International Speedway. Fresh off of a second-place finish in Pocono the week before, the No. 6 Eddie Sharp Racing team had more than momentum on their side. They had a new sponsor in Valvoline Instant Oil Change, the points lead and Lofton, as defending race winner.
 
Unfortunately, what started out as a good weekend, quickly went south early into the Racing for Wildlife 200.
 
Rain knocked out qualifying on Thursday afternoon, handling Lofton the pole position based on owner point standings. In the driver standings, Lofton entered the weekend 95 points ahead of second place Parker Kligerman.
 
Once the green flag dropped Friday afternoon, Lofton broke away to an early lead. Though two caution flags quickly slowed the pace of the race, Lofton easily maintained the position. Despite an attempt by Kligerman to challenge for the lead, the No. 6 Valvoline Instant Oil Change Toyota piloted by Lofton, pulled away, dominating the first 39 laps.
 
On lap 40 however, Lofton radioed to crew chief Mark Rette that the car, "just popped," and he pulled his slowing machine onto pit road to the attention of his crew. Despite the team's diligent work under the hood to diagnose the problem, Lofton's machine was forced behind the wall for repairs. 17 laps later, he returned to the track. After a four-tire change and a track bar adjustment, the No. 6 Valvoline Instant Oil Change Toyota was back in its familiar competitive form.
 
As the crew looked on as they tried to make the best of their day, the mangled remains of a replaced ignition wire laid on the pitbox as a bitter reminder of what could have been.

New paint and sponsor logos adorned Justin Lofton's No.6 Camry at Michigan International but an electrical gremlin spoiled the day...

The 200-mile race was plagued with caution flags, with nearly half of the race being run under caution, making the event seem even longer to an already distraught Lofton.
 
Despite the bad luck, the team banded together, overcame the mechanical woes and finished the race, ending the day in the 30th spot. The finish also ended a four-race streak of Lofton finishing either first or second. Since his win in Talladega in April, Lofton scored three-straight runner-up finishes, giving him the points lead.
 
Lofton now sits second, 45 points out of first.
 
"It is unfortunate we had that problem. We had a great car and we were pulling away. I felt good about our chances here; got the win last year, finished second last week, we had all the makings of a good run," Lofton said.
 
"But, you can't predict things like that. Parts brake, things happen. We'll take it and go on to Mansfield. It's similar to Toledo and I finished second there so we'll look ahead to that one and get them back there."

ARCA RE/MAX SERIES RACING FOR WILDLIFE 200
Practice: Lofton second quickest in rescheduled session

TEAMMATES ARPIN, GOESS, GEORGE 15TH, 16TH, 18TH RESPECTIVELY

Brooklyn, MI (June 11, 2009)-- 41 ARCA RE/MAX Series drivers who participated in a 50 minute
practice session at Michigan Int'l Speedway on Friday morning.

The session was in preparation for this evening's Racing for Wildlife 200 (5 p.m. Est. live on SPEED). Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton (No. 6 Valvoline Instant Oil Change Toyota), posted the second fastest time of the session.

The practice session provided the only on-track activity for ARCA RE/MAX Series cars after heavy rain showers in the Brooklyn, Michigan area prevented any on track activity on Thursday. With no Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell, the starting field was set by current car owner points. Defending Racing for Wildlife 200 race winner Lofton will start on the pole alongside James Buescher in the No. 32 Wolfpack Rentals Toyota.

The Racing for Wildlife 200 rolls off at 5 p.m. Eastern live on SPEED. Live timing and scoring and live audio will be available at http://www.arcaracing.com.

ARCA RE/MAX SERIES RACING FOR WILDLIFE 200
RAIN! AGAIN! QUALIFYING CANCELLED; GRID SET BY OWNER POINTS

Brooklyn, MI (June 11, 2009)--Thursday's ARCA RE/MAX Series Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell at Michigan Int'l Speedway, scheduled for 3 p.m., has been cancelled. The starting grid for Friday's Racing for Wildlife 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race will be set based on current car owner points.

4 in a row...

Thursday's ARCA RE/MAX Series practice session has been pushed back to Friday morning. The ARCA RE/MAX Series Garage Area will open at 7:30 a.m. on Friday. The Series will have a practice session on Friday morning from 9-9:50 a.m. to prepare for Friday night's Racing for Wildlife 200, which airs at 5 p.m. live on SPEED.

Rain showers have plagued Brooklyn, Michigan and the surrounding area for much of the day. Menards Pole Qualifying has been washed out due to uncooperative weather for the last four consecutive races (Kentucky, Toledo, Pocono, Michigan), marking the first time in the 57-year history of the ARCA RE/MAX Series that four consecutive qualifying sessions have been cancelled.

The Racing for Wildlife 200, race eight of the 21-race ARCA RE/MAX Series, is scheduled to roll off at 5 p.m. on Friday live on SPEED. Arcaracing.com will provide live timing and scoring and audio coverage of the race.

BROOKLYN, Mich. (June 10, 2009) – Despite a nineteenth place finish last week at Pocono, Tim George Jr. and the Ruby Tuesday/Chrome Hearts team are geared up for Michigan International Speedway this week with the same chassis.

George Jr. is sitting eighth in the ARCA RE/MAX Series national championship points chase, a mere ten points out of seventh heading into the two-mile oval at Michigan Speedway on Friday. On-track activity for the Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan Int'l Speedway begins Thursday, June 11 with practice from 10:00 AM. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 3:00 PM. The Friday race is live on SPEED at 5:00 PM.

2 car Crew Chief Jon Wolfe

"I felt like we lost a little momentum after Pocono." Stated George Jr. " I want to remain in the top ten in points after Michigan, and in order to do that we will really have to get a competitive race package together. Through solid team effort, I think we can get closer to where we need to be. Once we do that, it will be my job to run consistent lap times and stay out of trouble. Our Toyota engine program has been great, and I have to take my hat off for TRIAD."

The relationship between driver, Tim George Jr. and crew chief, Jon Wolfe has been growing stronger, as the communication barriers have been open and the two are trying to be on the same page when it comes to racecar set up. There is a long season still ahead, and the ESR No. 2 team is looking forward to moving forward together.

Wolfe stated, "We tested here in Michigan which is a good thing. Once Tim gains that extra bit of confidence that I know he has we will be running up front."

"Jon Wolfe and I are beginning to understand what each of us need to succeed. I am trying to improve on my feedback, and he is trying to improve on asking me the right questions to get to where we need
to be set up wise. Our strategy has been solid, and I feel that as soon as I can get some more laps in this car and get the right feel at both ends we will turn some heads." Said George Jr.

Tim George Jr.

With a successful test at Michigan back in May, Tim George Jr. and the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday team of Eddie Sharp Racing are heading into the Racing For Wildlife 200 optimistic for a strong run.

"I am looking forward to getting back on track at MIS, and want to have a better race than we did in Pocono." Said Tim George, Jr. " The guys are working very hard and I want to give them a good result. Everyday is a learning experience in these cars for me, and I have recently learned how important it is to not be real loose at a high-speed track such as Michigan or Pocono. There is a fine balance between having a car that won't turn and having one that turns too well."

All four Eddie Sharp Racing squads, including the Ruby Tuesday Toyota with Tim George Jr. at the wheel will be in action at Michigan International Speedway on Thursday for practice and pole qualifying with the Racing For Wildlife 200 set to take the green flag on Friday June 12 at 5:15 PM, with live television coverage on SPEED.

From ARCAracing.com
LOFTON EYES ANOTHER MICHIGAN WIN!

Current ARCA RE/MAX Series Point Leader Looking for a Repeat of Last Year's Victory

BROOKLYN MI (June 8, 2009) - Current ARCA RE/MAX Series point leader Justin Lofton is off to a phenomenal start in 2009. The driver of the Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) Lofton Cattle Toyota has one win (Talladega), four runner-up finishes and a third after the first seven races. The 23-year-old Westmorland, California racer is also pulling away from his closest championship rival Parker Kligerman with nine-time champ Frank Kimmel a distant third, and falling.

So you'd think he'd be happy, right? Wrong.

"It's getting frustrating," said Lofton the day after his second place finish at Pocono Raceway, his third consecutive runner-up finish.

"Eddie Sharp gives me the very best equipment to work with, my guys on the crew are doing an awesome job, my crew chief (Mark Rette) is phenomenal, and I just don't feel like I'm doing my part.

Lofton and Sharp

"Eddie Sharp gives me a car that can win anywhere on the circuit, and I'm not getting it done. It's getting aggravating."

It may be aggravating, but it's, nonetheless, working quite well in the overall picture. And it's certainly not too soon to start thinking about points and championships with one-third of the season in the books.

"That's the good part in all this," added Lofton. "We're building up our points, looking at the bigger picture."

And that bigger picture is the ultimate goal for Lofton and his ESR team - that bigger picture being the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series driver and owner championship, something that has eluded the ESR equation for too long.

Make no mistake about it - Lofton has every intention of moving on to the NASCAR ranks; but he certainly acknowledges that a championship would be a huge feather in his cap, much like it was for Justin Allgaier, who now finds himself a product of the powerful, prestigious Penske Racing club.

"The championship is a big deal to me - very big. This is not just about seat-time for me. In fact, that's why this whole deal came together this year (in the ARCA RE/MAX Series). When I sat down with Eddie Sharp, Mark Rette and my dad to talk about the direction we were going to go (in '09) we all had one common goal - the championship. It's huge for me. I want it bad. I want it for Eddie Sharp Racing, my dad, my crew chief - we all want the same thing."

The championship is the one piece of the puzzle that continues to elude the ESR organization, which finished second in points with Michael McDowell in 2007 before giving up the '08 title in the final moments of the Toledo finale after its driver Scott Speed did what he did.

"The championship is why I'm not exploring other opportunities right now. I don't want to dare take any focus away from this team, and our common goal.

"Felt like we could have won yesterday (at Pocono), but we also overcame a lot of adversity. loftoncarshotpoc09.jpgWe lost a motor in practice so we had to change motors for the race. It would have been nice to get some practice in. I mean, the changes we made on our pit stops, we went forward, but what we really needed was something we would have had to get under the car to do, and with more practice, I think we would have learned that.

"We needed longer runs too. Joey (Logano/Pocono winner) was a lot better on shorter runs. We needed a longer run to build up tire pressures. It'd been a different story if we would have had more practice."

Lofton won at Michigan in 2008

With Pocono in the rear view mirror, it's now onto the next event on tour - to Michigan Int'l Speedway for this Friday's (June 12) Racing for Wildlife 200. It's also where Lofton notched his career-first series victory in 2008.

"Can't wait for Michigan. We're going to be a lot stronger this year. We had a really strong test. We're bringing the same car to MIS that we ran at Pocono. We know exactly what we have, what the car does and the adjustments the car needs.

"We're actually going with a completely different set-up. Different crew chief. Going with a coil-bind set-up rather than a conventional set-up."

And as his point lead continues to grow, Lofton is also going with a lot more confidence.

"Confidence has a lot to do with it. I didn't have the greatest year last year; but I certainly learned a lot. I think the biggest thing I learned was that you make your own luck. You put yourself in a position to have luck.

"Mark (Rette/crew chief) and I spend a lot of time together. We know what each other's thinking. We know that we have to position ourselves so that what happens on the track happens for the good, not the bad. We were in position for good things to happen yesterday (at Pocono)."

Lofton was also in position for a little networking Sunday at Pocono before heading off toward the Irish Hills of lower Michigan.

"Not sure if I'm going to stay all day or just head off to MIS. But I'm definitely going to hang around for a little bit, so people know I'm around. Rather walk through the Cup garage as the winner though."

Winner or not, people are getting to know who Lofton is.

"Biggest thing is, is that I don't always have to introduce myself anymore. When I walk through the Nationwide and Cup garage, people are starting to come up to me and congratulate me, which is nice.

"Todd Braun (Nationwide Series car owner) came up to me a little while back and congratulated me - told me I was having an awesome year. That's a nice change for me.

With the economy as it is, no one really knows where we're at, but I still feel like it's important that I hang around and meet people. I've gotten some calls lately; I think we're going to be okay.

"But right now we have a championship to concentrate on, and that's what we're doing. And if we can continue to build up our point lead, we can start trying some new things - maybe play with the front-end geometry a little more, maybe roll the dice on some pit stops. Winning another race would definitely be nice."

On-track activity for the Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan Int'l Speedway begins Thursday, June 11 with practice from 10:00 AM to 12 noon. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell follows at 3:00 PM. The Friday afternoon Racing for Wildlife 200 is live on SPEED at 5:00 PM.

In addition, the ARCA Racing Network will carry live streaming audio coverage and live timing & scoring of all the on-track activity for the Racing for Wildlife 200 at ARCAracing.com inside the ARCA Nation.

Tickets for the Racing for Wildlife 200, which, in addition to the 200-mile ARCA race, include NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice and qualifying and two practice sessions for the Camping World Truck Series, are just $15. Children, 12 and under, are admitted free.

ARCA OPEN TESTING
TESTING 1-2-3!

BROOKLYN, MI (May 26, 2009) - In preparation for the upcoming Racing For Wildlife 200 at Michigan Int'l Speedway, the ARCA RE/MAX Series, including the Eddie Sharp Racing foursome, will test at the renowned Brooklyn, Michigan 2-mile oval Wednesday, May 27th for a full day of open testing. The open test, which also doubles as Media Day, will include live timing & scoring at ARCAracing.com. The rain date for the open test is Thursday, May 28th.

ESR's Justin Lofton won at Michigan International Speedway in 2008

After coming off a tumultuous day of action at the Toledo Speedway May 17th, the entire Eddie Sharp squad is excited about laying some rubber at the famous track, a track, driver of the No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota Camry; Justin Lofton is all too familiar with. Lofton took the checkered flag at the Michigan International Speedway last year in his Rookie season.

Eddie Sharp Racing's other drivers, all rookies, include driver of the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota Camry, Tim George, Jr., driver of the No. 20 Taylor Motorsports Toyota Camry, and driver of the No. 81 Greenville Toyota Camry, Craig Goess, Jr. will also participate in the test.

The next racing event for the ARCA RE/MAX Series will be the Pocono ARCA 200 at Pocono Raceway Saturday, June 6. ESR then returns to Michigan for the Racing for Wild 200 the following weekend. That race is set to go green Friday, June 12th at 5:00 PM.

TRACK FACTS
MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY
Location	Brooklyn, Michigan
Address	12626 US 12, Brooklyn MI
Phone:	(517) 592-6666
Length	2-mile paved oval
Banking	18 degrees banking
First ARCA Race	1980
EVENT SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, JUNE 11th
10 AM:-Noon:	ARCA RE/MAX Series Practice
3:00 PM:	Pole Qualifying (All Positions / 2 laps)
FRIDAY, JUNE 12th
5:15 PM:	Racing for Wildlife 200 (100 laps / 200 miles)

From ARCAracing.com
TG ON THE GO

From MIS Test to Late Model Race in VA to Pocono, Rookie Tim George is on the Go; Guest on Inside ARCA Wednesday

ESR's Tim George is a very busy fellow -even on his "off-weekends"

RADFORD VA (May 30, 2009) -(ARCAracing.com) -The ARCA RE/MAX Series doesn't have a race on their schedule this weekend; however, Tim George Jr. does. The driver of the Ruby Tuesday Toyota for Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) is heading to the Motor Mile Speedway in Radford, Virginia to compete in the Blue Ridge Copier Late Model Stock Car (LMSC) 150 Saturday, May 30.

In a car prepared by Frank Deiny, the ARCA RE/MAX Series rookie will utilize this ‘off-weekend' to hone his stock car skills.

"I'm excited to race here." said George Jr. "We worked on everything Friday to be competitive for the race on Saturday. Frank Deiny has been working on the car for this race and I have been working on racing, which really translates well into my ARCA program. I expect to have a good weekend and learn a little more about driving these stock cars. Every little bit helps."

Michigan Testing
George, like all rookies, is in search of seat-time, and got some Wednesday during the open test at Michigan Int'l Speedway in preparation for the June 12 Racing For Wildlife 200.

By all accounts, the testing at Michigan International Speedway was very productive for the Ruby Tuesday team

By all accounts, it was a productive test for the Ruby Tuesday team. The team settled into test mode and cycled through its various testing set-ups, allowing George to focus on learning about the historic two-mile Michigan oval.

"I learned a lot about the track during the test," added George. "Most of all I learned that it's fast; it required concentration and smooth driving. I'm excited for the race in a couple of weeks. It'll be nice to take what I learned today and apply it to race conditions.

"This is the same car we'll run at Pocono next week and here at MIS the following week, so we concentrated on setting this car up. The guys are really working hard to make everything right. I'm excited about coming back here to race."

Inside ARCA
George will also be one of the featured guests on "Inside ARCA" Wednesday, June 3. Inside ARCA airs every Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00 PM ET featuring a variety of drivers, crew chiefs and different racing personalities. George, from New York, NY, is scheduled to be the guest from 3:15 to 3:30.