ESR Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 Unofficial Results
Cayuga Motor Speedway, Ontario, Canada
June 28, 2008

Scott Speed

Speed Rallies from Five Laps Down to Finish in Top 10 at Cayuga

Scott Speed

Nelles Corners, ON (June 30, 2008) - Eddie Sharp Racing's Scott Speed took an early spin on the back stretch of the Cayuga Motor Speedway. Losing five laps while the tow truck pulled the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota out of the mud, Speed restarted the race five laps down on lap 43. Speed regained his lost ground over the course of the remaining 207 laps and finished the Cayuga ARCA 250 in the eighth position. Speed retained his second place position in ARCA RE/MAX Series championship points.

"Today was just a very disappointing day overall for our team," said Speed. "We were able to save it from a remarkable five laps down to finish in the eighth position. I just want to thank my guys for sticking it out and not giving up."

Speed qualified the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota in the eighth position with a 20.624 second lap on Saturday afternoon.

ARCA RE/MAX Series teams returned Sunday morning under threatening skies and with fingers crossed that the 250-lap event would be uninterrupted by showers. As crew members set up their pit stalls, rain came pouring down without warning. Teams scrambled for cover and waited for the downpour to stop, returning to work as soon as it ended. The track dried quickly, but the showers during the driver autograph session sent fans and drivers scrambling for cover. This slightly delayed the start of the Cayuga ARCA 250. Drivers lined up for driver introductions at 1:20 p.m. and the race started shortly before 2:00 p.m. ET.

Speed was tagged on the back stretch of the 0.625-mile short track and sent spinning into the mud, brining the first caution of the race out at lap 36. As the wrecker pulled the No.2 Red Bull Toyota from the swamp, Speed lost five laps to the leaders. Speed came to pit road so the crew could give the Camry some TLC. The team made some adjustments, pulled the fender out, put on four tires, added fuel and sent Speed back out to the track. Speed restarted the race in the 25th position and minus five laps.

For the remaining 207 laps, Speed fought fearlessly to gain each lap back. With 100-laps to go, Speed was up to the 19th position and four laps down.

A caution at lap 192 would have found the No. 2 in the Lucky Dog position, except that ARCA officials reported that the Red Bull Toyota was involved in the cause of the caution and therefore not eligible to receive the Lucky Dog lap.

The caution came quickly again on lap 204 and Speed was back on the lead lap and in the 16th position! From lap 204 until the end of the race, which concluded at lap 257 due to a Green-White-Checkered finish, Speed climbed from the 16th position to the eighth position.

"It was a long day and one that we're ready to put behind us," said Speed. "We'll just look on to Kentucky now. We had a great run there in May and won that race three times before losing it under the third or fourth caution. And that was AFTER the race should have ended. We're ready to go back and get that win!"

Scott Speed remained second in the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship point standings, 130 points behind leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.

Ken Butler, III

Ken Butler, III

Nelles Corners, ON (June 30, 2008) - Eddie Sharp Racing's Ken Butler, III and the Aaron's Lucky Dog team travelled to Ontario, Canada for the Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Cayuga Motor Speedway. Butler, III qualified in the 11th position on Saturday afternoon with a 20.770 second lap. KBIII charged into the Top 5 and was running fourth when contact on lap 176 sent the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota into the outside wall, ending Butler's day prematurely and in the 21st position.

"It's so frustrating because we easily had a Top 5 car today," said Butler. "We really needed a good finish here to gain some momentum, especially in the points. The Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota was in great shape today. This was the first weekend with my Crew Chief, Jonathan Davis. I really like working with him and think we are going to have a great chemistry for the rest of the year. I really appreciate all the work the guys put in. Despite the early exit, we had a solid weekend here."

ARCA RE/MAX Series teams returned Sunday morning under threatening skies and with fingers crossed that the 250-lap event would be uninterrupted by showers. As crew members set up their pit stalls, rain came pouring down without warning. Teams scrambled for cover and waited for the downpour to stop, returning to work as soon as it ended. The track dried quickly, but the showers during the driver autograph session sent fans and drivers scrambling for cover. This slightly delayed the start of the Cayuga ARCA 250. Drivers lined up for driver introductions at 1:20 p.m. and the race started shortly before 2:00 p.m. ET.

Immediately following the green flag, Butler jumped into the Top 10. The No. 22 came to pit road during the first caution at lap 36. Butler quickly ran the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota back into the Top 10 following the restart, remaining there until the next pit stop on lap 123.

The Aaron's Lucky Dog crew quickly made adjustments to the Camry, putting on four fresh Hoosier tires and fuel. The team also tugged on the right front fender that had been banged in during some short-track rubbing. KBIII restarted the race and was back into the Top 10 by lap 130.

At lap 130, Davis radioed his driver that "it's all in your hands now. We gave you the best we could. You'll have 119 laps to go this next time by. You can do this!"

Butler keyed the mic and replied "Thanks guys! I appreciate it!"

By lap 150, Butler moved the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota into the fifth position.

Running in the fourth position on lap 176, Butler and the No. 44 driven by Frank Kimmel made contact, sending the No. 22 into the outside wall. As Butler worked to catch his breath and restart the car, Davis instructed the team to grab hammers, dollies, bearbond, and anything else that they needed to work on the car.

It didn't take long to determine that the day was over for Butler and the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota. Completing 175 laps, KBIII finished the Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 in the 21st position.

"Well, there isn't really much to say," said the disappointed Butler. "We will just turn our attention to Kentucky in a couple of weeks. I'm looking forward to building on the chemistry with the new group of guys. Jonathan is very talented and a great leader. He's a nut and I think we're going to have a lot of fun in the process! It's time to put the first half of the season behind us and focus on the second half."

Justin Lofton

Justin Lofton

Nelles Corners, ON (June 30, 2008) - Justin Lofton started Sunday's rain-delayed Cayuga ARCA 250 from the pole position. After leading the first 28 laps of the race, Lofton relinquished the position and only ten laps later, brought his sputtering No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge to pit road. Despite the team's efforts, Lofton's day was over early due to mechanical issues. He finished in the 27th position.

"It was such a shame because the Lofton Cattle Dodge was really good to start," said Lofton. "We just seem to have such rotten luck. I want to thank my guys for a great weekend. It was our first official race together as a team and we kicked it off by winning the pole. I appreciate all the work they do and look forward to the rest of the year with Wayne Carroll and the guys. I think we will find a lot of success together for the remainder of this season."

Justin Lofton earned his first career ARCA SIM Factory Pole award on Saturday afternoon with a 110.165 mph lap around the Canadian short track.

ARCA RE/MAX Series teams returned Sunday morning under threatening skies and with fingers crossed that the 250-lap event would be uninterrupted by showers. As crew members set up their pit stalls, rain came pouring down without warning. Teams scrambled for cover and waited for the downpour to stop, returning to work as soon as it ended. The track dried quickly, but the showers during the driver autograph session sent fans and drivers scrambling for cover. This slightly delayed the start of the Cayuga ARCA 250. Drivers lined up for driver introductions at 1:20 p.m. and the race started shortly before 2:00 p.m. ET.

Lofton quickly jumped out to the lead. The No. 32 of James Buescher managed to pull up tight on the rear bumper of the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge on a couple of occasions, but Lofton held the lead. On lap 28 the No. 32 slipped past Lofton for the first position.

Shortly after the pass, Lofton reported that the fuel pressure was low. When the first caution of the race came at lap 36, Lofton pulled to pit lane on lap 38. The team worked quickly to diagnose the issue and fix it. However, to no avail, the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge was done for the day. Lofton climbed from the Charger and with hands on his hips, could do nothing but shake his head.

"Well, we did the best we could today," commented Lofton. "We have proven we can win, we have proven we can qualify. We'll just head to Kentucky now in two weeks and work to be the best at both there. I'm really excited to get back to Kentucky. I think we'll be very strong there again."

ESR Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 Qualifying Results
Cayuga Motor Speedway, Ontario, Canada
June 28, 2008

ESR Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 Practice Results
Cayuga Motor Speedway, Ontario, Canada
June 28, 2008