Back to Back Wins for Scott Speed!
Marne, Mich. (July 26, 2008) – Eddie Sharp Racing's Scott Speed made his first visit to Berlin Raceway, and stepped up to the challenge of the 7/16-mile track for the win under the lights. The talented former-F1 driver found his rhythm, took the lead at lap 153 and led the final 48 laps to the take the checkered flag in the Berlin ARCA 200. Saturday night's win is Speed's third ARCA RE/MAX Series victory in 2008.
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The checkered flag falls for Scott Speed |
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"This was definitely a challenging track," said Speed. "Johnny B. gave me all the inside tricks of his track last week and by 30-to-go it definitely made sense. His advice helped me figure this track out quicker for sure. The team worked really hard today, especially during practice to get the set up dialed in and I really appreciate it."
"Johnny B." is Bill Davis Racing teammate, Johnny Benson. Benson is partial owner of and a master at the 7/16-mile Marne, Michigan short track.
Following a practice session that left team and driver questioning what the night would have in store for them, Speed qualified the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota in the 16th position with a 17.250-second lap. Justin Allgaier took the pole position and set a new track record with his 16.963 second-lap.
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"(Track owner) Johnny B. (Benson) gave me all the inside tricks of his track last week and by 30-to-go it definitely made sense. His advice helped me figure this track out quicker for sure. " -Scott Speed |
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Speed strapped into his Red Bull Toyota on Saturday evening, ready for another race under the lights. With the cool night temperatures, the Camry required no adjustments during the lap 59 pit stop under caution. The Red Bull crew put two fresh tires on the right-side of the Red Bull Toyota and added fuel. Speed restarted the race in the tenth position, the farthest back in the field that the No. 2 would be during the 200-lap event.
With his two new tires, Speed climbed through the field steadily, at times even running three and four-wide. Driving with the confidence of a seasoned veteran and not the rookie that he is, Speed passed Frank Kimmel for the lead on lap 153.
Spotter Slugger Labbe coached his young driver, "nice and easy, bud. Save the tires where you can."
With the No. 16 (Allgaier) and No. 44 (Kimmel) challenging each other for second and third positions, Speed pulled away with three to four car length lead. Never challenged for the position, Speed took the checkered flag for his third career ARCA RE/MAX Series win and back-to-back victories following his win at Kentucky last weekend.
"We definitely have the car and the equipment to win this year," commented Speed. "We had a lot of bad luck at the beginning of the year but right now we seem to have a lot of momentum going and that is definitely helping us."
Scott Speed gained ground on the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship point leader Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., trailing him now by only 55 points (Speed 2800 points; Stenhouse Jr. 2855 points).
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Justin Lofton Starts and Finishes Fourth at Berlin Raceway
Marne, Mich. (July 26, 2008) – Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton and his No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge have become a familiar sight in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. In the last four races Lofton has recorded one win, one pole position, two top 5's, and three top 10's. Saturday night, Lofton sported one of the best cars on the track at Berlin Raceway. Qualifying fourth, Lofton held the lead for 22 laps and finished the Berlin ARCA 200 in the fourth position.
"It was a good night for the No. 20 Lofton Cattle team," said Lofton. "We were the best car out there towards the middle of the race but I think we went the wrong way on an adjustment on our last stop. We were still a solid top 5 but just didn't have it to get past the 44 and 16 so we could challenge Scott for the win. We knew this was a good car coming here. We have all four fenders still on it so we'll pack it up and unload it at the next short track."
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Justin Lofton |
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On Saturday afternoon, Lofton qualified the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge in the fourth position with a lap around the Michigan short track in 17.151 seconds.
As the sun set and temperatures dropped, it was a perfect night for racing in Marne, Michigan. The green flag dropped at 8:36 p.m. Lofton remained in the top 5 until coming in for a pit stop under the lap 34 caution flag.
"Going into [turn] three we're sliding really bad," radioed Lofton. "It's kind of tight off because it is so loose going in and I can't put any input into it." Lofton also reported that oil and water temperatures were rising.
During the first pit stop, the Lofton Cattle crew put on two new right-side tires, removed all the tape from the front grill to cool the car, and made a wedge adjustment to work on the car's handling.
Lofton restarted the race in the 14th position and quickly moved to the front of the field. Following the fourth caution of the day on lap 73, Lofton was in the third position. Battling the No. 1 car [Hessert] for several laps, Lofton was able to get a nose inside while coming off of turn four and drove past for the second position as they raced down the front stretch. Frank Kimmel, who still had yet to pit, was in the lead.
When Kimmel came to pit under caution at lap 107, the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge took the lead position. Teammate Scott Speed had moved into third place under the green flag run. Lofton held the lead with no challenges from behind for 22 laps until the team came down pit road at lap 129.
| RADIO CHATTER |
Crew Chief Wayne Carroll: "10-4. You and Scott are the fastest cars on the track. One lap it's you and one lap it's him. If you both stay clean, you'll be battling this out at the end."
Lofton: "I'm just going to take what I have and drive the wheels off of it,"
Carroll: "I don't doubt that at all." |
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The team pitted on under caution for four tires, fuel, and a wedge adjustment for the "little tight off" handling that Lofton reported. Lofton restarted the race in the 9th position when the green flag waved once again.
Lofton moved easily back into the top 5 and, during the lap 147 caution, chatted on the radio with Crew Chief Wayne Carroll.
"We're good, but it just feels like the camber is a little off," reported Lofton.
"10-4," replied Carroll. "You and Scott are the fastest cars on the track. One lap it's you and one lap it's him. If you both stay clean, you'll be battling this out at the end."
"I'm just going to take what I have and drive the wheels off of it," replied Lofton.
With a chuckle, Carroll replied, "I don't doubt that at all."
On lap 151, the race restarted and Lofton was in the third position behind teammate Scott Speed. Unfortunately the adjustments on the final stop failed to help the Dodge and the No. 16 slipped past Lofton. Allgaier, however, would be the only car to pass Lofton for the remainder of the evening.
Lofton held onto the fourth position for the remaining laps and finished the Berlin ARCA 200 in the fourth position. Eddie Sharp Racing teammate Scott Speed moved past Frank Kimmel for the win.
"I think we were better than a fourth place car tonight," said Lofton, "but to finish behind short track stars like Kimmel and Allgaier is definitely not something to be disappointed in. Congratulations to Scott and his team on their win. I'm looking forward to going to Pocono this weekend. Pocono was a real turning point for us this spring. We qualified well and had a very strong car. I definitely think we will continue our trend of running up front."
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Early Exit for Ken Butler, III at Berlin
Marne, Mich. (July 26, 2008) – Despite the cool Michigan evening, the temperature in the Aaron's Lucky Dog team pit was extremely hot. It was this heat that forced Ken Butler, III out early from Saturday night's Berlin ARCA 200. Eddie Sharp Racing's KBII made a stellar seventh-place start, but finished a disappointing 25th.
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"After practice, I really thought we had a car that was capable of winning the race," said Butler. "It's just very unfortunate that we overheated. I really think we would have had a great finish otherwise." |
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"After practice, I really thought we had a car that was capable of winning the race," said Butler. "It is just very unfortunate that we overheated. I really think we would have had a great finish otherwise."
Saturday KBIII qualified the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota in the seventh position with a 17.251-second qualifying lap, only one 1/1000's behind teammate Scott Speed in the sixth position.
Drivers were introduced to fans on the front stretch and climbed into their cars. The cars rolled onto the track and the green flag dropped at 8:36 p.m.
During the second caution of the evening at lap 34, it was decided that the No. 22 would come down pit road. Over the course of the next 20 laps, the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog team made four pit stops for fresh tires, fuel, and adjustments to improve the car's tight handling. With each pit stop, Davis and the Aaron's Lucky Dog team kept KBIII on the lead lap. When the race restarted, KBIII moved quickly back into the top 10, taking the No. 22 three-wide at times.
During the lap 73 caution, KBIII reported that the car "feels like it's getting freer as the run goes." KBIII drove hard to remain in the top 10 during the next green-flag run. However, on lap 105, KBIII reported once again that the temperatures were spiking.
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Ken Butler, III and the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota pit at Berlin |
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The No. 22 came back to pit road on lap 107. The team lifted the hood and steam poured out. The day was over for the Lucky Dog Toyota. With 107 laps complete, KBIII would ultimately be scored in the 25th position.
"This was definitely not the finish we needed," said Butler. "When the race started we were extremely tight, which was weird because in practice we had been more on the free side. Jonathan made a good call on the adjustments and the handling was much better with the next run."
"We'll just move on to Pocono next weekend. Eddie Sharp Racing builds strong speedway cars and we finished 11th there in the spring, so I'm looking forward to going back and bettering that." |
