 PHOTOS: Bob Costanzo
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CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY RACE UPDATE
SCOTT SPEED THIRD AT CHICAGOLAND
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Scott Speed in the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota |
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Teammates Justin Lofton and Ken Butler III Each Score Top-Ten Finishes
Joliet, IL (September 6, 2008) – Eddie Sharp Racing's Red Bull racer Scott Speed brought his No. 2 Toyota Camry home third at today's ARCA 200 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Teammates Justin Lofton and Ken Butler, III finished 8th and 10th respectively. Butler III moved from 10th to 7th in the ARCA RE/MAX Series points.
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Full race reports below
ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series Chicagoland 200 Unofficial Results
Chicagoland Speedway. Joliet, IL; September 6, 2008 |
| FIN |
STR |
CAR |
DRIVER |
LAPS |
STATUS |
| 3 |
4 |
2 |
Scott Speed |
136 |
Running |
| 8 |
3 |
20 |
Justin Lofton |
135 |
Running |
| 10 |
12 |
22 |
Ken Butler III |
135 |
Running |
NEXT UP: The ARCA RE/MAX Series, will moves to the Salem Speedway short-track in Southern Indiana for the Eddie Gilstrap Motors 200 by Advance Auto Parts. SIM Factory Pole Qualifying takes place on Saturday, September 13th at 3:00 p.m. Driver introductions follow at 6:45 p.m. and the green flag for the 200-lap event drops at 7:15 p.m. All times listed are EASTERN. |
ESR CHICAGOLAND RACE REPORTS |
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2 |
20 |
22 |
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Speed Rallies from Lap Down to Finish Third at Chicagoland
Scott Speed in NSCS Test
Scott Speed will turn laps in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series open test at Lowe's Motor Speedway on Sept. 23 & 24.
Testing along side Red Bull Cup drivers Brian Vickers and AJ Allmendinger, Speed will drive the No. 82 Red Bull Toyota under the watch of NASCAR officials who will assess his ability to participate in future Cup races.
Speed has previously tested Sprint Cup cars at both Nashville and Kentucky, as well as logging seat time in the NASCAR Truck Series with Bill Davis Racing, earning his first Truck win at Dover.
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Joliet, Ill. (September 6, 2008) – Scott Speed found himself trapped a lap down in Saturday's Chicagoland ARCA 200 due to an ill-timed late-race caution.
Immediately following their green-flag pit stop the No. 2 Red Bull team was scored one lap behind the leader when the caution came only two laps later.
With a stellar restart in typical Scott Speed fashion, the No. 2 was able to jump past the leader and return to the tail end of the lead lap cars when the caution came again. In a mad green-white-checkered dash, Speed charged from sixth to a third-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway.
"It was just a really tough race," said Speed. "The car was ok for the first five laps of the run and then would just become very aerodynamically unstable. We did the best we could today. I just hate that we gave more points to the 99. We need to focus and bring our best to the track for these final four races."
Speed led 51 laps of the 136-lap race. The finish marks the team's 12th consecutive top-10 finish. Speed has a total of 15 top-10 and ten top-5 finishes in the first 17 events of the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Season. The ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Point gap between Speed and second-place Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. narrowed to 50 points following the Chicagoland ARCA 200. Four races remain in the 2008 season. |
Lofton Finishes Eighth at Chicagoland Speedway
"That was my first green-flag stop ever and I sailed it in a little too hard according to ARCA." -Justin Lofton |
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Joliet, Ill. (September 6, 2008) – Justin Lofton fell victim to a late-race caution occurring immediately following his green-flag pit stop in Saturday's Chicagoland ARCA 200. With the caution trapping the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge a lap-down to the leaders, Lofton was unable to make up the loss in the final laps and surrendered to an eighth-place finish at Chicagoland Speedway.
"It was just a very frustrating end to what could have been a great race," said Lofton. "We were really fast. I was able to stay in the top-5 for the entire race until the green-flag pit stop. We kept waiting to see if a caution would come out and couldn't wait any longer. That was my first green-flag stop ever and I sailed it in a little too hard according to ARCA. I want to apologize to my guys for that one. I felt just awful getting the penalty. The caution on lap 115 just killed us. I think we really had a car that could have contended for the lead and the win. We just couldn't get back there after that penalty."
Lofton qualified the No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge in the third position. About 2/3 through the race, Lofton reported that the Charger was "way tight in the entry and center." The No. 20 came to pit road on lap 103 for right-side tires and adjustments to free the car's handling. ARCA officials assessed the team a 15-second penalty for speeding while entering pit road. The caution on lap 115 trapped Lofton a lap down to the leaders. During this caution the No. 20 came to pit road one final time for left-side tires. Restarting in the 12th position, Lofton sailed the Lofton Cattle Dodge up to the 8th position in the final laps.
"As always, my team worked really hard today," stated Lofton. "I appreciate all of their hard work and effort. I'm looking forward to these final races. We have fast cars and the opportunity to make it to Victory Lane before the season is over."
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KBIII Finishes in Top-10 Despite Late Race Caution;
Jumps to 7th in Point Standings
Joliet, Ill. (September 6, 2008) – Ken Butler, III and the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog team ran in the top-10 nearly the entire 136-lap Chicagoland ARCA 200 at Chicagoland Speedway on Saturday. A late-race caution put the No. 22 team a lap down to the leaders. Butler drove to a tenth-place finish. The top-10 catapulted the Georgia-native from tenth to seventh in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Point standings.
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"[We] could have had a top-5 finish except that ARCA said they missed a speeding penalty in the pits and made us go a lap down instead." -KBIII |
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"We had a really fast car all day," said Butler. "My No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog team worked really hard today and the car was very comfortable. We were closing in and could have had a top-5 finish except that ARCA said they missed a speeding penalty in the pits and made us go a lap down instead. This hurt our finish a lot."
The No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota was in the process of a pit stop when the caution flag flew on lap 115. The team was able to get KBIII off of pit road ahead of the leaders to remain on the lead lap. ARCA declared that the No. 22 had sped down pit road and would be penalized a lap as a result. This costly penalty caused the No. 22 to restart in the 13th position after running in the top-10 for 120 laps.
KBIII drove the Aaron's Lucky Dog machine up to 12th when the final caution of the day brought a green-white-checkered finish. In the final two laps, KBIII hammered to tenth for his seventh top-10 of the 2008 season. This finish moved the driver of the No. 22 Toyota from tenth to seventh in the point standings with 3350 points. KBIII is only 35 points out of sixth-place and 510 out of fifth.
"I really want to thank my team and Aaron's for all their hard work and support this year," added Butler.
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CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
CHICAGOLAND ARCA 200 QUALIFYING
Lofton and Speed to start third and fourth;
Butler improves from practice -starts 12th
Joliet, IL (September 5, 2008) – Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton and Scott Speed will start tomorrow's ARCA 200 at Chicagoland Speedway side-by-side from the second row.
ESR teammate Ken Butler, III saw a significant improvement in the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Toyota's handling from practice, placing him 12th on the grid. |
ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series Chicagoland 200 Qualifying Results
Chicagoland Speedway. Joliet, IL; September 5, 2008 |
| POS |
CAR |
DRIVER |
TIME |
SPEED |
| 3 |
20 |
Justin Lofton |
30.176 |
178.950 |
| 4 |
2 |
Scott Speed |
30.235 |
178.601 |
| 12 |
22 |
Ken Butler III |
30.755 |
175.581 |
The Chicagoland ARCA 200 marks the 17th of 21 events in the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series and is set to roll off at 4 p.m. Eastern/5 p.m. Central on Saturday, September 6th, 2008. The race will be aired on SPEED beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, September 7th.
Team GLOCK Racing will present live Timing and Scoring and a live audio broadcast of the race on arcaracing.com. |
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CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
CHICAGOLAND ARCA 200 PRACTICE
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"The car is better than Michigan. That's all I have to say," -Lofton |
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Scott Speed, Justin Lofton second and third in practice; KBIII -19th
Joliet, IL (September 5, 2008) – Eddie Sharp Racing's Scott Speed and Justin Lofton were second and third in today's practice for the ARCA 200 at Chicagoland Speedway.
Scott Speed -"We started out way way too loose. But the guys worked really hard abd we got it tightened up at the end. I think we'll have a strong car for qualifying and the race."
"The car is better than Michigan. That's all I have to say," Lofton said with a big smile. "The guys did a great job. The car is working really good. I'm looking forward to qualifying and the tomorrow's race. I think we'll be really good."
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Teammate Ken Butler, III was 19th quickest in the session. KB3 reported that the No. 22 was very loose and the team spent the session working on the handling.
ESR ARCA RE/MAX Series Chicagoland 200 Practice 1 Results
Chicagoland Speedway. Joliet, IL; September 5, 2008 |
| POS |
CAR |
DRIVER |
TIME |
SPEED |
| 2 |
2 |
Scott Speed |
30.202 |
178.796 |
| 3 |
20 |
Justin Lofton |
30.310 |
178.159 |
| 19 |
22 |
Ken Butler III |
31.049 |
173.919 |
SIM Factory Pole Qualifying follows at 6:00 p.m. Teams return to the track on Saturday, September 6th with driver introductions starting at 5:30 p.m. The green flag for the Chicagoland ARCA 200 drops at 6:00 p.m. All times listed are EASTERN. |
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CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY
ARCA RE/MAX Chicagoland ARCA 200 Preview
Lofton, Butler and Speed are Sweet Home Chicago-Bound
DENVER, N.C. (September 4, 2008) – The ESR trio of Justin Lofton, Scott Speed, and Ken Butler, III have shaken the dirt out of their fire suits and are ready to hit the pavement this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. This season the teammates have a combined total of five wins, six pole positions, 13 top-5 and 24 top-10 finishes in 16 races. Having survived their first experiences on a dirt track, Lofton, Speed and KBIII are full of focus and fire, and ready to return to speedway success in Saturday's Chicagoland ARCA 200.
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| ESR's Michael McDowell dominated last year's race, taking the pole and win |
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Speed's point lead narrowed in the Illinois dirt over the last two races. Speed and his No. 2 Red Bull team are looking to repeat history this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. In 2007 Michael McDowell dominated the 1.5-mile paved oval, taking both the pole position and the win. In addition to the Championship point standings, Speed also leads the pack for SunTrust Rookie of the Year and Superspeedway Challenge honors. Crew Chief Patrick Donahue is leading the Cometic Crew Chief of the Year standings.
Lofton enters the weekend 13th in points after only 15 starts. With one win and a pole position this season, Lofton is ready to return to pavement and add to those statistics. Eddie Sharp Racing was a force to be reckoned with at Chicagoland in 2007 and Lofton is looking to duplicate that success with his No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge.
KBIII joins his teammates in making his first career start at Chicagoland. KBIII and teammate Speed are the only members of the ARCA RE/MAX Series with multiple pole positions. With his P-1 start at Nashville and two consecutive top-10 speedway finishes fresh in his back pocket, KBIII is armed with focus and momentum. Look for the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota to be a contender this weekend for the pole and the podium.
2008 AT A GLANCE --
Scott Speed (No. 2 Red Bull Toyota):
1st in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points
(3905 points; 75 points ahead of second place)
Best Start: First (four times) at Pocono, June 2008;
Michigan, June 2008; and Pocono, August 2008
Best Finish: First (four times) at Kansas, April 2008;
Kentucky, July 2008; Berlin, July 2008; Nashville, August 2008
Ken Butler, III (No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Toyota):
10th in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points
(3170 points; 735 out of 1st)
Best Start: First at Kansas, April 2008 and Nashville, August 2008
Best Finish: 4th at Kentucky, May 2008
Justin Lofton (No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge):
13th in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points
(2715 points; 1190 out of 1st)
***note: has made 15/16 starts
(Lofton's first race was at Salem)
Best Start: First at Cayuga, June 2008
Best Finish: First at Michigan, June 2008 |
| DRIVER QUOTES: All three ESR drivers are ready to rip on Saturday in event 17 on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. |
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Scott Speed (No. 2 Red Bull Toyota):
"I'm very happy where we are right now in the points and with our team. We're running smart and that's exactly what we need to do. We have five races ahead of us and every member of this team is focused on the big picture, and that is wrapping up this championship. We had a good test at Chicago a couple of weeks ago and I think this weekend will go very well for us."
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Justin Lofton (No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge):
"I'm really looking forward to this weekend at Chicago and returning to much more familiar territory. We had a good test here a few weeks ago and I have the utmost confidence in my team. Week in and week out we unload pretty close to what we need for the race. I feel very good going into this weekend and am looking to continue the string of ESR success at Chicagoland."
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Ken Butler, III (No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Dream Machine Toyota):
"The dirt was a good experience but I am very happy to be returning to pavement this weekend. My guys have been working really hard on the No. 22 Aaron's Lucky Dog Toyota and I feel very confident going into this weekend that we will run well and be very competitive."
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| TRACK FACTS |
| CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY |
| Location |
Joliet, IL |
Address |
500 Speedway Blvd., Joliet, IL |
| Phone: |
(815) 722-5500 |
Length |
1.5-mile paved tri-oval |
Turns |
18 degrees |
| First ARCA Race |
2001 |
ARCA RE/MAX Series practice runs from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Friday, September 5, 2008. SIM Factory Pole Qualifying follows at 6:00 p.m. Teams return to the track on Saturday, September 6th with driver introductions starting at 5:30 p.m. The green flag for the Chicagoland ARCA 200 drops at 6:00 p.m. All times listed are EASTERN.
Catch all the action at arcaracing.com offering LIVE Timing & Scoring of all on-track activities as well as LIVE flag-to-flag streaming audio coverage of the race through the ARCA Racing Network exclusively on arcanation.com presented by Team Glock. |
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