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RACE UPDATE
PERFECTION: McDOWELL WINS FROM THE POLE
Rookie dominates practice, qualifying and race at Chicagoland. Teammate Josh Wise knocked out in wreck.
JOLIET, IL (September 10, 2007) – After a blown tire and hard hit to the wall last weekend at the DuQuoin left him sore, stung, and agitated, Michael McDowell knew there was only one thing he could do to rebound: come back and win the next race. Consider his mission accomplished.
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McDowell left no doubt. He thumped the field, leading 98 of the race’s 134 laps to win the Chicagoland ARCA 200. The victory was his third of the 2007 season and first starting from the pole position.
The Phoenix native rocketed to his eighth ARCA SIM Factory Pole Award after qualifying on Friday with a lap of 30.54. McDowell’s Saturday afternoon was no different as he dusted the 40-car field in arguably the most dominant performance of the 2007 ARCA season.
McDowell was visibly ecstatic:
“Finally! This is what we’ve been threatening to do the whole season. We unloaded, topped the charts in practice, won the pole, led the most laps, and closed with the win. Eddie Sharp Racing was on their A-game this weekend—this is something we knew we were capable of and we finally did it,” said McDowell. “The car was amazing and to leave here knowing we had a complete weekend is the biggest momentum-builder we could have.”
McDowell’s day wasn’t without challengers. After pouncing on an early lead, Jeremy Clements led 27 laps before McDowell inherited the lead on lap 101 after Clements made an out-of-sequence pit stop. McDowell, sticking to the team’s original pit strategy, sailed away to his third career stock car victory in his No. 2 Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge.
“We nailed our pit strategy,” added McDowell. “That was crucial because there were some guys out there that got knocked off of their strategy and that took them out of the running. This is a track where track position is key - especially on short runs. Fortunately, there wasn’t a whole lot for us to re-think during the race. We were perfect this weekend."
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Perfect end to a perfect weekend |
“I’m so grateful for everything we’ve accomplished this year. Z-Line Designs, Mission Residential, Make-A-Wish, Wiley-X, Beck, and especially Eddie Sharp Racing have been outstanding partners this year. To take them to victory lane is the best thank you I can think of, so we got that done for them today.”
McDowell’s perfect performance puts him within 150 points of Frank Kimmel for the ARCA RE/MAX Series point lead with three races remaining on the schedule.
The race was red-flagged for 30 minutes when McDowell's ESR teammate, Josh Wise in the #22 ESR Development-NAPA Toyota was collected in a wreck after the number 34 car cut a tire on lap 25. There were no injuries.
AUDIO: Listen to Michael's post-race interview on the ARCAracing website
2007 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
After Event #20, Chicagoland ARCA 200,
Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet IL, 9-08-07 |
| POS |
NAME |
POINTS |
STARTS |
WINS |
TOP-5 |
TOP-10 |
| 1 |
Frank Kimmel |
4810 |
20 |
2 |
7 |
13 |
| 2 |
Michael McDowell |
4660 |
20 |
3 |
8 |
12 |
Up Next: Michael McDowell and Eddie Sharp Racing look to build off their showing at Chicagoland with a return to Salem Speedway (IN) on Saturday, September 15. In the Spring race at Salem, McDowell claimed the pole and finished in third place
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QUALIFYING UPDATE
McDOWELL ON THE POLE ...AGAIN
Rookie takes eighth pole of season. Teammate Josh Wise to start sixth in the 22 car. |
JOLIET, IL (September 7, 2007) - Michael McDowell took a hard hit in his last ARCA RE/MAX Series outing at DuQuoin—both literally and figuratively.
McDowell literally hit the wall—after blowing a left rear tire on lap 57, ending his evening. The Arizona native walked away from the accident with some soreness but took a metaphorical hit in the championship chase, falling to 200 points behind leader series leader Frank Kimmel.
When McDowell rolls his No. 2 Z-Line Designs / Make-A-Wish / Beck Dodge onto the Chicagoland Speedway surface this weekend, that hit at DuQuoin will be gone from his memory. His immediate thoughts will be on rebounding at a track, a smooth, state-of-the-art 1.5 mile paved oval similar to Kentucky Speedway, the venue in which McDowell scored his first win.
The ARCA rookie is eager to finish out the season on a high note:
“We encountered some bad luck on the dirt last weekend, but now we’re happy to go to a track like Joliet where we feel we’re at our strongest,” commented McDowell. “I think this is a place where we can go, use our race strategy, and really put on a good show.”
With four races remaining in the 2007 ARCA season, McDowell knows that 200 points is a well of a deficit, but he remains hopeful that he and Eddie Sharp Racing can find a way to prevail:
“We’ll be competitive at every track. Talladega will be a crap-shoot, but it’ll be that way for every driver there. It’s been an amazing year for us and I’m looking forward to seeing how these last four (races) play out.”
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In qualifying on Friday afternoon, McDowell qualified his Dodge on the pole, earning his eighth ARCA SIM Factory Pole Award of the season with a lap of 30.54. This comes after pacing the day’s practice session as well:
“Last year I spun out during qualifying, so I suppose this means I’ve improved,” joked McDowell. “I’m proud of this team for unloading fast and making sure we get off to the best possible start for tomorrow’s race.”
Qualifying Results
ARCA 200: CHICAGOLAND SPEEDWAY |
| POS |
NO |
DRIVER
HOMETOWN |
TEAM & CAR |
TIME |
SPEED |
| 1 |
2 |
Michael McDowell
Phoenix AZ |
Z Line-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge |
30.540 |
176.817 |
| 2 |
3 |
Jeremy Clements
Spartanburg SC |
1 Stop Convenience-Spartan Chevy |
30.756 |
175.576 |
| 3 |
0 |
Brett Hudson
Owensboro KY |
Habitat For Humanity-BHM Dodge |
30.769 |
175.501 |
| 4 |
46 |
Frank Kimmel
Clarksville IN |
Fort Dodge Animal Health-Pork Ford |
30.795 |
175.353 |
| 5 |
99 |
Colin Braun
Ovalo TX |
Roush Fenway Racing Ford |
30.823 |
175.194 |
| 6 |
22 |
Josh Wise
Riverside CA |
ESR Development-NAPA Toyota |
30.928 |
174.599 |
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RACE PREVIEW
McDOWELL ON THE MOVE AT CHICAGOLAND
Quickest in practice.
JOLIET IL (September 7, 2007) - Rookie Michael McDowell, in the No. 2 Z-Line Design-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge, continues to chase Frank Kimmel in the points. The Phoenix, Arizona native trails Kimmel by 200 points heading into this weekend's race and managed to post the fastest times during a two-hour practice session on Friday afternoon |
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"This is a really good car and we've had a lot of success with it in the past," said McDowell.
He's hopeful for yet another Pole Award, but added "it might be difficult because we earned an early qualifying draw. We need to earn 15 points today by qualifying on the pole and about 100 points tomorrow in order to keep this championship point race alive."
McDowell, at 22-years-old, leads the series in SIM Factory Pole Awards with seven in 19 of 23 events completed so far. The ARCA RE/MAX Series awards 15 championship points to the driver that earns the SIM Factory pole award at each race event, ten points for the second quickest qualifier and five points for the third quickest. On race day, the series awards five points to a driver for leading a lap, plus five additional points to the driver that leads the most laps.
So far this season, McDowell has earned an additional 195 points on top points awarded for final finishing position by earning poles and leading laps. The 2004 Star Mazda Champion and Daytona Prototype Rolex Series veteran was followed on the charts by a pair of fellow road course racers, including Roush Fenway Racing's Colin Braun and RAB Racing's Justin Marks.
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McFACTS:
> McDowell finished 38th in last year’s running of the Chicagoland ARCA 200.
> While McDowell trails Frank Kimmel by 200 points in the series standings, he leads the ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie of the Year standings by 24 points over Phillip McGilton.
> McDowell’s 546 laps led leads all drivers in 2007.
> The 12 top-ten finishes McDowell has accumulated over the course of the season trails Kimmel by one.
RACE: |
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| Chicagoland ARCA 200 |
| Date: |
Saturday, September 8, 2007 |
| Track: |
Chicagoland Speedway (Joliet, IL) |
| Race Distance: |
134 Laps (200 Miles) |
| Team: |
Eddie Sharp Racing |
| Crew Chief: |
Patrick Donahue |
| Practice and qualifying take place on Friday. Green flag drops at 1pm CST on Saturday! SPEED will broadcast the race LIVE from 9-11 pm ET |
2007 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES DRIVER POINT STANDINGS
After Event #19, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, 9-3-07 |
| POS |
NAME |
POINTS |
STARTS |
WINS |
TOP-5 |
TOP-10 |
| 1 |
Frank Kimmel |
4360 |
19 |
3 |
8 |
13 |
| 2 |
Michael McDowell |
4160 |
19 |
2 |
8 |
12 |
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