ARCA RE/MAX The South Jersey Building Trades 150
NEW JERSEY

TIM GEORGE TAKES HIS FIRST TOP-FIVE
Road Course gives Team ESR Three Top-10s But Disappointment for Lofton

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 13, 2009)-On Sunday, for the first time this season, all three Eddie Sharp Racing entries finished within the top 10 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. The feat came on an unexpected track, the challenging road course at New Jersey Motorsports Park. A graduate of Grand Am, Tim George Jr., who is in his first year of stock car competition, took his learned road racing skills and put them to good use in the South Jersey Building Trades 150, piloting the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota to a career-best showing in fifth. ESR teammates Justin Lofton and Craig Goess followed not too far behind, in sixth and 10th respectively.

Tim George, Jr.: ARCA Career-best finish

"All in all I'm happy with the result, and I'm very proud of the guys on the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday team, who brought this car back to life and gave me the shot at running as well as we did," George Jr. said.

The weekend in New Jersey was an obstacle from start to finish for all of Team ESR. On Saturday, lingering mist left the track surface wet and slick, but practice and qualifying continued, without the use of rain tires.

George Jr. got caught up in an accident during the final practice and was forced to skip qualifying in order for the team to make repairs to his damaged Toyota. He made the field by the way of a provisional while teammates Lofton and Goess qualified fourth and ninth.

At the drop of the green on Sunday, George Jr. quickly got to work, picking up positions after starting at the back of the pack. By the time the first caution flag waved just four laps into the race, he was already scored in the 11th position, up 20 spots.

"From the drop of the green flag, I was on a mission. We really needed this finish. It feels great to bring home a top five. They prepared me a top five car and that's what I delivered," George Jr. said of his run.

By lap 10, George Jr. broke into the top 10, where he would stay for the remainder of the day with his teammates. Lofton ran a clean and quiet race, spending most of his time primed in the third position.

Goess however, had slight troubles on pitroad, which dropped the No. 81 team down a lap. With only three caution flags falling throughout the 67-lap race, he wasn't able to receive the free-pass to reclaim the lost position.

DRIVER REPORT

Contact from first timer drops Lofton to sixth on road course

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 13, 2009)-Justin Lofton was just laps away from tallying his 13th top five finish on Sunday on the road course at New Jersey Motorsports Park but contact on the last lap from a first-time ARCA RE/MAX Series competitor sent Lofton's No. 6 Toyota off course and dropped him to sixth at the finish.

Though the top 10, Lofton's 16th after 18 races, was a welcome finish on the challenging 2.25-mile track, it caused the points championship to tighten. Lofton continues to lead the standings but is now tied with Parker Kligerman with just three races remaining.

"I understand that he (Spencer Pumpelly) was here to win and points meant nothing to him but they mean everything to us right now. Every week they tell us in the driver's meeting to race smart and I'm not sure what he was thinking. He didn't give us any room and just drove over us. We were racing for third, and he ran into us like it was for the win," a disappointed Lofton said.

Lofton

The weekend at New Jersey was daunting from start to finish. The road course itself wasn't the challenge for Lofton, as he entered the South Jersey Building Trades 150 with plenty of road racing experience. What was the challenge early on, was the weather and track condition.

The surrounding area was pelted with heavy rain leading up to the event. With a full schedule of two practice runs and qualifying on tap, it appeared early on that the schedule might be altered due to more inclement weather. But despite a slight mist causing a slick racing surface, qualifying went on as planned. After squaring off against a wet track without rain tires, Lofton impressively claimed the fourth position for the start of the race.

Once the race got underway on Sunday, Lofton wheeled his No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota within the third position for the majority of the event. There were only three caution flags throughout the race, with the final yellow dropping with less than 10 laps remaining. The yellow allowed the remaining lead lap cars a final chance to pit. Lofton's crew bolted on four fresh tires and got their driver back on track in the third spot for the restart on lap 62 of the 67-lap race.

Lofton held steady, maintaining his position before an overzealous challenge from Pumpelly on the last lap knocked him off course and into the sixth spot. The finish allowed the points battle to tighten entering the next event in Salem.

"We've got a challenge on our hands with the points now but short tracks are our strong suite and I'm already excited about putting this behind us and backing up our win at Toledo with another one at Salem next week," Lofton added.

Lofton enters the race with five race wins under his belt and a series leading 12 top five and 16 top 10 finishes.

The run at Salem Speedway is set for Saturday, September 19th for the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic 200.

Goess

DRIVER REPORT

Craig Goess Satisfied With 10th-Place Finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 13, 2009)- After the ARCA RE/MAX Series swung through a few dirt track events, the series headed to New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJ) for some asphalt road course racing action. Craig Goess, who is a rookie on the road course racing circuit, turned in a 10th-place finish in the #81 Greenville Toyota Camry, despite some trouble on pit road during the event.

Goess qualified ninth for the feature event, which was a solid result, considering the limited time he was on the track for the qualifying session.

“It was misting pretty bad, and one of the cars went off track twice and there was mud everywhere on the track,” said Goess. “Typically your third or fourth lap is your fastest (during qualifying), and we really only got to make the first lap. The rest of the time was basically useless to be out there, so we didn’t qualify quite as good as we wanted to.”

In the race, Goess and his team had a few miscues on pit road, which cost him positions on the track and a lap to the leaders, but he was still able to bring his machine across the finish line in the 10th position.

“We probably should have finished around sixth,” said Goess. “We as a group messed up in the pits. The guys messed up on the left front and I stalled the car, so it was a group effort deal that put us back a few spots and got us a lap down. Then, we came in to pit near the end thinking it was going to be the right move, and it ended up not being the right move. All things considered, I am not terribly disappointed with a 10th-place finish in my first road course race.”

With the dirt and road course races in the rear view mirror, Goess is looking forward to the final three races on the ARCA RE/MAX Series 2009 schedule.

“We have three tracks I am looking forward too, being asphalt ovals after dirt and road course racing. We had a good run at Salem the last time. We qualified outside pole and were running up towards the top five and blew a tire, which destroyed that car. I am hoping the car we are going to bring there will be just as good, if not better.”

DRIVER REPORT

George Jr. displays road racing skill, finishes career best in stock car of fifth

George, Jr.

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 13, 2009)-Tim George Jr. scored a career best behind the wheel of a stock car, finishing fifth on Sunday in the South Jersey Building Trades 150 on the road course at New Jersey Motorsports Park. The finish came after a long season of close calls and recent top 10 spoils and fell at just the right time, as George Jr. closes in on the top 10 in the point standings.

"From the drop of the green flag, I was on a mission. We really needed this finish. It feels great to bring home a top five. The guys prepared me a top five car and that's what I delivered. However, It wasn't without some sweat and drama," George Jr. said of his run.

George Jr., driver of the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday / Chrome Hearts sponsored Toyota for Eddie Sharp Racing, entered the weekend confident of a stellar run. He won on the 2.25-mile road course one year ago behind the wheel of a Porsche in the Grand Am Series.

Now a rookie in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, George Jr. has learned many lessons throughout his first year behind the wheel of a stock car. He took those lessons, along with his prowess on a road course, and put them to good use through a weekend of ups and downs en route to the fifth place showing.

A mishap in practice caused George and the No.2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota to miss qualifying for repairs and start from the back of the field.

Practice and qualifying were both on tap for Saturday at NJMP, but a pesky mist left track conditions slick and challenged even road racing veterans like George Jr. During the final practice, George Jr.'s Toyota got off course due to the wet conditions, slid into a guardrail, and damaged his ride. The No. 2 Ruby Tuesday team, led by crew chief Jon Wolfe, got to work and repaired George Jr.'s Toyota rather than using the backup car, but were forced to miss qualifying in order to do so.

"I watched qualifying from the tower because I had an incident in the second practice, which was somewhat depressing. However, my crew chief made the right call with fixing the primary car," George Jr. explained.

George Jr. started deep in the field from the 31st spot on Sunday. But as the green flag dropped, it didn't matter to the savvy New York native. He quickly began picking up spots and by the time the first caution flag waved on lap four, he impressively found himself in the 11th position.

By lap 10, he had maneuvered his way into the top 10, where he stayed for the remainder of the race.

The race was slowed three times for caution flags, allowing George Jr. plenty of time to race his way to the front. Despite the lack of yellows, obstacles remained for the wheelman of the No. 2 Toyota. Fellow competitors forced him off of the track on two occasions, but he quickly regrouped and continued.

The final caution flag waved on lap 58, giving George Jr. one more opportunity to drop down pitroad to the attention of his Jon Wolfe-led team. After the stop, he lined up for the restart on lap 62, leaving just five laps of green flag racing.

From the sixth position, George Jr. remained alert and avoided a last lap melee that included ESR teammate Justin Lofton. At the drop of the checkered flag, George Jr. was scored in the fifth spot.

"Coming to the checkered flag, I saw my old teammate [road racer Spencer Pumpelly] get into my current teammate Justin Lofton right in front of me. I hated that to happen for him, and emotions were high for everyone on those last few laps. I have also been teammates with Pat Long (race winner), and it was good to see him get the win after dominating the weekend," George Jr. said of the finish.

"I think that prior to some of our battle wounds, we may have had a car to challenge for third." -Tim George, Jr.

"The 4 (of Long) and 77 (the second place car of Parker Kligerman) were in another zone, and I think that prior to some of our battle wounds, we may have had a car to challenge for third. All in all I'm happy with the result, and I'm very proud of the guys on the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday team, who brought this car back to life and gave me the shot at running as well as we did."

The fifth place effort was George Jr.'s first top five showing and second top 10 of the season. He currently sits 11th in the point standings with just three races remaining in his rookie season in stock car competition.

"I look forward to taking this momentum and keeping everyone at ESR in good spirits headed into the last few races of the season," he added.

George Jr. will next hit the track on Saturday, September 19th at Salem Speedway. But, it won't be without a little bit of "studying" in between. Already in town following his run at New Jersey, George Jr. returned to his native New York City to attend the MTV Video Music Awards Sunday night. George Jr., a very athletic 28-year-old, finds importance in observing other forms of sports and made plans on Monday to attend the men's tennis final at the U.S. Open in New York.

QUALIFYING: Lofton on Row 2

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 12, 2009)-Justin Lofton (No. 6 Lofton Cattle Toyota) qualified third for tomorrows race -the South Jersey Building Trades 150- despite spinning on two separate occasions during his qualifying run, picking up five Championship points. Heading into Sunday's South Jersey Building Trades 150, Lofton leads rival Parker Kligerman by a slim, 30 point margin with just four races remaining in the 2009 tour.

Lofton's ESR teammate Craig Goess, Jr will start the race from ninth position while Tim George starts from the back of the grid on a provisional after an incident in qualifying

PRACTICE UPDATE
ESR BOYS QUICK IN PRACTICE

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (September 12, 2009)-Eddie Sharp Racing's three drivers all ran in the top-10 among 34 cars participating in ARCA RE/MAX Series practice sessions at New Jersey Motorsports Park on Saturday afternoon in preparation for Sunday's South Jersey Building Trades 150.

Rookie Tim George was the fastest of the ESR squads in first practice, posting times sixth quickest. Having raced and won on the 2.25-mile road course last year in a Grand Am Rolex GT Series Porsche, Tim was obviously comfortable with twisty left and right turns and elevation changes that many stock car racers find challenging.

Teammates Justin Lofton and Craig Goess were right behind in the charts and everyone is looking forward to qualifying this afternoon.

Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m. Eastern. Qualifying will be held in group sessions, with the fastest 32 teams earning starting positions in Sunday's South Jersey Building Trades 150 and the rest of the starting field set by provisionals.