South Carolina Motorsports Racing News

7/22/2010 9:05 AM

Contents www.SCMSRN.com

ARCA Nation News

Armstrong Gets Top-5 Finish at Mansfield

Armstrong Candid Mans10 Dakoda Armstrong, the driver of the #22 Ferrellgas Dodge finished fifth in the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at the Mansfield Motorsports Park. After testing at the facility prior to the last ARCA Racing Series event at the Iowa Speedway, the team practiced 7th fastest and qualified 9th. Prior to the 200 lap event Armstrong stated, “Our practice runs were not quite as good as the test session we had here. We will be better on race runs. We got a little free during qualifying, so I didn’t get as good of a starting spot as I was hoping to have.”

Starting from the inside of row 5, Armstrong moved to the 7th spot in the first five laps and had progressed to 4th by the second caution on lap 36. Under this caution, Armstrong told crew chief, Paul Andrews that his car was tight. The decision was made to wait a little bit to make the mandatory pit stop. Andrews called Dakoda into the pits, to the crew’s attention on the next caution on lap 66. After getting four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment, Dakoda re-started in 7th. In 35 laps, Armstrong had cracked the top 5. By lap 107 he was running 4th. With only 6 cars remaining on the lead lap by lap 144, Armstrong radioed to Andrews that he was, “real tight.” The final pit stop for the #22 crew came on lap 145, when Dakoda came in for right side tires and a wedge adjustment. Armstrong remained in the top 5 positions for the rest of the race, finishing in 5th. After the race, an exhausted Armstrong said, “We were tight most of the night. We were better at the last, but it was still a handful. I am glad to hold on at the end and keep the car up here for another top-5 finish.” Mansfield marks Armstrong’s 2nd consecutive top-5 finish.

The top 5 finishers were Max Gresham, Craig Goess, Frank Kimmel, Tim George, Jr. and Armstrong. The next event for the team is the Weis Market 125 at the Pocono Raceway, Saturday, July 31. Practice is scheduled from 10:15-11:55 on Friday, with qualifying at 1:40. Racing begins Saturday at 3:00pm EST, with live coverage on SPEED. Live timing and scoring will also be available at www.arcaracing.com for all of the ARCA Racing Series events at Pocono Raceway.

Hessert Climbs to 4th in Championship Points

Hessert Candid Mans10 Tom Hessert and the Cherry Hill Classic Cars Dodge team were hoping to continue their winning ways. After winning in their last outing at the Iowa Speedway, the team wanted to make it two in a row. After testing at the .5 mile Mansfield Motorsports Park prior to Iowa, the #77 hit the track fast, showing up 3rd on the practice charts. Hessert commented, “The car is pretty good. We tested here before Iowa and got our car pretty comfortable. We just made some minor adjustments today. We will race good. If we can qualify in the top five, it will make our day easier. It is difficult to pass here.” In qualifying, Tom posted the 6th quickest time.

When the race began, Hessert quickly showed what his car could do by moving to 4th by the 5th circuit of the 200 lap event. Contact was made with the #31 of Tim George, denting in Tom’s hood. With an overheating motor, Hessert needed the crew to open the hood to make adjustments to solve this problem. During the third caution, he pitted for those changes. With that pit stop made, the crew had more work to do—the normal four tires and fuel. As the green flag flew on lap 79, Hessert found himself towards the back of the lead lap cars in 9th. With the overheating problem solved, Hessert set his sights on the front pack. Just 12 laps after the green flag flew; Hessert had worked his way up to 3rd. A confident driver told his crew chief and crew, “We can still do this, guys. Our car is fast.” As he was battling eventual winner, Max Gresham, for the lead on lap 142, Hessert told crew chief John Monsam that he had a right front flat. As the caution flag flew for a wreck in turn 3, Hessert brought the Cunningham Motorsports Dodge to pit road for the tire change. With 6 cars on the lead lap, Hessert came back on track as the leader, but quickly realized that he had more major problems, as he told Monsam that he thought he had a broken sway bar. Hessert, with the guidance of veteran spotter, Tim Andrews, fell back through the pack when the green flag was dropped because of the ill-handling race car. Sparks were flying as the #77 exited the corners—evidence of the broken sway bar. Tom manhandled the Dodge through the final 50 laps to finish in the 8th spot.

Tom moved into a tie for fourth, with Patrick Sheltra, in the season-long points battle, 125 points out of the lead. The next event for the team is the Weis Market 125 at the Pocono Raceway, Saturday, July 31. Practice is scheduled from 10:15-11:55 on Friday, with qualifying at 1:40. Racing begins Saturday at 3:00pm EST, with live coverage on SPEED. Live timing and scoring will also be available at www.arcaracing.com for all of the ARCA Racing Series events at Pocono Raceway.

Allgaier Motorsports, Robb Brent Persevere for Solid Run at Mansfield

Brent Candid Mans10 As the sun set and the lights came on over the 16-degree banked half mile asphalt oval in Mansfield, Ohio the No. 36 Allgaier Motorsports Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram Team worked to over come an early green flag pit stop that left them 4 laps down. They managed to battle back to finish 14th and pick up 2 spots in the year in ARCA Racing championship points standings.

Practicing in the heat of the day, the Shelby Township, MI driver Robb Brent was able to lay down a lap of 106.113 mph in 16.963 seconds. He finished the hour and a half session in 11th place on the speed charts. Brent and crew chief Dave Leiner, II were confident with the changes they made and certain he would be able to pick up speed for the early evening qualifying session. He did just that, qualifying the No. 36 in 12th position with a time of 16.876, at 106.660 mph. It was a solid starting spot for the Allgaier Motorsports team heading into the Tim Richmond Memorial 200.

It was still extremely hot as they fired engines and went green flag racing shortly after 8:00pm EST. Brent was stuck in the outside groove and lost a few positions on the initial start. Following a caution on lap no. 24 Brent began to maneuver his Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep- Dodge Charger thru the field and was up to 11th when he hit pit road under green flag conditions for a steering/ drivability concern and possible flat tire on lap no 47. Brent wasn’t certain which tire was having the issue so to be certain crew chief Dave Leiner & the Allgaier Motorsports team gave Brent 4 fresh Hoosier tires and filled the No. 36 with fuel. Unfortunately it was under green flag conditions and he lost 4 laps. Fortunately it did fix the drivability concern Brent was having and the car was again able to click of very quick lap times.

When regaining the field Brent was in 29th position, spotter Aaron Bambach began coaching and helping Brent carefully pick his way thru lapped traffic and stay focused. When the checkered flag waved and Max Gresham claimed his first ARCA Racing Series Victory, The Allgaier Motorsports Team had managed to stay out of trouble and persevere to gain 15 positions and finish 14th. “Not the day we had hoped for but we will take it, said Brent. We moved up in points and we have a car in one piece, I am ready to head back to Pocono.”The ARCA Racing Series returns to action in two weeks with the Weis Markets 125 at Pocono Raceway. On-track activity begins on Friday, July 30, with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage of practice and Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell available at ARCARacing.com. The 50-lap, 125-mile race goes green at 3 p.m. EST on Saturday, July 31, with live on SPEED. Be sure to cast your vote for Robb Brent as the 2010 National Speed Sport News Most Popular Driver. Visit ARCANation.com and vote for Robb Brent today!

Follow Allgaier Motorsports official twitter page @allgaiermtrspts for live updates from the track. Allgaier Motorsports will be giving away autographed items & race tickets to some of its twitter followers, be sure to follow! Follow driver Robb Brent, @robbbrent for updates and incite into his everyday life.

For more on Allgaier Motorsports, please log onto www.allgaiermotorsports.com

For more on Robb Brent, please log onto www.robbbrentracing.com

CONTACT: Deana Cumbow, 740-415-7406

Mid Race Wreck Ends Coulter's Great Weekend at Mansfield

Coulter Candid Nic Going back to one of his favorite tracks, sophomore ARCA racer Joey Coulter set his sights on the checkered flag. Through practice, qualifying, and early in the race, the Miami Springs, FL native stayed at the top of the board and looked poised for another great finish in the Tim Richmond Memorial 200. Unfortunately Coulter and his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet were sent spinning in turn three by a lap down car, taking him from contention and ending his night early.

“When the 2010 schedule (ARCA) came out, I was so happy to see Mansfield (Motorsports Park) back on the list,” said Coulter. “It is a true racers track, and it provides some of the best action for not only the fans, but us drivers to. We had a great car all weekend and looked to improve on last years finish. Harold (Holly) and my team have worked their butts off providing me with quality equipment each week.”

Mansfield, being one of the rare “one-day shows” during the 2010 ARCA Racing Series, saw a jam packed day of racing Saturday, July 17, 2010. The day started with the series only practice session early in the afternoon. Coulter Motorsports crew chief Harold Holly used the session for minor changes to the car, as Coulter would spend the entire session jostling between first and second. As practice drew to a close, Coulter and his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet would post the second fastest time at 16.653 seconds at 108.089 MPH.
Menards Pole Qualifying quickly followed practice, and Coulter would take his time on the .5-mile oval 20 out of 32 cars present. He would turn a quick time of 16.512 seconds at a speed of 109.012 MPH, placing him second for the start of the Tim Richmond Memorial 200.

As night settled over the 32 car ARCA field, the green flag was waved and another short track battle was underway. Coulter would quickly lock on to the leaders bumper as the two would pull away from the rest of the field. They would stay bumper-to-bumper, occasionally working side by side through the coming laps and ensuing cautions. Coulter continued to lay down some of the fastest lap times as they worked their way in and out of lap down traffic. It was this same lap down traffic that would tragically take Coulter from contention and end his night prematurely on lap 61 while in the second position. After being held up for several laps, Coulter ducked low entering turn three, and having almost completed the pass got chopped from the car above. Coulter would wind up spinning up the track collecting the car before hitting the wall. After coming to a stop and re-firing the car, another car would run into Coulter and his parked car.

Coulter Motorsports crew members worked feverishly to repair the extensive damage to the car, trying to get Coulter back out on track. They managed to get him out once before more hidden damage was found. Unfortunately, as team finished all the repairs, the checkered flag waved over the field ending the nights race. Coulter and his No. 16 Darrell Gwynn Foundation, Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet would be placed in the 22 spot, completing 81 of 200 laps.

“It is extremely unfortunate our night was ruined by another competitor who was multiple laps down,” exclaimed Coulter. “We had an amazing racecar all day long and I was just pacing myself to be there at the end. I believe in bad luck and stupidity, and I believe we were the victim of the latter tonight.”

The ARCA Racing Series returns to action in two weeks with the Weis Markets 125 at Pocono Raceway. On-track activity begins on Friday, July 30, with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage of practice and Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell available at ARCARacing.com. The 50-lap, 125-mile race goes green at 3 p.m. Eastern on Saturday, July 31, with live television coverage provided by SPEED.

You can also get LIVE updates wherever Joey goes by following Joey on Twitter at http://twitter.com/joeycoulter
Please log onto www.LiftUpEllie.com to help support the Potvin family.

You can also vote for Joey Coulter as the most popular ARCA driver for 2010 at www.arcanation.com/joeycoulter
Please be sure to check out Joey’s official website at www.joeycoulter.com

Catch Joey’s LIVE radio show, 5 @ 5 with Joey Coulter, every Wednesday at 5:00 PM EST exclusively on www.RaceFanRadio.com

Also please be sure to support Joey’s sponsors at:

Rip It Energy Fuel: www.ripitenergy.com
Tempest Cycles: www.tempestcycles.com
MAD Industry: www.areumad.com

About Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF) www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org
The Darrell Gwynn Foundation (DGF) is a certified non-profit 501(c) 3 agency. DGF exists to prevent, provide for and ultimately cure spinal cord injuries and other debilitating illnesses. To expedite specific cures, the Foundation assists in the funding of targeted research. DGF is also dedicated to injury prevention, with special emphasis on programs targeting children. The Foundation helps improve the quality of life for those already afflicted with injury or illness, by providing necessary equipment or special services. DGF is an official charity of the Barrett-Jackson Auto Auction, National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) and has a close affiliation with NASCAR and the NASCAR Foundation.

MEDIA CONTACT
Nic Moncher
Coulter Motorsports
Director of Public Relations
nic@joeycoulter.com

Mechanical Gremlins Attack Sheltra at Mansfield

Sheltra Candid Mans10 For the second consecutive race, Patrick Sheltra and his Sheltra Motorsports team were bit by circumstances beyond their control as two separate mechanical failures forced a upsetting 21st place finish Saturday night in the Tim Richmond Memorial ARCA 200 at Mansfield Motorsports Park (MMP).

Sheltra in the No. 60 Sheltra Motorsports Dodge Charger entered the 10th race of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards season hoping for a quick rebound from the most recent contest at Iowa Speedway where an engine failure last Saturday night resulted in the team’s worst finish (29th) of the year.

The Indiantown, Florida native started his one-day show at Mansfield by posting the 16th fastest lap in practice only to find additional speed in qualifying to put his Chrysler nameplate 14th in the starting lineup for his second ever tango with the Ohio-based speed plant.

In typical Sheltra fashion the drop of the green flag saw the No. 60 quickly move up through the field and by lap five; Sheltra had carefully maneuvered his automobile into the top-10.

When the caution flag waived on lap 25 for a light spin on the backstretch, Sheltra radioed his Sheltra Motorsports team led by veteran crew chief Jon Wolfe that his car was good but he needed a little help rolling through the center of the corner.

Wolfe acknowledged his driver’s request by informing him that a chassis adjustment would be made to correct the problem during the first round of pit stops. Unfortunately, while racing in the eighth position on lap 57, Sheltra furiously informed his team that the battery was dead. As the 24-year old was preparing to make an unscheduled pit stop under green, the yellow flag waived for a multi-car incident in turn four ultimately allowing the team to investigate the issue under a slower race pace.

Despite losing several laps to the leaders, Sheltra returned to the track with a new battery in-toe hoping to keep his nose clean and keep his championship chase intact. Uncharacteristically for the team’s season; the night continued to spiral out of control.

A few laps later, Sheltra would have to bring his No. 60 Recycling Services / Ferguson Pipe Dodge Charger back down pit road as the new battery would not hold a charge. Upon further review by the team, it was determined that a line to the alternator had broke; which forced an additional repair on pit road. Despite losing more laps to the competition, Sheltra returned to the race track just hoping to salvage a decent finish but a rear-end failure just shy of half-way brought the team’s frustrating night to a screeching halt.

“We’re down but we’re not out,” said Sheltra, who now has eight top-10 finishes in 10 races this season. “It was another tough night, but we will shake this monkey and get back to our championship form. We’re only at the halfway point and there’s a lot more racing left. We cannot afford to let these past two races affect our long term goal. It’s important to the team, our marketing partners and our fans that we bounce back in typical Sheltra Motorsports fashion. You’ll see what I am talking about at Pocono.”

With the finish, Sheltra took a dip in the ARCA Racing Series championship point standings, dropping from second to unofficially fourth tied with Tom Hessert accumulating 2,345 points. Sheltra now sits 125 markers behind leader Justin Marks. 75 merits keep Sheltra from moving back into second locked by Craig Goess with 40 credits keeping the Mooresville, North Carolina based team from third held by nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is a return trip to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for the running of the Weis Markets 125. The 11th race of the season is set for Saturday, July 31st scheduled to being at 3:00 p.m. Eastern live on SPEED; following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series first ever trip to the Pocono mountains. Sheltra will look for his second consecutive top-five at the 2.5-mile triangle as in June; Sheltra raced his No. 60 Toyota Camry to one of his five top-five finishes of the year.

Cost-effective marketing partnerships are still available for the remainder of the 2010 ARCA Racing Series season. For additional information, please contact brandon@patricksheltra.com or marketing@patricksheltra.com.

Exiting Mansfield, Sheltra has 77 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards starts to his credit with one career victory at Salem (Ind.) Speedway (April 2009). During his ARCA tenure, Sheltra has accumulated 15 top-fives and posted 30 top-10 finishes. A third place qualifying effort at Rockingham (N.C.) Speedway (April 2009) and Michigan International Speedway (June 2010) is Sheltra’s best time trials effort to date. He has controlled the ARCA field six times for 148 laps.

For the latest on Patrick Sheltra, Sheltra Motorsports and marketing partnership opportunities please visit PatrickSheltra.com.

Join the official Patrick Sheltra fan page on Facebook by clicking here.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports (sheltramotorsports.com) is a three-tier professional Motorsports organization consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Patrick Sheltra, a 24-year old native of Indiantown, Florida competes in the UMP and WoO (Dirt) Series; while also running a full schedule in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards (No. 60) and a limited schedule in the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The team is headquartered in Indiantown, Florida with additional operations in Richmond, Indiana and Mooresville, North Carolina.

TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT: NAME: Chris Knight, Sheltra Motorsports

PHONE: 239.834.9797 or 239.214.1083

EMAIL: chris@patricksheltra.com

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Dustin Long

What the media are saying about NASCAR's penalties to Edwards, Keselowski

A sampling of comments from various media folks after NASCAR announced penalties to Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski for their last-lap incident in last weekend's Nationwide race (Edwards docked 60 Nationwide points, fined $25,000 and placed on probation until Dec. 31; Keselowski placed on probation until Dec. 31).

NASCAR penalizes Edwards, Keselowski for Nationwide incident

NASCAR announced Wednesday that it had penalized both Carl Edwards and Brad Keselowski for their driving on the last lap of Saturday's Nationwide race at Gateway. Here's what NASCAR did # Carl Edwards -- penalized 60 Nationwide points, fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31 (yes, that's probation for all events, Trucks, Nationwide and Cup)

Has NASCAR lost control of its drivers?

Many people applauded the idea back in January when NASCAR told drivers to "Have at it'' ... the point being that drivers were going to be allowed to police themselves with less NASCAR intervention.

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