Kentucky Post
Jessica Noll
SPARTA, Ky. - Eight of the top 10 teams in the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship standings rolled to Kentucky Speedway Monday to test their wares in preparation for the July 18 "Click It or Ticket. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150."
Current championship leader Parker Kligerman and second-place driver Justin Lofton were on hand to mentor teammates, while nine-time series champion and four-time Kentucky Speedway race-winner Frank Kimmel was hard at work turning laps in his No. 44 Ford.
Kligerman, who owns a 55-point lead over Lofton after collecting a series-leading three wins and a total of five top-five and eight top-10 finishes through nine events, was advising stock car newcomer Dakoda Armstrong, but remained intensely interested in the information gained from his team’s test laps.
"Dakoda has done a little bit of stock car stuff and just wanted a little help getting used to this place; it’s the fastest place he’s been," Kligerman said.
The 18-year-old Penske Racing developmental prospect saw his original part-time campaign convert to a full-season scenario when he came out of the gate with two top-five and a total four top-10 finishes through the first four races of the season.
While unexpected, his full-time cushion hasn’t changed his go-for-broke race mentality that has helped him claim victory in three of the past four series events.
"We’re coming to every race with the intention to win because we didn’t think we’d be here for the full season. We’re focusing on the points, but we’re also focusing on winning. We really feel we should have won one more in addition to our three," he said.
The Connecticut native’s only finish outside a race top-10 this season was a 17th-place showing in the May 9 "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150." He plans to make amends for that performance in 12 days.
"I think it will be hotter than the last race, so the tires might be a little slower and we might move around a little more. I think we have a good package from last race, which is one of the races I feel we at least should’ve finished second. I kind of threw it away coming of Turn 4 on the inside with a couple of laps to go trying to catch the leaders. We want to come back and get vengeance on this place," he said.
Lofton, who has picked up a win and a total of seven top-five finishes this season, served as lead consultant for his Eddie Sharp Racing teammates Craig Goess, currently fifth in the championship standings, and Tim George, Jr., ranked 10th in standings.
"I made a couple of laps, but it’s actually fun having people wanting you to come out and help them, but it’s not as much fun as being in the racecar and doing your own thing," Lofton said.
He’ll also be searching for Kentucky Speedway redemption in the "Click It or Ticket. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150" after placing second in a May event he feels he could’ve won.
"I’m hoping I’ll make up for the first race here when we finished second with such a strong racecar. We hit something on the track and put a hole in the nose. It’s beneficial for me to be here to spend some time on the track and some time off it to see the different changes everyone is making and which way the track is going," he added.
Nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel will make a run at his fifth Kentucky Speedway victory in the upcoming 150-mile affair.
The Clarksville, Ind., driver and team owner earned his series track leading 11th top-five and 13th top-10 finish with a fifth-place May showing.
"The track was awesome last time we were here. It had a lot of grip, it was a night race and we were running really fast. We were really happy with the car. We probably had a top-three car, but ended up fifth the way things fell out. I’m looking forward to coming back. We’re testing today and hopefully we can make the car even better," he said.
Kimmel enters the series’ July 11 race at Iowa Speedway third in the series standings after collecting two top-five and four top-10 finishes. The veteran sits 230 points back of the leader, but plans to make a strong run at the young gun in the remaining 12 races on the schedule.
"Parker’s been tough and he’s going to be hard to beat all year long. He’s doing a great job, but he’s not really had any problems. We’ll just keep plugging along, doing our thing. If we can be more competitive, we’ll just push him as hard as we can," he added.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kasey Kahne was a surprise guest in the Kentucky garages where he worked on transitioning ARCA RE/MAX Series hopeful Brad Sweet to stock car racing. Kahne set up Sweet’s car and turned the second-fastest lap of the morning session at 172.712-mph (31.266 seconds). Joey Coulter topped the first session with a 172.767-mph (31.256 second) trip around the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway tri-oval.
Visit arcaracing.com for a full list of drivers and their times from the morning and afternoon sessions.
Kentucky Speedway's third of four 2009 race weekends opens July 17 with NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and ARCA RE/MAX Series practice sessions from 3:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Action continues July 18 with a doubleheader race day featuring the NCWTS "Built Ford Tough 225 Presented by the Greater Cincinnati Ford Dealers" followed by the "Click It or Ticket. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150." The day also includes a concert with classic country music artist Lee Greenwood.
Weekend tickets, new infield camping and more Big Deals can be reserved online by visiting http://www.kentuckyspeedway.com/, by phone at (888) 652-RACE (7223) or through the Kentucky Speedway ticket offices at 400 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 100, in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., or the Sparta, Ky., Fan Center off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 North. Fans also can reserve tickets at Meijer stores and Tickets.com outlets.
Showing posts with label arca re/max series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label arca re/max series. Show all posts
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Tickets.com Client Spotlight: Kentucky Speedway
ARCA RE/MAX SERIES AMPED TO OPEN 2009 KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY SEASON
Twenty-six drivers turn laps during "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150" open test
SPARTA, Ky. -- ARCA RE/MAX Series championship leader Parker Kligerman and nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel were among 26 competitors preparing for Kentucky Speedway's May 9 "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150" during an open test at the facility today.
Kligerman, 18, of Westport, Conn., is a former Formula TR and USAC Midget Series competitor who converted to stock car racing with Cunningham Motorsports, a long-running ARCA RE/MAX Series team which produced a fourth-place Kentucky Speedway finish in 2007.
The high school senior had originally eyed a future in Formula One competition, but placed those plans on hold to pursue his current stock venture with a development contract from Penske Racing.
"It takes a lot of money to get overseas. With the growing number of opportunities in NASCAR and the chance to race with support from Penske, this made a lot of sense. It's been great to race in this series with veterans like Frank (Kimmel) because I've been able to learn so much," Kligerman said.
The driver signed for eight races to be spread throughout 22-race ARCA RE/MAX Series campaign saw his early-season run extended after he scored two top-five and four top-10 finishes in his first four career series starts. He snared his season-best third place finish at Salem, Ind., April 5 and took sole possession of the top spot in the championship standings with a seventh-place performance at Talladega Superspeedway April 24.
The rookie turned his strongest his test lap at 171.238-mph. While the effort ranked eighth on speed chart, he felt he had ample room for improvement.
"We're really tight and can't figure out why. We're struggling big time off the corner and giving away too much speed. We have a lot to work on," Kligerman said.
Kimmel, a nine-time series champion, will make his eighth attempt at claiming his fifth all-time Kentucky Speedway ARCA RE/MAX Series win in the "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150." He will enter his 18th series start in the Bluegrass State third in the series standings and 65 points off the championship lead.
The veteran nailed down his season-best fifth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway and will ride a strong wave of momentum to a track where he's scored a total of 10 top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.
The Clarksville, Ind., driver is in the second year of owning the team for which he competes and is racing with the benefit of new sponsorship that helped him build a strong fleet of Ford Fusions alongside his crew chief and brother, Bill.
"We might be bringing the fastest car we we've ever had here to next Saturday's race. The problem is we'll be racing the fastest cars the ARCA RE/MAX Series has ever had here," Kimmel said.
Second-place championship driver Justin Lofton also honed his intermediate-track skills during today's test and plans to improve on the 10th-place finish he registered last July during his second career start at the track.
Lofton is driving with annual championship competitor Eddie Sharp Racing and is only five points off the championship pace after earning his first win and third top-three finish of the season at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 25-year-old from Westmorland, Calif., tore off his best lap of today's session at 174.836 mph and is building confidence for the "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150."
"I sat down with Eddie Sharp at the beginning of the season and we looked at the cars he was going to provide. I had a couple of favorites. He gave me those and brought on a great team to support me so my confidence is through the roof.
"We've had a phenomenal day today. My first lap, the car really stuck to the track and I was able to hold the throttle about three-quarters of the way down all the way around the track. I'm really looking forward to next week's race," Lofton said.
Tickets for next week's event, new infield camping and special offers for all 2009 Kentucky Speedway races can be reserved online at www.kentuckyspeedway.com, by phone at 888-652-RACE (7223), or by visiting Meijer stores and the speedway ticket offices at 400 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 100, near the Montgomery Inn Restaurant in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., or in the Sparta, Ky., Fan Center located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N. Tickets also can be reserved at Meijer stores and Tickets.com outlets.
Speedway gates will open at 3:00 p.m., country music artist Chuck Wicks will be in concert at 6:00 p.m. and the green flag will fall for the "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150" at 8:00 p.m.
Twenty-six drivers turn laps during "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150" open test
SPARTA, Ky. -- ARCA RE/MAX Series championship leader Parker Kligerman and nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel were among 26 competitors preparing for Kentucky Speedway's May 9 "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150" during an open test at the facility today.
Kligerman, 18, of Westport, Conn., is a former Formula TR and USAC Midget Series competitor who converted to stock car racing with Cunningham Motorsports, a long-running ARCA RE/MAX Series team which produced a fourth-place Kentucky Speedway finish in 2007.
The high school senior had originally eyed a future in Formula One competition, but placed those plans on hold to pursue his current stock venture with a development contract from Penske Racing.
"It takes a lot of money to get overseas. With the growing number of opportunities in NASCAR and the chance to race with support from Penske, this made a lot of sense. It's been great to race in this series with veterans like Frank (Kimmel) because I've been able to learn so much," Kligerman said.
The driver signed for eight races to be spread throughout 22-race ARCA RE/MAX Series campaign saw his early-season run extended after he scored two top-five and four top-10 finishes in his first four career series starts. He snared his season-best third place finish at Salem, Ind., April 5 and took sole possession of the top spot in the championship standings with a seventh-place performance at Talladega Superspeedway April 24.
The rookie turned his strongest his test lap at 171.238-mph. While the effort ranked eighth on speed chart, he felt he had ample room for improvement.
"We're really tight and can't figure out why. We're struggling big time off the corner and giving away too much speed. We have a lot to work on," Kligerman said.
Kimmel, a nine-time series champion, will make his eighth attempt at claiming his fifth all-time Kentucky Speedway ARCA RE/MAX Series win in the "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150." He will enter his 18th series start in the Bluegrass State third in the series standings and 65 points off the championship lead.
The veteran nailed down his season-best fifth-place finish at Talladega Superspeedway and will ride a strong wave of momentum to a track where he's scored a total of 10 top-five and 12 top-10 finishes.
The Clarksville, Ind., driver is in the second year of owning the team for which he competes and is racing with the benefit of new sponsorship that helped him build a strong fleet of Ford Fusions alongside his crew chief and brother, Bill.
"We might be bringing the fastest car we we've ever had here to next Saturday's race. The problem is we'll be racing the fastest cars the ARCA RE/MAX Series has ever had here," Kimmel said.
Second-place championship driver Justin Lofton also honed his intermediate-track skills during today's test and plans to improve on the 10th-place finish he registered last July during his second career start at the track.
Lofton is driving with annual championship competitor Eddie Sharp Racing and is only five points off the championship pace after earning his first win and third top-three finish of the season at Talladega Superspeedway.
The 25-year-old from Westmorland, Calif., tore off his best lap of today's session at 174.836 mph and is building confidence for the "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150."
"I sat down with Eddie Sharp at the beginning of the season and we looked at the cars he was going to provide. I had a couple of favorites. He gave me those and brought on a great team to support me so my confidence is through the roof.
"We've had a phenomenal day today. My first lap, the car really stuck to the track and I was able to hold the throttle about three-quarters of the way down all the way around the track. I'm really looking forward to next week's race," Lofton said.
Tickets for next week's event, new infield camping and special offers for all 2009 Kentucky Speedway races can be reserved online at www.kentuckyspeedway.com, by phone at 888-652-RACE (7223), or by visiting Meijer stores and the speedway ticket offices at 400 Buttermilk Pike, Suite 100, near the Montgomery Inn Restaurant in Ft. Mitchell, Ky., or in the Sparta, Ky., Fan Center located off of Interstate 71 Exit 57 and Ky. Hwy. 35 N. Tickets also can be reserved at Meijer stores and Tickets.com outlets.
Speedway gates will open at 3:00 p.m., country music artist Chuck Wicks will be in concert at 6:00 p.m. and the green flag will fall for the "Drive Smart. Buckle-Up! Kentucky 150" at 8:00 p.m.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
