Other Motorsports

Continuing with our theme of awards from yesterday, Patrick Sheltra wasn't the only picking up awards from the 2010 season.

Venturini Motorsports picked up a pair of awards—the Cosmetic Crew Chief of the Year and Klotz Engine Mechanic of the Year.

Cosmetic Crew Chief of the Year Award

Kevin Reed, crew chief of the No. 25 Venturini Motorsports entry, was awarded $3,000 after finishing the year with 6,380 points.

The award takes into consideration how the team qualifies and also how they race. The crew chief with the fastest-qualifying car earns 200 points, with descending positions earning five fewer points per position. The same scoring system is then also used for the race finishes.

Competing crew chiefs must register at the beginning of the year and carry the decal of Cosmetic Gasket, Inc. on their car to be eligible.

Reed put himself into position to win the award in early June when driver Mikey Kile won the pole and finished second at Pocono Raceway, followed by a win at Michigan International Speedway after starting second.

Jon Wolfe, crew chief for the No. 60 for Sheltra Motorsports, finished second with 6,160 points with two race awards.

Johnny Allen, crew chief for the No. 81 for Eddie Sharp Racing finished third with five race awards.

Bill Kimmel, crew chief for the No. 44 of Kimmel Racing and Harold Holly, crew chief for the No. 16 of Coulter Motorsports, rounded out the top five.

Other individual race winners included Mike Chaffee, Paul Andrews and Tony Liberati.

Cosmetic Gasket, Inc. also awarded "Crew Chief of the Race" awards, awarding $250 each time. Reed took four of those awards—Pocono, Michigan, Springfield and Kansas.  

Cosmetic Gasket, Inc., a Concord, Ohio company, creates the official gasket of the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards and also contributes $3,500 to the year-end championship point fund.

Klotz Engine Mechanic of the Year Award

Mike Bartlett finished the year with 1,035 points in the Mechanic's division to the win the award.

The award, like the crew chief award, is based upon both qualifying and race finishes, however, is scored slightly differently. The scoring is done through an inversion of the starting positions. An example this would be the winning car in a 41-car field would earn 41 points.

Like the previous award also, mechanics must register to be eligible and carry the decal of Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Inc. on the car.

Bartlett, like Reed, made a major impact on the standings with the June races at Pocono and Michigan. Between the two, Bartlett scored a total of 139 points, which was the best two-race total of any entrant this season.

Klotz also gives out the "Engine Mechanic Award of the Race", with a $250 prize attached, in which Barlett took the award fives times—Pocono, Michigan, New Jersey Motorsports Park, Berlin Raceway and Kansas Speedway.

Drew Barbour, head engine mechanic for the No. 81 of Eddie Sharp Racing, finished second with 998 points and four race awards.

Wolfe finished third with 992 points and two race awards, with Kimmell finishing fourth with 949 points.

Dan Brzozowski, head engine mechanic for the No. 55 of Venturini Motorsports, rounded out the top five with 940 points and three race awards.

Additional race winners included Chaffee (five times) and Thomas Harris (once). 

Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Inc., a Fort Wayne, Ind. company, is the official synthetic lubricant of the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards and contributes $2,000 to the year-end championship point fund.

To celebrate everybody’s accomplishments, the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards Championship Awards Banquet will take place Saturday, Dec. 4 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati. 

SPEED analyst and NASCAR veteran Phil Parsons will be the Master of Ceremonies.  

Sheltra is set to be honored as the champion, as is Goess, who will be honored as the runner-up.

Additional special award presentations include the Bill France Four Crown, the RE/MAX Rookie of the Year, the Cosmetic Crew Chief of the Year, the H.G. Adcox Sportsmanship Award, the Manufacturer Championship, the Marcum Award, the Spirit Award, the Most Popular Driver Award presented by National Speed Sport News, the Klotz Engine Mechanic Award and the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award. In addition, scholarship recipients will be announced, compliments of the University of Northwestern Ohio and the Bob Loga Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

The event is open to teams, series and track officials, sponsors and also fans.

Information on ticket reservations, table seating and directions is available by contacting Shalene Williams of the ARCA Racing Series at swilliams@arcaracing.com or (734) 847-6726, or visiting http://www.arcaracing.com/.

The public schedule of events for Saturday, Dec. 4 is as follows:

9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Master's Men (ministry) Silent Auction

2 p.m.: ARCA Racing Series Press Conference

3 p.m.: Master's Men Live Auction

4:45 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Formal Portrait Photo Session

5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.: Hosted Bar

6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.: Awards Dinner and Program

Patrick Sheltra clinched the 2010 ARCA Re/Max Series Championship at the final race of the schedule at Rockingham Speedway about a month ago.

Along with the championship, Sheltra has picked up other numerous awards from series sponsors.

R.E. Lightning Challenge Award

The R.E. Lightning Challenge Award goes to the driver who earns the most points during the year from their race finishes only (no qualifying or lap leader points counted), provided they carry a Racing Electronics decal on their car.

Sheltra’s points total at the end of the year was 3,410 points after 12 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s in 20 starts.

To go with the awards’ name, Sheltra chose his top “lightning” moments of the year, highlighting the two races in August where he left his mark and proved he was championship worthy.

"At Chicagoland Speedway, we were fast in practice, qualified on the outside pole, led early, checked out on the field, then led the most laps and took the Sheltra Motorsports team to victory lane,” Sheltra told the ARCA Racing Network. “That was a moment we were truly proud of.

“Not far behind Chicagoland, though, is the lightning restart we had at the Illinois State Fairgrounds where we left the competition in the dust on a late-race restart, which propelled our family-owned team to our first stock car win on the dirt. Those are two of our brightest moments in 2010.”

Craig Goess finished second with 3340 points, followed by Dakoda Armstrong (3185), Justin Marks (3125) and Frank Kimmel (3055).

Racing Electronics has been supplying race teams with communication products and accessories for over 20 years in all different forms of racing.  

"Racing Electronics is very crucial to the ARCA Racing Series,” Sheltra said. “I have lost count how many times they have come to our aid to assist our Sheltra Motorsports team. Corey (LaCosta) and Casey (Traxler) always went out of their way to make sure that not only were we taken care of, but everyone else too.

"Without a doubt, I believe that Racing Electronics offers some of the best products available in motorsports and a respectable price, too. This champion doesn't plan to use anyone but Racing Electronics in my racing career."

Fast Track High Performance Driving School Award 

The Fast Track High Performance Driving School Award goes to the driver who earns the most points during the year from their race finishes only (no qualifying or lap leader points counted), provided they carry a Racing Electronics decal on their car.

As per the previous award, Sheltra’s points total at the end of the year was 3410 points after 12 top-five finishes, 17 top-10s in 20 starts.

"Obviously, this is the first year that I've won this award, so it's a real honor,” Sheltra said. “This award is tabulated based upon our overall performance over the year; hence the word "performance" in the award.

"I've had a chance to really look into our finishes this year and I was really impressed overall with how competitive the Sheltra Motorsports team really was this season. We were strong on the superspeedways, short tracks, dirt tracks, intermediate tracks and even the road courses.

"We had three finishes outside the top-10 at Iowa, Mansfield and New Jersey, and all of the circumstances surrounding those finishes were out of our control. To post 17 top-10s in 20 events is something to be proud about and to win the Fast Track High Performance Driving School Award makes our year that more special."

The rest of the top five went as Craig Goess (3340), Tom Hessert (3310), Marks (3125), and Armstrong (3050).

In accepting the award, Sheltra gave praise to Fast Track High Performance Driving School President and award sponsor Andy Hillenburg.  

“Andy hasn't been afraid to throw his two cents in if he sees I am doing something right or wrong on the track or off the track throughout my ARCA tenure,” Sheltra said. “That says something from someone of his caliber.

"He has his own driver and his own team to care about. But he...cares about the competitors who compete in the ARCA Racing Series and I appreciate that. His commitment and value to the ARCA Racing Series on and off the track should be commended.

“Like I said, it's a real honor to receive the Fast Track High Performance Driving School Award, especially when Andy Hillenburg is involved.”

Fast Track High Performance Driving School hosts programs at Rockingham Speedway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Kentucky Speedway.

Hoosier Tire Speedway Challenge Award 

The Hoosier Tire Speedway Challenge Award is given to the owner of the ARCA Re/Max Racing Series that scores the most race points (qualifying and lap bonuses do not count) at the oval tracks that are 1.5 miles or longer.

The ARCA schedule consists of eight tracks fitting that, including Daytona International Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway, Pocono Raceway (two), Michigan International Speedway, Chicagoland Speedway, and Kansas Speedway.

Sheltra scored the award with 1475 points, beating Kevin Cywinski’s No. 32 Win-Tron Racing entry driven by Justin Marks by 115 points.

"Man, what a huge accomplishment this was for our Sheltra Motorsports team this year,” Sheltra said. “Over the years of our presence in ARCA, I feel we have lacked on the bigger tracks. This year, we knew we had to step up the program in order to have a shot at winning the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge," said the winner.

"Overall, our intent was to use those speedway events to aid us in our bid towards the championship. But to have the honor to take home the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge championship trophy as well is a real honor.”

With the award, Sheltra becomes the first owner/driver to win it since Davey Allison in 1984.

Sheltra credited the addition of Jon Wolfe to the team as crew chief as the reason to the team being so strong.

"We added Jon Wolfe at the beginning of the year to help steer the Sheltra Motorsports ship towards a championship effort this year,” Sheltra said. “With his presence came exceptional knowledge and experience, not only on the intermediate tracks but with every track in general.

“With his assistance we also decided to switch our entire mile-and-a-half program over to Toyota this year compared to Dodge and Toyota last year...with support from Triad and the hard work of the Sheltra Motorsports team it allowed us to contend for the Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge. Thankfully, all of our hard work paid off."

Eddie Sharp (No. 81, driven by Goess) finished third followed by Kimmel (No. 44, driven by Kimmel) and Cathy Venturini (No. 25, driven by Mikey Kile).

Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. has provided the ARCA Series tires since the 1960s and been the exclusive tire provider since 1995.

"You cannot say enough about Hoosier's commitment to the ARCA Racing Series,” Sheltra said. “They have been so good for the series for a long time and are often overlooked for their involvement.

"Dave Wroblewski and his staff made sure that our team was taken care of at every race this year and that means a lot. I thank Hoosier for sponsoring a championship within a championship and I hope we make them proud!"

To celebrate everybody’s accomplishments, the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards Championship Awards Banquet will take place Saturday, Dec. 4 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati. 

SPEED analyst and NASCAR veteran Phil Parsons will be the Master of Ceremonies.  

Sheltra is set to be honored as the champion, as is Goess, who will be honored as the runner-up.

Additional Special Award presentations include the Bill France Four Crown, the RE/MAX Rookie of the Year, the Cometic Crew Chief of the Year, the H.G. Adcox Sportsmanship Award, the Manufacturer Championship, the Marcum Award, the Spirit Award, the Most Popular Driver Award presented by National Speed Sport News, the Klotz Engine Mechanic Award, and the CGS Imaging Hard Charger Award. In addition, scholarship recipients will be announced, compliments of the University of Northwestern Ohio and the Bob Loga Memorial Scholarship Foundation.

The event is open to teams, series and track officials, sponsors and also fans.

Information on ticket reservations, table seating, and directions is available by contacting Shalene Williams of the ARCA Racing Series at swilliams@arcaracing.com or (734) 847-6726, or visiting http://www.arcaracing.com/.

The public schedule of events for Saturday, Dec. 4 is as follows:

9 a.m. - 3 p.m.: Master's Men (ministry) Silent Auction

2 p.m.: ARCA Racing Series Press Conference

3 p.m.: Master's Men Live Auction

4:45 p.m. - 6 p.m.: Formal Portrait Photo Session

5:15 p.m. - 6:15 p.m.: Hosted Bar

6:30 p.m. - 10 p.m.: Awards Dinner and Program

Richard Childress has made himself a household name to NASCAR fans with the success of Richard Childress Racing (RCR) since its beginnings back in 1976.

His son-in-law, Mike Dillon, also has made his mark in racing by being the Director of Competition at RCR.

Now, the spotlight has shifted to Childress' two grandsons—Austin and Ty Dillon.

Big brother Austin Dillon has made himself known this year by running the full 2010 Camping World Truck Series schedule, driving the historic No. 3.

After 22 races, Dillon sits fifth in points with two wins, seven top fives and 15 top 10s in his rookie year. He has plans to run the truck schedule again next year, though he'll also run some Nationwide Series races for Kevin Harvick Incorporated.

And now, little brother Ty Dillon plans to share some of the spotlight, as he prepares to run the complete 2011 ARCA Series schedule, making a bid for the championship.

"Well, going with statistics from this year, I can win 13.76 races of the 20 races on the schedule... just kidding," Dillion said in an interview on the ARCA Racing Network. "I know it's going to be difficult to run a full season of ARCA. Hopefully, we can keep winning and make a run for the championship.  I'm looking forward to it.

"I think the most difficult thing for me will be staying focused through a long season. I haven't run a full season of anything yet, so staying focused and maintaining the same goals that we start the season off with will be important."

Dillon ran three races last year, winning two of them—Rockingham and Kansas.

"There were a lot of great moments in 2010, spread out among all the series I raced in," he said. "I think getting that first win of the year in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East at Gresham Motorsports Park, followed by back-to-back ARCA Racing Series wins were all a really big deal for me. All three wins were really special in their own way and highlight my racing season."

Dillon got started in racing in 2006 with the Bandoleros and Legend Chargers, earning two victories. 

In eight starts in the K&N Pro East Series this year, Dillon had one win, two top fives and four top 10s.

For the off-season leading up to next year, Dillon also doesn't plan on slowing down.

"I'm going to be hanging out with the guys in the shop and helping them with anything they need during the off-season," he said. "Two summers ago, I worked at our dirt shop, Team Dillon Racing, for the whole summer. I spent the season working on the dirt cars and really learning about how to work on cars by getting ready for races during the week.

"I like dirt track racing, and I plan to do a lot of it during the offseason, and even during the season next year in between asphalt races.

"Next weekend, I'll be racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix International Raceway. I like to race as much as possible because it's the best way to keep in shape for racing.

"I will be hunting a lot during the off-season as well.  I'm going to Africa and Montana with my brother and grandfather to hunt.  And, I'm a senior in high school, so I will be going to classes during the off-season as well."

Casey Stoner won an exciting Japanese motoGP which had plenty of action, especially for third place, which was taken by Rossi, just behind Dovizioso.

With Pedrosa out, the start was rather unpredictable, but Dovizioso followed the tactics of his teammate and got out of the first corner in first position. Stoner moved up to second, with Rossi in third and Lorenzo in fourth.

Admittedly, I wasn't expecting Dovizioso to win, but I was expecting Lorenzo to take the victory on the first turn. However, an okay start led him behind Rossi, which was going to be bad for his race.

However, in the second corner Stoner got ahead of Dovizioso, and Lorenzo went past Rossi. Spies was overtaken by Simoncelli and Capirossi, before going off with Nicky Hayden to end up in last place. Simoncelli got past Edwards for fifth.

All eyes, or at least the eyes of the TV cameras, were on championship leader Lorenzo and 2009 champion Valentino Rossi. Rossi kept trying to overtake Lorenzo, who was on an older engine, and this started to show as Lorenzo was slowly closer down.

He finally conceded fourth place to Rossi with 19 laps to go, when Rossi got ahead at the National start line at Motegi. Elsewhere, Spies got ahead of Espargaro as the American was on a much faster bike.

Randy de Puniet was eighth after a bad start, followed by Melandri and Bautista at the edge of the top ten. Spies was up to 11th.

Dovizioso started closing Stoner down, while Rossi set fastest laps to put the Italian rider under pressure.

Behind them, Edwards was behind Simoncelli and trying several moves that just didn't work. De Puniet went into a gravel trap and fell to 11th.

Bautista went ahead of Melandri, with both Suzuki riders in the top 10. On the lowest step of the podium, the battle got tighter as Lorenzo got ahead of Rossi with seven laps to go, but the Italian rider went through on the inside to retake the place.

Meanwhile, Casey Stoner started pulling away from Dovizioso, with the Honda rider's lap times falling away to the red Ducati, which almost secured victory for the Australian.

Spies moved up into ninth with a good overtaking move against Melandri. Capirossi stopped after having a good race, which lead to him being overtaken by his teammate.

Lorenzo and Rossi's fight continued, with Lorenzo getting ahead but Rossi got past again after getting very close on the inside.

After this, the fight continued on the final lap, with the moves being repeated once again, except the riders made contact, with Lorenzo's bike getting an accidental kick.

Ahead of them, Stoner won his second race in the row, followed by Dovizioso and Rossi. In fourth was Lorenzo, followed by Edwards, Simoncelli, Bautista, Spies, de Puniet and Aoyama.

Melandri was 11th, Hayden 12th, Barbera 13th, Espargaro 14th, and Kallio 15th.

With five races to go in the 2010 motoGP season, championship leader Jorge Lorenzo had a large lead, but was slowly being reeled in by compatriot Dani Pedrosa.

After the Aragonese race, the gap was 56 points, or the equivalent of just over two race victories.

However, Lorenzo was practically crowned champion after Pedrosa crashed out of the Friday practice session in Japan.

Repsol-Honda rider Pedrosa suffered a double fracture in his left collarbone after six minutes at the road course at Motogi circuit, falling at turn nine after beginning to brake for the corner.

It was reported by the team that the problem was caused by "a small problem with the throttle cable [that] didn't allow Pedrosa to close the throttle when he came to brake, an issue which has already been investigated and resolved."

Pedrosa will miss the race on Sunday, as well as the races at Sepang in Malaysia and Phillip Island in Australia, but may return for the final races of the season.

It was going to be very difficult for Pedrosa to overthrow a 56-point gap, but that will now be impossible as he will only compete for a maximum of two more races at the end of this season.

The next contender, Australian rider Casey Stoner, is 129 points behind Lorenzo, a gap which cannot be overturned with five races remaining.

If Stoner won the remainder of the races and Lorenzo picked up no points, the Yamaha rider would still finish four points ahead of the Ducati.

If Pedrosa returned and won his final two races, with Lorenzo picking up no points, Lorenzo would be six points ahead of Pedrosa.

Lorenzo has been the most consistent rider this season, finishing every race and only finishing off the podium once. He gained the most from Rossi's leg break earlier this year.

The other action on Friday saw Valentino Rossi top the time sheets, over 0.20 ahead of his nearest challenger Dovizioso and exactly 0.30 faster than teammate Jorge Lorenzo.

Stoner and Spies were fourth and fifth, followed by Aoyama, Edwards, Barbera, Capirossi, and Simoncelli.

The riders who finished outside the top 10 at the end of the practice session were Melandri, Bautista, Hayden, de Puniet, and Espargaro.

After the penalty that came down on Cunningham Motorsports this past week, Patrick Sheltra holds the points lead just by a mere 15 points with two races remaining.

Despite that, Sheltra chose not to test the No. 60 Ferguson Pipe/Jones Group International Toyota in the open-test last week. With the win earlier this year at Chicagoland Speedway, a similar 1.5.-mile oval, Sheltra feels confident.

"I'm feeling really good about Kansas Speedway next week," Sheltra said on ARCARacing.com. "Even though we elected not to test, we're still feeling very confident about our race car. We are taking the same chassis that we won with in August at Chicagoland, so I feel our chances are as good as anyone else's.

"While our mission is to win, the championship is our majority focus. Our mindset is to keep racing the way we have been the past month or so. Hopefully, it will be enough to secure the championship at Rockingham."

In three starts at Kansas, Sheltra has had one top-10 finish with an average finish of 10.3.

Vowing for the championship directly behind Sheltra is Tom Hessert and Craig Goess.

Following Salem, Hessert led the standings by 10 points over Sheltra; however, the lead was erased after failing post-race inspection. Hessert has been the one to beat on the short tracks this year, yet enters Kansas with two recent top 10 speedway finishes.

"Kansas Speedway is a really neat mile-and-a-half race track,” Hessert said. “It's very smooth, very fast. It's a similar configuration to Chicagoland Speedway, where we ran well last time out and finished seventh.

"The car we are taking for the race is the car that won Iowa.  It is also the car that I ran at Pocono and Michigan. Our goal for the last two races is to simply maximize points, by qualifying well, leading the most laps, and winning the remaining races. Everyone on the team has been doing their jobs well and I don't expect that to change as we come to the final races of the season."

In two previous starts at Kansas, Hessert has no top-10 finishes with an average finish of 13.5.

Meanwhile, Goess sits 20 points behind Sheltra, looking to steal the show as he’s also ran good on the speedways this year.

He and Justin Marks are the only two drivers with six top-10 speedway finishes in 2010 and including a win at Pocono Raceway in June, Goess has finished sixth or higher in each of the last six speedway races.

"I like the bigger tracks,” Goess said. “Kansas Speedway is an amazing facility. We're lucky to get to race there with some of the other series that go there. Our intermediate package has been really good, so it's kind of like the Chicago race. We ran well there, and we ran well at Michigan and Pocono. We should do really well when we go (to Kansas)."

Behind Sheltra, Hessert and Goess sits veteran Frank Kimmel, 155 points behind Sheltra.

Kimmel is the only driver who has multiple wins (two) and multiple poles (two) at Kansas Speedway with an average finish of 5.7.

"Kansas is one of your typical mile-and-a-half race tracks,” he said. “We call them ‘cookie cutters' but one of the things I always remember about Kansas is how nice it is. What a beautiful facility. They've welcomed us with open arms. Our cars have gotten a lot better on the mile-and-a-half tracks, so maybe we can get our win there.”

The race is the 19th of 20 this year, and activity begins with a two-hour practice at 9 a.m. Central (10 a.m. Eastern) Thursday, September 30. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell begins at 1 p.m. Central.

The 100-lap, 150-mile Kansas Lottery 150 airs live on SPEED at 4 p.m. Central (5 p.m. Eastern).

Live audio coverage and live timing and scoring of all events will be presented by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com. 

One of the new faces to some in the ARCA Re/Max Series field come September 30th at Kansas Speedway will be Leilani Munter.

Munter is a female racer who is also out to promote a message that we should be looking at green alternatives.

Munter will continue that promotion, partnering with Operation Free. Operation Free is a group of U.S. military veterans advocating for clean energy and climate change reform.

Munter’s No. 59 car will feature their operations logo with the words “Race to Energy Independence” primary displayed. This group of veterans formed to advocate that climate change and our energy posture are national security threats. According to them, American needs a new energy policy that will lead to energy independence and address climate change.

The "Race to Energy Independence" is partially powered by sponsor Sturman Industries, manufacturer of advanced digital valve technology that improves engine efficiency and reduces fuel usage. They are hoping to promote its “Powered by Sturman” American engine modifications that address national energy and security needs by using technology to transform the engine.

According to the team press release, “’Powered by Sturman" engines are internal combustion engines modernized with Sturman digital hydraulic valves, software strategies, and flexible system design replacing fixed mechanics, to increase fuel efficiency, reduce pollution from emissions and enable alternative fuels.”

"Partnering with Operation Free and Sturman Industries is great symmetry for my efforts to promote environmental responsibility and pollution reduction,” Munter said in the team release. America's veterans have sacrificed so much for the rest of us and we should listen to their message that reducing our dependence on foreign oil and addressing climate change must be a national security priority for America.”

"Racing fans, like most Americans, want a future where our energy security is ensured,” Jonathan Powers, former U.S. Army Captain and COO of the Truman National Security Project, said in the team release. “Partnering the veterans of Operation Free with a dynamic person like Leilani and her team will help us reach a vast, new audience with our message that energy independence and addressing climate change are national security priorities that we can all support. America needs to compete in the ‘Race to Energy Independence' for more jobs, less pollution, and greater security.”

Munter only has one ARCA start this year, which was back at Daytona where she started 25th and finished 39th after a crash.

As talk surrounds the Sprint Cup Series with Clint Bowyer’s penalties, the ARCA Series has its own case of what looks to be an attempt at "Creative Interpretation."

In post-race tech after the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic 200, both Cunningham Motorsports drivers, race winner Dakoda Armstrong and points leader at the time Tom Hessert, failed inspection. 

Both teams were penalized $10,000 and 25 points, as per ARCA’s normal penalty.

Kerry Scherer, co-owner of Cunningham Motorsports, released a statement yesterday, stating that they’d be appealing, based upon the specified reasons.

“The Cunningham Motorsports teams, driven by Tom Hessert and Dakoda Armstrong, strive to produce the fastest, most competitive cars in the ARCA Racing Series. In no way do we ever, or will we ever, search for an illegal advantage. We feel it is unfortunate that ARCA officials have penalized our teams following the post-race inspection at Salem Speedway and plan to appeal the ruling.

“Following the event, ARCA officials alleged that the roof of the #77 car was 1/16 of an inch too low and the roof of the #22 car was 1/8 of an inch too low. We believe the post-race procedure was not a just assessment based on the following points:

“· The race cars were inspected on two separate occasions before the race and passed each time.

“· Our crews were unable to make any adjustments prior to the race, after the final pre-qualifying inspection, based on the fact that the cars were impounded after qualifying.

“· The circumstances of the race, including the rough track surface at Salem Speedway, could have caused the springs to compress and not fully rebound prior to the post-race inspection and cause the alleged infraction.

“· The spoiler of our cars met the required specifications; therefore, the alleged infraction did not provide any competitive advantage or have any bearing on the outcome of the race.

“· The cars were only measured one time during post-race inspection and our crews were not given an opportunity to push the cars back through the inspection line, to double-check the accuracy of the officials’ alleged findings, as is allowed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

“· Since these alleged infractions gave no competitive advantage to either Hessert or Armstrong, neither driver should be punished with the loss of 25 championship points.

“The battle for the 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship is shaping up to be one of the most exciting in history. No doubt that it will come down to the wire. The racing action and competition have been tremendous. We would hate for the champion to be decided based on this penalty, and not settled on the track.”

Scherer does bring up some credible points in his defense that could very well win him the appeal.

The fact that the car passed inspection before the race on those two separate occasions does not help his case, as it could easily be argued that it was set with the settings to occur on track. We've seen this case on the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series side, as drivers have been fined after races for being too low, yet were fine before.

Also, blaming it on the track's surface isn't really the best excuse to use, as that's something that the teams should be preparing for, knowing what the rules are and what's expected.

However, the argument stating that the finding was unable to be double-checked does bring up discussion. Without double-checking it, ARCA Re/Max officials are hurting their credibility, and that credibility is something the appeal board will look at.

Could this very point be what reverses the appeal and sees a change in the tech inspection process for ARCA? Very well as relying back to what is considered ARCA's big brother to some NASCAR, they've strengthened their credibility considerably.

This will be a very important decision for the appeal board, as if the penalties were to be reversed, Hessert would regain the points lead and be 10 points ahead of Patrick Sheltra.

Following the penalty that was dropped yesterday on Cunningham Motorsports after both cars failed tech inspection, they knew they had to go out and prove themselves at the test.

Right off the bat they did, as Parker Kligerman, driving an ARCA car for the first time since last year, topped the speed charts with a lap of 32.182 seconds.

This year, Kligerman has been driving cars in the Nationwide Series for Penske Racing and has a pair of top-10 finishes in his last three starts.

"Cunningham Motorsports, who has an affiliation with Penske, brought four cars out for the test,” Kligerman is quoted on ARCARacing.com. “They called to see if I'd be willing to help, see how the cars are running, maybe do a little coaching. I'm taking what I've learned this year in Nationwide to see if I can apply that experience.”

Last year, Kligerman won a series-high nine races and finished second in points, five points behind champion Justin Lofton.

"One of the (No.) 22 cars Cunningham brought is the same car I won all those races in last year,” he said. “Dakoda [Armstrong] and Tom [Hessert] are both doing a really good job. I just wanted to lend any support I could to help them go in the right direction."

Kligerman was followed by Venturini Motorsports teammates Mikey Kile (32.192 seconds) and Steve Arpin (32.267). Scott Wimmer was fourth (32.312) with Joey Coulter fifth (32.399).

Also on hand for the test was Sprint Cup Series driver David Stremme, who was coaching Richard Childress Racing Development driver Tim George Jr. Stremme ended the day eighth with a time of 32.753 seconds, while George Jr. was ninth at 32.775.

Points leader Patrick Sheltra did not attend the test, nor did third in points Craig Goess.

EVENT NO. 19, ARCA RACING SERIES presented by RE/MAX and MENARDS

Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, KS

NO. DRIVER/HOMETOWN CAR TIME SPEED

1 22b Parker Kligerman/Westport CT Dodge 32.182 167.796

2 25 Mikey Kile/Westlake LA Toyota 32.192 167.744

3 55 Steve Arpin/Fort Frances Ontario Toyota 32.267 167.354

4 31 Scott Wimmer/Wausau WI Chevy 32.312 167.121

5 16a Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL Chevy 32.399 166.672

6 32 Justin Marks/Rocklin CA Toyota 32.416 166.584

7 41 Ty Dillon/Lewisville NC Chevy 32.483 166.241

8 16b David Stremme/South Bend IN Chevy 32.753 164.870

9 31 Tim George Jr./New York NY Chevy 32.775 164.760

10 77a Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ Dodge 32.799 164.639

11 77b Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ Dodge 32.824 164.514

12 22a Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN Dodge 32.838 164.444

13 58 Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadephia OH Chevy 33.144 162.925

14 12 Russ Dugger/Owasso OK Chevy 33.307 162.128

15 36 Robb Brent/Shelby Township MI Dodge 33.532 161.040

16 59 Leilani Munter/Rochester MN Dodge 33.598 160.724

17 35 Tom Berte/New Berlin WI Chevy 33.628 160.580

18 52 Daryl Harr Chevy 34.202 157.886

19 28 Chad Frewaldt Chevy 35.177 153.509

20 7 Tanner Berryhill/Bixby OK Chevy 35.205 153.387  

Following the completion of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic 200, things were looking great for Cunningham Motorsports.

Dakoda Armstrong won his second career race while teammate Tom Hessert finished third, claiming the points lead, 10 points over Patrick Sheltra.

However in post-race inspection as according to ARCA officials, both cars failed inspection due to not meeting the required roof height.

Historically, the penalties equaled a fine of $10,000, along with the loss of 25 driver and owner’s points.

If Hessert’s penalty follows suit, he will drop to second in points, 15 points behind Sheltra headed into the final two events.

The penalty, however, would not take the win away from Dakoda Armstrong so he’d keep the distinction of being one of three drivers to win multiple races this year.

Penalties are expected to be formally announced later on today (Tuesday).

Also, third-place in points Craig Goess was treated and released from an Indiana Hospital early Sunday morning. Goess sited back pain following the event and was transferred to hospital to be looked at. Goess currently sits third in points, 30 points behind Hessert as of right now, before any penalties.

Kansas Lottery 150 Next: The ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards visits the 1.5-mile Kansas Speedway on Thursday, September 30 for the 19th of 20 races this season. The 100-lap, 150-mile Kansas Lottery 150 airs live on SPEED at 4 p.m. Central (5 p.m. Eastern), with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage presented by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Practice begins at 9 a.m. and lasts for two hours, and Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell takes place at 1 p.m. Live timing and scoring and live audio coverage of both events will be available at ARCARacing.com.

An open-test is set to be held today (Tuesday) and live timing and scoring is set to displayed at ARCARacing.com. 18 cars are set to take to the track.