ARCA RE/MAX

Bringing back the rich history of the sport through Saturday night racing, the Budweiser Shootout wasn't the only on track action of the evening set on the newly paved Daytona International Speedway.

Late Saturday afternoon, ARCA's annual Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on the Daytona track took place. While Bobby Gerhart claimed the victory, the race itself came poised with single file runs and very little front-to-rear end touching between cars.

This would claim to be very different than what fans would see later in the evening during NASCAR's Sprint Cup Budweiser Shootout featuring 24 of the series' drivers, including former Daytona 500 winners, Budweiser Shootout winners, Chase competitors of the 2010 season and former Rookies of the Year.

In this race, cars would line up nose to tail, in two-car packs, to push past the rest of the field in pairs also known as "dancing partners." 

There are multiple reasons as to why the races are structured so differently.

Unlike the Sprint Cup cars, the bumpers of the ARCA cars do not match up perfectly, leaving room for error in a two car draft. The air captured between the two cars would eventually lift the front car off the ground and cause it to either slide apart from the car behind it, or completely spin out, if not become airborne.

While the previous pavement of Daytona grew to contain many bumps, dips and a rough surface, it was used a large group-drafting track. Now, it holds characteristics many drivers relate to those of Talladega, the only other restrictor plate track on the NASCAR schedule. 

Drivers in the ARCA series range from 18-year-olds finally setting foot on a super-speedway setting to veterans of both their series or NASCAR. The cars have a smaller amount of horsepower, and are shaped more closely to the look of the former NASCAR Nationwide Series car.

NASCAR has been awaiting the Shootout, as it would be the first race after many practices and tests on the new pavement. It was claimed a success by many, and after the race, drivers including those who were wrecked out in early laps commented as to how fun and exciting the racing was.

It was new and fresh, something NASCAR has been pulling at for a while now.

In just one night, NASCAR and ARCA showed the different ways the new pavement can contribute to a stock-car race. By next weekend, two other series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series, and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series will have also raced on the new surface.

Will the two other models drive in these wild two-car drafts, or create the line formation and passing similar to what was seen in tonight's ARCA race? 

Daytona's new surface has brought interest from all angles, and with so many different possibilities for the upcoming races next weekend, fans may be in store for what might just be the most exciting and anticipated season-opening weekend in the history of NASCAR. 

Old pavement, new pavement, it doesn't matter to Bobby Gerhart as he still continued his Daytona dominance with his seventh Daytona win.

"We didn't have a good car—we had a great car," Gerhart said. "That was awesome...The kid (Chris Buescher) did a tremendous job. I was getting punched around a lot there."

Playing the role of Gerhart's wing man and pushing him to victory was 18-year-old rookie Chris Buescher, who stuck with Gerhart the whole race.

"That was pretty cool with coming to Daytona for the first time," he said. "Congratulations to Bobby Gerhart—he is the best here. He learned a lot here."

Bobby Gerhart and Chris Buescher pitted early in the race under the first caution and then stayed out under the cautions that followed to take the top two spots with 30 laps to go.

"We're getting exceptional mileage again," Gerhart's crew chief Billy Gerhart said. "We went to Talladega three weeks ago and we knew when we came here, it'd be tough to pass. So lets work on the mileage...We come here to win. I'd rather be leading and run out rather than run second."

Rookie Matt Merrell finished third while Camping World Truck Series veteran Ricky Carmichael finished fourth. NASCAR All-Star Showdown winner Jason Bowles completed the top five in fifth.

Rounding out the top 10 was Joey Licata, Benny Gordon, Chad McCumbee, Grant Enfinger and Frank Kimmel.

Pole sitter Ty Dillon finished 11th after being involved in an accident earlier in the race.

On lap 63, the big one happened when Hal Martin blew a tire, causing a wreck that involved Steve Arpin, Milka Duno, Kyle Fowler, Steve Blackburn, Bryan Silas and Maryeve Dufault.

"The only thing I saw was smoke and I saw bouncing cars all over the place," Maryeve said afterward. "I thought the safest place would be to go down as low as possible, but we still got caught up."

Other wrecks that happened included Ed Pompa with a tire blowing out on lap 56 and Chad Hackenbracht flipping on lap 45.

"I'm doing pretty fine. going through three and four, all I know is we had a good three-four car draft going," Hackenbracht said. "I heard something clinking, went to the outside of the 30 car and it wrecked."

The next ARCA race of the season will be on April 15 at Talladega Superspeedway and will be broadcast live on SPEED.

To see more articles by Ashley McCubbin and live updates from the weekend, check out http://newsfromthepits.blogspot.com/

When the green flag drops tomorrow for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, two 18-year-olds will lead the field to the green flag.

Richard Childress' grandson Ty Dillon (No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio/Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) won the pole with a lap of 48.509 seconds (185.533mph) to win the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell. This is the fastest lap that has been run at Daytona since Kirk Shelmerdine in 2001 with a pole speed of 187.352mph. 

"It was really special to me. I've been coming here for a long time since I was a little kid to see my grandfather, watching races, watching qualifying and this being my first time at a superspeedway and to have this car get the pole is really special to me," Dillon said. "I'm glad we could do it with UNOH.

"Our team has definitely worked hard enough so that we have one of the best cars in the garage. I believe we can definitely win this race tomorrow. I just have to be patient; we have the car to do it."

This marks the start of a solid weekend for Dillon, who is trying to go for his third consecutive win in a row after winning the final two races last year—Kansas & Rockingham. Dillon has also been running a dirt modified at Volusia Speedway Park each night to get more experience.

"I think it just helps me with my experience, getting as much seat time as possible," he said. "It's been hard every night getting back to the hotel at one in the morning and getting up at six to come here to be with the guys, but I love racing. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else."

Starting second will be Venturini Motorsports rookie Kyle Fowler, who drove a lap of 48.65 seconds (184.995mph) in his No. 15 Chevrolet.

"Venturini definitely has an awesome piece there with the 15 car, and I'm just the lucky guy that gets to hold the steering wheel," Fowler said.

Fowler has made just five prior starts in the ARCA Racing Series, but none on a track larger than a mile-and-a-half.

"It was absolutely incredible to make those first few laps around here," he said. "Heck, I got goosebumps just walking on the premises. It's every driver's dream to race here. It's racing's biggest stage, and I just want to be there at the end."  

Following the rookies will be Venturini Motorsports veteran Steve Arpin (No. 25 Mike's Hard Lemonade Chevrolet), with a lap of 48.762 seconds (184.57 mph).

"We were really focused (in practice) yesterday on qualifying stuff," said Arpin, who led the series with three victories last year. "It's really hard at Daytona, because you've got to try to qualify the best you can because track position's really important, but at the same time you've got to make the car drive as good as it can.

"We tried to find that happy medium and balance the car the best we could. The best thing I'm excited about is that our car drives awesome in the draft and that's all that's important—to get that trophy at the end of the day tomorrow."

Matt Merrell, who is making his first start since 2009, will start fourth in his No. 32 Red Line Oil Toyota. Six-time Daytona ARCA winner Bobby Gerhart completed the top five in fifth with his No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet.

Practice leader Hal Martin, motocross superstar Ricky Carmichael, Mark Thompson, Tim George Jr. and Tom Hessert will fill out the rest of the first five rows.

Other notables include IndyCar star Milka Duno who will start 23rd in his first ARCA start while nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel will start 26th in his 20th ARCA Daytona start.

The 80-lap, 200-mile Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 airs live on SPEED at 4:30 p.m. Eastern tomorrow, with live timing and scoring and live audio presented by ARCA Nation and News 1150 WNDB at ARCARacing.com. Gerhart (No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet) is the defending and all-time leading winner at the track, with wins in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2010. Gerhart also won four consecutive poles between 2003 and 2006. The race is scheduled as the first of 19 this season.

The ARCA Racing Series will host a final, 45-minute practice at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Live timing and scoring will be presented by ARCA Nation at ARCARacing.com.

Starting Grid

2011 Event #1, ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards
Daytona Int'l Speedway, Daytona Beach FL, 2-12-11
Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200
February 11, 2011 / 3:49 PM
POS	NO	DRIVER/HOMETOWN	TEAM & CAR	TIME	SPEED
1	41	Ty Dillon/Lewisville NC	UNOH Chevrolet	48.509	185.533
2	15	Kyle Fowler/Smyrna GA	Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet	48.650	184.995
3	25	Steve Arpin/Fort Frances ON	Mike's Hard Lemonade-Trent's Tire Toyota	48.762	184.570
4	32	Matt Merrell/Portland TX	Red Line Oil Toyota	48.881	184.121
5	5	Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA	Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet	48.961	183.820
6	55	Hal Martin/Galliano LA	NOLA Motorsports Park Toyota	48.977	183.760
7	4	Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL	Monster Energy Chevrolet	48.981	183.745
8	66	Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA	Phoenix Air Toyota	49.083	183.363
9	31	Tim George Jr./New York NY	RCR Development Chevrolet	49.112	183.255
10	52	Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ	Federated Auto Parts Toyota	49.249	182.745
11	28	Miguel Paludo/Nova Prata Brazil	STEMCO-Duroline Toyota	49.276	182.645
12	98	Kevin Swindell/Goodlettsville TN	Curb Records-Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota	49.291	182.589
13	16	Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL	Rip It Energy Fuel-Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet	49.314	182.504
14	22	Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN	Ferrellgas-Syngenta Dodge	49.355	182.352
15	19	Brian Rose/Louisville KY	Harris Trucking-ASE Toyota	49.358	182.341
16	6	Jason Bowles/Ontario CA	Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota	49.368	182.304
17	14	John Ferrier/Middletown NY	CGS Imaging Ford	49.386	182.238
18	30	Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario	Jones Group Dodge	49.388	182.230
19	17	Chris Buescher/Prosper TX	Roulo Brothers Racing Ford	49.408	182.157
20	09	Benny Gordon/DuBois PA	VSI Ford	49.537	181.682
21	94	Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY	Hudson Performance Drivelines Dodge	49.583	181.514
22	11	Bryan Silas/Stuart FL	National Speed Sport News-Fast Track Ford	49.584	181.510
23	63	Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela	Citgo Lubricants Dodge	49.604	181.437
24	12	Maryeve Dufault/Sorel Quebec	TMR Dodge	49.726	180.992
25	77	Joey Licata/Van Nuys CA	Wrong Inc. Dodge	49.727	180.988
26	44	Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN	Ansell-Menards Ford	49.775	180.814
27	82	Sean Corr/Goshen NY	Empire Racing Ford	49.782	180.788
28	1	Chad McCumbee/Supply NC	ModSpace Ford	49.791	180.756
29	18	Chris Lawson/Troutman NC	Ideal Steel Custom Flame Cutting Dodge	49.801	180.719
30	00	Ed Kennedy/Coppell TX	Thunder 2 Lubricants-Daytona Lagoon Chevrolet	49.811	180.683
31	36	Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL	BeasleyAllen.com-Excaliber Coach Dodge	49.846	180.556
32	26	Tommy Joe Martins/Como MS	Martins Motorsports Dodge	49.924	180.274
33	23	Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA	Fox Realty Chevrolet	Provisional
34	34	Darrell Basham/Henryville IN	IndustrialDepot.com Ford	Provisional
35	48	James Hylton/Inman SC	Radon.com Ford	Provisional
36	10	Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa NY	Rifenburg Construction-Double H Ranch Chevrolet	Provisional
37	06	Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD	CanadianHeroes.com Chevrolet	Provisional
38	68	Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg KY	Honda of Prestonburg-Harley of Pikeville Dodge	Provisional
39	7	Brent Cross/Cortland NY	Cummings Auto Machine-Quadraflex Chevrolet	Provisional
40	58	Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH	Tastee Apple Chevrolet	Provisional
41	75	Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL	Drive To End Hunger AARP Toyota	Provisional
42	3	Brent Brevak/Eau Claire WI	Red's Auto Ford	Provisional
43	42	Scott Stenzel/Orlando FL	Yellow Stripes Making The Driver Ford	Provisional

To see more articles by Ashley McCubbin and live updates from the weekend, check out http://newsfromthepits.blogspot.com/

The ARCA Series Presented by Menards opened up their first day of on-track action today, with a four-hour practice this afternoon.

Just like in testing last month, Hal Martin drove his No. 55 NOLA Motorsports Park Toyota to the top of the practice chart as his team, Venturini Motorsports, took three of the top four positions.

"What a successful day, all in all," Martin said. "We've spent a lot of long hours at the shop, and I've put in a lot of long hours of mental prep for this day. There were some things in practice we wanted to try, and the car just ran fast. That's all I can say. It's driving really well, and dicing in and out of traffic. We did a lot of drafting this afternoon and ran well in every situation."

Martin's best lap was 48.092 seconds, hitting an average speed of 187.141mph. Martin's teammates, Kyle Fowler (No. 15 Chevrolet) and Steve Arpin (No. 25 Mike's Hard Lemonade/Trent's Tire Toyota), were third and fourth, respectively.

Sandwiched in second was Richard Childress Racing driver and Childress' grandson, Ty Dillon (No. 41 University of Northwestern Ohio Chevrolet), with his teammate Tim George Jr. (No. 31 Richard Childress Racing Development Chevrolet) in fifth to complete the top five.

Contributing to a top-five sweep by Venturini and RCR was the drafting that was done during practice, as Martin cited both his two teammates and the RCR teammates as "dancing partners".

Martin noted that he spent the beginning doing mock qualifying runs, as this is the only practice they'll get before qualifying.

"We started out the day with mock qualifying runs, just to see where we stood basically," he said. "Hopefully, we get the pole, but you never know what will happen out there. I hope we can get a solid top-five start and go win it from there on Saturday. If we can start up front, we hope to stay out front."

Steve Blackburn, Matt Merrell, Bryan Silas, Brian Rose and Tom Hessert comprised the remainder of the top 10.

Other notables include six-time and defending Daytona ARCA Champion Bobby Gerhart, who drove his No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet to the 20th position on the chart, one spot ahead of nine-time ARCA Racing Series Champion Frank Kimmel.

Some people were concerned what the rain earlier in the day would do to the track, however, Martin said it had no effect.

"The grip level's still there," Martin said. "You know, it's not like a track where it's been worn in and you get a little rain and the track gets green and there's no grip. That didn't happen. I know we had a good bit of rain this morning—it woke me up in the motorhome at 5 or 6 a.m.—but the track is just like it was at the test. The tires aren't wearing."

Fowler said that as a whole, the track hadn't actually changed that much from before the paving.

"We talked about the old and the new, as far as whatever he was doing and what it was like to run around this place, and where I'm running around this place, and the similarities," Fowler said. "Over time, it hasn't really changed as much as people think even through different pavements. The core of it is still the same."

However, Fowler said he is ready for whatever happens.

"I've been mentally preparing," Fowler said. "Preparing, preparing, preparing. I've been doing a little bit of the iRacing (computer simulation) stuff, because I've got to get familiar with this place more. I've been watching tapes of races and (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver) David Ragan's been giving me advice."

With three of the five drivers at Venturini Motorsports in the top five, its no wonder that Venturini Motorsports General Manager Billy Venturini is happy.

"All the cars seemed really good," Venturini said. "The Nos. 15, 25, and 55 seemed to be the best three cars during single-car runs. So, I think we will have a very solid performance in qualifying. No. 28 (Miguel Paludo) and No. 66 (Mark Thompson), we expect to put them in the top 10 also. (In) drafting practice, all the cars seemed extremely strong. I think that we should be tough to beat. All the hard work seems to be paying off. I expect to qualify very well and make sure we can back that up on Saturday with a victory."

All 47 entered drivers took laps; 43 will start in Saturday's Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, scheduled to air at 4:30 p.m. on SPEED. The starting field will be set in the Menards Pole Qualifying, presented by Ansell, tomorrow at 2 p.m.

2011 Event #1, ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards
Daytona Int'l Speedway, Daytona Beach, FL, 2-12-11
Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200
POS	NO	DRIVER/HOMETOWN	TIME	SPEED
1	55	Hal Martin/Galliano, LA	48.092	187.141
2	41	Ty Dillon/Lewisville, NC	48.133	186.982
3	15	Kyle Fowler/Smyrna, GA	48.378	186.035
4	25	Steve Arpin/Fort Frances, ON	48.415	185.893
5	31	Tim George Jr./New York, NY	48.421	185.870
6	68	Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg, KY	48.493	185.594
7	32	Matt Merrell/Portland, TX	48.837	184.286
8	11	Bryan Silas/Stuart, FL	48.863	184.188
9	19	Brian Rose/Louisville, KY	48.970	183.786
10	52	Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill, NJ	48.970	183.786
11	16	Joey Coulter/Miami Springs, FL	48.983	183.737
12	36	Grant Enfinger/Fairhope, AL	48.999	183.677
13	14	John Ferrier/Middletown, NY	49.002	183.666
14	26	Tommy Joe Martins/Como, MS	49.003	183.662
15	09	Benny Gordon/DuBois, PA	49.019	183.602
16	4	Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee, FL	49.053	183.475
17	1	Chad McCumbee/Supply, NC	49.085	183.355
18	98	Kevin Swindell/Goodlettsville, TN	49.095	183.318
19	77	Joey Licata/Van Nuys, CA	49.100	183.299
20	5	Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon, PA	49.104	183.284
21	44	Frank Kimmel/Clarksville, IN	49.104	183.284
22	6	Jason Bowles/Ontario, CA	49.245	182.760
23	30	Terry Jones/Amherstburg, ON	49.266	182.682
24	63	Milka Duno/Caracas, Venezuela	49.339	182.411
25	66	Mark Thompson/Cartersville, GA	49.358	182.341
26	28	Miguel Paludo/Nova Prata, Brazil	49.440	182.039
27	97	Matt Lofton/Mooresville, NC	49.570	181.561
28	22	Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle, IN	49.729	180.981
29	17	Chris Buescher/Prosper, TX	49.778	180.803
30	00	Ed Kennedy/Coppell, TX	49.804	180.708
31	82	Sean Corr/Goshen, NY	49.862	180.498
32	94	Brett Hudson/Owensboro, KY	49.869	180.473
33	75	Benny Chastain/Tallahassee, FL	50.045	179.838
34	42	Scott Stenzel/Orlando, FL	50.096	179.655
35	59	Drew Charlson/New Bremen, OH	50.182	179.347
36	12	Maryeve Dufault/Sorel, QC	50.189	179.322
37	48	James Hylton/Inman, SC	50.198	179.290
38	3	Brent Brevak/Eau Claire, WI	50.562	177.999
39	54	Will Vaught/Crane, MO	50.649	177.694
40	18	Chris Lawson/Troutman, NC	50.767	177.281
41	24	Ricky Byers/Birmingham, AL	50.796	177.179
42	34	Darrell Basham/Henryville, IN	51.127	176.032
43	23	Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond, PA	51.258	175.582
44	58	Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia, OH	51.529	174.659
45	10	Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa, NY	51.932	173.304
46	7	Brent Cross/Cortland, NY	51.991	173.107
47	06	Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville, MD	54.744	164.402

Credit to the ARCA Racing Network for Picture and Quotes

To see more articles by Ashley McCubbin and live updates from the weekend, check out http://newsfromthepits.blogspot.com/

After the three-day open test at Daytona earlier this month, ARCA Series drivers Bobby Gerhart, Tom Hessert, Sean Corr and Chad McCumbee are heading to Talladega Superspeedway to continue to prepare for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona on Saturday February 12th.

Gerhart, a Lebanon, Pennsylvania native, has won the Daytona race six times so he knows the type of preparation that goes into winning it. This is something that he has done each year for awhile now with brother and crew chief Bill Gerhart.

“We’re taking just one car to the test,” Bill Gerhart told the ARCA Racing Network. “It’s the car we’re going to race at Daytona. It’s actually last year’s Daytona spare. We’ve practiced and tested the car, but we’ve never raced it. But when we took it back for the test (at Daytona) it out-performed last year’s winner (car). We built the car new; we’ve just never raced it. Sometimes it happens that way. With the new paving, the track just came to the car. We finally have most of the bugs out of it. We finally got it to go.”

Looking at the test speeds from Daytona, a lot of people have not paid any attention to Gerhart via being mid-pack, though that doesn’t work the No. 5 team.

“We’re not concerned about that at all,” Bill Gerhart said. “You can take all that speed from the test and throw it out the window. Let me put it to this way. Last year, it was the same thing. We came out of the test 28th fastest. We went back for the race and qualified eighth with the same speed we tested at. What’s that tell you?”

As a result, the car they are taking to the test and in essence running Daytona, is the car that they felt comfortable with during the test.

“From what we saw in the drafting session, Bobby was able to pass with ease,” Bill Gerhart said. “We were stunned. Out leading the pack, nobody could pass him. I think this year’s race pace could be a half-second faster. Four car packs in the test were running last year’s race pace. Imagine what it will be this year with 20 in a pack.”

For Gerhart Racing, they have decided to focus on comfort and the race rather than speed since from the test, it was clear the Toyotas had the best single car speed runs, led by the Toyotas from Venturini Motorsports.

“Do I think we’ll contend for the pole? I don’t think so, not against the Toyotas; but can we contend for the win? Absolutely,” Bill Gerhart said. “If we’re still happy with the way our car is handling in tomorrow’s test we may load up after 10 laps and head for home. We actually made some rear suspension adjustments after the Daytona test, so we think we’re going to be even better. But if our car is going to perform like we think it’s going to, we won’t need a lot of laps tomorrow. Just head for home, do the final paint work, decal it, and we’ll be ready to go.

“Last year’s winning car was designed for the bumps and a slick track. But this year, the game has completely changed, so we had to make some changes. Our Lucas Oil-Slick Mist Chevrolet is going to be very good. It’s going to be a hell of a race; I can promise you that.”

In 15 starts at Daytona, the series veteran has six wins, eight top fives, 12 top 10s and an average finish of 6.1 while leading 401 laps out of the 1141 laps he has run. Gerhart has only one other ARCA Series win which came at Daytona’s sister track, Talladega.

Steve Arpin had his breakout year this 2010 season. He had a solid year in the ARCA Series with multiple visits to victory lane and a chance to move up and run some Nationwide Series races for Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Arpin was honored for his success at the 2011 Canadian Motorsports Expo as the 2010 Inside Track Reader’s Choice Awards Canadian Racer at the Highest Levels of International Competition.

“It was a complete success for us,” Arpin said of the season. “Everything about 2010 was a definite success. There was definitely some learning curves throughout the year.

"We accomplished everything we wanted to accomplish. We wanted to go out there and run strong, run strong consistently and run upfront consistently. We wanted to open eyes and get an opportunity at a higher level, and we did that with JR Motorsports. We won the most races in the ARCA series.

"Unfortunately with the timing of the deal with JR Motorsports, we weren’t able to compete for the championship in the ARCA series. But everything I learned, the progression I made was all a true success.”

The season started off solid for the Fort Frances, Ontario native as he finished 10th and fifth in the first two ARCA races of the season. Though following a win in the third race of the season at Salem, the season took a whole new course in a 24-hour period.

“I would say the coolest part of my career is a 24 hour span,” Arpin said of the moment. “Last year, when we won Salem on Sunday night and Monday morning, we signed Mike’s Hard Lemonade to sponsor the ARCA program and then Monday afternoon, Dale Jr. called me to drive his racecars. I say that has to be the biggest memory of my life.”

Arpin drove seven races for JR Motorsports in 2010, including a 10th place finish at Daytona last July. Arpin says that lessons learned there led to the ARCA Series success that he would have in winning three races, seven top fives and 10 top 10s. Arpin comes from a dirt background so he has worked at taking advantage of all the seat time to learn more.

“The biggest thing for me is that in my career, I’ve only got 47 asphalt races to this day and there’s a lot to learn,” he told me. “These are a whole different type of racecar so we’ve been really working hard at a developing myself, developing me to the point where I’m comfortable in every situation. Its not so much being comfortable, but making the right decisions and there’s a lots of things you got to learn the hard way and do wrong before you know what’s right, and we went through a lot of that. I shouldn’t say we went that a lot this year—we made a lot of wrong decisions in 2009 and I was able to go back and be put in those same situations this year and come out ahead of the game making the right decisions.”

For 2011, Arpin is working at continuing to run more NASCAR races to continue moving up the ladder and growing as a driver.

“I’ve got all my plans—I’ve just got to convince all the teams owners to go along with it,” he said. “We’ve been working feverishly on it and we actually had a lot of big meetings this past week. I’m not at liberty to say exactly what the plans are, but we’re hoping in the next two or three weeks that we have an announcement.”

According to a report in the Toronto Sun, Arpin has spoken with JR Motorsports about running some races for them in the No. 7 car when Danica Patrick isn't driving it, but is also talking to other teams.

Arpin has already been behind the wheel in 2011 season as he tested at Daytona for Venturini Motorsports during the ARCA test.

“The new surface is awesome,” he said. “It’s going to make for awesome racing. I tested twice there since the new surface has been down—the tire test for Hoosier and the ARCA test for Venturini Motorsports. Venturini had a whole fleet of fast racecars there; it’d be cool to go back there and drive one, but the new race track is going to make for awesome racing.

"I think you’re going to see the whole bunched up, nose-to-tail, a lot tighter, more so like you do at Talladega. But then in token with the transitions so much more aggressive at Daytona, it’s going to make for a lot of interesting scenarios throughout the race.”

Arpin would like to run the Daytona race, though is still working at locking down a deal to do it. He originally just went down to just coach Venturini Motorsports young drivers Hal Martin and Kyle Fowler, though ended up also testing a car for them.

“But Billy brought me down as he knows I work well with the young guys and Kyle and Hal are doing absolutely great,” he said. “Hal has done a couple speedway races before so he knows a little bit more of what’s going on and Hal is really going to come on strong and fit in real good.”

With having a diverse background, Arpin has hit a lot of tracks throughout his career, whether dirt and asphalt, so it equals no wonder that he has a diverse list of favorites.

“Every time we go to a racetrack and at the end of the race, I say ‘God, that’s my favorite track’ and so, I couldn’t honestly tell you what my favorite track would be,” he said. “As far as dirt tracks, my favorite track by far is Deer Creek Speedway up in Rochester, MN. Asphalt so far—asphalt racing, every track is completely different.

"A short track—my favorite one would be Salem, just because it’s high-banked, its rough and you’re just up on the wheel every lap. And then you go to the intermediate tracks and that’s more of a mental focus. It’s more of a mental chess game as you have to figure how to use the air and do things like that right. So intermediate tracks, I’d have to say Texas for sure and Daytona is just Daytona—it’s the coolest place ever, just the history there.”

Tony Marks Racing let it known right away at the first test for the 2011 season that they weren't fooling around, despite being the newest ARCA multi-car racing team.

They entered the test armed with three drivers—veteran Chase Austin, CRA competitor Jared Marks and Canadian Tire Series driver Maryeve Dufault.

At the end the test, they had made their presence known as Dufault led the TMR charge by placing her No. 12b Tony Marks Racing Dodge Charger into 28th out of 58 competitors after posting her fastest lap at 49.203 seconds at 182.916 miles per hour. With her speed, she edged out nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel and the defending series champion Patrick Sheltra, though also sat second fastest of the six females on hand. Her teammates Marks and Austin ranked 41st and 42nd respectively overall as the team leaned more towards comfort rather than speed for the test.

“Overall, we’re completely satisfied with the way the test came out,” said Tony Marks, owner of Tony Marks Racing. “Chase, Jared and Maryeve all did an exceptional job shaking the car down and producing great feedback. I appreciate Chase being here with the team as a driver coach to the future of our great program. Maryeve did exactly what she needed to do and we believe she gained a lot of respect from her competitors.”

Jared Marks, the youngest of the three drivers, is allowed to test but cannot race on the superspeedways till he turns 18, as per ARCA rules. He is allowed till then to run the short track races to gain experience.

“Jared will run some ARCA races later this year and we wanted to make sure he was comfortable in the car not to mention gather priceless seat time," Tony Marks said. We’ll be back next month and hope we can continue to gain the trust and respect of our competitors while also deliver solid results for our team partners.”

Dufault, a native of Los Angeles, spent the 2010 racing in the Canadian Tire Series on various short tracks and road courses. Though she has now moved to the ARCA Series, hoping to gain more experience and respect as she continues her climb up the racing ladder.  

“I’m really happy with the progression we had at the test," she said. "I felt really comfortable in the car and I achieved what I wanted to do. I cannot say enough about the Tony Marks Racing team. They did an amazing job. They’ve worked really hard despite having very little time to put the car together. We showed we had a very competitive piece. I really have a positive feeling for us for the race.”

TMR plans to take two of three cars and run them in the season opener at Daytona next month with Dufault and possibly Austin as her teammate. Team officials said they would release the schedule later this year, but said that Marks will be behind the wheel of the second car for at least 11 races.

Though they don't plan on relaxing from now till Daytona as the Napoleon, Ohio-based team spent Monday testing at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway, shaking down their short track program with their three drivers.

While Venturini Motorsports took top honors in the single-car runs, Grant Enfinger's team took top honors in drafting.

Yesterday, Benny Gordon drove Grant Enfinger's car to the lead position and has the quickest overall draft speed at a lap of 48.414 seconds.

Today, Grant Enfinger drove his own car to the top of the charts and second overall at a lap of 48.418 seconds.

Brian Rose and James Hylton were tied for second in the session at 48.664 seconds (184.942 mph). Joey Licata, Jr., Jason Bowles, Milka Duno, Kevin Swindell, Randy Renfrow, Brent Brevak, and Bobby Gerhart comprised the remainder of the top 10.

Today concluded the Daytona test for the ARCA Racing Series. The next time they will be at Daytona will be on February 8 to begin preparation for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on February 12.

Overall Draft Speeds

1. 09 Benny Gordon - 48.414 seconds -Wednesday Afternoon
2. 36 Grant Enfinger- 48.418 - Thursday Afternoon
3. 1 Chad McCumbee - 48.427 - Wednesday Afternoon
4. 41b Ty Dillon - 48.431 - Wednesday Afternoon
5. 82 Sean Corr - 48.432 - Wednesday Afternoon
6. 77 Joey Licata, Jr. - 48.473 - Wednesday Afternoon 
7. 58 Chad Hackenbracht - 48.522 - Wednesday Afternoon
8. 55 Hal Martin - 48.609 - Wednesday Afternoon 
9. 15 Kyle Fowler - 48.652 - Wednesday Afternoon 
10. 25 Steve Arpin - 48.660 - Wednesday Afternoon
11. 4 Brian Rose & 48 James Hylton - 48.664 - Thursday Afternoon
12. 63a Milka Duno - 48.673 - Wednesday Afternoon
13. 6 Jason Bowles - 48.724 - Thursday Afternoon
14. 2 Kevin Swindell - 48.727 - Thursday Afternoon
15. 66 Mark Thomson - 48.779 - Wednesday Afternoon
16. 36b Brett Hudson - 48.834 - Wednesday Afternoon
17. 16 Randy Renfrow & 22 Dakoda Armstrong - 48.844 - Wednesday Afternoon
18. 3 Brent Brevak - 48.960 - Thursday Afternoon
19. 11 Bryan Silas - 49.031 - Thursday Afternoon
20. 31 Tim Geroge - 49.084 - Wednesday Afternoon
21. 5a Bobby Gerhart - 49.175 - Thursday Afternoon
22. 68 Steve Blackburn - 49.142 - Wednesday Afternoon
23. 17b Chris Buescher & 5c Damon Lusk - 49.191 - Thursday Afternoon
24. 14b John Ferrier - 49.199 - Wednesday Afternoon
25. 12b Maryeve Dufault - 49.203 - Thursday Afternoon
26. 18e Leilani Munter - 49.501 - Thursday Afternoon
27. 62 Drew Charleson - 49.637 - Wednesday Afternoon
28. 14a John Graham - 49.690 - Wednesday Afternoon
29. 10b Rick Clifton - 49.724 - Wednesday Afternoon
30. 18a Ryan Glenski - 49.760 - Thursday Afternoon
31. 10a Ed Pompa - 49.762 - Wednesday Afternoon
32. 12a Jarod Marks - 49.781 - Wednesday Afternoon
33. 75b Benny Chastain - 49.788 - Wednesday Afternoon
34. 95 Tommy Joe Martins - 49.927 - Wednesday Afternoon
35. 18d Jill Georgs - 50.417 - Wednesday Afternoon
36. 3a Bobby Dale Earnhardt - 50.452 - Thursday Afternoon
37. 18d Sloan Henderson - 50.532 - Thursday Afternoon
38. 80a Ricky Byers - 50.627 - Wednesday Afternoon
39. 75a Hannah Baker - 50.661 - Wednesday Afternoon
40. 80c Chris Davis - 50.870  - Thursday Afternoon
41. 80 Russell Henderson - 59.108 - Wednesday Afternoon

Teammate Hal Martin may have had the quickest time for Thursday morning's session, but Kyle Fowler holds serve for being the quickest car on the property for single-car runs.

Martin drove the No. 55 Toyota to a best lap of 48.815 seconds (184.37 mph) to lead the Thursday morning session. That lap ranks fifth-best over the single-car runs only for the entire test session. Overall, the lap ranks 16th-best of the test week, as Benny Gordon's 48.414-second effort holds the top spot from the drafting session.  

"It's windier today, that's for sure," Martin told the ARCA Racing Network. "We had a little bit of a headwind going down the backstretch, which slowed us down a little bit. Other than that, our cars are quick. The Venturini guys put in a heck of a lot of work coming in and leading into this week and this test session, and the cars are all fast. The cars are performing like they should be."

Fowler ranked second on Thursday's board with a lap of 48.943 seconds (183.887 mph), though he holds first on the board for the entire test in single-car runs with a time of 48.668-seconds in the No. 15 Chevrolet.

For Thursday's board, teammates Steve Arpin and Mark Thomspon followed behind Martin and Fowler in third and forth. Arpin drove the No. 25 Toyota to a lap of 48.978 seconds (183.756 mph), and Thompson drove his best lap in 49.208 seconds (182.897 mph). 

Venturini Motorsports officials said that they have elected not to run the afternoon session, as they've accomplished their goals. 

"We had a game plan coming into this test session," Martin said. "We were able to run through our list of things we wanted to try and see what benefited the car and what hampered our performance. We got our checklist done and completed, so we're done."

Finishing out the top 10 for Day 3 was Brian Rose, Bobby Gerhart, Randy Renfrow, Patrick Sheltra, Grant Enfinger and Jason Bowles. A number of teams, including Richard Childress Racing, Kimmel Racing and Enfinger Motorsports, chose not to participate in the final day of testing.

ARCA Racing Series testing at Daytona will conclude this afternoon with a drafting session, scheduled for 1-5 p.m.

Gordon, who led yesterday's drafting session, does not plan on running this afternoon.

"I think we're done," Gordon said. "We were only planning on two days. (The team) has some stuff they want to do back at the shop, so I think we're going to get out of here and pack it up, let them do their work, and see if they can't make it better for when it comes back."

Meanwhile, Bobby Dale Earnhardt, son of Kerry Earnhardt, is looking to use these three days as a learning experience.

"It means a lot coming here," the 23-year-old said. "I've got a lot of respect for this track. With everything that's happened here, it's really awesome being here.

"I'm just hoping to learn a lot. They say this track is pretty much in my DNA, but I guess we'll find that out." 

Single-Car Run Speeds Combined From The Test

1. #15 Kyle Fowler - 48.668 seconds - Wednesday Morning
2. #55 Hal Martin - 48.697 seconds - Wednesday Morning
3. #25 Steve Arpin - 48.796 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
4. #31 Tim George Jr. - 48.985 seconds - Wednesday Morning
5. #66 Mark Thomson - 49.208 seconds - Thursday Morning
6. #4 Brian Rose - 49.290 seconds - Thursday Morning
7. #17a Chris Buescher - 49.315 seconds - Tuesday Morning
8. #63a Milka Duno - 49.371 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
9. #41a Ty Dillon - 49.383 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
10. #22 Dakoda Armstrong - 49.438 - Wednesday Morning
11. #42a Scott Stenzil - 49.457 - Wednesday Morning
12. #36 Grant Enfinger - 49.486 - Tuesday Afternoon
13. #16a Joey Coulter - 49.543 - Tuesday Afternoon
14. #77 Joey Licata, Jr. - 49.549 - Wednesday Morning
15. #14b John Ferrier - 49.562 - Tuesday Afternoon
16. #18a Ryan Glenski - 49.578 - Wednesday Morning
17. #5a Bobby Gerhart - 49.624 seconds - Thursday Morning
18. #16 Randy Renfrow - 49.659 seconds - Thursday Morning
19. #63 Patrick Sheltra - 49.660 seconds - Thursday Morning
20. #75b Benny Chastain - 49.680 seconds - Tuesday Morning
21. #10a Ed Pompa - 49.686 seconds - Wednesday Morning
22. #6 Jason Bowles - 49.709 seconds - Wednesday Morning
23. #18c Jeremy Frankoski - 49.714 seconds - Wednesday Morning
24. #09 Benny Gordon - 49.743 seconds - Wednesday Morning
25. #36b Brett Hudson - 49.804 seconds - Thursday Morning
26. #12b Maryeve Dufault - 49.853 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
27. #12c Chase Austin - 49.925 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon 
28. #5c Damon Lusk - 49.945 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
29. #97 Matt Lofton - 49.946 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
30. #2 Kevin Swindell - 49.949 seconds - Thursday Morning
31. #11 Bryan Silas - 49.977 seconds - Thursday Morning
32. #1 Chad McCumbee - 49.978 seconds - Wednesday Morning
33. #54 Will Vaught - 50.007 seconds - Wednesday Morning
34. #42b Joey Gaze - 50.048 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
35. #95 Tommy Joe Martins - 50.049 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
36. #68 Steve Blackburn - 50.059 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
37. #75a Hannah Baker - 50.075 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
38. #42c Ryan Lynch - 50.080 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
39. #23a Jake Crum - 50.113 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
40. #14a John Graham - 50.145 seconds - Thursday Morning
41. #10b Rick Clifton - 50.355 seconds - Wednesday Morning
42. #3a Bobby Dale Earnhardt - 50.477 - Thursday Morning
43. #3 Brent Brevak - 50.540 - Thursday Morning 
44. #18e Lelani Munter - 50.544 - Thursday Morning
45. #44 Frank Kimmel - 50.596 seconds - Tuesday Afternoon
46. #82 Sean Corr - 50.607 seconds - Thursday Morning 
47. #08 James Hylton - 50.694 seconds - Thursday Morning 
48. #80b Richard Herriman - 50.773 seconds - Thursday Morning
49. #18d Sloan Henderson - 50.790 seconds - Thursday Morning
50. #62 Drew Charleson - 50.821 seconds - Thursday Morning
51. #23 Levi Youster - 50.939 seconds - Wednesday Morning
52. #18b Tyler Speer - 50.949 seconds - Thursday Morning
53. #58 Chad Hackenbracht - 51.244 seconds - Tuesday Morning 

Wednesday afternoon's test session for the ARCA Racing Series at Daytona International Speedway marked the first draft session, as the other three sessions were just comprised of single car runs.

The highest speeds were set in the final hour as five cars set out to draft tightly together.

Benny Gordon topped the list with a lap of 48.414 seconds (185.897 seconds). Gordon is looking to make his first ARCA Racing Series start after running some races in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

"We have, obviously, a really good car right now," Gordon told the ARCA Racing Network. "We did a lot of qualifying runs the first thing this morning and the car's pretty decent by itself, but the car's extremely fast in the draft. We hung around that top 10 in qualifying trim and qualifying runs, but in the draft, it was really good."

He edged Chad McCumbee, who had a lap of 48.427 seconds (185.847 mph). McCumbee also had some NASCAR experience in the Camping World Truck Series and also has some previous starts in the ARCA Series. In the final five races of last season, he finished in the top 10 in all of those starts.

"It's so far, so good," McCumbee said. "The Andy Belmont Racing guys have really worked over the offseason and we've brought in some new people. The first couple days working with (crew chief) Wayne Carroll have been great. We're still off from where we'd like to be, obviously. We've got some more to do that we haven't shown."

Other drivers who were in that draft were Ty Dillion, Sean Corr and Joey Licata Jr. They were followed on the charts by Chad Hackenbracht, Hal Martin, Kyle Fowler, and Steve Arpin. The speeds for the top nine were all higher than what has been seen so far, which is expected due to draft speeds always being higher.

IndyCar Driver Milka Duno rounded out the top 10, matching her previous best mark of 48.673 seconds.

Other notables include six-time Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart, who finished the session 25th, while nine-time ARCA Racing Series champion Frank Kimmel elected not to participate in the afternoon session. Kimmel wasn't the only one opting out, as many drivers did not participate or chose to make single-car runs.

In all, 39 drivers turned laps in 42 different cars in the afternoon session.

Open testing for teams and drivers will conclude Thursday at Daytona International Speedway. Only single-car runs will be allowed in the morning, and drafting will be permitted in the afternoon.

DAYTONA INT'L SPEEDWAY TEST - 1/11-13/11
ARCA RACING SERIES PRESENTED BY MENARDS
JANUARY 12, 2011, AFTERNOON SESSION
	CAR #	DRIVER	MAKE	TIME	SPEED
1	09	Benny Gordon	Ford	48.414	185.897
2	1	Chad McCumbee	Ford	48.427	185.847
3	41b	Ty Dillon	Chevy	48.431	185.831
4	82	Sean Corr	Ford	48.432	185.828
5	77	Joey Licata, Jr.	Dodge	48.473	185.670
6	58	Chad Hackenbracht	Chevy	48.522	185.483
7	55	Hal Martin	Toyota	48.609	185.151
8	15	Kyle Fowler	Chevy	48.652	184.987
9	25	Steve Arpin	Toyota	48.660	184.957
10	63a	Milka Duno	Dodge	48.673	184.907
11	66	Mark Thompson	Toyota	48.779	184.506
12	6	Jason Bowles	Toyota	48.834	184.298
13	36b	Brett Hudson	Dodge	48.834	184.298
14	16b	Randy Renfrow	Chevy	48.844	184.260
15	22	Dakoda Armstrong	Dodge	48.844	184.260
16	3	Brent Brevak	Dodge	48.962	183.816
17	4	Brian Rose	Toyota	48.965	183.805
18	36	Grant Enfinger	Dodge	49.000	183.673
19	11	Bryan Silas	Ford	49.031	183.557
20	54	Will Vaught	Chevy	49.044	183.509
21	16	Randy Renfrow	Chevy	49.060	183.449
22	31	Tim George	Chevy	49.084	183.359
23	68	Steve Blackburn	Dodge	49.142	183.143
24	14b	John Ferrier	Ford	49.199	182.931
25	5a	Bobby Gerhart	Chevy	49.578	181.532
26	62	Drew Charleson	Chevy	49.637	181.316
27	14a	John Graham	Ford	49.690	181.123
28	10b	Rick Clifton	Chevy	49.724	180.999
29	08	James Hylton	Ford	49.776	180.810
30	12a	Jarod Marks	Dodge	49.781	180.792
31	75b	Benny Chastain	Chevy	49.788	180.766
32	10a	Ed Pompa	Chevy	49.762	180.681
33	17a	Chris Buescher	Ford	49.814	180.672
34	95	Tommy Joe Martins	Dodge	49.927	180.263
35	12b	Maryeve Dufault	Dodge	49.936	180.231
36	17b	Chris Buescher	Ford	50.254	179.090
37	18d	Jill Georgs	Ford	50.417	178.511
38	5c	Damon Lusk	Chevy	50.426	178.479
39	80a	Ricky Byers	Ford	50.627	177.771
40	75a	Hannah Baker	Chevy	50.661	177.651
41	48	James Hylton	Ford	51.685	174.132
42	80	Russell Henderson	Ford	59.108	152.264