For Immediate Release:
Monday, October 17, 2011
Dillon and Naset Reflect on ARCA Championship;
News & Notes from ARCA's Season Finale at Toledo Speedway
(TOLEDO, Ohio) - Ty Dillon stood before an ARCA Champion banner structure at Toledo Speedway with two trophies Sunday afternoon - one, the official hardware of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, and the other, a custom trophy carved from a trunk of wood by 3-D Custom Carving of Temperance, Mich.
With his crew behind him and SPEED's Ray Dunlap introducing him to a television audience as the 29th different champion in ARCA Racing Series history, Dillon (No. 41 Bass Pro Shops/Hemelgarn Chevrolet) spoke about his appreciation for a successful season in ARCA.
"I'll always remember this year. I've never been in races like this before in my life, and I'm sure I'll never forget them. I can't thank ARCA enough."
He continued in another interview, thanking his crew after a second-place finish to Chris Buescher that sealed the title campaign.
"The guys behind me are awesome," he said. "We won seven races and had an eighth one today that didn't turn out that well, but we're enjoying it. We love this race track. This is going to be a valuable moment in my learning, in my career, and in stepping up."
Dillon did express regret, however, with the way his race ended. After being passed by Brennan Poole (No. 25 Engineered Components Chevrolet) on Lap 198, he turned Poole on Lap 200 and paused slightly, allowing Buescher to pass for the lead and eventual win.
"I hate it ended like that, but I'm not going to let people push me around," Dillon said. "I'll race people the way they race me. I'd run a clean race all race and I even passed the 17. Chris (Buescher) and I seemed to race fine, but for two laps in a row, the 25 (Poole) just hit me in the center of the corner and was trying to knock me out of the way. Luckily, I didn't wreck. My grandfather's always taught me to race people the way they race you. I wasn't going to take it, and I think they're upset about it, but I could have wrecked too. I saved it. It's what happened and I get that they're mad, but that's the way I'm going to race."
Dillon smiled when reminded that he had won a championship before his brother, Austin, who currently leads the point standings in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series. Four races remain in the elder Dillon's season.
"We did it, and we got him this year so far," said Ty Dillon. "I'm really happy and hopefully, he'll win the Truck Series."
Scott "Flash" Naset, Dillon's crew chief, also expressed excitement in Victory Lane.
"It's just a dream come true for me," he said. "A rookie crew chief, a rookie driver, a rookie team. This is a great day."
Before concluding his interviews, Dillon took a moment on television to remember two-time Indianapolis 500 winner and IndyCar Series champion Dan Wheldon, who died earlier in the afternoon as a result of injuries sustained in a crash at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Roulos' First Full Season Ends in Success: With all said and done after 19 races, 2011 ended in prosperity for Roulo Brothers Racing.
Federated Car Care 200 winner Chris Buescher (No. 17 Reliance Tool/David Ragan Ford Ford) ended the season with three wins and two second-place finishes in the last five races, adding to four other runner-up results inside of 14 top-fives and 16 top-10s.
Interestingly, Parker Kligerman finished 2009 with three wins and two runner-up finishes and also ended the season in second place.
Buescher, a Roush Fenway development driver, earned the Rookie of the Year Award by two points over Ty Dillon, capping the 25th consecutive season of participation for the Roulo Brothers and the first year in which the team competed in every race.
Crew chief and co-owner Gary Roulo elaborated on Buescher's success throughout the year and especially in the final swing.
"Chris has really come a long way from the last couple of years to this year here throughout the season," Roulo said. "He opened up the year second at Daytona in his first superspeedway race, so he's done a great job all year long on a variety of race tracks. We had the (New Jersey) road course in hand there before getting taken out early; that could have changed the whole shape of the year.
"We kept everything going on a high note. We kept pressing forward. Our intention was to close out strong and that's what we did."
Though Dillon and his Richard Childress Racing team celebrated the title just 50 yards away, Roulo felt pleased with the path his team took to the second position in the final standings.
"The entire year, we came here from different paths," he said. "Congratulations to the 41; I know they had the intention of running all the races and going for a championship. Our season was a little different. We've been race to race all year long. There's a lot of races where we didn't know if we were coming until the day before, and so, we came from a different place to get to this point. (RCR) got out to a pretty good lead in the points championship, but we come to win every race that we come to, and we came to win the Rookie of the Year here."
Hessert Adds to Pole with Lap Awards: Tom Hessert (No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet) started his weekend at Toledo Speedway with the Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell on Saturday and finished with a fourth-place run and two major lap awards in the Federated Car Care 200.
Hessert led 86 laps, more than any other driver, to take the Aaron's Lap Leader Award for the race. He also led Lap 100, the race's halfway mark, to win the Messina Wildlife Management Halfway Leader Award in the finale.
He and Chad Hackenbracht traded contact late in the race, and Hessert spoke in general terms about the incidents after the race.
"It was definitely eventful," said Hessert, who passed Tim George Jr. (No. 31 Applebee's/Potomac Family Dining Group Chevrolet) for sixth in the final standings. "I'm proud of the finish. Our Federated Auto Parts team came home fourth, sat on the pole, and had a good car all weekend. We did have an eventful race, though. Heck, some guys got to us and didn't even try to pass us. It happens."
Hackenbracht Responds: Chad Hackenbracht (No. 58 Tastee Apples Chevrolet) was the principal driver wrapped up in Tom Hessert's contact late in the race, and Hackenbracht spoke about the incidents after finishing eighth.
"We were running fifth all day and we go into Turn 3 (on Lap 168) and a lapped car was in front of the 52 (Hessert) and I was behind the 52," he said. "He blocked (Hessert) coming up out of Turn 2, and we go down into 3, and the 52 just straight turned the lapped car. It wrecked me, it wrecked 52, so I went up beside the car on caution and let him know I didn't like it. There on the next start, we were faster anyway and I moved him. I got by him, he got loose and shuffled it up. We come around, and I don't know if he tried to move me and didn't know how, but he just flat out wrecked us. I really didn't like it at all, so I went up and let him know again. I sort of went after him after the race and probably shouldn't have, but we'll live and learn.
"Despite everything that happened, we finish the season on a high note. There's momentum to gain to get back next year and be there at Daytona."
Poole Finds Motivation in Late Spin: Brennan Poole's 16th-place finish fails to capture his success in the season finale for Venturini Motorsports, as Poole engineered another drive that left the team's classic No. 25 entry just short of victory after leading very late in the race.
Poole took the white flag ahead of Ty Dillon, but found himself spinning in Turn 2 before he could complete his second victory. Venturini's No. 25 also suffered near-misses at New Jersey with George Miedecke (to Andrew Ranger) and at Michigan with Max Gresham (to Dillon).
The Texas native was calm in an interview after the race, despite multiple heated altercations between his crew and Childress crew members earlier.
"I think it's a big motivational boost, because we had a bad run at Iowa and come into this one and basically, we're leading the race until coming out of Turn 2 on the white flag lap," Poole said. "I think it's a boost for the guys, and man, that was a ton of fun. I had fun today. You can ask anybody, I was telling them on the radio how much fun it was after getting turned around.
"It's part of racing. The last couple laps there, I bumped Ty and got beside him and went on. He just got into me real hard in the middle of (Turns) 1 and 2, and around we went. It's part of racing. Racing's not fair. Things like this happen all the time so we'll just get ready for Daytona. I'm excited about everything and to get it going."
A Venturini Motorsports spokesperson indicated that Poole and the team are examining options that will allow the team to contend for the ARCA championship in 2012.
Kimmel Ends Year Third: A flat tire early in the Federated Car Care 200 put Frank Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford) into the wall, and he later fell four laps off the pace to finish in 21st, where he also finished last fall at Toledo. Still, Kimmel kept the third position in the final ARCA Racing Series standings, an improvement of one position from last season.
"We had a very consistent year in 2011," said Kimmel, who ended the year with a series-leading 17 top-10s. "Obviously, we would've enjoyed a few victories in those stats. We had our chances in a few and ran up front in a majority of the races but circumstances didn't sway in our favor. My guys worked really hard this year and did an excellent job. I have fantastic partners in Menards and Ansell, who are leaders in their trades, so I have to thank them for their support."
"Restart King" McCumbee Thankful: While no award exists in ARCA's regulations for most positions gained on a restart, Chad McCumbee (No. 1 ModSpace Ford) just might hold the prize for the Federated Car Care 200 if one were up for grabs.
McCumbee started 10th but finished third, primarily because of his skilled advances on restarts. Thirteen caution flags flew in the Federated Car Care 200, giving McCumbee and his Andy Belmont Racing entry numerous opportunities to jump positions.
"I hope I won the award for restart king right there; that's where we made up all our spots from green to checkered," McCumbee said. "We weren't quite as good as we needed to be. We had points in the race where we were as good as anybody. On a lot of restarts early in the race, we were probably the best car. That just went away a little bit. We made an air pressure adjustment which hurt our restarts a little bit, but helped our long run."
Following a season in which he won one race, won the Bill France Four Crown Award, and finished fifth in points, McCumbee expressed gratitude for his biggest supporters.
"I've got to thank everybody at ModSpace Motorsports and Andy and Jennifer Belmont for the opportunity this year," he said. "We've had a lot of fun racing in the ARCA Racing Series. To win the awards we've won and finish on the podium here in the final race, I can't thank them enough."
Enfinger Fifth, Open to Options: Chad McCumbee wasn't the only driver to recognize the valuable input of a veteran ARCA Racing Series owner. Like McCumbee, Grant Enfinger (No. 36 Hoosier Tire Midwest/RaceTires.com Dodge) finished in the top five in the final standings.
His fifth-place run concluded a weekend in which he announced his plans to race in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series next season.
"I can't say enough about everybody at Allgaier Motorsports, Hoosier Tire Midwest, Beasley Allen, Acme Dismantling, Excalibur, everybody that let us race this year," Enfinger said. "Mike Allgaier had to dig really, really deep to give me this opportunity and keep everybody up at Allgaier Motorsports with a job. I can't say enough about him."
Enfinger said that it's possible he could enter one or two Sprint Cup events this year, and he will certainly enter the Camping World Truck Series event at Talladega this weekend. He's not, however, ruling out future ARCA competition with Allgaier.
"I hope we're able to do some ARCA stuff with Allgaier Motorsports again next year," he said. "It's that kind of year where everything's up in the air. I can't wait to get down (to Talladega). We have a lot of work to do on the truck before we leave on Wednesday, so I've got to get back to North Carolina."
Sun an Issue for Wilson: Just after 6 p.m. and near the end of the Federated Car Care 200, the sun broke through the cloudy sky over Toledo Speedway, appearing just over Turns 1 and 2 at the half-mile oval. The bright sky appeared to be an issue for several drivers, a thought confirmed by Ryan Wilson, who finished sixth.
"We had a really good car today," said Wilson (No. 32 Champion Oil/Southern Pharmacy Services Toyota). "I seemed to struggle at the end getting into Turn 1. The sun started to blind me and I couldn't hit my line for some reason. I want to thank the team for bringing a really good car here to Toledo, and Champion and Southern Pharmacy and everyone who's helped us, like my mom and dad. I just wish we could have gotten a little bit better finish out of it."
Wilson hopes to enter more ARCA Racing Series events in 2012.
"Hopefully, we can get some sponsorship locked up and run more races."
Fan Waves Green Flag: John Young of Toledo earned the chance to wave the green flag over the start of the Federated Car Care 200 by winning a promotion through ARCA and local cable partner, Buckeye CableSystem.
"I heard about it a month or so ago on television," Young said. "They sent me an email on Sunday and I called them back, so I'm here."
Young, who works in production of the Jeep Wrangler chassis for Mobis North America in Jeep's hometown of Toledo, cited his favorites and explained his planned technique just hours before the race.
"I've been around racing my whole life and I've seen how they've done it so there's a certain technique and I'll try to use that," Young said. "I'm always looking at the champ, Frank Kimmel, as far as I'm concerned. You can't count out Ty Dillon, obviously. You can't count out the 25 either."
Final Top 10 Largely Unchanged: Behind Ty Dillon's title-winning 5220 points, Chris Buescher remained second, 340 points out of the final lead. Frank Kimmel (-590) finished third, ahead of Grant Enfinger (-630) and Chad McCumbee (-755). Dillon and Buescher were classified as rookies, and Enfinger had not previously run a full season in ARCA competition.
Tom Hessert (-885) jumped over Tim George Jr. (-895) for sixth, and Chad Hackenbracht's eighth-place finish (-1075) marked his first top-10 season. Sean Corr (No. 82 Empire Racing Ford) ended ninth (-1235), also his first top-10 result.
After last finishing in the top 10 in 1976, Darrell Basham (No. 34 Darrell Basham Racing Chevrolet) ended the year in 10th place (-1910).
The full and official ARCA Racing Series point standings will be released Tuesday.
Another Top-10 for King, A High for Evans: Clint King (No. 15 Warehouse Design Inc. Toyota) finished seventh in the Federated Car Care 200, his second top-10 of the year for Venturini Motorsports. King also led 13 laps.
Charles Evans Jr. (No. 99 ETS/Casite/RoushYatesParts.com Ford) notched the first top-10 of his young career, finishing ninth.
Jared Marks (No. 8 Terry Henricks Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram Dodge) showed well at his home track; the Napoleon, Ohio native finished 10th.
Chrissy Wallace (No. 22 Dan Althoff Trucking/JEGS Dodge), daughter of NASCAR driver Mike Wallace, finished 11th in her first ARCA start since 2008.
Bujdoso the Hard Charger: Roby Bujdoso of Girard, Ohio, near Youngstown, won the CGS Imaging Hard Charger of the Race Award in his ARCA debut. Bujdoso drove the No. 10 Andy Belmont Racing/Checkered Express Ford from the 27th starting position to a 15th-place finish, gaining more positions than any other driver who did not start with a provisional.
Banquet Up Next: The ARCA Racing Series will wrap up the 2011 season with the Championship Awards Banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Ky., near Cincinnati, on Saturday, December 10.
The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards featured 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. In 2011, the series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.
Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.
CONTACT:
Griffin Hickman, ARCA
(419) 574-2685 (mobile)
ghickman@arcaracing.com
Don Radebaugh, ARCA
(419) 450-0611 (mobile)
dradebaugh@arcaracing.com
