Four out of Five ain't Bad
Cunningham Motorsports' Parker Kligerman, a development driver for Penske Racing, has won four out of the last five ARCA RE/MAX Series races, the most recent victory occurring Saturday night at Iowa Speedway in the Prairie Meadows 200. The rookie driver led 142 out of 200 laps in the No. 77 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge in Saturday's Prairie Meadows 200 (race 10 of 21 in the ARCA RE/MAX Series) and crossed the finish line 2.997 seconds ahead of Austin Dillon, who finished second In the No. 31 RCR Chevrolet. Joey Coulter, Chris Buescher and Brian Ickler rounded out the top-five.
Kligerman has posted ARCA RE/MAX Series race victories on both short tracks and speedways this season, with wins coming at Toledo Speedway (half-mile paved oval), Michigan Int'l Speedway (two-mile paved oval), Mansfield Motorsports Park (half-mile paved oval) and Iowa (.875-mile paved oval). Kligerman has won the last three consecutive ARCA RE/MAX Series races. The last driver to do that was Justin Allgaier, who included the final three races of 2008 among his six race victories overall in route to the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship. Kligerman, at 18 years old, currently leads the ARCA RE/MAX Series Point Standings by 120 points over Justin Lofton.
Higher Learning
Current ARCA RE/MAX Series Points Leader Parker Kligerman will spend Monday and Tuesday attending Freshman Orientation Sessions at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. The 18-year-old Penske Development Driver is in the process of moving from his hometown of Westport, Conn., to the Charlotte, North Carolina, area so that he can focus on undergraduate course work and his racing career. Kligerman spent the first half of the ARCA RE/MAX Series season juggling his Senior Year of High School and his duties as the fulltime driver of the No. 77 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
Frankie Kimmel, a crew member on the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Ford and son of nine-time ARCA RE/MAX Series Champion Frank Kimmel, will also attend UNCC in the Fall. The ARCA RE/MAX Series supports higher education and the sanctioning body currently has an educational partnership with the University of Northwestern Ohio. Student's from the school's High Performance Motorsports Program serve as officials and crew members for ARCA RE/MAX Series Race Teams on a weekly basis.
100% at 100 Race Events
This weekend marked an important milestone for ARCA RE/MAX Series sponsor Mallory Ignition. The Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway marked the 100th consecutive race event in the ARCA RE/MAX Series for the company, which serves as the exclusive supplier of rev-limiting ignition systems to ARCA RE/MAX Series competitors. Since making their ARCA RE/MAX Series debut in 2005, Mallory has equipped more than 450 drivers with their CT Pro Ignition System with ZERO in-race failures through more than 47,000 laps and 63,000 miles of competition.
When the ARCA RE/MAX Series introduced the CT Pro Mallory Ignition System in 2005, the goal was to level the playing field for racers by eliminating the advantage of high rpm, high maintenance and higher cost engines. During the 100 races that Mallory has been involved with the ARCA RE/MAX Series, the Series has witnessed an unprecedented level of competition, with tighter point battles, closer race finishes and more Series winners than previously seen. Highlights include a Series' high 17 different race winners in 23 events in 2006 (an all-time record), 15 different pole award winners in 2006 (tying a 1991 record), and a slim, 50-point spread for 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series Champion Justin Allgaier over second-place points finisher Frank Kimmel in a battle that didn't end until the final race of the season last year.
All-ARCA Weekend for Arpin
Both the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series competed at Iowa Speedway this weekend. The ARCA double header provided the perfect opportunity for ARCA RE/MAX Series rookie Steve Arpin to fulfill his passion for racing. The Eddie Sharp Racing driver competed in both the IMTA ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series 50 and the Prairie Meadows 200 ARCA RE/MAX Series race.
"The cars and the trucks were both completely different to drive," said Arpin. "Especially with the truck being on such narrow tires and having no power steering. They don't have near as much power as the cars and I could almost hold the truck wide open all the way around the track. The ARCA cars are just bigger, faster, heavier and have a lot more power and they take a lot more patience to get around the race track. Either way they were both a lot of fun to drive and it was fun to lead some laps in the truck at Iowa Speedway."
Arpin posted top-10 finishes in both ARCA-sanctioned Series this weekend.
Joey Coulter Earns Menards Pole Award Presented by Ansell at Iowa
Joey Coulter became the fourth different driver to earn a Menards Pole Award presented by Ansell this weekend when he set fast time at Iowa Speedway (23.450 seconds/134.328 mph). Coulter joins Justin Lofton, Ken Schrader and Tom Hessert as ARCA RE/MAX Series drivers who have earned Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell this season. The pole comes just one week after posting a career best race finish of second at Mansfield Motorsports Park on June 20.
Kentucky This Weekend
The ARCA RE/MAX Series heads to Kentucky Speedway for the Click-it or Ticket. Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 on Saturday, July 18. The race is part of a same-day double-header weekend with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and will air live on SPEED immediately following SPEED's coverage of the NCWTS race (7 p.m. Eastern).
The ARCA RE/MAX Series is the only Series to stage Kentucky Speedway events at four different distances; 150-, 155-, 200- and 205-miles. Previous winners include: 150-miles (12 times); Chad Blount (July 2005); James Buescher (May 2009); Brad Coleman (July 2006); Erik Darnell (May 2007); Ryan Hemphill (May 2004); Frank Kimmel (May 2005, May 2001); Michael McDowell (July 2007); Scott Speed (July 2008); Tim Steele (July 2000); Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. (May 2008); Steve Wallace (May 2006); 155-miles (one time); Frank Kimmel (May 2002); 200-miles (three times); Chad Blount (July 2002); Frank Kimmel (July 2001); Ryan Newman (August 2000); 205-miles (two times); Kyle Busch (May 2003); Ryan Hemphill (May 2004).
Half-Way Next Time By...
The half-way point of Saturday's Click-it or Ticket. Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 ARCA RE/MAX Series Race at Kentucky Speedway will mark the official half-way point of the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series Season. Heading into the 100-lap/150-mile event, Parker Kligerman leads the point standings by 155 points over Justin Lofton. The Series has had six different race winners in ten events, with three first time Series winners (Patrick Sheltra, Sean Caisse, Parker Kligerman).
Rabenold Set for Career First Kentucky Appearance
Kory Rabenold, who will finish out the ARCA RE/MAX Series Season in the No. 14 Ford for Andy Belmont Racing, heads into Kentucky and the remainder of the races on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule without the advantage of ever racing on many of the tracks on the schedule. With the exception of Rockingham (one-mile oval) and Pocono (2-mile triangle), Rabenold is new to every ARCA RE/MAX Series Host Racetrack. Like many drivers, Rabenold plans to use a combination of feedback from his team and computer simulated racing to prepare for upcoming races, including this weekend's Click-it or Ticket. Buckle-Up Kentucky 150.
"I will be playing the ARCA SIM Racing Game to get an idea on the track," said Rabenold. "I play for at least two hours a day, everyday. Andy [Belmont, car owner] and I work together very well. I give him a lot of info about the car and he knows what to do to make it better. I think Jennifer [Belmont, spotter] does a great job spotting as well. We work together very well so my hope is to pick up on the track quickly and stay out of trouble so that I can finish the race."
In 11 career ARCA RE/MAX Series starts, Rabenold finished a career-best 12th at Pocono Raceway in 2007.
Sheltra to appear at Buffalo Wings and Rings Thursday Night
ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Point Contender Patrick Sheltra will greet race fans and sign autographs at Buffalo Wings and Rings in Crescent Springs, Kentucky (2440 High Street, Crescent Springs, Kentucky, 41017; 859-341-9464), on Thursday, July 16 from 6-8 p.m.
Kyle Busch, David Ragan to Support ARCA-Owned Properties this August
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series drivers Kyle Busch and David Ragan will each make appearances at ARCA-owned properties this August. Busch will compete in a 100-lap CRA Late Model race on Friday night, August 14 at Toledo Speedway, which is owned by ARCA President Ron Drager and business man Roy Mott. Ragan will sign autographs for race fans at ARCA-owned Flat Rock Speedway on Saturday night, August 15.
Both Busch and Ragan competed in the ARCA RE/MAX Series early during their careers, with Busch earning three ARCA RE/MAX Series victories and Ragan earning one win.
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Upcoming ARCA RE/MAX Series Races
Click-it or Ticket. Buckle-Up Kentucky 150 at Kentucky Speedway; Saturday, July 18
Wolverine Power Systems 200 presented by Generac at Berlin Raceway; Saturday, July 25
Pennsylvania 200 at Pocono Raceway; Saturday, August 1
CONTACTS:
Don Radebaugh (419) 450-0611
Jackie L. Franzil (419) 574-2685
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