Factsheets
RACE: Drive Smart Buckle-Up Kentucky 150
TRACK: Kentucky Speedway, 1.5-mile paved oval
WHEN: Saturday, May 9, 2009
LOCATION: Sparta, Kentucky
RACE DISTANCE: 150 miles (100 laps)
EVENT: Event #5 of the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series
SANCTION/WEBSITE: ARCA (www.arcaracing.com)
PR CONTACTS: Tim Bray, Mike Schmaltz (859) 647-4309
SCHEDULE: Fri, May 8: Registration opens 11:00 AM; Garage opens 12 Noon
Sat, May 9: Practice 12-2:00 PM; Menards Pole Qualifying by Ansell 4:00 PM; Race at 8:00 PM
POSTED AWARDS: $186,115
ARCA OFFICIAL COMPANIES: RE/MAX International Inc, Aaron's Sales & Leasing, Ansell, Featherlite Trailers, Hoosier Racing Tire, Lincoln Welders, Mallory Ignition, Menards, Racing Electronics, Sunoco Race Fuels.
ARCA OFFICIAL PRODUCTS: Amkus Rescue Systems, ARCA Nation, Bilstein Shocks, CGS Imaging, Cometic Gasket, Eibach Springs, Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Flowmaster, G-Force Racing Gear, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Mo'sGold, Print Resources, University of Northwestern Ohio.
PARTICIPATING COMPANIES: BSR Products, Crane Cams, Ford Motor Company, Hutcherson-Pagan, Ilmor Engineering, Impact Racing, JE Pistons, Joyce Julius & Associates, Moroso, Performance Friction Brakes, RaceSafe Systems, Rhyne Racing Engines, Tesar Engineering, Toyota Racing Development.
INTERNET/RADIO: Live Timing & Scoring and Live Streaming Audio on the ARCA Racing Network at ARCAracing.com.
RECORDS: Qualifying - Erin Crocker, 30.213 (178.730 mph), 2007. Race - Chad Blount, 121.348 mph, 2002.
DEFENDING RACE WINNER: Ricky Stenhouse, Jr.
DEFENDING POLESITTER: Sean Caisse (30.275 seconds/178.365 mph)
TOTAL ARCA RE/MAX SERIES RACES RUN: 17
NO. OF RACES WON FROM THE POLE: 4
NOTES OF INTEREST:
Kentucky Race #5
The Drive Smart Buckle Up Kentucky 150, the 18th ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Kentucky Speedway since 2000, is the fifth of 22 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule.
Solid Contingent of Rookies/Point Battles Tight
Among the rookies entered is Penske Development driver Parker Kligerman currently leading the overall championship points. Kligerman, coming off his 6th straight top-10 finish, is also leading the Rookie of the Year standings. The 18-year-old Westport, Connecticut driver, in 6 career ARCA RE/MAX Series starts, has not yet finished out of the top-10. Even though Kligerman leads in driver points, the owner points are a different story. Win-Tron Racing, on the strength of 3 different drivers so far in 2009 (James Buescher, Matt Merrell and Kelly Bires), lead Lofton's car owner Jessica Sharp by 10 points headed to Kentucky.
Eddie Sharp Racing, who fielded cars for Scott Speed and Michael McDowell, has four teams entered, three of which have rookies driving. Those rookies include Greenville, North Carolina's Craig Goess, New York, New York's Tim George, Jr. and Fort Frances, Ontario's Steve Arpin. Ironically, George, Goess and Arpin are 7th, 8th and 9th in championship points respectively. The 4th seat in the ESR stable is occupied by Westmorland, California's Justin Lofton, who competed fulltime on the tour in 2008. Lofton, coming off the biggest victory of his career at Talladega, trails Kligerman by just 5 points headed to Kentucky.
Joey Coulter is yet another up and coming rookie to be reckoned with. Coulter, after finishing 8th at Talladega, moved to 10th in driver points. Coulter, also 18, is from Miami Springs, Florida and is crew chiefed by NASCAR veteran Harold Holly.
Other rookies entered include Westlake, Louisiana's Mikey Kile in a Brad Keselowski-owned Chevrolet, Shelby Township, Michigan's Robb Brent, Smolan, Kansas's Jeremy Petty, and Humble, Texas's Stephan McCurley in the American Screen-Porter Glass-Royal Purple Chevrolet.
Solid Line-Up of Veterans
9-time series champion and 4-time Kentucky winner Frank Kimmel leads a solid contingent of veterans entered. Other veterans entered include Indiantown, Florida's Patrick Sheltra, Cherry Hill, New Jersey's Tom Hessert, Dallas, Texas's Ken Weaver, Stuart, Florida's Bryan Silas, Inman South Carolina's James Hylton, Phoenix Arizona's Gabi DiCarlo, Henryville Indiana's Darrell Basham, Mountain Home, Arkansas's Mike Koch and Shelby Township, Michigan's Brad Smith.
International Flavor
In addition to a solid line-up of drivers from the United States, there are also three drivers entered from Canada and France in Saturday's race. Canada has representation from Steve Arpin, who is from Fort Frances, Ontario and Terry Jones, who is from Amherstburg, Ontario. Michel Disdier, from Nice France, is also entered in the no. 21 Bowsher Motorsports Ford. Disdier also announced a 10-race deal with Bowsher Motorsports in 2009, which starts at Kentucky this weekend.
Entry List Full of Flavor
Rookie Jesse Smith, of Wildwood Missouri, was quickest in the open test at Kentucky last week. The 19-year-old driver is entered in the no. 25 Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet. Rookie Alex Yontz is also entered in a second Venturini Motorsports entry. Also entered is Austin Dillon, the grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress, and Plano, Texas driver James Buescher, who won the season-opening Daytona ARCA 200. Kevin Belmont, after a 7-year hiatus, has filed an entry in a second Andy Belmont Racing entry. Kevin is the younger brother of Andy. Brian Ickler, a former NASCAR Camping World East winner, will make his second series start at Kentucky. Ickler finished 20th in his series debut at Rockingham.
