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Tom Hessert III celebrates in Victory Lane at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, May 3, 2014 after winning the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 200.

This Week In ARCA History: Tom Hessert III Walked Away With Talladega Checkers

www.arcaracing.com May 6, 2020

A look back at milestones this week in ARCA Racing history:

Bucky Sager
Bucky Sager (91) crosses the finish line at the old Daytona Speedway in 1953.

May 10, 1953 – Bucky Sager takes the win in the first ARCA Menards Series race at the half-mile, high-banked Dayton Speedway. The track, which closed in 1981, would host a total of 55 races for the ARCA tour, the last of which was in May of that year.

May 6, 1962 – Dick Freeman scores a win at Toledo Speedway. It is the first series race at the then two-year old track, which replaced Toledo Raceway Park on the series schedule. Raceway Park, located just a mile up the road, was built in 1949 to host jalopy races – now known as stock car racing – and would continue to host harness racing for another five decades before closing for good in September 2013.

May 3, 1975 – Jim Vandiver scores his second and final career ARCA Menards Series win at the 2.66-mile Talladega Superspeedway. Vandiver drove Harry Ranier’s Dodge to the win over Keokuk, Iowa ace Ramo Stott, Freddie Fryar, Ron Grana, and Tiny Lund.

May 7, 1983 – The ARCA Menards Series visited Linesome Pine Speedway for a unique same-day double-header, with 1980 series champion Bob Dotter winning the first 100-lapper, which was shortened to 94 laps when a light pole in the infield was damaged. Fellow Chicagoans Bob Schacht and Bill Venturini rounded out the top three. In the finale, Dotter finished second to Virginian Mike Porter, who finished 10th in the first race of the night. Defending series champion Scott Stovall was third.

RACING-REFERENCE: 1983 Lonesome Pine Results: Race 1| Race 2 | 1983 ARCA Permatex SuperCar Series Results

May 6, 1996 – Frank Kimmel defeats two-time series champion Bobby Bowsher to take the win at Five Flags Speedway. Kimmel took the lead on lap 196 and held off Bowsher in overtime to win, with Tim Steele, Harris DeVane, and Billy Thomas rounding out the top five. It was Kimmel’s second career victory.

RACING-REFERENCE: 1996 Five Flags Results | 1996 ARCA Bondo/Mar-Hyde Series Results

May 10, 2003 – Kyle Busch, then just 18, holds off Frank Kimmel, Matt Hagans, Shelby Howard, and Jason Jarrett at Kentucky Speedway to score his second of three career ARCA Menards Series wins. Busch started fourth and led 91 of the race’s 137 laps on his way to victory.

RACING-REFERENCE: 2003 Kentucky Results | 2003 ARCA Re/Max Series Results

May 3, 2014 – Tom Hessert III takes the win over John Wes Townley at Talladega Superspeedway. Hessert led only the final three laps in a race that was slowed just once by caution. He outdueled superspeedway master Bobby Gerhart, who was shuffled to seventh at the finish, and Townley, who had led 18 laps before losing the lead to Gerhart with four laps to go. Austin Wayne Self, eventual series champion Mason Mitchell, and Spencer Gallagher rounded out the top five.

RACING-REFERENCE: 2014 Talladega Results | 2014 ARCA Racing Series Results