ARCA touring series wrap

YEAR-END SEASON WRAP-UP

SLAUGHTER, DAVIS CONQUER ARCA TOURING TITLES
For Immediate Release (11-20-01)

TOLEDO, OH – Columbus, Ohio veteran Robbin Slaughter raced to his second
consecutive ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series title in 2001 while
Spartanburg, South Carolina driver AJ Davis nailed down his career-first
ARCA Auto Value Midget Series championship.

The chase to the championship was close in both series with Slaughter
squeezing out 1999 champ and ’01 runner-up driver Bill Withers by just
40 points while Davis won the hard-fought war over three-time champ Gene
Lee Gibson by only 35 markers.

In 12 events, Slaughter posted seven top five finishes and 11 top-tens
including three wins at the one-mile Chicago Motor Speedway, the
half-mile Toledo Speedway and the three-eighths-mile Crystal Motor
Speedway clay.

“I had been feeling pretty good about winning just one (championship),
but now we’ve got two,” said Slaughter. “Well maybe we’ve established
ourselves a bit, I hope. I really have to thank Carmen’s Vacuum Sales,
Napa Auto Parts, Ed and Company racing chassis, Hooker Engines, my crew
chief, Tom Cumbow, my crew, Mike, Don and Debbie Porter, my daughter
Niki, who didn’t get to come to the races much this year, but she wrote
articles for us to put on our website, Amy Cumbow, they all played a
part in our success. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Chad Guinn had four wins in ’01, more than anyone, however, the Erie,
Michigan driver lacked the consistency of Slaughter and Withers and
finished third overall. Hamilton, Ohio veteran Johnny Witham finished
fourth with three wins over Hoosier Racing Tire Rookie of the Year Brett
Oakley who finished fifth. Tully Esterline, Jack Weethee, Dave Reeb,
Mark Otting and Darren Jones completed the top-ten respectively.
Additional winners in ’01 included the veteran Weethee and Paul Hahn.

Davis, who drove for two-time ARCA Auto Value Midget Series champ Rick
Harrell throughout the year, won just one event at Columbus Motor
Speedway but rarely finished out of the top-five. “It’s just now finally
starting to sink in,” said the 23-year-old Davis. “I’d like to thank the
Harrell’s for the opportunity to drive first-class equipment and our
sponsor Kayo Lumber Company for believing in me. Rick (Harrell) gave me
a lot of great advice this year, and fortunately I listened enough that
we were able to win the championship.”

Gibson, who was chasing his fourth consecutive title, had to settle for
second, however, the Richwood, Ohio veteran put up two wins at Dixie
Motor Speedway and Sandusky bringing his career-win total to 21 behind
all-time winner Jim Hettinger who has 38 and Mike Fedorcak with 32.

Crawfordsville, Indiana driver Sondi Eden finished a solid third in
points and won the season finale at Shady Bowl Speedway joining Sarah
Fisher and Sarah McCune as the only female winners in ARCA Auto Value
Midget Series competition. Third-generation driver Jimmy McCune finished
fourth in points and won two events in ’01 however a limited schedule
effectively kept the Toledo, Ohio driver out of the championship hunt.
ARCA Auto Value Midget Series veteran Gary Harrell, in Don Putinta’s TJ
Roofing Autocraft Hawk, finished fifth. Phil Rutledge finished sixth
ahead of Matt Brun in seventh. Brun’s consistency throughout the year
was good enough to net the New Carlisle, Ohio driver the ARCA Rookie of
the Year honors. Richey Jacobs finished eighth while Dave Baumgartner,
who won twice at Shady Bowl, finished ninth. Travis Miniea, who won the
season finale at Toledo, finished tenth. Additional winners in ’01
include Teddy Beach at Toledo, Bobby East at the Indianapolis Speedrome
and Matt Maners at Flat Rock Speedway.

CONTACT:  ARCA PR (734) 847-6726