ARCA RE/MAX starting line-up, Michigan Int'l

Mears the Old Milwaukee Man at MIS; knocks Busch off pole with new track record  

 

BROOKLYN MI (6-13-03)  Casey Mears, in the final moments of ARCA RE/MAX Series qualifying, knocked Kyle Busch off the Old Milwaukee Pole with a new one-lap track record of 188.073 mph Friday at Michigan Int'l Speedway. Mears, in Chip Ganassi's Target Dodge, eclipsed Jason Jarrett's old mark (185.000) by more than 3 mph. It was Mears' second consecutive ARCA RE/MAX Series pole. Mears also set a new one-lap track record last week at Pocono.

 

"Our car was tight in practice, and we changed the right front spring (softening it) and took some wedge out of the right front," said Mears. "It made a lot of difference for qualifying. Practicing here last month, I learned a lot for the Winston Cup race. This is the best-balanced car I've ever had here. Chip (Ganassi/car owner) told me the more you run, the better you get."

 

Busch, quickest in practice earlier in the day, had to settle for outside pole with a speed of 186.877. "The track got hotter and we got slower," said Busch, who won two ARCA RE/MAX Series races earlier this year at Nashville and Kentucky. "I'm not happy at all. It changed eight degrees from when he (Mears) went out to when I went out. We tested here in April and that's when I learned the line around here. Kurt (Busch, older brother and current Winston Cup driver) told me I had a good run in practice and he said he hoped I could back it up. I'd like to let Casey set the pace and then maybe I can dust him off."

 

Hermie Sadler, making his career-first ARCA RE/MAX Series start in Saturday's Flagstar ARCA 200, qualified third with a speed of 186.350 ahead of current point leader and four-time RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel who qualified fourth with a speed of 185.119. Eric McClure, in the Morgan-McClure Kodak Chevrolet, completed the top-five qualifiers at 183.496.

 

Saturday's Flagstar ARCA 200 at Michigan Int'l Speedway is scheduled to roll off at 1 pm eastern. The race will be aired same-day on SPEED Channel at 8 pm eastern.



       2003 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES EVENT #10   
      Michigan Int'l Speedway, Brooklyn MI, 6-14-03   
      Official Starting Grid, Flagstar 200   
          
      STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR TIME SPEED 
      1 77 Casey Mears/Bakersfield CA Target Dodge 38.283 188.073 
      2 87 Kyle Busch/Las Vegas NV Ditech.com Chevrolet 38.528 186.877 
      3 02 Hermie Sadler/Emporia VA Total Non-Stop Action Wrestling Pontiac 38.637 186.350 
      4 46 Frank Kimmel/Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford 38.894 185.119 
      5 4 Eric McClure/Abingdon VA Kodak Chevrolet 39.238 183.496 
      6 67 Jason Jarrett/Hickory NC Gladiator GarageWorks-Damon RV Chevrolet 39.413 182.681 
      7 17 AJ Henriksen/Mooresville NC Fastenal-Engineered Components Ford 39.425 182.625 
      8 05 Rick Carelli/Arvada CO RE/MAX International Chevrolet 39.431 182.597 
      9 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA JamesAuto.com-AT Construction Pontiac 39.597 181.832 
      10 44 Brent Sherman/N Barrington IL Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms Ford 39.747 181.146 
      11 91 Christi Passmore/Pryor OK GAP Roofing-Royal Trading Ford 39.799 180.909 
      12 16 Tim Steele/Coopersville MI HS Die-Visi-Seco Carboloy-RT Energy Dodge 39.813 180.845 
      13 9 Matt Hagans/Brownsburg IN Eagle Creek Aviation-First Wing Mngmnt Dodge 39.927 180.329 
      14 35 Wayne Anderson/Wildwood FL Flagship RV Chevrolet 39.935 180.293 
      15 96 Ken Weaver/Dallas TX 1-800-4-A-Phone Pontiac 40.052 179.766 
      16 08 Bill Eversole/Chelsea MI Think Pink Energy Drink Chevrolet 40.058 179.739 
      17 89 AJ Alsup/Mooresville NC Harco Motorsports Ford 40.074 179.668 
      18 19 Keith Murt/Paducah KY Murtco Chevrolet 40.374 178.333 
      19 06 Jimmy Thiel/Woodhaven MI CCIMNet powered by Catylist Pontiac 40.405 178.196 
      20 90 Jason Hedlesky/Clinton MI Stewart Components Ford 40.505 177.756 
      21 70 Andy Ponstein/Hudsonville MI Innerspace Storage-Bailey Excavating Ford 40.527 177.659 
      22 1 Andy Belmont/Penndel PA Verizon 1-800-USE-THE-VZ Ford 40.556 177.532 
      23 64 Shelby Howard/Greenwood IN Mack Trucks-Beck Dodge 40.648 177.130 
      24 47 Mike Langston/Marietta GA 3M-Jani King Ford 40.662 177.069 
      25 75 Michael Simko/Clarkston MI Mound Steel-Michigan Steel Erectors Pontiac 40.701 176.900 
      26 65 Vern Slagh/Zeeland MI DJ's One Stop-Van Eck Diesel Dodge 40.703 176.891 
      27 63 Jimmy Henderson/Conyers GA JB Steel Chevrolet 40.777 176.570 
      28 59 Mark Gibson/Winder GA Williams Brothers Lumber Chevrolet 40.926 175.927 
      29 23 Ron Cox/Soddy Daisy TN K&N Filters-Hixson Construction Pontiac 41.238 174.596 
      30 49 Dan Shaver/Charlotte NC Petro Express Pontiac 41.298 174.343 
      31 6 Brian Conz/Livonia MI Precision Cutter Chevrolet 41.363 174.069 
      32 25 Billy Venturini/Chicago IL MC Sports Chevrolet 41.620 172.994 
      33 38 Greg Sarff/Columbus OH Quaker Steak & Lube-Vantage Financial Group Ford 41.749 172.459 
      34 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Schuler's Restaurant-Ideal Paint & Wallpaper Chevy 41.945 171.653 
      35 28 Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI Ann Arbor Academy Scholarship Fund Chevrolet Provisional 
      36 24 Chuck Weber/Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet Provisional 
      37 2 Jerry Middleton/Richmond IN Servpro of Indiana & Ohio Chevrolet Provisional 
      38 48 Carl McCormick/Jacksonville FL Hylton Motorsports Ford Provisional 
      39 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA Benning Motorsports Chevrolet Provisional 
      40 26 Brad Smith/Dearborn MI Phoenix Contractors-SciCom Center Ford Provisional 
      41 21 Todd Bowsher/Springfield OH GFS Marketplace Ford Provisional 



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