ARCA RE/MAX release, results, points after Pocono

CURRENT TOP-10 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES POINTS AFTER POCONO:  1) Frank Kimmel
2010; 2) Damon Lusk 1930; 3) Chad Blount 1865; 4) Jason Jarrett 1605; 5)
Andy Belmont 1590; 6) Chase Montgomery 1540; 7) Mark Gibson 1520; 8)
Shelby Howard 1505; 9) Billy Venturini 1420; 10) Norm Benning 1340.

Damon’s delight is Kimmel’s Pocono pain

LONG POND PA (6-8-02) Damon Lusk, in the hunt all day, capitalized on
the late-race misfortunes of Frank Kimmel to win the dramatic Pocono
ARCA 200 Saturday afternoon at Pocono Raceway.

Kimmel, whose left rear tire went down on the final restart, struggled
to control his car while Lusk charged to the inside of the former leader
with less than two laps remaining en route to his second career ARCA
RE/MAX Series victory.

“Fortunately, I hit my shifts just right and ran it up there pretty hard
on the motor and the next thing I know I go down to turn one and no
one’s on the outside of me,” said Lusk. “Then I realized that we could
win this thing. This is pretty cool for the whole Dynatek-One Race
America Chevy team. They did their job and I did mine. This is
exciting.”

Kimmel, who finished the final two laps with a flat tire, soldiered home
a disappointing ninth after leading 70 of 86 laps. He was the last
driver on the lead lap.

“We must of run over some debris through that last caution in turn
three,” said Kimmel. “I knew I was in trouble when we were coming back
up through the gears on that last restart. The car jumped sideways; I
couldn’t do anything except get off the gas and steer it back straight.
We’re obviously disappointed.”

An accident in turn three with less than ten laps remaining set the
stage for the recently-ARCA mandated green-white-checker finish. The
race, which could no longer finish under caution, was extended by six
laps to secure the accident area so the field could finish the last two
laps under green.

Runner-up finisher Jason Jarrett, who was steadily catching Lusk on the
last lap, fell short by a half-second as the two raced beneath the
checkered flag ahead of Rick Carelli who charged from 27th to third in
the final running order in his career-first Pocono start. In doing so,
Carelli, in the RE/MAX Int’l Chevy, won the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger
honors for advancing the most positions. Soddy Daisy, Tennessee driver
Ron Cox, who started 16th in the BuffaloWildWings.com Chevy, finished a
career-best fourth with Lebanon, Pennsylvania veteran Bobby Gerhart
trailing in fifth.

With Old Milwaukee Pole Qualifying rained out, the field was set by
current car owner points giving Kimmel and leading Rookie of the Year
contender Chad Blount the front row for the initial start. When the
green flag waved, Kimmel charged out to huge lead over Lusk who had
quickly disposed of Blount for second. While Kimmel led the majority of
the laps, the Jeffersonville, Indiana driver could never quite shake
Lusk who, not only wouldn’t go away, but also passed the three-time
series champion twice throughout the 200-mile race. In all, Lusk led 12
laps.

Four caution periods slowed the event for 26 laps the most serious of
which involved Dutch-born driver Michael Vergers and Hesston,
Pennsylvania veteran Tom Eriksen. Racing for sixth at the time, the two
locked horns in turn one and crashed hard into the outer retaining wall.
Neither driver was injured however both machines were retired for the
day with extensive damage.

Billy Venturini, in the Dunham Sports Chevy, finished a solid sixth with
Penndel, Pennsylvania veteran Andy Belmont trailing in seventh in his
Odoban Grease Control Ford. Mt. Juliet, Tennessee driver Chase
Montgomery won the ARCA Highest Finishing Rookie of the Race award for
his eighth place finish. Mark Gibson, in the Williams Brothers Lumber
Ford, finished tenth after recovering from an earlier spin to avoid the
Vergers/Eriksen wreck, which happened directly in front of him.

Blount, who raced among the top-five for most of the day, fell to 15th
in the final running order after losing a cylinder in the Braun Auto
Group Dodge. Outside of Kimmel’s proclaimed disappointment, he picked up
the Loctite Halfway Leader award.

    2002 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES EVENT #8
   Pocono Raceway, Long Pond PA, 6-8-02
   Official Results, Pocono ARCA 200

FIN STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS
1 3 22 Damon Lusk/Kennewick WA Dynatek-One Race America Chevrolet 86
Running
2 5 67 Jason Jarrett/Hickory NC Biomet-Damon RV Chevrolet 86 Running
3 27 05 Rick Carelli/Arvada CO RE/MAX Int'l Chevrolet 86 Running
4 16 23 Ron Cox/Soddy Daisy TN BuffaloWildWings.com Chevrolet 86 Running

5 12 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Gerhart Racing Chevrolet 86 Running
6 10 25 Billy Venturini/Charlotte NC Dunham Sports Chevrolet 86 Running
7 4 1 Andy Belmont/Penndel PA Odoban Grease Control Ford 86 Running
8 9 27 Chase Montgomery/Mt Juliet TN Montgomery Motorsports Chevrolet 86
Running
9 1 46 Frank Kimmel/Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford 86
Running
10 8 59 Mark Gibson/Winder GA Williams Brothers Lumber Ford 84 Running
11 17 48 Kevin Belmont/Feasterville PA Victory Junction Gang Ford 84
Running
12 19 24 Chuck Weber/Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool-Althouse Auto Body
Chevrolet 84 Running
13 20 7 Sean Stafford/Ontario Canada Gerhart Racing Chevrolet 84 Running

14 13 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA Say "No Way" to Drugs Chevrolet 84
Running
15 2 77 Chad Blount/Walkerton IN Braun Auto Group Dodge 84 Running
16 36 92 Eric Smith/Akron NY Coyote Vision Eyeware-Petro Canada Ford 84
Running
17 32 41 Wally Fowler/Campobello SC Junction Restaurant-A&R Auto Parts
Chevrolet 83 Running
18 37 97 Wayman Wittman/Appleton WI Tornado's Banquet Hall Ford 83
Running
19 6 64 Shelby Howard/Greenwood IN iHigh.com Chevrolet 82 Running
20 24 6 Tim Mitchell/Fayetteville TN Nealco-Reid's Chevrolet 80 Running
21 11 21 Todd Bowsher/South Vienna OH CollateralEvaluation.com Ford 80
Running
22 29 06 Michael Zazula/Turnersville NJ  Wayne Peterson Racing Chevrolet
79 Running
23 26 26 Brad Smith/Dearborn MI BradSmithMotorsports.com Chevrolet 78
Running
24 21 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Basham Racing Chevrolet 77 Running

25 25 56 Eric Martin/Hixson TN Super 8 Motel Chevrolet 76 Running
26 15 11 John Mazzuchelli/Sayreville NJ Fast Track Driving School Ford
72 Accident
27 31 71 Steve Senerchia/Wall NJ The Iron Shop-Spiral Stair Kits
Chevrolet 68 Handling
28 33 42 CW Smith/Williamsport PA Shop-Vac Chevrolet 66 Transmssn
29 18 38 Tom Eriksen/Hesston PA Eriksen Water Well Drilling Chevrolet 63
Accident
30 7 75 Michael Vergers/Oxford UK BruichLaddich.com Ford 61 Accident
31 30 83 Ryan Vos/Jackson MI Beannie's Luxury Coach-Absolute Impressions
Ford 16 Handling
32 14 28 Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI Midwest Mall Fronts Chevrolet 14
Engine
33 28 8 Doug Ehret/Mooresville NC Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 7
Transmssn
34 22 4 Greg Sarff/Columbus OH Kerry Scherer Ford 4 Rear End
35 23 91 James Hylton/Inman SC Odoban Grease Control-Southern Pan
Services Ford 2 Clutch
36 34 76 Paul Booher/Truck NC BradSmithMotorsports.com Ford 1 Electrical

37 35 9 Jason Hawley/Charlotte NC Andy Belmont Motorsports Ford 1
Transmssn

   OLD MILWAUKEE POLE AWARD:  NA (rained out)
   MRGN OF VICT:  .507 seconds CAUTIONS:  4 for 26 laps
   TIME OF RACE:  1:54:09 AVG SPEED:  113.009 mph
   LAP LEADERS:  Kimmel 1-9, 21-48, 52-84 (70); Lusk 10-16, 49-51, 85-86
(12); K. Belmont 17-19 (3);
   Gibson 20 (1)