ARCA RE/MAX release, points, MIS

CURRENT TOP-10 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES POINTS AFTER MIS:  1. Damon Lusk 2155;
2. Chad Blount 2125; 3. Frank Kimmel 2105; 4. Andy Belmont 1755; 5.
Chase Montgomery 1720; 6. Jason Jarrett 1670; 7. Billy Venturini 1605;
8. Shelby Howard 1585; 9. Mark Gibson 1580; 10. Norm Benning 1455.

Chad Blount charges to victory at MIS

BROOKLYN MI (6-15-02), by Don Radebaugh - Chad Blount pulled off a bold
three-wide pass with less than three laps remaining en route to victory
lane in the thrilling FLAGSTAR 200 Saturday at Michigan Int’l Speedway.
Blount, who started from the Old Milwaukee Pole, led the most laps, and
in the end, would not be denied his career-first ARCA RE/MAX Series
victory in only his 14th start.

“This was really special,” said the 22-year-old Walkerton, Indiana
rookie. “When it happens, you go numb. Michigan is its own track.
There’s nothing you can compare it to. There’s nothing I can compare
this win to. This is as big as it gets. I can’t thank the Braun family
enough for the chance they gave me.”

Blount, racing side-by-side with Damon Lusk inside of five laps to go,
planted his unsponsored Todd Braun Dodge in the middle of Lusk and Bobby
Gerhart as they raced off turn four. Three abreast for the second
position, Blount inched ahead of Lusk at the line and promptly chased
down AJ Henriksen for the lead. Blount then made his move to the inside
of Henriksen in turns one and two with Lusk following. From there, the
eventual winner kept the field at bay and raced under the checkered flag
.884 seconds ahead of Lusk who finished second in the WP Motorsports
Chevrolet.

“Chad was a little better than us,” said Lusk. “He was able to turn it
down lower and get by me. It got pretty hairy on the backstretch on that
final restart. He’s (Blount) a great racecar driver. I can race side by
side with him lap after lap and feel comfortable.”

However, the final laps were anything but comfortable. After running
first and second for most of the race, Blount and Lusk, after pit stops,
found themselves 6th and 7th on the final restart with six laps to go.
When the green flag waved, Henriksen, with Gerhart, Chase Montgomery and
Andy Belmont in tow, led the field to turn one while Lusk passed Blount
to the outside off turn two. While Montgomery and Belmont began to fall
back, Lusk, Blount, Richard Mitchell and Dutch-born driver Michael
Vergers charged ahead. With the healthy crowd on its feet, three and
four-wide racing became commonplace before Blount secured the top spot
for good becoming the third first-time winner in 2002 after nine events.

Bruceton Mills, West Virginia driver Mitchell, in the Coach
USA-Mountaineer Gaming Pontiac, posted his career-best finish in third
with Henriksen, in the Fastenal-Engineered Components Ford, trailing in
fourth at the finish. Vergers, in Bob Schacht’s Bruich Laddich Ford,
rebounded from a variety of problems throughout the 100-lap, 200-mile
race to finish a solid fifth.

Matt Hagans, in the Eagle Creek Aviation Dodge, finished sixth in only
his second RE/MAX Series start and first-ever at Michigan. Gerhart
finished seventh in his own unsponsored Chevrolet with Garfield,
Minnesota driver Rick Thoennes finishing a career-best eighth in the
Glenwood Bridge Chevrolet. Dan Shaver, in his own Petro Express Pontiac,
finished a career-best ninth with Mt. Juliet, Tennessee Rookie of the
Year candidate Montgomery completing the top-ten finishers in his father
Ray Montgomery’s Chevrolet. Shaver, who started 29th, also won the
Hoosier Tire Hard Charger honors for advancing the most positions.

In all, there were ten lead changes among six drivers and three cautions
for 22 laps. Blount, who also won the Loctite Halfway Leader award as
well as the Pork Pole/Win Bonus, led 73 laps while defending champion
Frank Kimmel led nine. Both Henriksen and Paducah, Kentucky driver Keith
Murt each led seven. Hagans led three and Lusk led one.

Kimmel, who led early on, experienced his share of troubles during the
race including a flat tire that forced an unscheduled pit stop under
green before his engine finally went sour halfway in relegating the
Jeffersonville, Indiana driver to 32nd in the final running order.
Kimmel, who held the point lead going in, dropped two positions to new
point leader Lusk while Blount moved into second. As a consolation,
Kimmel picked up the Landrum Spring Hard Luck award. RE/MAX Int’l driver
Rick Carelli charged from the tail-end of the pack to challenge the
frontrunners before ignition woes sidelined the Arvada, Colorado driver
after 42 laps. Jason Jarrett was also in the hunt before transmission
failure stopped his run 36 laps from the finish. Brent Sherman finished
a career-best 11th in Cavin Councilor’s Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms
Chevrolet with Michigan favorite Tim Steele, on the come-back trail,
finishing 12th.

    2002 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES EVENT #9
   Michigan Int'l Speedway, Brooklyn MI, 6-15-02
   Official Results, FLAGSTAR 200

FIN STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS
1 1 77 Chad Blount/Walkerton IN Braun Auto Group Dodge 100 Running
2 11 22 Damon Lusk/Kennewick WA WP Motorsports Chevrolet 100 Running
3 8 54 Richard Mitchell/Bruceton Mills WVA Coach USA-Mountaineer Gaming
Pontiac 100 Running
4 9 17 AJ Henriksen/Mooresville NC Fastenal-Engineered Components Ford
100 Running
5 4 75 Michael Vergers/Oxford UK BruichLaddich.com Ford 100 Running
6 13 78 Matt Hagans/Brownsburg IN Eagle Creek Aviation-1st Wing Aviation
Dodge 100 Running
7 16 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Gerhart Racing Chevrolet 100 Running
8 10 52 Rick Thoennes/Garfield MN Glenwood Bridge Chevrolet 100 Running
9 29 49 Dan Shaver/Charlotte NC Petro Express Pontiac 100 Running
10 20 27 Chase Montgomery/Mt Juliet TN Montgomery Motorsports Chevrolet
100 Running
11 23 04 Brent Sherman/N Barrington IL Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms
Chevrolet 100 Running
12 5 16 Tim Steele/Coopersville MI HS Die-VISI-SECO Ford 100 Running
13 12 1 Andy Belmont/Penndel PA Odoban Grease Control Ford 100 Running
14 7 65 Vern Slagh/Zeeland MI DJ's One Stop-Quality Car Wash Ford 99
Running
15 25 7 Sean Stafford/Ontario Canada Gerhart Racing Chevrolet 99 Running

16 18 19 Keith Murt/Paducah KY Murtco-CMI Chevrolet 99 Running
17 14 90 Jason Hedlesky/Clinton MI Superior Logistics Services-Accu turn
Ford 99 Running
18 21 97 Wayman Wittman/Appleton WI Tornado's Banquet Hall Ford 99
Running
19 6 25 Billy Venturini/Charlotte NC MC Sports Chevrolet 98 Running
20 24 6 Brian Conz/Livonia MI CARB-R-ALL Racing Chevrolet 97 Running
21 27 48 Kevin Belmont/Feasterville PA Victory Junction Gang Ford 97
Running
22 26 24 Chuck Weber/Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool-Althouse Auto Body
Chevrolet 96 Running
23 35 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA Say "No Way" to Drugs Chevrolet 94
Running
24 32 50 Greg Sarff/Columbus OH 1460 AM The Fan Ford 93 Running
25 34 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Darrell Basham Racing Chevrolet 93
Running
26 30 28 Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI Midwest Mall Fronts Chevrolet 92
Running
27 41 21 Todd Bowsher/South Vienna OH United Trailers Ford 91 Engine
28 37 26 Brad Smith/Dearborn MI BradSmithMotorsports.com Ford 91 Running

29 31 23 Ron Cox/Soddy Daisy TN Buffalo Wild Wings Chevrolet 82 Engine
30 22 64 Shelby Howard/Greenwood IN iHigh.com Chevrolet 81 Engine
31 36 56 Eric Martin/Hixson TN Best Western Exec Plaza of Ann Arbor
Chevy 77 Accident
32 2 46 Frank Kimmel/Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford 66
Engine
33 15 67 Jason Jarrett/Hickory NC Biomet-Damon RV Chevrolet 64 Transmssn

34 19 59 Mark Gibson/Winder GA Williams Brothers Lumber Ford 55
Transmssn
35 17 81 Jerry Glanville/Dawsonville GA Loctite-Fricker's Ford 45 Engine

36 3 05 Rick Carelli/Arvada CO RE/MAX Int'l Chevrolet 42 Ignition
37 38 8 Todd Antrican/Miamisburg OH Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 19
Rear end
38 28 39 Marty Butkovich/Romeo MI Messina Trucking Chevrolet 13 Accident

39 40 08 Bill Eversole/Chelsea MI Bamco Mobile Hitch Ford 8 Rear end
40 39 83 Ryan Vos/Jackson MI Dennis English Racing Ford 3 Overhtng
41 33 91 James Hylton/Inman SC Odoban Grease Control Ford 2 Vibration

OLD MILWAUKEE POLE AWARD:  Chad Blount 39.127 (184.016 mph)
   MRGN OF VICT:  .884 seconds CAUTIONS:  3 for 22 laps
   TIME OF RACE:  1:29:48 AVG SPEED:  133.630 mph
   LAP LEADERS:  Blount 1-14, 34-56, 58-90, 98-100 (73); Kimmel 15-16,
27-33 (9); Hagans 17-19 (3);
   Murt 20-26 (7); Lusk 57 (1); Henriksen 91-97 (7)