ARCA Truck Results Tri City Speedway
Jones takes Tri-City ARCA Trucks; Guinn takes title FRANKLIN PA (9-21-02) Darren Jones, in his own Rite-Track/John Pierce Plumbing Ford Ranger, notched his career-first ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series victory Saturday night on the half-mile dirt Tri-City Speedway in Franklin, Pennsylvania while Chad Guinn, by way of a third place finish, procured his career-first championship. In addition to the victory, Jones won the Old Milwaukee Pole Award and led the remaining 37 laps in the 50-lap main event holding off ARCA Rookie of the Year Brandon Knupp who finished a career-best second in the Mark Knupp Tires & Mufflers Ford. “I’m really proud of this whole team,” said Jones in victory lane. “We don’t have a lot of resources, but we do a lot with a little. I’m just fortunate enough to have some really dedicated people who help me out and make it all possible. It’s great to get my sponsors Rite Track Racing and John Pierce Plumbing in victory lane; it’s especially gratifying for the crew who donate so much of their valuable time to do this deal. We sure love racing on the dirt. Tri-City Speedway is a first-class facility; we really hope we get to come back. I could get use to winning more races.” Jones also picked up the Cloyes Gear Halfway Leader honors and the Revenge Pole-Win bonus for winning from the pole. For Erie, Michigan driver Guinn, winning the championship was a culmination of many things. “With Jeff (Speakman) starting on the front row and taking off the way he did at the start, I have to admit, I was pretty nervous. We knew going in we didn’t have the championship locked up. Jeff’s as tough as they get in this business; I hated to see him fall off but it also brought a sense of relief. I also want to congratulate Pete Wormcastle and all their guys for the great race for the championship. But I couldn’t be happier for my guys; I know they wanted it as bad as I did. I want to thank my sponsors BFI, Northland Collision and Coastal Coating Services for hanging in there with us – my Mom and Dad for fielding first-class equipment and my crew chief Chuck Carroll. Chuck’s an expert with set-ups, and it shows week-in and week-out. Winning the championship makes all the hard work that goes into this deal well worth it.” At the onset, outside polesitter Jeff Speakman grabbed the lead over Jones and stretched his advantage to about 10 lengths. Speakman, who was tied with Pete Wormcastle for second in points only 65 markers away from Guinn going in, appeared to be on his way to victory lane until the right-front spindle broke on his Pennzoil-National Auto Lube Ford relegating the Piqua, Ohio driver to pit road for service. Speakman, who returned to competition after receiving great service on pit road to replace the spindle, eventually soldiered to the finish in 15th nine laps down. However, it would be enough to maintain his second-in-points status over Wormcastle who fell out well shy of the finish with a broken driveshaft. Two-time ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series champion Robbin Slaughter finished fourth in Screamin’ Eagle-GRW Auto Service Ford in front of Tully Esterline who finished fifth in the Rev-Up Sports Energy Drink Chevrolet. 1999 Truck champion Bill Withers finished sixth in his own Mannings USA-Hall Electronics Ford with Brett Oakley trailing in seventh in the MAR-FLEX Products-Pepsi Ford. Kevin Reeb was eighth in the Accurate Logistics Ford ahead of Mark Otting who finished ninth in the Kalmbach Feeds-Westfalia-Surge Ford. Otting, who started 19th, also picked up the Ed & Company Hard Charger award for advancing the most positions. ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran Wayne Watercutter returned to racing competition after a long absence and finished a solid tenth in another MAR-FLEX Products Ford entry. Next action for the ARCA Lincoln Welders Truck Series will be a non-points race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on October 5 before the championship awards banquet is held in Toledo, Ohio on November 2nd. 2002 ARCA LINCOLN WELDERS TRUCK SERIES EVENT #13 Tri-City Speedway, Franklin PA, 9-21-02 Official Results FIN STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS 1 1 15 Darren Jones/Fairfield OH Rite-Track/John Pierce Plumbing Ford 50 Running 2 8 1 Brandon Knupp/Sidney OH Mark Knupp Mufflers & Tires Ford 50 Running 3 9 4 Chad Guinn/Erie MI BFI-Northland Collision-Coastal Coating Services Ford 50 Running 4 4 6 Robbin Slaughter/Columbus OH Screamin' Eagle-GRW Auto Service Ford 50 Running 5 3 10 Tully Esterline/Pettisville OH Rev-Up Sports Energy Drink Chevrolet 50 Running 6 13 57 Bill Withers/Columbus OH Mannings USA-Hall Electronics-Wachholz Engines Ford 50 Running 7 16 91 Brett Oakley/Middletown OH MAR-FLEX Products-Pepsi Ford 50 Running 8 7 98 Kevin Reeb/N Baltimore OH Accurate Logistics Ford 50 Running 9 19 00 Mark Otting/Plainwell MI Kalmbach Feeds-Westfalia-Surge Ford 50 Running 10 5 92 Wayne Watercutter/Sidney OH MAR-FLEX Products-Pepsi Ford 49 Running 11 6 06 Ron Wells/Riverside OH Tanner Heating & AC-Moore Trucking-Main Auto Parts Ford 46 Suspnsn 12 14 5 Kendra Lake/Toledo OH Pate Manufacturing Ford 46 Running 13 11 14 Gregg Vasko/McKeesport PA McArdles Pub & Restaurant-Mon Ave Motors Ford 43 Running 14 17 55 Jack Weethee/Grove City OH Weethee Builders-Den's Automotive Ford 41 Running 15 2 2 Jeff Speakman/Piqua OH Pennzoil-National Auto Lube Ford 41 Running 16 10 12 Pete Wormcastle/New Haven IN Preferred Painting & Roofing-Witwer Construction Chevrolet 27 Driveshaft 17 18 16 Joe Wormcastle/Fort Wayne IN Witwer Construction Chevrolet 23 Spindle 18 15 75 Eddy Adams/Sheffield Village OH Nemire Enterprises-Lake Side Auto Parts Ford 22 Rear end 19 12 7 Paul Hahn/Canton MI Hahn's Collision Ford 17 Spindle LAP LEADERS: Speakman 1-13 (13); Jones 14-50 (37) SPECIAL AWARDS OLD MILWAUKEE POLE: Darren Jones CLOYES GEAR HALF-WAY LEADER: Darren Jones ED & COMPANY HARD CHARGER: Mark Otting REVENGE POLE-WIN: Darren Jones BROOKS RACING TIRE: Robbin Slaughter DIAMOND WHEELS: Eddy Adams RJS SAFETY: BART PRODUCTS WHEELS: Bill Withers