ARCA RE/MAX Points - Daytona

CURRENT TOP-10 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES POINTS:  1) Chase Montgomery 245; 2)
Billy Venturini 235; 3) Bob Strait 220; 4) Keith Segars 210; 5) Frank
Kimmel 205; 6) Rick Carelli 200; 7) Bobby Gerhart 195; 7) Greg Sacks
195; 9) Andy Hillenburg 190; 10) Mark Gibson 185.

Montgomery, mighty-man at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH FL (2-8-03) – by Don Radebaugh - With an Alice Cooper
assist, 19-year-old Chase Montgomery performed like a seasoned veteran
en route to his career-first ARCA RE/MAX Series triumph Saturday
afternoon at Daytona Int’l Speedway.

With 21 lead-lap machines lined up in the mirror, Montgomery, who
started third, led the final 26 laps holding off veterans’ Bob Strait
and Billy Venturini long enough to win the Advance Discount Auto Parts
200 in his 29th RE/MAX Series start.

“I’m thrilled; this is my first win period,” said Montgomery. “I did win
a go-kart heat race once, but this is remarkable. The more I talk to
people, the bigger they make it seem. At least it opens some people’s
eyes so they know who I am now. We announced that we are partners with
Alice Cooper earlier today. This is our first race with him. I don’t
know if he’s a good luck charm or if we just had all our ducks in a row.
I’m going to make him come to the next one.”

While Montgomery was enjoying his first-ever victory in major league
racing, Cooper was entertaining himself with his very first on-site
racing experience. “It’s amazing,” said Cooper. “I’m going to retire now
– undefeated. I was telling him (Montgomery) it’s like getting your
first number one record. You can’t explain it. You work all your life
for it and all of a sudden it happens. I can’t imagine how excited he
must be to win this.”

Montgomery chased Old Milwaukee polesitter Bobby Gerhart most of the way
with Venturini and Keith Segars in tow. Montgomery finally got a nose
under Gerhart and made the pass for the lead off turn four to lead the
55th circuit. Then Gerhart, after leading 51 laps in the 80 lap race,
cut down a tire and made two unscheduled pit stops for service while
Montgomery, along with most of the front-runners, pitted just once for
fuel and tires during the 200-mile race. After Gerhart fell out of
winning contention, Montgomery took over the lead with Strait, who had
charged from the 18th starting position, lined up directly behind. But
with plenty of drafting help from Venturini, Segars, Frank Kimmel, Rick
Carelli and Greg Sacks to name a few, Strait, nor any others, could
muster up enough steam to blow by the eventual winner. Montgomery
crossed under the final stripe .176 seconds ahead of Strait who finished
second in the Hendren Motorsports Pontiac with Venturini, in the Enco
Tools Pontiac, trailing in third.

In all, 22 cars finished on the lead lap continually mixing things up
with thrilling two- and three-wide racing that kept things perpetually
interesting. Also in the mix were seven cautions that slowed the race
for 29 laps to clean up debris from a variety of wall-bangers including
one from Jason Jarrett who got a nudge from Tony Ave after the checkered
flag fell and slammed the wall hard in turn one. Jarrett was okay but
his Pontiac was destroyed. Additionally, Shelby Howard, Aaron Call,
Justin Ashburn, Tim Turner, Jeremy Clements and Matt Hagans were
involved in race-ending accidents. No drivers were injured.

Segars, in the Sonny’s Real Pit Bar-B-Q Chevrolet, finished a close
fourth in front of Kimmel who had the highest finishing Ford with a
fifth place finish in the Advance Auto Parts-Pork car. Carelli, in the
RE/MAX Int’l Chevrolet, steered his way from the 27th starting position
to finish a solid sixth with Winston Cup veteran Greg Sacks, who started
30th, trailing in seventh in the Jiffy Lube Ford. Andy Hillenburg, in
Stan Hover’s Ford, raced from the 33rd starting position to eighth in
the final running order ahead of veteran Mark Gibson who finished ninth
in the Williams Brothers Lumber Pontiac after starting 32nd. Christian
Fittipaldi, who started 7th in the #43 Kyle Petty Racing Dodge, gave
Dodge its best finish in tenth. Through all of Gerhart’s troubles, the
two-time Daytona winner managed to cling to the lead lap and battled
back from the tail-end to finish 14th.

Hillenburg picked up the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award for advancing
the most positions while Chelsea, Michigan newcomer Bill Eversole won
the Highest Finishing Rookie honors for his 15th place finish in his
first Daytona start.

The next activity for the ARCA RE/MAX Series will be the Atlanta ARCA
400 live on SPEED Channel from Atlanta Motor Speedway on Saturday, March
8 from 1-3 pm eastern.

CONTACT: Don Radebaugh, ARCA PR
cell (419) 450-0611
office (734) 847-6726