ARCA RE/MAX Factsheet, Pocono

Updated entry lists, news, notes and more at www.arcaracing.com; and thanks, Don Radebaugh

ARCA RE/MAX Series returns to Pocono for double-header July 25 & 26

POCONO FACTSHEET PLUS.......

RACE: ARCA Giant 200 (7-25-03)/Pennsylvania 200 (7-26-03)

TRACK: Pocono Raceway, 2.5-mile paved triangle

LOCATION: Long Pond, PA

DISTANCE: 80 laps, 200 miles

SANCTION: ARCA

SERIES: Events #12 & 13 of the 2003 ARCA RE/MAX Series

PROMOTER: Pocono Raceway, Inc., PR - Bob Pleban (570) 646-2300

SCHEDULE: Thurs, July 24: Practice 11am-1:25pm; Old Milwaukee Pole Qualifying 3pm (1 lap, all positions)

Fri, July 25: Final Practice 9am-11am; Start of ARCA Giant 200 at 5:15pm

Sat, July 26: Pennsylvania 200 at 1pm

POSTED AWARDS: $202,911 in prize, point and contingency money for each event.

ARCA OFFICIAL COMPANIES: RE/MAX International Inc, Damon RV, Featherlite Trailers, Hoosier Racing Tires, Racing Electronics, 76 Racing Gas.

ARCA OFFICIAL PRODUCTS: Amkus Rescue Tools, Cloyes Gear & Products, Cookies BarBQ Sauce, Earl's Performance Products, Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Flowmaster Mufflers, Gladiator GarageWorks, Harris Torches & Regulators, Holley HP Carbs, K&N Air Filters, K&N Oil Filters, Kluhsman Racing Products, Landrum Spring Service, Lincoln Electric Welders, Magnum Police Equipment, Motive Gear, National Pork Board, Old Milwaukee Beer, QuicShine 99, RJS Uniforms, S-W Scales by Intercomp, University of Northwestern Ohio.

PARTICIPATING COMPANIES: ATI Dampers, Auto Meter Instruments, Berryman Products, Bilstein Shocks, Blake Carburetors, BSR Racing Products, CamAir Tire Management Systems, Clevite Engine Parts, Cometic Gaskets, CV Products, Dayco Belts & Hoses, Dr. Gas Exhaust Components, Edelbrock, Evernham Performance Parts, Ford Motor Co., Gatorade, G-Force Racing Gear, Hedman Hedders, Hoosier Performance Tire, Hutcherson-Pagan, Jacobs Electronics, JE Pistons, Joyce Julius & Associates, JR's Garage, KoolMat, LaCross Engine Development, Leading Edge Race Cars, Lowe Lug Nuts, MSD Ignition, Mechanix Wear, Nelson Specialties, Ohlins Shocks, Penske Racing Shocks, Perfect Circle Piston Rings, Quarter Master, Reed Cams, Rhyne Racing Engines, RJS Racing Equipment, 76 Performance Products, Tex Racing/Hawk Brakes, Thermo-Tec Header Wrap, Tilton Engineering, Victor-Reinz Gaskets, Wallace Race Car Lettering.

RECORDS: Qualifying - Casey Mears, 53.003 (169.802 mph) 2003. Race - Mike Wallace (142.668 mph) 1995.

TELEVISION: ARCA Giant 200 same-day (7-25-03) on SPEED Channel 9:30-11pm; Pennsylvania 200 same-day (7-26-03) on SPEED 8-10pm. All times Eastern.

NOTES OF INTEREST: The ARCA Giant 200 and the Pennsylvania 200 will be the 36th and 37th ARCA RE/MAX Series events held on the 2.5-mile Pocono triangle since 1983. However, the first ARCA race staged at Pocono was in 1969 on the ¾-mile oval won by Bobby Watson in a Dodge. The ARCA series did not return to Pocono until July of '83 when Bob Schacht won in a Pontiac with an average speed of 123.288 mph. This year's ARCA Giant 200 presents an interesting mix of talent from veterans Frank Kimmel, Bobby Gerhart and Jason Jarrett to rookies Christi Passmore and Bill Eversole. Passmore and Eversole are tied in points in the race for ARCA Rookie of the Year; however, neither driver has ever raced at Pocono. 17-year-old Greenwood IN driver Shelby Howard, entered in the Mack Trucks-Beck Dodge, became the youngest superspeedway winner in ARCA history with his victory at Kansas in June of this year. Howard was already the youngest ARCA winner overall with his victory at Salem earlier this year. Howard finished 5th at Pocono in July of 2002. Winston Cup regular Casey Mears, entered in a Chip Ganassi Dodge, is one of 4 Winston Cup teams entered for Saturday's Pennsylvania 200. The others include Japan's Hideo Fukuyama entered in a Travis Carter Ford, Christian Fittipaldi in a Petty Enterprises Dodge and 2-time RE/MAX Series winner Kyle Busch in a Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet. Mears will be competing in all three stock car events over the weekend to include both ARCA races and the Winston Cup show on Sunday. 4-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel has not finished out of the top-5 this year and is the most recent winner on the tour after his victory at Lake Erie on July 12. Kimmel is also the only former Pocono/ARCA winner entered. Kimmel, with 4 wins this year at Toledo, Lowe's, Berlin & Lake Erie, has already led 694 laps in 10 races in 2003. Jason Jarrett, entered in the #67 ML Motorsports Chevrolet, finished 2nd in both Pocono events last year. Tim Steele is the all-time winner at Pocono with 9 victories including five in a row ('96 through '98) followed by Bob Schacht with 6 and Bob Keselowski with 5. Mike Wallace has 3; Jimmy Horton 2; 1-time winners include Blaise Alexander, Casey Atwood, Kerry Earnhardt, Ben Hess, Bobby Jacks, Frank Kimmel, Damon Lusk, Ryan Newman, Jeff Purvis and Lee Raymond. 12 ARCA RE/MAX Series races at Pocono have been won from the pole.

CONTACT: ARCA PR, Don Radebaugh (734) 847-6726