ARCA RE/MAX results/release, Pocono
(7-25-03)
Mears dominates ARCA GIANT 200 at Pocono
By Don Radebaugh - LONG POND PA (7-25-03) It came down to a two-lap shootout; but in the end, it really didn't matter - not for Casey Mears who did what he had done all day - dominate the ARCA RE/MAX Series competition Friday afternoon at Pocono Raceway.
Mears, in Chip Ganassi's Target Dodge, breezed to victory lane in the ARCA Giant 200 over ARCA giants' Frank Kimmel and Mark Gibson to earn his second career RE/MAX Series triumph in his fifth attempt.
"We definitely had a really good car," said Mears. "And the engine ran great too. You know when everything's right, it makes my job easy. I just have to thank all the guys at Ganassi Racing for all their hard work. Running in the ARCA RE/MAX Series has really helped me with my confidence. The whole reason we're doing this is to get me more seat-time, and to help us on Sunday; and it's definitely helping."
Mears, after leading the majority of the laps, was running away from Kimmel with five laps remaining when the final caution flag waved for a spinning Bill Eversole. That bunched up the field giving Kimmel, Gibson and all the rest one last shot at Mears. But when the green flag waved with two laps remaining, Mears pulled away from the pack and steadily increased his advantage. When the checkered flag waved, Mears' margin of victory was nearly two seconds over Kimmel who finished second in the Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford. Gibson charged from 12th to third in the final running order in the Williams Brothers Lumber Chevrolet in front of Andy Belmont who steered the Verizon-Seneca Data Ford to the finish in fourth. Shelby Howard, celebrating his 18th birthday, finished fifth in the Mack Trucks-Beck Dodge.
Mears jumped out front at the onset from the Old Milwaukee Pole and immediately set the tone by increasing his lead, as he would do throughout the 200-mile race. In fact, the only time Mears didn't lead was during scheduled pit stops during which Eric Smith led one circuit and Belmont, who skipped a pit stop sequence, led four. In addition to Mears' first place pay-off, the Bakersfield, California native also earned the National Pork Board Pole-Win Bonus.
In all, there were five cautions for 19 laps for a variety of spins and wall-bangers although there were no injuries.
Smith, a Native-American from Akron, New York, finished a career-best sixth in his own E&E Motorsports Ford in front of veteran Bobby Gerhart who finished seventh in his Core Mechanical-AT Construction-UDS Pontiac. Leading ARCA Rookie of the Year candidate Christi Passmore finished eighth in the GAP Roofing-Royal Trading Ford earning the ARCA Highest Finishing Rookie honors. Todd Bowsher, in the GFS Marketplace Ford, earned the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger award for advancing the most positions - from 32nd to ninth in the final running order. Billy Venturini, in the family-owned Dick's Sporting Goods Chevrolet, rebounded from a bout with the outside retaining wall to finish tenth, the last car on the lead lap.
Mario Gosselin's crew earned the Gladiator of the Race Award resulting from getting Gosselin's PNB Financial-McAfee Mortgage Chevrolet race-ready after he smacked the wall in final practice earlier in the day. Darrell Basham was awarded the Landrum Spring Hard Luck award after making heavy contact with the outside wall during the race.
2003 ARCA RE/MAX SERIES EVENT #12
Pocono Raceway, Long Pond PA, 7-25-03
Official Results, ARCA GIANT 200
FIN STR NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS
1 1 77 Casey Mears/Bakersfield CA Target Dodge 80 Running
2 2 46 Frank Kimmel/Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford 80 Running
3 12 59 Mark Gibson/Winder GA Williams Brothers Lumber Chevrolet 80 Running
4 11 1 Andy Belmont/Penndel PA Verizon 1-800-USE-THE-VZ/Seneca Data Ford 80 Running
5 5 64 Shelby Howard/Greenwood IN Mack Trucks-Beck Dodge 80 Running
6 13 92 Eric Smith/Akron NY E&E Motorsports Ford 80 Running
7 7 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA Core Mechanical-AT Construction-UDS Pontiac 80 Running
8 16 91 Christi Passmore/Pryor OK GAP Roofing-Royal Trading Ford 80 Running
9 32 21 Todd Bowsher/Springfield OH GFS Marketplace Ford 80 Running
10 15 25 Billy Venturini/Chicago IL Dick's Sporting Goods Chevrolet 80 Running
11 19 08 Bill Eversole/Chelsea MI Think Pink Energy Drink Chevrolet 79 Running
12 30 48 Carl McCormick/Jacksonville FL Hylton Motorsports Ford 79 Running
13 9 44 Brent Sherman/N Barrington IL Serta Mattress-Hickory Farms Ford 79 Running
14 18 03 Charles Hudson/Richmond VA Mountain Dew Live Wire Chevrolet 78 Running
15 24 36 Brian Kaltreider/Moshannon PA Nextel-Wendy's-Wheeler's Small Engine Ford 78 Running
16 23 26 Brad Smith/Dearborn MI Pro-Tech Lighting Ford 78 Running
17 22 78 Dale Schweikart/Linden PA The Autobarn Dodge 77 Running
18 26 7 Jeff Caudell/Austin IN Tim's Body Shop Chevrolet 77 Running
19 25 28 Mike Buckley/Ann Arbor MI Phoenix Contractors-ETSSolutions Chevrolet 76 Running
20 21 2 Jerry Middleton/Richmond IN Servpro of Indiana & Ohio Chevrolet 75 Running
21 31 6 Brian Conz/Livonia MI Precision Cutter Chevrolet 73 Running
22 27 75 Brack Maggard/Eatonton GA Southern Pan Services Ford 70 Running
23 4 12 Mario Gosselin/St. Marie Quebec PNB Financial-McAfee Mortgage Chevrolet 69 Engine
24 6 17 AJ Henriksen/Mooresville NC Fastenal-Engineered Components Ford 56 Engine
25 17 24 Chuck Weber/Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet 39 Engine
26 20 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Basham Racing Chevrolet 36 Accident
27 28 94 Jason Basham/Henryville IN Basham Racing Chevrolet 32 Engine
28 8 38 Tom Eriksen/Hesston PA CamAir-Aermotor Pumps Chevrolet 26 Overhtng
29 14 23 Ron Cox/Soddy Daisy TN Dan Shaver Racing Engines Chevrolet 24 Valve Spg
30 29 56 Allen Patterson/Abbeville SC Jan Gibson Chevrolet 19 Vibration
31 33 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 8 Engine
32 38 99 Dick Tracey/Lehighton PA FastColorPrinting.com Chevrolet 7 Overhtng
33 35 83 Greg Sarff/Columbus OH Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet 6 Brakes
34 3 67 Jason Jarrett/Hickory NC Gladiator GarageWorks-Damon RV Chevrolet 5 Engine
35 36 8 Todd Antrican/Miamisburg OH Benning Motorsports Chevrolet 3 Vibration
36 37 55 Bobby Bowsher/Springfield OH Numerics Unlimited-Jack's Auto Body Ford 2 Brakes
37 34 06 Wayne Peterson/Pulaski TN Reid's Auto Color-Nealco Chevrolet 2 Handling
9 Hideo Fukuyama/Suzuka Japan Kikkoman Soy Sauce Ford
OLD MILWAUKEE POLE AWARD: Casey Mears 53.003 (169.802 mph)
MRGN OF VICT: 1.665 seconds CAUTIONS: 5 for 19 laps
TIME OF RACE: 1:37:46 AVG SPEED: 122.741 mph
LAP LEADERS: Mears 1-26, 28-59, 64-80 (75); Smith 27, (1); Belmont 60-63 (4)
CONTACT: Don Radebaugh, ARCA PR (419) 450-0611 cell
www.arcaracing.com
