Dexter Bean Refreshed With Top-Five Finish In Chicagoland
Dexter Bean Refreshed With Top-Five Finish In Chicagoland JOLIET, Ill (Monday, September 11, 2006) - - After two rough races including an engine failure while in contention for the win at DuQuoin, Dexter Bean and the BlackJack Racing crew vowed to shake off the finishes and rebound in Chicago. They did and in spectacular fashion with a brilliant fourth place finish Saturday in the SK Hand Tool 200. The weekend started off solid for Bean and the BlackJack crew after posting the 19th fastest lap (32.106 seconds, 168.193 mph). “This is the same car we ran at Milwaukee and we rebuilt it after our misfortune in the race and we’ re pretty pleased with the results thus far. We would like to be a little quicker, so we’re going to make some changes before qualifying and see what happens.�?? In time trials, Bean picked up the pace considerably mounting a lap of 31.422 at 171.854 mph good enough for 12th on the starting grid. “We picked up a lot and that’s a good feeling,�?? said Bean following his run. “I really think we have a good car for the race and we’re looking for a good finish.�?? Saturday’s race marked the second time Bean had competed at the 1.5-mile sp eed plant. Last season, Bean started 25th and rallied to a 14th place finish. He was looking to master that. It was a slow start to the SK Hand Tool 200 as the first caution appeared on lap one when Justin Marks (No. 65 Construct Corps Dodge) spun in turn four in front of Bean. Luckily, the rookie made a veteran move and sliced his way through the carnage unscathed. Another caution kept the field at bay in the early stages, then a long-span of green flag racing had Bean on the move as by lap 50 he had marched his Five Star Telecom Chevrolet to the seventh position, reporting to the crew, “The car is awesome,�?? reported Bean. “This is one of the best racecars I’ve driven all season; we have something for them boys.�?? Bean along with much of the competition made their green flag pit stop closing on lap 60 with the crew performing flawlessly and sending Bean back into competition racing hard with Brandon Whitt back on the track. Several cautions following the green-flag pit stop kept Bean from making any gains in the running order. On the restart nearing lap 90, Bean began making his march towards the front from 11th and by lap 100, Bean soared into the five and picked up one more position in the end crossing the line a very strong fourth, tying his career best finish. In July, Bean also finished fourth at Pocono International Raceway. “This is awesome for BlackJack Racing,�?? said Bean following the race. “We know we can do this week in and week out, we just haven’t had the luck this season. This is a huge momentum boost for this team and we hope it will stick with us for the rest of the season.�?? Bean continued, “I just want to thank all my guys, Jeff Spraker and especially my sponsor Five Star Telecom. They have been with us all year and have stuck with us through the thick and thin, I appreciate their support of me and our race team. We’re looking for a win next weekend at Salem.�?? Leaving Chicago, Bean, a native of Westby, Wisconsin has 23 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his resume with a career best finish of fourth at Pocono Raceway (July 2006) and Chicagoland Speedway (2006) while holding three additional top ten finishes at Michigan International Speedway (July 2006 and July 2005) and Talladega Superspeedway (October 2005). He holds a career best superspeedway time trials effort of fourth at Pocono Raceway (June 2006) while hoisting a career best short track qualifying effort of sixth at Salem Speedway (April 2006). The BlackJack Racing team is scheduled to run in three more ARCA RE/MAX Series events this season at Salem Speedway (September), Talladega Superspeedway (October) and the new Iowa Speedway (October). The team has competed full time in the ARCA RE/MAX Series this year and plans to return on a full-time basis in 2007. Next up for Bean and the team is the return to Salem Speedway in Salem, Indiana for the Eddie Gilstrap Motors ARCA Fall Classic presented by Advance Auto Parts. The team looks to improve on their disappointing spring effort where an unavoidable accident halted another top-five forcing a 33rd place finish. For more information on Dexter Bean, please visit _http://www.dexterbean.net_ (http://www.dexterbean.net/) ### CONTACT: NAME: Chris Knight, BlackJack Racing PHONE: 734-660-2333 EMAIL: _Knight849@aol.com_ (mailto:Knight849@aol.com)