Bean; BlackJack Racing Soldiers To Top-20 Finish In Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla (Wednesday, February 14, 2007) - - Dexter Bean already has a solid start to his 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season after fighting back from early race misfortune to score a top-20 finish in last Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona.

The mercy and determination paid off despite a rugged ARCA 200 at Daytona. After posting the 24th fastest time in practice, the BlackJack Racing team struggled in qualifying forcing the use of a provisional to gain entry into the season opener.

Many have explained that it doesn’t matter where you start on a restrictor plate track such as Daytona International Speedway if you have a good car. Within ten laps, it’s been proven if your car is capable of hanging on to the draft you could be leading the race. After lining up 37th, that was the team’s goal.

When the green flag waved Saturday, Bean quickly began his march towards the front in the No. 6 George May International Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS. Bean looked strong and focused early quickly moving himself into the top-25 by lap five.

He continued with his mission moving into the top-20 by the end of lap 10. Little did Bean know the next lap would destroy his chance of winning his first ARCA RE/MAX Series race.

While running third, A.J. Henriksen got a tap from behind sending his No. 7 Chevrolet Monte Carlo spinning wildly down the superstretch. Bean appeared to be clearing the incident before another competitor from behind made contact with Bean’s No. 6 sending the Wisconsin native into a spin. While he was able to gain control of his machine, the 2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo suffered severe damage in both the left front and rear.

During the lengthy caution, Bean brought his machine to the aid of his BlackJack Racing crew where they continued to thrash and try to repair the George May International Chevrolet.

Returning to competition, the car was patched but not 100 percent competitive. Despite the difficult handling of his automobile, Bean drove his car like a veteran staying together with a group of his fellow competitors. Determination paid off. Even with a mangled machine, Bean avoided the remainder of the chaos in the ARCA season opener to notch a solid 16th place finish, collecting his best DIS finish in two starts. In 2005, the part time NASCAR Busch Series driver finished 25th in a car fielded by Andy Hillenburg.

“It was a crazy day,�?? said driver Dexter Bean. “Our car was good in the draft and we were starting to make some headway when I got turned around. I really don’t know what happened. I thought I was through the wreck and the next second I’m going spinning. My crew did a good job putting the car back together as good as possible. Aerodynamics is so crucial at this place, but we did the best we could and we actually came home with a decent finish.�?? “We’ll build on our finish from Daytona and hopefully we can notch a top-10 finish at Lakeland.�??

Jeff Spraker of Spraker Racing Enterprises assisted the team last weekend in Daytona and was crucial in keeping the team focused despite the up and down day. “It was great to have Jeff assisting us last weekend,�?? added Bean. “ When the tough got going, Jeff came to our defense, calmed the team down and kept us going in the right direction, we all appreciate that.�?? Bean was also gracious from the support of George May International. “We would of liked to have a better run for our sponsor, but we did the best we could under the circumstances. I really appreciate them coming on board and being a part of BlackJack Racing. I hope they experienced the thrill and excitement of the ARCA RE/MAX Series, I know it was a huge honor for us to carry their logo.�??

Five Star Telecom continues to aid the team as an associate sponsor in the 44th ARCA race held at Daytona International Speedway. Five Star Telecom has been associated with BlackJack Racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series since their inaugural race.

“It’s always great to have local support. I know I’ve said it over and over, but having Five Star Telecom a part of this team is important to everyone. They have been good to our team for many, many years and we look forward to our relationship with them all season.�??

Leaving Daytona, driver Dexter Bean has 27 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with two-top fives finishes and seven top-10 efforts. He holds a career best finish of fourth at Pocono Raceway (July 2006) and Chicagoland Speedway (September 2006). He owns the 2006 Pork pole award at Salem Speedway (September) while hoisting a career-best superspeedway time trials effort of fourth at Pocono Raceway (June 2006). Bean also has controlled the ARCA field for 84 laps in three races.

BlackJack Racing is still seeking additional primary and associate sponsors for the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact Robert Weiss at _rweiss9@wi.rr.com_ (mailto:rweiss9@wi.rr.com) or 414.763.9231.

Next up for the ARCA RE/MAX Series is a return to Central Florida and the first short track race of the ’07 season from USA International Speedway in Lakeland, Florida. The team will test at the facility before returning to the track for March 24’s Construct Corps-Palm Beach Grading 250. For additional information on Dexter Bean and BlackJack Racing, please visit _http://www.dexterbean.net_