ARCA: Gibson again in ARCA Midgets
7 August 2000
Birch Run, Michigan, - A strong field of ARCA Auto Value Midgets showed up Friday night at Dixie Motor Speedway in Birch Run, Michigan but not strong enough to out-run two-time and defending ARCA Midget champion Gene Lee Gibson. Gibson, in his own Ideas Corp-Gilmore Construction-Fastenal Autocraft, overhauled two-time ARCA Midget champion Rick Harrell on the seventh circuit of the 30 lap main event and was never seriously challenged. Gibson, on track to become the only driver other than the late Les Scott to win 3 ARCA Midget championships, padded his point lead over Dave Baumgartner, who like so often before, finished second to Gibson in the Pacific Life-Autocraft Hawk. Harrell finished third in Don Putinta’s Dove Racing Autocraft Hawk ahead of Jason Fuller in the Suspension Spring-AFCO-Hoosier Gaerte Hawk with Gary Harrell completing the top-five finishers in the TJ Roofing-Saylor’s Plastering Autocraft Hawk. Gibson also picked up the Hoosier Tire Pole Award while Baumgartner, Kevin Besecker and Sondi Eden picked up heat race victories. Baumgartner also won a four-lap trophy dash. Next events for the ARCA Auto Value Midget Series will be back-to-back on August 18 at Springport Speedway in Springport, Michigan and on August 19 at Baer Field Speedway in Fort Wayne, Indiana. 2000 ARCA AUTO VALUE MIDGET SERIES EVENT #8 Dixie Motor Speedway, Birch Run MI, 8-4-00 Official Results FIN STR CAR POS POS NO DRIVER/RESIDENCE TEAM SPONSOR/ENGINE LAPS STATUS 1 8 0 Gene Lee Gibson/Richwood OH Ideas Corp-Gilmore Const-Fastenal Autocraft 30 Running 2 5 99 Dave Baumgartner/Ottawa Lake MI Pacific Life Brayton 30 Running 3 1 2 Rick Harrell/Lambertville MI Dove Racing Autocraft 30 Running 4 7 9 Jason Fuller/Findlay OH Suspension Spring-AFCO Shocks-Hoosier Gaerte 30 Running 5 3 4 Gary Harrell/Temperance MI TJ Roofing-R&M Towing-Saylor's Plastering Autocraft 30 Running 6 4 20 Ryan Gillenwater/Barberton OH 5th St NAPA Autocare-NE Auto Autocraft 30 Running 7 10 3 Sondi Eden/Crawfordsville IN Mack McClellan Motorsports Brayton 30 Running 8 9 00 Larry Gibson/Richwood OH Gilliland Body Shop-Rent-A-John Brayton 30 Running 9 12 87 Matt Estep/South Holland IL Spitfire Automotive Esslinger 30 Running 10 14 35 Chris Randolph/Stockbridge MI Bisbee Travel Autocraft 29 Running 11 11 45 Kevin Myers/Wapakoneta OH Allied Equipment-Newman's Welding Gaerte 29 Running 12 2 3 Mike Astrauskas/Sand Lake MI Alliance CNC-MPD Welding Autocraft 29 Running 13 13 2 Kevin Besecker/Dayton OH Miller Bros Excavating Gaerte 29 Running 14 15 37 Matt Alloway/Kenton OH Mydic Open MRI of America Brayton 29 Running 15 16 36 Brian Medley/Jackson MI Huco Environmental Autocraft 13 Handling 16 6 21 Jimmy McCune/Sylvania OH Bisbee Travel Brayton 4 Engine 17 17 95 Steve Ball/Markle IN Ball Racing 1 Engine 19 Chris O'connell/Fort Wayne IN Amer Cancer Society Race Against Cancer Autocraft DNS HOOSIER TIRE POLE AWARD: Gene Lee Gibson 14.141 seconds DASH WINNER: Baumgartner HEAT WINNERS: Baumgartner, Besecker, Randolph