TALLADEGA AL (10-2-08)--SunTrust Rookie and Championship point contender Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. celebrated his 21st birthday at Talladega Superspeedway on Thursday morning by topping a two-and-a-half hour ARCA RE/MAX Series practice session in preparation for Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250, race 20 of the 21-event ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule.

"The No. 99 Aflac Ford was really good out there," said Stenhouse. "We had a good test here but didn't get to draft much so our goal this weekend was to work on drafting in practice.  The car felt good in the draft and on its own too so I'm looking forward to tomorrow.  There's still two races to go in the championship hunt and we're doing everything we can to make up that 65 points and go for the championship."

Stenhouse enters this weekend's ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway second in the championship point standings, just 65 points shy of Scott Speed's lead. Speed was 28^th on Thursday's practice charts (51.611 seconds/185.542 mph) but focused on single car runs in his No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing Red Bull Toyota and did not draft.

The two-and-a-half hour practice session was caution free and included a mixture of single car runs and drafts of up to 12 cars. Cherry Hill, New Jersey's Tom Hessert, III, who was fastest during an ARCA Open Test at Talladega September 17^th and 18^th, initially led Thursday's practice with a 51.137 second/187.262 mph lap during a single car run in the No. 1 Maaco Auto Painting America's Body Shop Ford.

An ARCA RE/MAX Series SIM Factory Pole Qualifying session is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Central. The qualifying session will help determine the starting lineup for Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250, with the 32 fastest qualifiers earning starting positions in the race and the rest of the 43-car starting field set by provisionals.

The ARCA RE/MAX 250 rolls off at 4 p.m. Central/5 p.m. Eastern on Friday and will be aired live on SPEED.

Powered by Dodge
Justin Allgaier jumped from fifth to third in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings with his victory in last weekend's Loud Energy Drink 150 at New Jersey Motorsports Park. This weekend, Allgaier is driving a No. 16 Hoosier Tire Midwest-AG Tech Dodge prepared by Penske Racing.

Allgaier, who has competed in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in cars prepared by his family owned race team since 2003, recently signed a contract with Penske Racing to drive in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

Former Series Winners Eying Talladega Victory Lane
The ARCA RE/MAX Series entry list for this Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway includes 12 former Series winners. Among them, 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series race winners Scott Speed, Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Justin Lofton, Frank Kimmel, Matt Carter and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Other former Series winners entered include Jeremy Clements, Bobby Gerhart, Ken Butler, III, James Buescher and Bill Baird.

Kimmel and Gerhart are the only former Talladega winners entered. Kimmel won the ARCA RE/MAX 250-his lone career restrictor plate win-in 2006 and Gerhart made a trip to Talladega Superspeedway victory lane in 2001.

The Greatest of All Time is Coming to Talladega
Retired dirt bike racer Ricky Carmichael, nicknamed the G.O.A.T. (greatest of all time) for his record-holding 150 career wins and 15 championships in AMA Motocross competition, participated in Thursday morning's ARCA RE/MAX Series practice session at Talladega Superspeedway in a Kevin Harvick, Inc. Chevrolet. Carmichael has been driving in the NASCAR Camping World East Series this season for Ken Schrader Racing and this weekend's race at Talladega Superspeedway marks his first foray into the ARCA RE/MAX Series. He participated in an open test session at the track earlier this month.

Chasing a Legend: Kimmel Just Five Wins Shy of Iggy Katona's All-time Record
Frank Kimmel enters this year's edition of the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway chasing a legend. Kimmel has earned three ARCA RE/MAX Series wins this season to bring his career total to 74, just five wins shy of matching Iggy Katona's all-time win record of 79 career victories. Kimmel's ARCA RE/MAX Series career spans 19 years and has included a record nine ARCA RE/MAX Series Championships (2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, 2000, 1998).

Katona's ARCA RE/MAX Series career began in the 1953 inaugural season and included at least one race win each season until 1972 and top-ten point finishes in 21 consecutive seasons, including six ARCA RE/MAX Series Championships (1967, 1966, 1962, 1957, 1956, 1955).

ARCA's Restrictor Plate King Aiming for Talladega Win
Pennsylvania's Bobby Gerhart has been referred to as the ARCA RE/MAX Series' restrictor plate king for his record five ARCA 200 at Daytona wins. Now, the ARCA RE/MAX Series veteran, who turned 50 years old this year, is aiming for a win at Talladega Superspeedway. Gerhart is among those testing at Talladega on Wednesday and Thursday in preparation for the October 3^rd ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway. Gerhart earned a race victory at Talladega in 2001.

Chrissy Adds to Wallace Family History at Talladega
With Chrissy Wallace's entry in the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway, she joins other family members with a Talladega/ARCA history, including her father, Mike. The elder Wallace entered the ARCA RE/MAX Series 250 at Talladega Superspeedway as recently as 2006 and won an ARCA race at Talladega in 1995. He is the 1995 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Champion, a six time Series winner, a four-time pole winner and has led 415 laps in eleven races.  

Chrissy's cousin, Steve Wallace, son of retired NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Champion Rusty Wallace, has four ARCA RE/MAX Series race victories among 13 starts and entered the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway in 2006, where he finished second to Frank Kimmel.

Georgia on my Mind
Although Birmingport, Alabama's Mike Harmon is the only Alabama native participating in this year's ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, the track is considered the closest stop to home for many on the ARCA RE/MAX Series tour, including several drivers who have roots in the Atlanta, Georgia area. Ken Butler, III is from Lilburn, Michael Phelps is from Suwanee, John Wes Townley is from Watkinsville, Mark Thompson is from Cartersville  and Dicky Williamson is from Savannah. Joey Logano, who is testing a Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet, is a Connecticut native but used to live in Alpharetta. Logano has been named as Tony Stewart's replacement in the No. 20 Home Depot Toyota Camry in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009.

Talladega Could be Key in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Points Race
Heading into Talladega, Eddie Sharp Racing's Scott Speed leads the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Point Standings by a slim, 65 point margin over Roush Fenway Racing's Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Speed posted an eighth place finish in the No. 2 Red Bull Toyota at New Jersey Motorsports Park after he was ordered to the tail end of the line for running over equipment on pit road during a mid-race pit stop. Stenhouse, Jr.'s No. 99 Aflac Ford Fusion team also had to battle from the back of the field after the team made a driver change on lap three during a full course caution. Stenhouse's Roush Fenway Racing teammate Colin Braun served as a relief driver for Stenhouse, who continues to recover from a crash in a Midget car at Eldora Speedway that occurred on Saturday, September 20th.

"I had a crash last weekend in the midget and I didn't think I was going to be 100 percent for this race so I just decided that for this race it would be best for Roush Fenway Racing for me to start it and to let Colin [Braun] finish it," said Stenhouse. "He did a good job and gained us some points and that's the main thing we wanted him to do."

Four of the top-5 championship point contenders posted top-10 finishes at NJMP, including Speed and Stenhouse (currently first and second in the point standings) and Justin Allgaier, who advanced from fifth to third in the point standings with his win in the Loud Energy Drink 150. Frank Kimmel remains fourth in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings after posting a tenth place finish in a No. 44 Stewart's Root Beer Ford built by veteran ARCA RE/MAX Series driver and car owner Bob Schacht. SunTrust Rookie Matt Carter entered the race weekend third in points but slipped to fifth after finishing 30^th. Carter started the Loud Energy Drink 150 at the rear of the field for changing a transmission during impound but worked his way all the way up to 17^th before cutting a tire on his No. 46 Stine Seed-Hantz Group Ford and crashing into a tire wall on lap 25.

Top-10 ARCA RE/MAX Series Points After The Loud Energy Drink 150 at New Jersey Motorsprts Park (9-28-08); 1) Scott Speed, 4520; 2) Ricky Stenhouse Jr, 4455; 3) Justin Allgaier, 4300; 4) Frank Kimmel, 4290; 5) Matt Carter, 4270; 6) Tayler Malsam, 3675; 7) Patrick Sheltra, 3660; 8) John Wes Townley, 3654; 9) Tom Hessert III, 3640; 9) Ken Butler III, 3640.

Kimmel Ready to Make First Talladega Superspeedway Start as Car Owner
Defending ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Frank Kimmel, winner of the last eight consecutive championships and nine overall, broke away from long-time car owner Larry Clement in 2008 to start Kimmel Racing with his crew chief/brother, Bill. Despite limited resources, limited equipment and the pressures of running a first-year race team, Kimmel is currently fourth in the ARCA RE/MAX Series points standings, 230 marks out of first on the strength of earning three victories this season (The Illinois State Fairgrounds, The DuQuoin State Fairgrounds and Salem Speedway).

Kimmel has 74 career victories, placing him second to Iggy Katona (79 career victories) on the all-time win list. He won the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega in 2006.

Double Duty for Seven Drivers at Talladega
As many as seven drivers are currently entered for both Friday's ARCA RE/MAX Series race at Talladega Superspeedway and Saturday's NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event, including John Wes Townley, Brian Scott, Scott Speed, Bryan Silas, Norm Benning, Joey Logano and Landon Cassill.

Talladega Superspeedway Full of ARCA RE/MAX Series History and Tradition
The ARCA RE/MAX Series has a long-standing tradition of racing at Talladega Superspeedway, dating back to 1969.  Five-time Talladega ARCA RE/MAX Series winner Grant Adcox, four-time winners Davey Allison and Tim Steele, three-time winner Charlie Glotzbach and two-time winners Red Farmer, Jimmy Horton, Tracy Leslie, Ramo Stott and Jim Vandiver join Blake Feese, Bobby Gerhart, Johnny Halford, Billie Harvey, Bruce Hill, Ron Hutcherson, David Keith, Frank Kimmel, Kraig Kinser, Mark Martin, Paul Menard, Jeff Purvis, Rick Roland, Sandy Satullo, Keith Segars, Bob Strait, Jim Vaughn and Mike Wallace as former winners at the 2.66-mile superspeedway.

This year's edition of the ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway marks the series' 46^th appearance to Talladega and is scheduled to air live on SPEED beginning at 5 p.m. Eastern on Friday, October 3rd, 2008.

Talladega to Determine 2008 Bill France Triple Crown Champion
With two races of the three-race ARCA RE/MAX Series Bill France Triple Crown Series complete, Frank Kimmel leads the standings over Dexter Bean, Matt Carter and Patrick Sheltra. Kimmel finished first at both the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds mile-dirt track on September 1^st and the Salem Speedway short track on September 13^th. The remaining race in the 2008 Bill France Triple Crown Series is at Talladega Superspeedway on October 3^rd.  Kimmel is the defending winner of the Bill France Triple Crown and has won the award a total of five times. Other winners include Blake Bjorklund, Brent Sherman, Jason Jarrett, Tim Steele, Bob Keselowski, Tracy Leslie and Davey Allison, to name a few.

Bill France Triple Crown Champions, 1984-2007

The Bill France Triple Crown is a separate point fund within the 21-race ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule that tests drivers on a challenging combination of venues, including a dirt track (The Southern Illinois 100 at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds, September 1^st), a short track (The Eddie Gilstrap Motors 200 by Advance Auto Parts at Salem Speedway on September 13^th) and a superspeedway (The ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway on October 3^rd).

The ARCA RE/MAX Series has honored a Bill France Triple Crown champion at the end-of-the-year Championship Awards Banquet each consecutive season since 1984.

Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge up for Grabs at Talladega
The October 3^rd ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Talladega Superspeedway marks the tenth and final race in the 2008 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge. The Superspeedway Challenge, which is a separate point fund for races on speedway ovals greater than one mile in length, kicked off with the ARCA 200 at Daytona on February 9^th. Other superspeedway challenge events on the 2008 schedule include Kansas Speedway (April 26^th),  Kentucky Speedway (May 10^th, July 18^th), Pocono Raceway (June 7^th, August 2^nd), Michigan Int'l Speedway (June 13^th), Nashville Superspeedway (August 9^th), Chicagoland Speedway (September 6^th) and Talladega Superspeedway (October 3^rd). Currently, car owner Eddie Sharp leads the Superspeedway Challenge standings with driver Scott Speed. Jack Roush is second in the standings with driver Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. followed by Sharp with driver Ken Butler, III.

Last season, ARCA RE/MAX Series car owner Ray Evernham and driver Erin Crocker earned Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge honors, marking the first time that a female driver has earned the award. Other former recipients of the award include Frank Kimmel, Bobby Gerhart, Chad Blount, Bob Strait, Bill Baird, Mark Gibson, Tim Steele and Mike Wallace, among others.

CONTACTS:
ARCA PR/Media, office (734) 847-6726
Don Radebaugh, cell (419) 450-0611
Jackie L. Franzil, cell (419) 574-2685