Factsheets
RACE: Pennsylvania 200, 8-2-08
TRACK: Pocono Raceway, 2.5-mile paved triangle
LOCATION: Long Pond, PA
DISTANCE: 80 laps, 200 miles
SANCTION: ARCA
SERIES: Event #13 of the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series
PROMOTER: Pocono Raceway, Inc., PR - Bob Pleban (570) 646-2300
SCHEDULE:
Fri, Aug 1: Practice 10:15am - 11:55am. SIM Factory Pole Qualifying at 1:45pm.
Sat, Aug 2: Pennsylvania 200 at 1:00pm.
POSTED AWARDS: $218,703 in prize, point and contingency money.
ARCA OFFICIAL COMPANIES: RE/MAX International Inc, Aaron's Sales & Leasing, Featherlite Trailers, Hoosier Racing Tire, Lincoln Welders, Mallory Ignition, Racing Electronics, Sunoco Race Fuels.
ARCA OFFICIAL PRODUCTS: Amkus Rescue Systems, Bilstein Shocks, Casite, Cometic Gasket, Dodge Motorsports, Eibach Springs, Exedy, Fast Track High Performance Driving School, Flowmaster, G-Force Racing Gear, Holley HP Carbs, Intercomp, Klotz Synthetic Lubricants, Landrum Spring Service, Mo'sGold, Motive Gear, SIM Factory, Stoner Car Care Products, SunTrust Bank, University of Northwestern Ohio.
PARTICIPATING COMPANIES: Accel Wires, BSR Products, Crane Cams, Ford Motor Company, Hutcherson-Pagan, Ilmor Engineering, Impact Racing, JE Pistons, Joyce Julius & Associates, Mechanix Wear, Moroso, RaceSafe Systems, Rhyne Racing Engines, Tesar Engineering, Toyota Racing Development, Wallace Race Car Lettering.
RECORDS: Qualifying - Kyle Busch, 52.678 (170.849 mph) 2003. Race - Mike Wallace (142.668 mph) 1995.
MEDIA COVERAGE: ARCAracing.com: LIVE Streaming Audio of Race & LIVE Timing & Scoring
NOTES OF INTEREST: The Pennsylvania 200 marks the 47th ARCA RE/MAX Series event on the 2.5-mile Pocono triangle since 1983. However, the first ARCA race at Pocono was in 1969 on the ¾-mile oval won by Bobby Watson in a Dodge. The championship point battle is beginning to heat up among SunTrust rookies' Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. and Scott Speed. Speed is the most recent winner on the tour with his victory at Berlin last Saturday, and the only 3-time winner in 2008. Currently, Stenhouse, a development driver under the Roush Fenway Racing banner, leads Speed by 55 points headed to Pocono. Stenhouse was the winner at Pocono back in June with Speed finishing in second. As close as the championship battle is, the race for SunTrust Rookie of the Year honors is even closer. Currently Speed leads Stenhouse in that category by just 2 points. Veteran Frank Kimmel, coming off a 3rd place finish at Berlin, is 3rd in championship points, 100 points out of first. Kimmel, a 3-time Pocono winner, has averaged 6.6 wins per season over the last 10 years, but is winless yet in 2008. In search of seat-time, Aric Almirola has entered the Pennsylvania 200 in a DEI Chevrolet. Almirola has already been named driver of the DEI 8 car in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 2009. Jarit Johnson, younger brother of 2-time Cup champ Jimmy Johnson, has also filed an entry for the Pennsylvania 200, as has Chrissy Wallace, daughter of NASCAR/ARCA veteran Mike Wallace. Mike Wallace won 3 consecutive ARCA RE/MAX Series events at Pocono in 1995 and 1996. Also entered is Chase Miller in an Evernham Motorsports Dodge. Miller, who's been competing part-time in the NASCAR Nationwide and Craftsman Truck Series, won the Pocono 200 in 2006. This year's PA 200 entry list certainly has a local feel throughout with Long Pond, PA's Chase Mattioli entered. Mattioli is the grandson Pocono Raceway patriarchs' Dr. Joe and Rose Mattioli. Also adding local flavor (relatively speaking) is Slatington, PA's Kory Rabenold, Billy Pauch, Jr. (Frenchtown NJ), Tom Hessert III (Cherry Hill NJ), Bobby Gerhart (Lebanon PA), Dominick Casola (Holmdel NJ), Brian Kaltreider (Reading PA) and Mike Zazula (Turnersville NJ). Gerhart, a 5-time Daytona winner, recently turned 50 back on July 21. Tim Steele is the all-time winner at Pocono with 9 victories, including five in a row ('96 through '98) followed by Bob Schacht with 6 and Bob Keselowski with 5. Mike Wallace & Frank Kimmel each have 3; Jimmy Horton and Casey Mears each have 2; 1-time winners include Blaise Alexander, Casey Atwood, Kerry Earnhardt, Ryan Hemphill, Ben Hess, Bobby Jacks, Travis Kvapil, Damon Lusk, Chad McCumbee, Michael McDowell, Chase Miller, Ryan Newman, Jeff Purvis, Lee Raymond, Scott Riggs and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. 16 ARCA RE/MAX Series races at Pocono have been won from the pole.
