James
Buescher Battles ARCA Warriors for USA Int’l Victory
16-Year-Old
Wins in Career-First Start
LAKELAND
FL (3-24-07) – Two days shy of his 17th
birthday, James Buescher, in his career first ARCA RE/MAX
Series start, steered his way into the history books with a
stunning victory in the Construct Corps-Palm Beach Grading
250 Saturday night at USA Int’l Speedway in Lakeland,
Florida.
The
Plano, Texas driver, after dodging several bullets,
out-dueled rookie Bryan Clauson in the closing laps to score
the thrilling victory for his Country Joe Racing team and
the near capacity crowd on hand for the inaugural event.
“What
a great night,” said Buescher in victory lane. “We got
up front early and stayed up front. I just want to thank all
these guys at Country Joe Racing, and my family. They all
made this happen. What a great birthday present; we just had
a really good night.”
Buescher,
in the Mercedes Homes-Red Line Oil Dodge, raced underneath
Clauson 11 laps from the finish, and then held off the
hungry pack through a green-white-checker finish. Clauson,
in a Chip Ganassi Racing Memorex-sponsored Dodge, finished
two lengths away in second after leading 61 laps. It was
also Clauson’s career-first series start.
“James
drove a great race,” said Clauson, who battled back from
an earlier race incident. “Our tires were just used up. We
stretched our last run 125 laps, so we were really slipping
and sliding out there. But what a great night overall. I
want to thank Ganassi Racing and Memorex for the
opportunity; I think we’ll be back this year for five to
eight more ARCA races.”
Wildwood,
Florida driver Wayne Anderson, in the McDowell
Construction-Airframe Int’l Dodge, gave the locals
something to cheer about with a career-best third place
finish.
“Wow,
what a night,” said Anderson. “It was like bumper cars
out there all night; I think we hit everything but the pace
car. This is such a neat little racetrack. This is where
this series belongs, at places like this. I really hope ARCA
comes back.”
Anderson
wasn’t the only driver who landed against another machine
as 18 cautions for a variety of thrills and spills shook the
field up constantly throughout the 250 lap race, which was
extended three laps to accommodate the ARCA-mandated green
flag finish. There were no injuries, but plenty of sparks to
continually light up the southern skies.
Justin
Allgaier, in the Hoosier Midwest-AG Tech-Trashman-USAF
Chevrolet, raced his way from 19th to fourth in
the final running order ahead of Brian Keselowski, who
finished fifth in the Holloway-Dusty’s Collision Dodge
after leading 35 laps. As a result of Allgaier’s solid
effort, the Springfield, Illinois driver is tied with Frank
Kimmel for the championship points lead headed to Nashville
Superspeedway for event number three of the 23 race
schedule.
ARCA
Pole Award winner Bobby Santos III, in the Bill Davis Racing
Toyota, was impressive early leading the first 116 laps
before getting tangled up with Patrick Sheltra on a restart,
an incident that also collected Billy Venturini and Clauson.
All but Santos were able to return to competition. The
occasion marked the career-first Pole Award for Toyota in
ARCA RE/MAX Series competition as well as the first time a
Toyota led laps in RE/MAX Series competition.
Apopka,
Florida driver Tim Russell finished sixth in the Rinnai
Tankless Water Heaters-Eagle Creek Aviation Dodge with
Kimmel, in the Tri-State Motorsports-Pork Ford, trailing in
seventh. Kimmel, who started 25th, was also
awarded the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger Award for advancing
the most positions. Ellenton, Florida driver John Jackson,
who led seven laps, finished eighth in the Fixatire-James
Carter Attorney Chevrolet. Justin South, in the HD Supply
Chevrolet, finished ninth with Stuart, Florida driver Bryan
Silas, in the Nortrax-Holland Pump Chevrolet, trailing in 10th.
The
next event for the ARCA RE/MAX Series will be the Nashville
ARCA 150 at Nashville Superspeedway on April 7th.
Top-10
ARCA RE/MAX Series points after the Construct Corps-Palm
Beach Grading 250 at USA Int'l Speedway (3-24-07)
1)
Frank Kimmel 405; 1) Justin Allgaier 405; 3) Phillip
McGilton 350; 4) Bobby Gerhart 345; 5) Mario Gosselin 340;
6) Michael McDowell 320; 7) Darrell Basham 275; 8) Dexter
Bean 240; 8) James Buescher 240; 10) Brian Keselowski 230;
10) Bryan Clauson 230.
CONTACTS
ARCA PR/Media
Don Radebaugh (419)
450-0611
Jackie L. Franzil (419)
574-2685
http://www.arcaracing.com
Official Finish
| FIN |
STR |
NO |
DRIVER/HOMETOWN |
TEAM
& CAR |
LAPS |
STATUS |
| 1 |
2 |
32 |
James
Buescher/Plano TX |
Mercedes
Homes-Red Line Oil Dodge |
253 |
Running |
| 2 |
3 |
40 |
Bryan
Clauson/Noblesville IN |
Memorex
Dodge |
253 |
Running |
| 3 |
6 |
8 |
Wayne
Anderson/Wildwood FL |
McDowell
Construction-Airframe Int'l Dodge |
253 |
Running |
| 4 |
19 |
16 |
Justin
Allgaier/Springfield IL |
Hoosier
Midwest-AG Tech-Trashman-USAF Chevrolet |
253 |
Running |
| 5 |
5 |
29 |
Brian
Keselowski/Rochester Hills MI |
Holloway-Dusty's
Collision Dodge |
253 |
Running |
| 6 |
14 |
9 |
Tim
Russell/Apopka FL |
Rinnai
Tankless Water Heaters-Eagle Creek Dodge |
253 |
Running |
| 7 |
25 |
46 |
Frank
Kimmel/Clarksville IN |
Tri-State
Motorsports-Pork Ford |
253 |
Running |
| 8 |
16 |
72 |
John
Jackson/Ellenton FL |
Fixatire-James
Carter Attorney-DGM Chevrolet |
253 |
Running |
| 9 |
13 |
59 |
Justin
South/Hueytown AL |
HD
Supply Dodge |
253 |
Running |
| 10 |
18 |
11 |
Bryan
Silas/Stuart FL |
Nortrax-Holland
Pump Chevrolet |
253 |
Running |
| 11 |
17 |
60 |
Patrick
Sheltra/Indiantown FL |
Premier
Motorsports Chevrolet |
253 |
Running |
| 12 |
4 |
12 |
Mario
Gosselin/Lake Wales FL |
Guaranteed
Concrete-James Carter Chevrolet |
252 |
Running |
| 13 |
27 |
47 |
Phillip
McGilton/Marion IL |
SIPerformance
Ford |
252 |
Running |
| 14 |
26 |
25 |
Billy
Venturini/Chicago IL |
Remax.com
Chevrolet |
252 |
Running |
| 15 |
21 |
48 |
Nick
Tucker/Kannapolis NC |
FreeFeds.org
Dodge |
252 |
Running |
| 16 |
23 |
00 |
Robb
Brent/Shelby Twp MI |
Keselowski
Racing Ford |
252 |
Running |
| 17 |
22 |
1 |
Dominick
Casola/Wall Twp NJ |
Casola
Farms Ford |
251 |
Running |
| 18 |
7 |
2 |
Michael
McDowell/Phoenix AZ |
Z-Line
Design-Make-A-Wish Dodge |
249 |
Running |
| 19 |
30 |
34 |
Darrell
Basham/Henryville IN |
Anti
Monkey Butt Powder Chevrolet |
248 |
Running |
| 20 |
9 |
22 |
Ken
Butler III/Sherrills Ford NC |
ESR
Development Team Dodge |
242 |
Running |
| 21 |
20 |
23 |
Josh
Krug/Omaha NE |
Big
Ford Enterprise-Johnson Hardware Chevrolet |
239 |
Running |
| 22 |
28 |
90 |
Gabi
DiCarlo/Vail CO |
Great
Clips Ford |
238 |
Running |
| 23 |
34 |
84 |
Norm
Benning/Pittsburgh PA |
Benning
Motorsports Chevrolet |
237 |
Running |
| 24 |
29 |
38 |
Mike
Harmon/Birmingport AL |
All
Sports Armour Chevrolet |
236 |
Accident |
| 25 |
37 |
06 |
Tim
Mitchell/Fayetteville TN |
Star
Wheels Skate Center-Reid's Auto Color Ford |
234 |
Running |
| 26 |
24 |
5 |
Bobby
Gerhart/Lebanon PA |
Lucas
Oil Chevrolet |
218 |
Accident |
| 27 |
35 |
7 |
Dicky
Williamson/Savannah GA |
BreastCancer.org
Ford |
184 |
Running |
| 28 |
15 |
6 |
Dexter
Bean/Westby WI |
Five
Star Telecom Chevrolet |
177 |
Accident |
| 29 |
33 |
08 |
Jason
Hedlesky/Clinton MI |
Hardcore
Motorsports Ford |
177 |
Engine |
| 30 |
36 |
26 |
Brad
Smith/Belleville MI |
Call
Us Mobile Home Service Ford |
149 |
Running |
| 31 |
12 |
4 |
Ryan
Mathews/Lake Geneva WI |
Cunningham
Motorsports Dodge |
138 |
Accident |
| 32 |
11 |
65 |
Justin
Marks/Rocklin CA |
Construct
Corps-No Fear Energy Drink Dodge |
131 |
Accident |
| 33 |
1 |
02 |
Bobby
Santos III/Franklin MA |
Bill
Davis Racing Toyota |
124 |
Accident |
| 34 |
39 |
79 |
Mike
Koch/Mountain Home AR |
K&K
Racing-Karl's Plumbing Pontiac |
88 |
Engine |
| 35 |
32 |
21 |
Todd
Bowsher/Springfield OH |
Jack
Bowsher & Associates Ford |
87 |
Transmssn |
| 36 |
8 |
37 |
Michelle
Theriault/Bristol CT |
Glock
Chevrolet |
58 |
Accident |
| 37 |
31 |
52 |
Bill
Baird/Sarasota FL |
Saturn
Machine Dodge |
57 |
Engine |
| 38 |
10 |
62 |
Chad
McCumbee/Supply NC |
Nortrax-Holland
Pump Chevrolet |
47 |
Engine |
| 39 |
40 |
13 |
Mark
Gibson/Winder GA |
Mark
Gibson Racing Chevrolet |
1 |
Handling |
| 40 |
38 |
93 |
Julian
Penaruiz/Paris France |
Drew
White Motorsports Chevrolet |
1 |
Handling |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
POLE
AWARD: Bobby Santos III 22.070 (122.338 mph) |
|
|
|
|
|
MRGN
OF VICT: .840 seconds |
CAUTIONS:
18 for 95 laps |
|
|
|
|
|
TIME
OF RACE: 2:37:32 |
AVG
SPEED: 82.605 mph |
|
|
|
|
|
LAP
LEADERS: Santos 1-88, 96-123 (116); Jackson 89-95 (7);
Keselowski 124-158 (35); Buescher 159-179, |
|
|
|
241-253
(34); Clauson 180-240 (61) |
|