December 1st - December 5th, 2008
Monday: It's Driver Review Week here on the Frontstretch! In honor of the upcoming banquet in New York City, we have some festivities of our own, giving season report cards on the years of 10th place point finisher Kyle Busch and 9th place Tony Stewart. Be sure to read and vote for the grade YOU would give your favorite driver!
Tuesday: 8th place Denny Hamlin and 7th place Jeff Gordon are profiled as driver reviews continue.
Wednesday: 6th place Jeff Burton and 5th place Clint Bowyer get graded as our profiles keep rollin' on.
Thursday: 4th place Kevin Harvick and 3rd place Greg Biffle get their report cards as the season-ending banquet gets ever closer.
Friday: Just before they go up on the big stage, runner-up Carl Edwards and 2008 Sprint Cup Champion Jimmie Johnson get their season-ending reviews.
- This week on the Frontstretch!
Looking to see when and where your favorite columns (and columnists) pop up every week? Click here to find out all the details! - Advertise With Us!
Want your products and services to be a part of one of the fastest growing racing website on the net? Get all your questions answered about advertising here. - Write for Us
Think you have what it takes to write for the Frontstretch? Follow this link for more information on how you can become a weekly columnist for the site! - Driver Diary Schedule
Want to know when your favorite drivers are telling their latest stories to the Frontstretch? Check out the schedule link to figure out when David Reutimann, David Starr, Rick Crawford, and Kenny Wallace are stopping by.
|
| Subscribe to The Frontstretch Newsletter |
| Visit this group |
ESR Ready to Make Sweet Music in the Music City
Friday August 8, 2008
DENVER, N.C. (August 6, 2008) – Following a very satisfying weekend at Pocono Raceway, the Eddie Sharp Racing teams are packed and ready to head to Nashville, Tennessee for the Toyota 150. ESR teammates Justin Lofton, Scott Speed, and Ken Butler, III are looking forward to another weekend of speedway domination. With stellar finishes at Pocono, all three teams climbed in the championship point standings, including Speed’s move to the top position. Full of focus and determination, look for the ESR cars to be a factor this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway.
Speed climbed from 37th in points following a disappointing start at Daytona to the first place position in only 13 races. With a 95 point lead over second place Matt Carter, the No. 2 Red Bull team is looking forward to a visit to Nashville. In 2007, Michael McDowell put the No. 2 on the pole position. With four SIM Factory Pole Awards already in his back pocket, including last weekend’s pole at Pocono, Speed is a likely candidate to lead the field to the green flag in Saturday’s race. Speed also leads the SunTrust Rookie of the Year and Superspeedway Challenge standings. Crew Chief Patrick Donahue is leading the Cometic Crew Chief of the Year standings.
Lofton, who first competed in the Lofton Cattle Dodge at Salem Speedway in April, has made a steady climb up the rankings in recent months. With his 11th-place finish at Pocono, Lofton jumped into the top 15. Like teammate Speed, Lofton will compete on concrete for the first time in his career. With a win at Michigan International Speedway and a SIM Factory Pole Award at Cayuga, Lofton is looking to continue the charge and take home the famous Nashville Superspeedway guitar.
Heading to Nashville, KBIII is the veteran driver of the ESR team. In 2007, Butler started the Toyota 150 in the seventh position and wheeled the No. 22 to an 11th-place finish. A much-needed top 10 finish at Pocono catapulted the driver of the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota back into the tenth position in ARCA RE/MAX Series points. Ready to ride the momentum from a positive weekend in Pennsylvania, look for the No. 22 Aaron’s machine to be very competitive in the Music City.
All three speedway demons are ready to rock and roll on Saturday evening in event 14 on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. Here are some quotes from each of the ESR drivers:
Scott Speed (No. 2 Red Bull Toyota):
“We should run well at Nashville. I have tested there twice in the last few weeks, so I feel like I know the track better than some right now. That is a good advantage going into this weekend. I have a great group of people behind me and I am grateful for that.”
“Taking the points lead is great. Of course I would like to win the ARCA Championship, but right now we are focused on one race at a time and hope in the end we’re on top.”
Justin Lofton (No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge):
“I’m looking forward to this weekend at Nashville. I’ve never raced on concrete before so this will be another new experience for me. I have the utmost confidence and faith in Wayne Carroll and the Lofton Cattle crew. The Nashville guitar has to be one of the coolest trophies in racing and I would like nothing more than to add that one to the collection this year!”
Ken Butler, III (No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine Toyota):
“Thankfully we broke the trail of bad luck we’ve been having and got a solid finish last weekend at Pocono. The Aaron’s Lucky Dog team is confident and excited about going to Nashville this weekend. We have high hopes and are very hungry. I am fortunate to have raced there last year and I’m really looking forward to returning to Nashville.”
ARCA RE/MAX Series practice runs from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, August 8, 2008. Teams return to the track on Saturday for SIM Factory Pole Qualifying at 11:30 a.m. Driver Introductions begin Saturday August 9th at 4:00 p.m. and the green flag for the Toyota flies at 4:30 p.m. The race will be broadcast LIVE on SPEED. All times listed are EASTERN.
Catch all the action at arcaracing.com offering LIVE Timing & Scoring of all on-track activities as well as LIVE flag-to-flag streaming audio coverage of the race through the ARCA Racing Network exclusively on arcanation.com presented by Team Glock.
For more on Eddie Sharp Racing, please log onto www.teamesr.com.
For more on Scott Speed, please visit www.redbullusa.com/scottspeed.
For more on Ken Butler, III, please visit www.butlerbrothersracing.com.
For more on Justin Lofton, please visit www.loftonracing.com.
2008 AT A GLANCE —
Scott Speed (No. 2 Red Bull Toyota):
1st in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points (3045 points; 95 points ahead of second place)
Best Start: First (three times) at Pocono Raceway, June 2008; Michigan International Speedway, June 2008; and Pocono Raceway, August 2008
Best Finish: First (three times) at Kansas Speedway, April 2008; Kentucky, July 2008; and Berlin, July 2008
Ken Butler, III (No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Dream Machine Toyota):
10th in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points (2405 points; 640 out of 1st)
Best Start: First at Kansas Speedway, April 2008
Best Finish: 4th at Kentucky Speedway, May 2008
Justin Lofton (No. 20 Lofton Cattle Dodge):
15th in ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship points (1980 points; 1065 out of 1st)
***note: has made 10/11 starts (Lofton’s first race was at Salem Speedway)
Best Start: First at Cayuga Speedway Park, June 2008
Best Finish: First at Michigan International Speedway, June 2008
Still haven’t joined the Frontstretch Forums? Here’s a peek at what you’re
missing this week:
How does Jimmie Johnson compare to Cale Yarborough?
Ten things we hated about the 2008 season
Ten things we loved about the 2008 season
Make sure to join us during the offseason as we follow any news and stories that come out.
Click here to join the forums and tell us what you think. Don’t miss out on a chance to share your opinion with a growing community of fans just like you!
This report was provided by an outside PR source and posted by Tony Lumbis.
©2000 - 2008 Tony Lumbis and Frontstetch.com. Thanks for visiting the Frontstretch!
