Rookie Michael McDowell Dominates Chicagoland

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JOLIET, Ill. (Sept. 8, 2007) – With a sharp eye still on a championship, ARCA RE/MAX Series rookie Michael McDowell capped off a picture perfect weekend Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway with a convincing victory in the Chicagoland ARCA 200.

The Phoenix, Ariz., rookie, after earning his eighth career SIM Factory Pole Award, kept his Z Line-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge up front most of the afternoon, leading 98 laps of the 134-lap, 200-mile race en route to his third career ARCA RE/MAX Series victory.

McDowell also narrowed Frank Kimmel’s point lead to 150 markers with three events remaining in 2007.

“It’s just a testament to Eddie Sharp Racing and the whole Z Line Design-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge crew,” McDowell said. “It’s just amazing. It’s good to be able to come out here and be dominate. We’ve had the car to do it in the past, but we’ve just been unlucky. We just have to keep moving forward and score maximum points to make it happen in this championship. If Frank (Kimmel) happens to have a mistake, we’ll be right there to capitalize and if not, we’ll be able to look back at this year and be able to smile. We’ve won races, won the most poles and led the most laps. So it has been a pretty good year.”

McDowell took the lead for good on lap 101 when Jeremy Clements, who led laps 74-100, pitted out of sequence with the other lead-lap cars. With Clements mired deep in the field, McDowell continually pulled away from the pack as necessary.

Justin Marks, in the Construct Dodge, finished second about 10 lengths in arrears.

“It was good we got the car turning really well, maybe even too well,” Marks said. “We were kind of loose most of the day and it really started to come to us during a long run. If we could have gone the last 20-25 laps green, we might have had something for Michael (McDowell), but we got a little bit tight there when the sun came out. I’m just really proud of this Construct Corps Team. Robby (Benton crew chief) and all of the guys did a great job, and I would really like to repay them with a win. We’ve got three more opportunities to do that. I’m just absolutely driving my heart out. That’s what I want—a win.”

Roush Fenway Racing’s Colin Braun finished third in only his second career ARCA RE/MAX Series start.

“That was what today was really about, learning,” Braun said. “Everybody at Roush Fenway has done a really great job in helping me to adapt to driving on the ovals. Erik Darnell and Travis Kvapil both came out a few times and helped me out during a few tests, so a big thanks out to those guys. We had great pit stops and my crew chief, Jeff Campey, was very helpful. Looking forward to getting in the next one at Talladega.”

Clements, who was the only driver who could really contend with McDowell, made it back to fourth in the family-owned 1 Stop Convenience-Spartan Constructors Chevrolet.

Erin Crocker finished fifth in the Evernham Motorsports Dodge. The Wilbraham, Mass., driver also extended her point lead over Kimmel in the Superspeedway Challenge championship with just one superspeedway event remaining in 2007.

Kimmel finished sixth in the Fort Dodge Animal Health-Pork Ford in front of Dexter Bean, who placed seventh in the Five Star Telecom Chevrolet. Brett Hudson took eighth in the Habitat For Humanity Dodge, while Blake Feese was ninth in the ScottishRite.org-FPC1.com Dodge.

Billy Venturini, in the ABC Auto Parts-Texas Corral Chevrolet, finished 10th after starting 31st, earning the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger honors.

From Chicagoland, the ARCA RE/MAX Series returns to short-track racing for the Eddie Gilstrap Motors Fall Classic at Salem Speedway in Southern Indiana on Sept. 15.

Top-5 Points after the Aug. 8 Chicagoland ARCA 200 at Chicagoland Speedway: 1) Frank Kimmel 4,810; 2) Michael McDowell 4,660; 3) Dexter Bean 4,395; 4) Justin Allgaier 4,080; 5) Phillip McGilton 4,075.


Official Results
Chicagoland ARCA RE/MAX Series 200
Sept. 8. 2007

FIN STR NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN TEAM & CAR LAPS STATUS
1 1 2 Michael McDowell/Phoenix AZ Z Line-Make A Wish-Beck Dodge 134 Running
2 8 65 Justin Marks/Rocklin CA Construct Corps Dodge 134 Running
3 5 99 Colin Braun/Ovalo TX Roush Fenway Racing Ford 134 Running
4 2 3 Jeremy Clements/Spartanburg SC 1 Stop Convenience-Spartan Constructors Chevy 134 Running
5 17 98 Erin Crocker/Wilbraham MA Evernham Motorsports Dodge 134 Running
6 4 46 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN Fort Dodge Animal Health-Pork Ford 134 Running
7 22 6 Dexter Bean/Westby WI Five Star Telecom Chevrolet 134 Running
8 3 0 Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY Habitat For Humanity-BHM Dodge 134 Running
9 26 8 Blake Feese/Saybrook IL ScottishRite.org-FPC1.com Dodge 134 Running
10 31 25 Billy Venturini/Chicago IL ABC Auto Parts-Texas Corral Chevrolet 134 Running
11 15 59 Justin South/Hueytown AL HD Supply Dodge 134 Running
12 29 87 Andy Lally/Dacula GA The Racers Group-Adobe Road Winery Chevrolet 134 Running
13 16 60 Patrick Sheltra/Indiantown FL CP Products-US Construction Chevrolet 134 Running
14 11 75 Jason Hedlesky/Clinton MI Curtis Compressors Ford 134 Running
15 32 23 Josh Krug/Omaha NE Bigford Enterprises-ARCASimRacing.com Chevy 134 Running
16 13 32 Joey Miller/Farmington MN Youngfield Homes-Red Line Oil Dodge 134 Running
17 36 38 Mike Harmon/Birmingport AL Richardson-Netzloff-Harmon Racing Chevrolet 132 Running
18 34 84 Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA Norm Benning Racing Chevrolet 132 Running
19 21 07 Billy Tanner/Newtown PA CheapCaribbean.com Chevrolet 131 Running
20 20 72 John Jackson/Ellenton FL James Carter Attorney-Underwire Services Chevy 131 Running
21 35 90 Gabi DiCarlo/Phoenix AZ Great Clips Chevrolet 130 Running
22 24 39 Pete Shepherd/Brampton ON BeavEx-Reliance Tool-Zardo Scrap Metal Ford 122 Running
23 38 26 Brad Smith/Shelby Township MI Koolmat Ford 115 Running
24 7 11 Bryan Silas/Stuart FL Nortrax-Holland Pump Chevrolet 114 Running
25 40 62 Pierre Bourque/Ottawa ON La Raza-Impremedia Chevrolet 111 Running
26 10 47 Phillip McGilton/Marion IL SI Performance Ford 109 Running
27 28 16 Justin Allgaier/Springfield IL AG Tech Chevrolet 98 Running
28 9 66 Bryan Reffner/Stevens Point WI RaceTeamGear.com-GeoVax Labratories Chevy 95 Engine
29 30 4 Rob Bunker/Bridgewater NJ Cunningham-Dodge Motorsports Dodge 79 Accident
30 18 12 Mario Gosselin/Lake Wales FL James Carter Attorney-Underwire Services Chevy 71 Accident
31 19 56 Marc Mitchell/Tallahassee FL Ergon Chevrolet 59 Engine
32 14 48 Carl Long/Roxboro NC FreeFeds.org Dodge 56 Engine
33 23 00 Robb Brent/Shelby Township MI Orchard Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep Ford 45 Accident
34 27 37 Michelle Theriault/Bristol CT Glock Chevrolet 37 Vibration
35 6 22 Josh Wise/Riverside CA ESR Development-NAPA Toyota 25 Accident
36 12 31 Alex Yontz/Walnut Cove NC Pike.com Chevrolet 25 Accident
37 37 34 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Anti Monkey Butt Powder Pontiac 24 Accident
38 25 1 Dominick Casola/Holmdel NJ A. Casola Farms Ford 17 Engine
39 39 79 Mike Koch/Mountain Home AR K&K Racing-Karl's Plumbing Pontiac 6 Vibration
40 33 5 Brian Keselowski/Rochester Hills MI Lucas Oil Chevrolet 1 Transmssn

SIM FACTORY POLE AWARD: Michael McDowell 30.540 (176.817 mph)
MGRN OF VICT: 1.092 seconds CAUTIONS: 10 for 47 laps
TIME OF RACE: 1:52:03 AVG SPEED: 107.630 mph
LAP LEADERS: McDowell 1-28, 38-73, 101-134 (98); Silas 29-35, 37 (8); South 36 (1);
Clements 74-100 (27)