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 LONG
POND, PA (June 8) -- Damon Lusk captured the Pocono ARCA 200 Saturday
at Pocono Raceway--passing series veteran Frank Kimmel with two laps
to go en route to the win. Lusk led three different times during the
86-lap race in which Kimmel dominated. Kimmel also led three separate
times for a total of 70 laps before giving way to Lusk in the final
two circuits.
Thirty-seven cars started the race that had the
starting field set by car owner points after rain cancelled qualifying
efforts. That put Frank Kimmel on the pole with rookie Chad Blount to
his right.
Kimmel took the lead at the outset leading the first
nine circuits before third starting Damon Lusk moved into the lead on
lap 10. Lusk's lead lasted until Kevin Belmont took a turn at the point.
Belmont's lead lasted three laps before Mark Gibson took over for a
single lap. Kimmel regained the lead on lap 21. From there, Kimmel and
Lusk would swap the lead two more times before Lusk assumed the lead
for good on lap 85 when Kimmel cut down a left rear tire after a
caution period which extended the race six laps.
Finishing in second place was Jason Jarrett. Nine
drivers finished the race on the lead lap. Rick Carelli, Ron Cox,
Bobby Gerhart, Billy Venturini, Andy Belmont, Chase Montgomery and
Frank Kimmel rounded out the top nine.
Hoosier's ARCA Product Manager, Jeff Speer, commented
on the new tire combination brought to Pocono, "We were very pleased
with the performance of the new tire at Pocono." Speer continued,
"For the past several years, Hoosier had used an aggressive tread compound setup for the Pocono race in June and July.
But with the reduction of tire codes, we decided to bring a more conservative
and cooler running compound. The tires worked great, running an entire gas
stop (45 laps) on a set of tires. The tread wear, temperature and most of all handling were not an
issue during the race and many teams commented that they did not even notice the change." The
left side tires will also be used this weekend at Michigan Int'l
Speedway.
Despite the disappointing finish, Kimmel remains atop
the ARCA RE/MAX Series standings with 2010 points. Damon Lusk (1930)
and Chad Blount (1865) round out the top three spots. Blount finished
a disappointing 15th after losing a cylinder.
The ARCA Series resumes action this weekend, June
15th, at Michigan International Speedway.
Hoosier Racing Tire Corp. proudly remains the sole
supplier for the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
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