|
 NASHVILLE,
TN (August 14) -- Nineteen-year-old Joey Miller got the attention of
the racing world Saturday when the Minnesota driver won his first-ever
ARCA RE/MAX Series start after starting third in the 41-car field.
What made the win even more impressive is he did it after falling two
laps down. Miller, driving the #9 Country Joe Homes Dodge, led the
final 11 laps of the 151-lap Waste Management 200, at Nashville
Superspeedway on Saturday before a stunned crowd.
Rookie Ryan Hemphill earned the Pork Pole Award
smashing the old track record he set back in April by more than three
miles an hour. The six-time winner this season circled the 1.33-mile
oval in 29.140 seconds or 164.681 mph. The old record was 161.369 mph.
Hemphill was joined in the front row by Stuart Kirby.
The race began with Hemphill immediately taking
command, but a rear-end malfunction ended the young hot shoe's day on
just the second circuit with fellow front-row starter Kirby assuming
the race lead. Kirby led the race's next 14 circuits before fourth
starting Frank Kimmel took the first of two turns out front. Kimmel
led the most laps with 59 (16-36, 47-84), while Todd Bowsher (37-39),
Ken Weaver (40-46) and Jason Jarrett (85-99) also took a turn leading
Saturday's event. Rookie Kyle Krisiloff also led once for 41 laps
before Joey Miller, who had fallen two laps down after suffering a cut
tire early on, made the final pass for the lead with just 11 laps
remaining in the contest. Amazingly, Miller was making his very first
ARCA RE/MAX Series start.
Following the rookie to the finish line was sixth
starting Kyle Krisiloff in second and Frank Kimmel in third. Mario
Gosselin finished in fourth followed by A.J. Fike, T.J. Bell, Jennifer
Jo Cobb, Chevy White (driving a Dodge), Jason Jarrett and Brian
Keselowski in fifth through tenth, respectively. A.J. Fike won the
Hoosier Tire Hard Charger Award for advancing the most positions. Fike
started 23rd before finishing fifth. Sixteen of the 41 race starters
finished the race on the lead lap. Miller's margin of victory was
nearly three (2.985) seconds.
As always, the event was serviced out of Hoosier's
Track Service Department from Lakeville, IN. Doug Barnes, Hoosier's
ARCA Track Service Manager, was in charge of the servicing activities
and was assisted by engineer Rick Tostevin, crew chief Dave
Wroblewski, Jason Perkins, Mike Haenes, Tom Carter, Jacob Hartle and
Kevin Wroblewski.
Frank Kimmel extended his lead in the driver standings
over Brent Sherman after Sherman finished 21st in Saturday's race.
Kimmel has 4330 points followed by Sherman with 3740 points. Billy
Venturini, T.J. Bell and Jason Jarrett round out the top five in the
rankings.
The ARCA RE/MAX Series is back in action this Sunday
on the 1-mile dirt oval at the Illinois State Fairgrounds where all
the competitors will be riding on Hoosier bias-ply dirt track tires.
Frank Kimmel is the defending race winner.
Hoosier is the official tire supplier to the ARCA
RE/MAX Series.
|
