CAROTHERSARCA

Veteran stock car racer Bobby Gerhart took a record-breaking sixth Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 Daytona race victory at the weekend.

The Chevrolet driver used all of vast experience to avoid drama in a wreck-filled 80 lap race, but it was Danica Patrick who stole the headlines with an impressive sixth place finish on her stock car racing debut.

Patrick ran in the lead pack for the first half of the race until getting loose in turns 1 and 2 on lap 50, losing the draft and dropping from sixth to 13th. Three laps later Nelson Piquet, Jr., the former Formula One driver who also used Saturday's ARCA race to make his stock car debut, made contact with Patrick's car coming off of turn 4, forcing her through the infield grass. Patrick slid sideways on the track and went through the infield grass but was able to avoid making contact. She made two pit stops following the spin, remaining on the lead lap, finishing sixth in her career first stock car start.

"I was just kind of hanging out there for most of the race," said Patrick. "There were lots of yellows. It feels to me like I got bumped a little bit in turns one and two (on lap 53). I just held to the yellow line because I know that you're not supposed to go below the yellow line to advance your position and I took myself out unfortunately. I was pretty excited to go from last to the top five. I felt pretty good, I was going side-by-side with people. And then at the end I was running eighth and I thought what the heck so I pulled out of the line and ran high. You can see I was racing by all of the marks on the car. The GoDaddy.com Chevrolet doesn't look very pretty."

While Patrick garnered most of the media attention this weekend it was Gerhart to etched his name further into the ARCA Racing Series Record Books, earning a record sixth Daytona ARCA victory. The Lebanon, Pennsylvania, native pitted to make adjustments to the No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet on lap 12 of 80 during the second of six caution periods, making the most of the pit stop by topping the car off with fuel. He did not pit for the remainder of the 200-mile race and worked his way to the point position by lap 30.

"To be honest with you we calculated that we could run 66 laps before we would need to refuel," said Gerhart. "Every chance I could I was doing everything possible to conserve fuel. I probably gained six laps by coasting during cautions. As a little kid I dreamed of having the opportunity to come here and race. I couldn't have believed that I would ever be here six times and one day I hope to retire here in Daytona victory lane but let me tell you something, I don't like the number six so I guarantee I will be back."

Venturini Motorsports teammates Mark Thompson (No. 66 Phoenix Air Toyota) and John Wes Townley (No. 35 Zaxby's Toyota), spent much of the closing portions of the race working together to secure second and third-place finishes, respectively.

"We really didn't have much for Bobby," said Thompson. "His car and my car were pretty much even and I could have gotten a little bit of a run on the backstretch but he was running smart."

With his third-place finish Townley, a fulltime NASCAR Nationwide Series driver for Richard Childress Racing, bested the career-best fourth place Daytona ARCA finish he earned in 2009.

"I was always a little bit tight but we had a real fast car," said Townley. "It was tough to do anything because Bobby was so good. I really think this was a valuable experience. A great opportunity to come here and run and I'm really excited to go into next year and drive for RCR, how many people can say they run for that team?"

Defending race winner James Buescher finished fourth in the No. 51 Phoenix Construction Toyota after leading the first 29 laps and earning the Menard Pole Award presented by Ansell on Friday. Buescher will return to Daytona for next weekend's NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Indiantown, Florida native Patrick Sheltra earned a career-best fifth-place Daytona finish.

The race was plagued by six cautions and a 21 minute, 40 second red flag that occurred on lap 27 while track safety workers made repairs to the speedway's fencing after Jill George made hard contact in the No. 48 Radon.com Dodge. Jesse Smith (No. 29 Hormel Foods-Child's Tire dodge) was also involved.

Seven drivers were evaluated and released from the Infield Care Center after a lap 7 incident that started when 1998 ARCA Racing Series Champion Bill Baird (No. 52 Saturn Machine Chevrolet) and Steve Blackburn (No. 68 Harley-Davidson & Honda of Prestonburg Dodge) tangled in turns 1 and 2. Butch Jarvis, Milka Duno, Leilani Munter, Josh Richards and Chad Hackenbracht were also involved.

ARCA Racing Series – Round 1, Daytona

1 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA, Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet, 80 Running
2 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA Phoenix Air Toyota 80 Running
3 John Wes Townley/Watkinsville GA Zaxby's Toyota 80 Running
4 James Buescher/Plano TX Phoenix Construction Toyota 80 Running
5 Patrick Sheltra/Indiantown FL PowerTrac Machinery Dodge 80 Running
6 Danica Patrick/Roscoe IL GoDaddy.com Chevrolet 80 Running
7 Ricky Carmichael/Tallahassee FL Monster Energy Toyota 80 Running
8 Tommy Joe Martins/Como MS Tommy Joe Martins Racing Ford 80 Running
9 Bryan Silas/Stuart FL Rockingham Speedway-American Custom Yachts Ford 80 Running
10 Steve Arpin/Fort Frances ON Venturini Motorsports Toyota 80 Running
11 Justin Marks/Rocklin CA Construct Corps Toyota 80 Running
12 Chris Cockrum/Conyers GA Accu Tech-Mohawk Cable Chevrolet 80 Running
13 Robb Brent/Shelby Township MI Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Dodge 80 Running
14 Sean Corr/Goshen NY Empire Racing LLC Ford 80 Running
15 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ Cunningham Motorsports Dodge Running
16 Mikey Kile/Westlake LA TAG Heuer Eyewear Toyota 80 Running
17 Jennifer Jo Cobb/Kansas City KS Bowsher-Mooi Motorsports Chevrolet 80 Running
18 Frank Wilson/St. Marys WV Drug Testing Centers of America-Lifeguard Medical Chevy 80 Running
19 Tim George Jr./New York NY RCR Development Chevrolet 80 Running
20 Nick Igdalsky/Long Pond PA ModSpace Ford 79 Running
21 Terry Jones/Amherstburg ON Jones Group Dodge 79 Running
22 Darrell Basham/Henryville IN Anti-Monkey Butt Powder Chevrolet 79 Running
23 Alli Owens/Daytona Beach FL ElectrifyingCareers.com Chevrolet 78 Running
24 Brad Smith/Shelby Township MI ApplianceZone.com Ford 78 Running
25 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN Ansell-Menards Ford 78 Running
26 Joey Coulter/Miami Springs FL Rip It Energy Fuel Chevrolet 78 Running
27 Nelson Piquet/Brasilia Brazil ESR Toyota 67 Running
28 Chase Mattioli/Long Pond PA Big Machine Records Ford 67 Running
29 Barry Fitzgerald/Sykesville MD TheBusPlace.com Ford 56 Accident
30 Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL BeasleyAllen.com-Roush Yates Performance Ford 38 Driveline
31 Jill George/Cedar Falls IA Radon.com Dodge 25 Accident
32 Jesse Smith/Wildwood MO Hormel Foods-Child's Tire Dodge 24 Accident
33 Dakoda Armstrong/New Castle IN Cunningham Motorsports Dodge 16 Accident
34 Craig Goess/Greenville NC Greenville Toyota of NC Toyota 16 Accident
35 Hal Martin/Galliano LA Mark Gibson Racing Dodge 7 Accident
36 Bill Baird/Sturgis KY Saturn Machine Chevrolet 6 Accident
37 Steve Blackburn/Prestonsburg KY Harley-Davidson & Honda of Prestonsburg Dodge 6 Accident
38 Russ Dugger/Owasso OK Accell Construction Chevrolet 6 Accident
39 Leilani Munter/Rochester MN GREENandSAVE Dodge 6 Accident
40 Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH Tastee Chocolate Apples Chevrolet 6 Accident
41 Butch Jarvis/Blountville TN Steris Corporation Dodge 6 Accident
42 Josh Richards/Shinnston WV Presta Chevrolet 6 Accident
43 Milka Duno/Caracus Venezuela Stringer Motorsports Toyota 6 Accident

Next round: 27 February, Palm Beach

Watch ARCA highlights as part of Motors TV’s Winter Programming.


Andy Wilkinson