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Ken Schrader wins inaugural ARCA RE/MAX race in Nashville

GLADEVILLE, TENN, by Don Radebaugh – With a rare weekend off from the Winston Cup world, NASCAR veteran Ken Schrader opted for the ARCA RE/MAX Series in order to fulfill his racing fix.

Schrader, in his own Federated Auto Parts Pontiac, held off valiant, late-race charges from Frank Kimmel and Shawna Robinson to win the thrilling, inaugural PFG Lester ARCA 150 Friday afternoon at the new 1.33-mile concrete Nashville Superspeedway.

Kimmel finished second in the Advance Auto Parts-Pork Ford, trailing Schrader at the final stripe by less than a second with Robinson, in the Aaron’s Ford, less than a length away in third. Team RE/MAX driver Rick Carelli, making his career-first ARCA start, charged from 15th to fourth in the final running order while BSR outside polesitter Mike Swaim Jr., in the Dynatek Chevrolet, finished fifth.

The victory, worth $18,695, was Schrader’s eighth career RE/MAX Series win in his 22nd start. “It feels great,” said Schrader in victory lane. “This car is an old Bud chassis we resurrected from my days running for Rick Hendrick. I really thought Frank Kimmel had the winning car today but he apparently developed a vibration there at the end, and Shawna Robinson had a great run too. I thought either of those two cars might pass us on that final restart, but I think Shawna was better on long runs, and just didn’t have enough time to get there. I’ll tell you, these guys in the ARCA RE/MAX Series are a bunch of fun to run with; it’s never easy over here, and getting tougher all the time.”

With just 13 laps remaining, Schrader’s lead dwindled quickly after Robinson, having just out-dueled Carelli for second, closed within inches of the leader’s rear bumper. But just as the Des Moines, Iowa native was about to make her move on the leader, the seventh and final caution came out for a turn-two wreck involving Stuart Kirby and Todd Bowsher.

That set the stage for the final four-lap shootout to the finish, which would, in the end, work against Robinson who was unable to mount another charge in time. Instead, Robinson became more occupied trying to fend off Kimmel rather than chasing down the eventual winner. Kimmel eventually passed Robinson on the final lap and quickly closed in on Schrader, but ran out of time in his quest to become Nashville Superspeedway’s first winner.

Twelve cars finished on the lead lap aided, in part, by seven cautions; the most serious of which included the cars of Billy Venturini and Bowsher, both of whom, in separate incidents, crashed in turn two. Although both machines were destroyed, neither driver was injured. In all, a half-dozen drivers were taken to the infield care center resulting from accidents where they were all treated and released.

But under green flag conditions, continual side-by-side racing was commonplace throughout the field and especially up front where there were eight lead changes among four drivers. Old Milwaukee Pole Award winner Kimmel led up through lap 33 before giving it up to Schrader who led lap 34.

Schrader’s lead was short-lived however when Kimmel, who would also win the Loctite Halfway Leader Award, raced back by to lead laps 35 through 52. Then Stanton Barrett, who hadn’t raced in more than ten months, hustled his Riverside Environmental Disposal Ford to the front for 10 laps before Kimmel again regained the lead. Kimmel led the next 11 laps but had to make an unscheduled pit stop to remove a right-front spring rubber under caution, thus handing the lead back to Barrett. Back under green, Schrader passed Barrett and led 12 laps before Carelli took over for ten circuits. Schrader then took the lead back from Carelli on lap 101 and never relinquished it.

Jason Jarrett, who qualified fifth, was forced to change motors prior to the race, and, as a result, had to start dead last in the 38-car field. However, Jarrett, in the ML Motorsports Pontiac, raced his way to sixth in the final running order earning the ARCA Highest Finishing Rookie Award while three-time RE/MAX Series champion Tim Steele, who started 19th in the HS Die-Softech Ford, finished seventh. Barrett finished eighth ahead of America Online driver Andy Belmont in ninth. Mike Harmon, who charged from the 29th starting position in the Komatsu-Pegasus Ford, finished tenth earning the Hoosier Performance Hard Charger Award.

1 9 99 Ken Schrader          Concord NC Federated Auto Parts Pontiac 113 Running
2 1 46 Frank Kimmel          Jeffersonville IN Advance Auto Parts-Pork White Meat Ford 113 Running
3 6 8 Shawna Robinson        Des Moines IA Aaron's Ford 113 Running
4 15 05 Rick Carelli         Englewood CO RE/MAX Chevrolet 113 Running
5 2 22 Mike Swaim Jr         Trinity NC Dynatek Communications Chevrolet 113 Running
6 5 67 Jason Jarrett         Hickory NC ML Motorsports Pontiac 113 Running
7 19 16 Tim Steele           Coopersville MI HS Die-Softech Ford 113 Running
8 3 15 Stanton Barrett       Spartanburg SC Riverside Environmental Disposal Ford 113 Running
9 10 1 Andy Belmont          Penndel PA America Online-Racecakes-York Ford 113 Running
10 29 7 Mike Harmon          Birmingport AL Komatsu-Pegasus Ford 113 Running
11 17 23 Ron Cox             Soddy Daisy TN Hixson Construction Chevrolet 113 Running
12 18 60 Rick Markle         Mooresville NC Smartwireless.com-racedayad.com Chevy 113 Running
13 16 95 Steadman Marlin     Columbia TN Shoney's Inn Ford 112 Running
14 14 17 AJ Henriksen        Mooresville NC Engineered Components Chevrolet 112 Running
15 33 42 Randy Briggs        Kansas City KS Pro Motion Motorsports Ford 112 Running
16 26 24 Chuck Weber         Mesquite TX Cardinal Tool Company Chevrolet 111 Running
17 31 31 Randal Ritter       Franklin TN PFG Lester 150 111 Running
18 27 91 Jeffrey Falk        Chesapeake VA Superior Logistics Services Chevrolet 111 Running
19 22 38 Greg Sarff          Columbus OH Holiday Inn Express-TG Kemp Sales Ford 111 Running
20 28 28 Mike Buckley        Ann Arbor MI Midwest Mall Fronts Chevrolet 111 Running
21 23 84 Norm Benning        Pittsburgh PA SoBe Healthy Refreshments Chevrolet 110 Running
22 25 48 Donny Morelock      Clearwater FL Mountain Rock Music Ford 109 Running
23 32 06 Nate Monteith       Bluff City TN King Pharmaceutical Pontiac 107 Running
24 8 75 Stuart Kirby         Bowling Green KY Link2gov.com-Benefit Solutions Ford 101 Accident
25 30 21 Todd Bowsher        South Vienna OH Western Outlet Ford 99 Accident
26 11 25 Billy Venturini     Concord NC IRM-Permatex Chevrolet 91 Accident
27 4 53 Robert Burroughs     Laurel MS Robison Tire Pontiac 85 Running
28 13 51 Joe Cooksey         Centralia IL Fuelvend.com Chevrolet 80 Engine
29 24 19 Cavin Councilor     Naples FL Target Saws & Blades Chevrolet 69 Accident
30 7 88 Philip Kranefuss     Mooresville NC Michael Kranefuss Racing Ford 49 Accident
31 20 83 Mark Gibson         Winder GA Ed Rensi Racing Ford 18 Ignition
32 38 03 Jeff Streeter       Vinton IA EPD-McLeod USA Ford 13 Transmssn
33 36 4 James Hylton         Inman SC Hylton Motorsports Ford 10 Brakes
34 12 6 Chase Montgomery     Nashville TN Peterson Racing Chevrolet 5 Accident
35 21 10 Anthony Hill        Carrollton GA Anthony Hill Racing Ford 5 Accident
36 34 50 Kevin Belmont       Feasterville PA Racecakes.com Ford 2 Engine
37 37 26 Brad Smith          Dearborn MI Brad Smith Motorsports Ford 2 Radiator
  5 Dion Ciccarelli          Severn MD Shamrock Relocation Service Ford DNS