(TOLEDO, Ohio) – A review of 2012 results in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards shows that points leader Chris Buescher has edged Frank Kimmel by just 10 race positions over the entire year, but that doesn’t tell the entire story of their championship pursuits.

Indeed, Buescher’s sum of finishing positions is a series-low (for full-timers) 105, 10 below Kimmel’s 115. In the standings, that would equate to a difference of 50 points, but Buescher (No. 17 Roulo Brothers Racing Ford) has used additional bonuses to build a more formidable lead over Kimmel (No. 44 ThorSport Racing Toyota) with only two races left this year.

ARCA Racing Series points are awarded not only for finishing places, but also for laps led and top-three qualifying positions. Every lap leader in a race earns five points, and the driver leading the most laps earns five more. In qualifying, the pole winner takes 15 points, followed by 10 for second and five for third. For the points leader, making statements in qualifying has been key in the title chase.

While Buescher does not have five Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell like fellow contender Alex Bowman (No. 22 Cunningham Motorsports Dodge), he does have two. Add those to four other top-three qualifying efforts – including a front row start in the most recent event, in Salem, Ind. – and it’s evident that Buescher has accumulated 55 points from qualifying bonuses alone.

On the other hand, Kimmel’s best qualifying result this season is fourth at Berlin; as such, he has received zero qualifying bonus points.

The two are nearly equal in the lap bonuses, with Buescher edging Kimmel by five. Considering Buescher’s 85-point lead in the overall standings, a significant difference from qualifying points is evident.

Of course, things might be more comfortable for either driver if not for rulings that cost each valuable points. At Daytona, Kimmel finished the race in the top 10 but was credited with finishing 21st – one of the last cars on the lead lap – when series officials determined he passed below the yellow line just before the checkered flag. At Berlin, Buescher won the race but was docked 25 points after his team was found to have violated the rear quarter panel height rule.

Brennan Poole (No. 25 Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet) and Bowman have truly taken advantage of qualifying bonuses this season. Though the two trail Buescher’s points lead by 175 and 220 points, respectively, they have each outscored the two title leaders in bonus scoring to keep themselves in contention.

A full chart detailing the point breakdowns for each of the top five drivers in the series standings is below.

Race Points

Entry Bonuses

Qual. Bonuses
(15-10-5 Scale)

Penalties Assessed

Lap Leader Bonuses

Most Led
Bonuses

Total
Buescher, C. 3165 1200 55 -25 40 10 4445
Kimmel, F. 3115 1200 0 0 35 10 4360
Poole, B. 2925 1200 85 0 35 25 4270
Bowman, A. 2885 1200 100 -25 55 10 4225
Hackenbracht, C. 2690 1200 50 -25 30 5 3950

The DuQuoin State Fairgrounds dirt in Illinois will host ARCA on Sunday, October 14, in a makeup of the rained-out Southern Illinois 100 presented by Federated Car Care from Labor Day weekend.

ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage throughout the day, and ARCA Racing Network hosts Charlie Krall and Tim Clagg will deliver a live audio call for the 3 p.m. ET (2 p.m. local) race on the site.

Five days later – on Friday, October 19 – the season will close in the Kansas Lottery 98.9 at Kansas Speedway, with race action starting at 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local) on SPEED. ARCARacing.com will also feature live timing and scoring coverage for the season finale.

2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 26 states since its inception. The series has tested the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, visiting tracks ranging from 0.375 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course in its most recent season. This year, the series visited Alabama’s Mobile International Speedway and Minnesota’s Elko Speedway for the first time.

Founded by John and Mildred Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in three professional touring series and local weekly events.