(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Feb. 16, 2013) – Venturini Motorsports driver John Wes Townley took the checkered flag Saturday after an amazing sequence of events inside the finals 10 laps left him at the front of the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real.
Townley won from the pole in what was the 50thannual ARCA Racing Series event at Daytona International Speedway.
“It’s one thing to win your first race in ARCA, it’s another to win at Daytona,” Townley said after the first win in the 31-year history of Venturini Motorsports at Daytona International Speedway.
“This is just a great day for Venturini Motorsports,” Townley said. “This is priceless. I almost wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world. It’s a real honor.”
The final 49 laps were all under the green flag.
Kyle Larson finished second, Ricky Ehhrgot third and Frank Kimmel fourth. Sean Corr came in fifth.
Townley passed eight-time Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart with seven laps to go when Gerhart slowed.
“I don’t really know what happened there,” Townley said. “He checked up. We made a little contact.”
After going green after the third caution at lap 22, Gerhart, Townley, Ehrgott and Larson broke away from the pack along with the lapped car of Chris Buescher, which tucked in right behind Gerhart and remained there for about 50 laps. The five cars created their own pack and coasted for nearly 40 laps while the second set of cars were much further back, but continued on the lead lap.
Things remained in that order until Buescher moved out of the way with just under 10 laps to go and Gerhart slowed, eventually rocketing down pit lane at high speed. He returned to the track before eventually pulling off the track and finishing 29thbecause of a fuel pump problem. Gerhart was attempting to win his ninth time at Daytona.
In the pre-race drivers meeting, ARCA officials stressed to the drivers to remain patient and be courteous to others. Townley, of Watkinsville, Ga. said that wasn’t an easy thing to do.
“It’s a tough thing to do,” he said. “A few times I wanted to duck out and see what I could do. I’m glad that I didn’t.”
Larson, racing in the No. 4 Cessna Chevrolet, said he couldn’t get any closer to the front.
“The race went pretty smooth,” he said. “But, I couldn’t really make any moves. I was wide open. We’ll take second.”
Milka Duno was the early race leader until her car had troubles and she had to make repairs and ended up four laps down in 28th. Matt Kurzejewski and Josh Williams also led laps during the race.
The crash on lap 19 sent drivers Justin Boston, Darrell Wallace and Steve Kemp to the infield care center. They were treated and released. Julien Jousse caused the first caution when his motor blew up. The final caution came during a six-car crash that occurred after the green flag dropped and several cars never got up to speed.
There were only three cautions for 19 laps in the event and five different leaders. The race was completed in 1:29:18.
Billy Venturini, general manager for the VMS team, said the win meant everything for his family and team.
“This is the first time I cried in victory lane,” he said. “This was definitely the highlight of our entire racing career. I think we’ve won at just about every other track we go to except here.”
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading and most diverse auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 150 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
CONTACTS:
For more information on the ARCA Racing Series, contact ARCA Communications Director Doug Donnelly at (419) 574-2685 or ARCA Communications Manager Don Radebaugh at (419) 450-0611.
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2013 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Event #1
Daytona Int’l Speedway, Daytona Beach Florida, 2-16-13
Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real TV Results
FIN STR NO DRIVER/HOMETOWN LAPS STATUS
1 1 15 John Wes Townley/Watkinsville GA 80 Running
2 11 4 Kyle Larson/Elk Grove CA 80 Running
3 7 16 Ricky Ehrgott/New York NY 80 Running
4 19 44 Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN 80 Running
5 18 82 Sean Corr/Goshen NY 80 Running
6 15 92 Brennan Newberry/Bakersfield CA 80 Running
7 9 32 Mason Mingus/Brentwood TN 80 Running
8 16 62 Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA 80 Running
9 29 54 Matt Kurzejewski/Mansfield PA 80 Running
10 12 52 Chad Boat/Phoenix AZ 80 Running
11 14 22 Michel Disdier/Nice France 80 Running
12 10 77 Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ 80 Running
13 23 99 Mason Mitchell/W. Des Moines IA 80 Running
14 24 08 Clay Campbell/Martinsville VA 80 Running
15 30 02 Josh Williams/Port Charlotte FL 80 Running
16 22 42 Bo Lemastus/Louisville KY 80 Running
17 40 88 Buster Graham/Lafayette LA 79 Running
18 26 19 Donnie Neuenberger/Edgewater MD 79 Running
19 28 75 Benny Chastain/Tallahassee FL 79 Running
20 39 06 Dexter Stacy/Kahnawake Quebec 79 Running
21 32 23 Spencer Gallagher/Las Vegas NV 79 Running
22 34 2 Thomas Praytor/Mobile AL 78 Running
23 37 34 Rick Clifton/Circleville OH 78 Running
24 25 30 Terry Jones/Amherstburg Ontario 78 Running
25 36 10 Ed Pompa/Ballston Spa NY 77 Running
26 38 48 James Hylton/Inman SC 77 Running
27 31 97 Roger Carter/Sunfield MI 76 Running
28 2 35 Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela 76 Running
29 3 5 Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA 75 Fuel Pump
30 8 17 Chris Buescher/Prosper TX 74 Running
31 13 25 Justin Boston/Baltimore MD 41 Accident
32 35 40 Galen Hassler/Columbia MO 39 Engine
33 20 68 Will Kimmel/Sellersburg IN 26 Accident
34 21 6 Caleb Armstrong/New Castle IN 20 Accident
35 4 55 Darrell Wallace/Mobile AL 19 Accident
36 27 11 Brett Hudson/Owensboro KY 19 Accident
37 33 69 Steve Kemp/Justin TX 19 Accident
38 17 3 Drew Charlson/New Bremen OH 19 Accident
39 6 09 Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL 12 Rear End
40 5 94 Julien Jousse/St. Tropez France 9 Engine
Menards Pole Award Presented by Ansell: John Wes Townley 49.638 (181.313 mph)
Margin of Victory: 0.173 seconds
Time of Race: 1:29:18
Lap Leaders: Duno 1-11 (11); Townley 12, 73-80 (9); Kurzejewski 13-14 (2); Williams 15-17 (3); Gerhart 18-72 (55)