DuQuoin: Rob Brent race report

Robb Brent Solid In Double Dose Of ARCA Competition

DUQUOIN, Illinois (September 8, 2009) - - Even if Shelby Township, Michigan native Robb Brent did not record top-10 finishes at Toledo Speedway and the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds this past weekend his runs surely earned him noteworthy recognition behind the wheel of the No. 36 Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Dodge Charger.

First up, Brent tackled the half-mile oval of Toledo Speedway where the Justin Allgaier Motorsports (JAM) team had hopes of improving on their ninth place run in May. In the lone practice session of the day, Brent maneuvered the 16th fastest time. Consulting with crew chief Dave Leiner the duo went to the drawing board hoping to find a competitive setup for qualifying and the race.

In time trials, Brent ironically posted the 16th fastest lap notching his fourth top-20 qualifying run in six total starts at the Toledo, Ohio short track. During the course of the ARCA RE/MAX 200, Brent used patience and guidance from his team to march his way into the top-10.

The top-10 is where his Dodge Charger stayed for much of the night. Proving to be one of the faster cars on the track, Brent had his sights set on the top-five but only to fall victim to a flat tire coming off a routine pit stop.

The unscheduled pit stop cost the team two laps on the track but thanks to Aaron's, the road course racing ace retracted his two lost laps back and found himself back on the lead lap. On his approach back towards the front, Brent found himself in a short track scuffle with several other competitors.

And despite some cosmetic damage to his Mike Allgaier-owned machine, Brent positioned himself back into the top-12 but ran out of time. He finished the night 12th, his second best run ever at the legendary short track.

"I really thought for a while there we were going to walk away with a top-10 finish but the cards didn't fall our way," Brent said. "Without a doubt this was our best short track performance of the year and it gives us some steam heading into Salem later this month. I'm excited about the direction of the team; we're moving forward."

From the beating and banging of Toledo, the 22-year old headed West to DuQuoin, Illinois for the running of the Southern Illinois 100.

Wet weather caused difficult circumstances for the ARCA RE/MAX Series teams forcing a realignment of the day's schedule. All activities would now be pushed back by at least a half-hour.

In the quick one-hour practice session, Brent delivered his machine in the 14th spot. Much more comfortable with the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds compared to ARCA's other mile-dirt track of the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois Brent had high hopes for qualifying.

When time trials concluded Monday morning, Brent and his team had every reason to celebrate. A impressive third place qualifying run rewarded the team with their season best qualifications effort and a five bonus points.

From the drop of the green flag, Brent proved that his qualifying run was no fluke as he kept his blue and black machine solidly in the top-five for a majority of the event's first quarter.

As the race progressed, the handling slowly slipped away on the No. 36 with Brent backtracking and trying to hang on to the top-10.

An early race altercation with several cars tried to divert the team away from their goals but quick pit work kept the team in contention.

A scheduled and controlled pit stop by ARCA RE/MAX Series officials on lap 50 allowed the teams to come down pit road for one lap and make any changes to their machines as they see fit as the rain Saturday caused the pit road to be unsafe for standard pit stop procedure. The teams would not lose nor gain any positions during the stop; they would exit pit road in the same position they entered.

During the race's second-half, Brent battled a strong field and despite a bad loose machine, Brent manhandled his automobile to keep his sights towards the top-10.

Closing in on Bryan Silas in the No. 11 Chevrolet, Brent was leaving nothing on the table trying to secure his sixth top-10 run of the year but came up just a few feet short claiming the 11th place position.

"I enjoyed DuQuoin a lot more than I did Springfield," Brent said. "We had a good day and I'm proud of this JAM team. To qualify as strong as we did and stay there for a good bit was awesome. I still have much to learn on this dirt racing and that might have played against us today. But, my confidence is rising as a driver and the team is clicking. We just need to keep everything going in the right direction for the final four races."

Brent remains 10th in the ARCA RE/MAX Series point standings leaning into Sunday's South Jersey Building Trades 150. The JAM team returns as the defending champion at New Jersey Motorsports Park.

Prior to joining Justin Allgaier Motorsports, Brent participated in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving for NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski and Brad Keselowski Racing. In his 33 ARCA starts, Brent has acquired two top-five finishes and 10 top-10 efforts. Brent notched his career best qualifying effort of second at Kentucky Speedway last year. He has led the ARCA RE/MAX Series pack twice for 21 laps in 2008. His best finish in the NCWTS occurred at Nashville Superspeedway in his inaugural truck debut where he finished 21st after qualifying 26th.

This season, Brent has five top-10 finishes in 16 starts with a best finish of seventh at Pocono Raceway in June and August. A third place qualifying effort at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds in September is the team's season best thus far. The full-time college student sits just 15 markers from overtaking Tom Hessert III in the ninth position in the championship chase.

Be sure to cast your vote for Robb Brent as the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series most popular driver. Visit ARCANation.com and vote for Robb Brent today! Remember, if you are a member your vote counts twice compared to non-members whose clicks only equal one vote.

-credit: rbr