Kansas: Series notes on Four Crown, Kligerman winner

ARCA RE/MAX Series Rookie Parker Kligerman Clinches 2009 Bill France Four Crown

KANSAS CITY, Kansas (October 1, 2009)-19-year-old Parker Kligerman officially clinched the 2009 Bill France Four Crown in the ARCA RE/MAX Series by winning Thursday's Kansas Lottery 150 at Kansas Speedway. The prestigious award consists of four distinct tracks on the ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule-a short track, a road course, a dirt track and a superspeedway- and is designed to highlight the diverse nature of the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

En route to the 2009 Bill France Four Crown, Kligerman posted two wins and two second place finishes. He won at the DuQuoin State Fairgrounds mile-dirt track on September 7 in just his second career start on a clay oval. He finished second at New Jersey Motorsports Park, a 2.6-mile road course, on September 13 and second at the half-mile Salem Speedway short track on September 19. Kligerman's most recent race win occurred on Thursday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, where the Penske Development driver used a green-white-checker restart to pass Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton in the closing laps of the Kansas Lottery 150.

"This Bill France Four Crown Award is prestigious," said Kligerman. "I wanted to win it because I think we've had a great run these last four weeks and this shows it with that award. The ARCA RE/MAX Series has a really diverse schedule and I have learned from racing at all of the different types of tracks we race at. There isn't anywhere else that you can race on short tracks, speedways, road courses and dirt. Justin Lofton and I have been going hard at it this season and I think by battling together so closely throughout this season we have improved each other."

Kligerman, a Penske Development Driver for Cunningham Motorsports, leads the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series in race wins with eight. He is in the midst of a tight points battle with Eddie Sharp Racing's Justin Lofton that concludes next weekend at Rockingham Speedway.

Heading into Thursday's Kansas Lottery 150, seven drivers were mathematically eligible to clinch the 2009 Bill France Four Crown, including Kligerman, Lofton, Frank Kimmel, Joey Coulter, Tom Hessert, Robb Brent and Kory Rabenold.

Kimmel has won the Bill France Crown a total of six times, including the last two consecutive years, and is the all-time winner of the award. Other former recipients include Blake Bjorklund, Brent Sherman, Jason Jarrett, Tim Steele, Bill Baird,Harris DeVane, Bob Hill, Bob Keselowski, Bobby Bowsher, Bill Venturini, Bob Keselowski, Tracy Leslie, Grant Adcox, Lee Raymond and Davey Allison.

2009 marks the first year that the Bill France Crown consists of four race events, as Series officials added the 2.6-mile New Jersey Motorsports Park Road Course to the mix this season. In past years, the Bill France Crown has consisted of three race events to include a short track, a speedway and a dirt track.

The Bill France Four Crown award winner has been honored at the ARCA RE/MAX Series National Championship Awards Banquet each consecutive year since 1984.

Bill France Four Crown Champions, 1984-2009
2009 Parker Kligerman
2008 Frank Kimmel
2007 Frank Kimmel
2006 Blake Bjorklund
2005 Frank Kimmel
2004 Brent Sherman
2003 Jason Jarrett
2002 Frank Kimmel
2001 Frank Kimmel
2000 Tim Steele
1999 Bill Baird
1998 Frank Kimmel
1997 Tim Steele
1996 Tim Steele
1995 Harris DeVane
1994 Bob Hill
1993 Bob Keselowski
1992 Bobby Bowsher
1991 Bowsher-Venturini
1990 Bob Keselowski
1989 Tracy Leslie
1988 Grant Adcox
1987 Grant Adcox
1986 Lee Raymond
1985 Lee Raymond
1984 Davey Allison

One race remains in the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series-The American 200 at Rockingham Speedway on Sunday, October 11. The race marks the 21st and final event of the 2009 season and is set to roll off at 1 p.m. Eastern on Sunday, October 11, 2009. The race will air on SPEED Sunday at 10 p.m.

-credit: arca