Series Jupiter PBIR test notes 2010-02-08

ARCA Racing Series Tests at Palm Beach Int'l Raceway Roadcourse

JUPITER FL (2-8-10) - Fresh from the Daytona Int'l Speedway, the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards moved farther south to Palm Beach Int'l Raceway in Jupiter, Florida Monday, where 18 drivers took part in an open test in preparation for the next event on tour - the Kingdom Tire 150 presented by ModSpace February 27th.

Roadcourse veteran Chris Cook, in a Venturini Motorsports Chevy, topped the charts on the 2.034, 11-turn, high-speed road course with an average speed of 92.355 mph. Cook, not expected to race in the upcoming event, was there to assist Venturini Motorsports drivers' Steve Arpin, Mikey Kile and Alli Owens.

Arpin, who finished 10th in Saturday's Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona, was fastest overall among the series regulars, just a tick away from Cook. Arpin posted a top speed of 91.613 mph.

'The Venturinis brought an awesome car," said Arpin. "Same car we ran at New Jersey last year, same package and set-up. We broke on the first lap at New Jersey so it was nice to turn some laps today. We tweaked on it today a little, but not much; it was really close. We watched a bunch of roadcourse races in the off-season, did a lot of research, and I think it paid off.

"It's an absolutely awesome facility. It's got everything. High-speed corners, high-speed straights, low speed corners; it's a really nice mix of everything you'd ever want in a roadcourse. I thought the track was really wide too. What a beautiful facility. The whole area around it is absolutely beautiful. I think we're going to put on a really good show."

Tim George, Jr., in a Richard Childress Racing Chevy, was third fastest overall with an average speed of 91.378 mph in front of roadcourse veteran Andy Lally (91.339 mph).

Shelby Township, Michigan series regular Robb Brent was fifth fastest overall at 91.311 mph.

"Really nice track," said Brent, who finished a career-best fourth on the New Jersey Motorsports Park roadcourse in 2009.

"The place really offers a nice variety of stuff - long straightaways, tight corners, high-speed corners, what I call patient corners that are big, wide and sweeping. I had a little trouble pushing up in the corners. But once we freed it up, we got a lot better. There are some long straightaways so you'll need to keep a lot of momentum off the corners to get down the straightaways."

Nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel was also among those who tested.

"I'm just really impressed with the whole facility," said Kimmel. "It's a really cool track; it's gunna be a lot of fun. I learned a lot today. Anytime I go roadcourse racing, I learn a lot. I thought we had an excellent test overall. We put a set of tires on in the morning and stayed with them all day."

Kimmel also tested the new Hoosier rain tire.

"The Hoosier rain tire did just fine. There were no major problems. I hope we won't be in a situation where we have to use it, but if we do, I think the tire will perform just fine. But what a nice place; I'm really looking forward to coming back. I know we were reaching speeds of 170 on that back straight, and that's getting with it."

The Kingdom Tire 150 presented by ModSpace is scheduled to roll off at 1:00 PM Sunday afternoon, February 27th. On-track activity begins on Saturday, February 26th with practice from 11:30 AM to 2:30 PM followed by Menards Pole Award Qualifying presented by Ansell at 4:00 PM.

-source: arca