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At Least A Dozen ARCA Drivers Testing At Mobile Saturday; Fairhope, Alabama Favorite Grant Enfinger Entered
The kick-off for the second annual ARCA Mobile 200 is well underway. A full week ahead of the actual race event, the track is conducting an open test session this Saturday from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m., and there are several takers.
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At least a dozen drivers are expected at the open test Saturday, including local favorite Grant Enfinger (Team BCR), who hopes to score his career-first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory at Mobile, a track the Fairhope, Alabama driver cut his teeth on.
Enfinger led 48 laps in last year's event before fading on the closing laps to 13th in the final running order.
"We guessed wrong on the tire strategy there last year; we picked two, and everyone else got four. We struggled from then on," Enfinger said.
Enfinger has been so close to his career-first ARCA victory with second place finishes at Kentucky, Chicagoland, and just last year at Iowa. Enfinger has also finished third at Kansas three times, third at Toledo, Pocono, Berlin, Texas, Iowa, Chicagoland and Talladega. He's been knocking on the door for some several years now.
"We're definitely ready to drive it to Victory Lane. I consider Mobile my home track, so if there's a home field advantage, I feel like we'll have it. There are so many tracks in ARCA that I, either haven't been to much, or not at all. Sometimes I leave the track just getting the hang of it. But Mobile is where I started running late models. I know the ins and outs of the track, so I feel I have that advantage going."
Considering that most of ARCA's tracks are farther north, it should be quite a homecoming for Enfinger, who finally gets to race in front of family and friends.
"It's one of the few places where I'll have family and friends out to watch, and root me on. It would definitely make the win sweeter."
Enfinger will have the aid of veteran driver and crew chief Kelly Kovski at Mobile. The two have a successful history together on the tour. Enfinger, with Kovski as crew chief, drove for Allgaier Motorsports fulltime in 2011 and finished a career-best fourth in national championship points.
Other teams and drivers scheduled to test at Mobile this Saturday include Cunningham Motorsports with drivers Tom Hessert and rookie Anderson Bowen. Hessert is slated to make his 100th career ARCA start at Mobile while Bowen will make his first. Bowen is just 15 years old.
Venturini Motorsports, the victors at Daytona, are also scheduled to test with veteran Milka Duno, and rookies Taylor Ferns, Justin Boston and Kyle Benjamin. Benjamin has been in the news a lot lately, having won four consecutive late model events at New Smyrna Speedway (Fla.) during Speedweeks 2013. Benjamin is just 15 years old, and could become the youngest winner in series history with a win at Mobile.
Also on the list for testers this Saturday are Win Tron Racing's Mason Mingus, who finished seventh in his superspeedway debut at Daytona in mid-February, and Hixson Motorsports' Thomas Praytor. Praytor is also a local favorite from Mobile, and was running in the top-five at Daytona toward the end of the race before a late-race pit stop relegated him to a 22nd place finish.
Defending team champions Roulo Brother Racing is also scheduled to test with W. Des Moines, Iowa rookie Mason Mitchell. Mitchell is another driver that had a good run recently at Daytona, having finished 13th on the lead lap.
The optional testing opportunity will coincide with Mobile's weekly race card, and offer the chance to test in the evening, about the same time ARCA teams will be qualifying the following Friday.
Following Saturday's test, attention turns towards the USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, which will welcome aboard ARCA fans, drivers, and teams on Thursday, March 7, just days before the ARCA Mobile 200.
The ARCA haulers will cast off from the Battleship in a hauler parade to Mobile International Speedway to prepare for Friday's on-track activity. The hauler parade will mark the beginning of the Causeway Seafood Jubilee as ARCA fans, teams, and drivers will enjoy the great seafood offered by restaurants on the Causeway.
For the late night crowd, the Home Mortgage of America Green Flag Party will be wide open from 8 p.m. until closing at Grand Central on Dauphin Street downtown, Mobile's place to party.
Practice and Menards Pole Award Qualifying presented by Ansell takes place Friday, March 8 with two practice sessions from 2:30-3:15 and from 4:15-5:00. Qualifying follows at 7:00. The second annual ARCA Mobile 200 gets the green flag at 2:00 p.m. Saturday afternoon, March 9.
Packages and tickets are available for the ARCA Mobile 200 weekend by calling 251-343-2929 or on line at www.mobilespeedway.net.
Opened in 1964, Mobile International Speedway is Alabama's fastest half mile and is currently host to the Sunoco Gulf Coast Championship Series and Miller Lite Late Model Series, along with a regular schedule of Saturday night racing.
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 100 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.
PaddockTalk Perspective
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