All News Ernie Irvan Kevin Conway Shane Hmiel

Irvan to field ARCA team:

January 30, 2002 at 12:00 AM

Irvan to field ARCA team: former Cup driver Ernie Irvan has converted part of a storage shed on his 160-acre farm near Mooresville, N.C., into a garage bay and is helping Kevin Conway prepare a Chevy that Conway plans to run in an ARCA race on March 9. Irvan, 43, tried to work with Conway, 23, to find sponsorship for a foray into the BGN or CTS last year. The difficult economy made it tough to find somebody willing to put up $2 million or more needed for that, though. At the same time, Irvan was rebuilding his family’ home that was severely damaged by a fire in March 2000. The Irvans moved back into the house just before Christmas. With that behind him, Irvan decided that he and Conway needed to get on the track to try to show people the young driver’ talent. The Atlanta ARCA race is the only one they know for sure they’ll go to, but if a sponsor materializes they have plans to run at Kentucky Speedway and at Lowe’ Motor Speedway in Charlotte later in the year. They’ll use a Chevy they got from Innovative Motorsports in which Shane Hmiel finished second in an ARCA race at Atlanta last fall. Crew members from various Winston Cup and Grand National teams are coming by Irvan’ farm after work in the evenings to help get the car ready, and Irvan said he will enlist Winston Cup crewmen to help pit the car in Atlanta in March. “It’ the safest thing I can do in racing and still be married,” joked Irvan, who retired from driving in 1999 only after coming all the way back from his near-fatal crash at Michigan in 1994 to win three more Cup races. Conway is from Lynchburg, VA, but moved to the Charlotte area in 1991 to pursue a racing career. He’ raced Legends cars and competed in the ASA until his sponsorship there dried up. He’ an instructor at the Richard Petty Driving Experience at the Atlanta track and at Lowe’ Motor Speedway. He has a degree in marketing from UNCC. Irvan ran only one ARCA race in his career. It was at Atlanta and Irvan won it driving a #18 car [a green Pontiac – image]. So that’ the number Conway plans to use in the March 9 event.(ThatsRacin.com)(1-30-2002)