Most race fans remember Steve Park’s last NASCAR Winston Cup victory. Coming just one week after car owner’s Dale Earnhardt tragic death on the last lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, Park edged Bobby Labonte for the emotional win in the Dura Lube 400. The track? The Rockingham Speedway. Park makes his return to the track for the Oct. 9, 2010 running of the ARCA Racing Series. “It is always great to have former winners back to race at ‘The Rock,'” said track president Andy Hillenburg. “Steve’s win here was one of the most memorable races I have ever seen, being such a fantastic finish and coming on the heels of such tragedy for that team and race fans everywhere. We are thrilled to have him back racing at Rockingham in the American 200.”
Also scheduled to race in the American 200 is Ricky Carmichael. A 30-year-old native of Clearwater, Fla., Carmichael is best known for his successful motocross career which includes 10 AMA Motocross Championships, five AMA Supercross Championships, and two World Supercross Championships. Carmichael has driven to six top-10 finishes in 20 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races this season. Rockingham will mark Carmichael’s fifth ARCA Series start of the year, with a best finish of seventh in the season-opener at Daytona.(Rockingham Speedway)(10-5-2010)
UPDATE: Kevin Swindell, son of three-time national Sprint Car champion Sammy Swindell, earned his first career pole in the ARCA Racing Series Friday during qualifying at Rockingham Speedway for Saturday’s season finale American 200 presented by Black’s Tire and Auto Service. Swindell, driving a Toyota, posted a 145.378-mph, 24.763-second lap on Menards Pole Day presented by Ansell, to edge Chad Finley for the No. 1 starting position. Finley’s Chevrolet clocked in at 145.361 mph. Craig Goess earned the third starting position to edge five points closer to standings leader Patrick Sheltra in the championship battle. Sheltra qualified eighth. Entering Saturday’s season finale, which will be televised live at 1:30pm on SPEED, Sheltra now leads Goess by a mere five points — 4,495 to 4,490. Tom Hessert is third in the standings, 20 points in arrears to Sheltra. He qualified his Dodge 14th. Rounding out the top five, respectively, were Justin Marks and Steve Arpin. Ty Dillon, grandson of NASCAR team owner Richard Childress and the winner of the most recent ARCA event at Kansas Speedway, qualified sixth. Brandon McReynolds, son of TV analyst and former NASCAR crew chief Larry McReynolds, qualified seventh. Steve Park, who won a NASCAR Winston Cup race at the 1-mile oval in February 2001, qualified 20th in a Ford. Veteran James Hylton used a provisional to gain entrance into the 41-car starting field. He will start 37th.
For more info about the American 200 race weekend, annual Thunderfest in downtown Rockingham and tickets for the races, contact the Rockingham Speedway at (910) 205-8800 or visit www.rockinghamspeedway.com. Tickets, starting at $20 in advance, and suite packages are still available.(Rockingham Speedway)(10-9-2010)
