As for the rookies, Ryan
Howard holds a slim 10 point margin over Ryan Foster with Brett Rowe a mere 4 points behind him. All three have been running
well lately. Rowe’s crew chief, Tom Perkins, recently stated about the cars, “We struggled earlier but I believe
we are about caught up to where we need to be.” At the last short track that ARCA ran (Toledo), Foster finished
4th, Howard came in at 13th, and Rowe a disappointing 25th.
Who to watch:
Frank Kimmel:
With 47 short track victories (3 at Berlin) and 6,700 laps led on short tracks
in his ARCA career Kimmel is definitely a favorite.
Tim Steele:
Given his 2 ARCA victories in Berlin and the fact that Steele races there every
week this season, he may have a slight edge on the competition this week.
Justin Allgaier:
No true race fan who saw it will forget the amazing driving Justin did at Toledo
earlier this year at the end of the race. Battling Ken Schrader relentlessly, side by side, for the win while holding off
Kimmel, Allgaier put on a short track driving clinic. That second place finish coupled with three weeks in a row of bad luck
will have him and his team hungry for a good finish. Justin is already hungry for a taste of victory lane.
Bobby Gerhart:
While everyone else was loading their haulers and preparing to leave Kentucky Speedway, Gerhart’s team led by crew chief
(and brother), Bill Gerhart were changing motors and gears on the No. 5 car, preparing for Berlin. Knowing how slim a 55 point
margin is the whole team is certainly focused. If they leave Berlin without
the point lead it will not be due to negligence. Frank Kimmel is going to have to take the lead, Gerhart, and the Lucas team,
is not going to give it away. “As long as we keep finishing like this, we’re never more than one race out,”
stated Gerhart after his 8th place finish in Kentucky.
Ryan Foster:
Ryan ran virtually a flawless race in Toledo finishing 4th. He has been consistent
all year having 5 top tens with 2 top fives in 9 starts. The only hiccup in his season has been at Kansas.
Billy Venturini:
Like Allgaier, bad luck has plagued Venturini the last couple of races but he and his team are just too good to be held down.
Look for a good finish from him.
Brent Sherman:
With only a week to assemble a team and prepare a car Brent started the Toledo
race 3rd and finished 6th. They have now had almost 2 months and 6 races to gel; he is bound to be a threat.
Michael Simko:
In only 5 ARCA Re/Max Series starts this year Simko has 2 top tens with 1 top five. He was wicked fast at Kentucky
last week but was wrecked out of the race denying him what was sure to be another great finish. As a Michigan
native, he wants this one badly.
Ken Weaver:
Ken has just been quietly consistent this year. No matter where he qualifies at the end of the race he’s close to the
front.
Brian Keselowski:
Brian is just a good racecar driver, period. Lacking the funding to drive a full season they do not slack at the races they
show up at. Dad, Bob, has won an ARCA race at Berlin and as crew chief knows
how to set the car up here. Brian is not hungry for a win, he is ravenous. He is my dark horse pick for the win.
Questions, Comments;
Email Everett
The views and opinions in this article are that of the writer and not necessarily that of SCR
2006 StockCar Review.
