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Oak
Park Journal
Sports
 
 
Dan Peters
Sports Editor
Oak Park
Journal
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The start of
the ARCA Series race.
© Oak Park Journal photo by Dan Peters
Dawayne Bryan
Wins closest finish ever at Chicagoland Speedway
by Dan Peters
Oak Park Journal
In only his second career ARCA RE/MAX Series start, Dawayne Bryan
dominated the series veterans Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland
Speedway. The rookie driver led the final laps
winning the SK Hand Tool 200 while the field scrambled behind him.
Bryan's .267-second margin of victory marked the closest finish
ever at Chicagoland Speedway in the Arca Series. The Lake Alfred,
Florida driver led 39 laps overall today.
"It was real nerve racking, " said Bryan from victory lane.
"I saw a lot of scary stuff back there."
Bryan, in the no. 62 Bryan Racing Dodge, was able to hold back some of
the series more popular drivers as a late caution period caused his
fellow competitors to have a heated battle for the remaining top five
positions.
A restart with six laps left brought out the caution flag for the ninth
time of th day, forcing a green/white/checker finish to the 200-mile
event.
Rookie of the Year contender Joey Miller charged from fourth toward the
front of the field on the last restart, only to be held
back by the no. 43 of Davin Scites and then again by Bryan, who was
leading the race.
"I got into Joey a little bit off of turn three," said Bryan.
"Didn"t mean to but it happened, and sometimes that happens when you're
running for the win."
Miller finished the race in the third position, just behind second
place finisher David Ragan in the no. 90 CertainTeed/31-W Insulation
Ford.
Car #59 of Mark
Gibson and Car #32 of Danny Quinn get close and
personal in the race.
© Oak Park Journal photo by Dan Peters
"Today was pretty awesome, " said Miller. "The 65 (Bryan)
did a good job of playing pit strategy; he was a little bit slower on
that last restart.
Miller, who led the most laps with 83, was the ReadyHosting.com Lap
Leader of the Race and also earned the Pork Pole Award on Friday with a
new one-lap track record of 177.212 mph. The rookie driver has now
earned six Pork Pole awards in 2005,
more than any other driver in the seris.
Steve Wallace, son of Nextel Cup Legend Rusty Wallacein , finished
fourth in the no. 4 Hantz Group Dodge. Three-time
series champion Tim Steele rounded out the top five in the
no. 44 HS Die-Visa Cad/Cam Ford.
Scites held on for sixth ahead of Mark Gibson in seventh. Local driver
and fan favorite Billy Venturini, who was running second and
challenging for the win in the closing laps, cut a tire and fell back
to eighth and was the last car on the lead lap.
Frank Kimmel
Stays focused and ready.
© Oak Park Journal photo by Dan Peters
Current AECA champion and defending point leader Frank Kimmel, who has
won four out of the last six ARCA RE/MAX Series events, dropped down a
lap and finished ninth after suffering a cut tire midway through racet.
Despite Kimmel's bad luck,
the Clarksville, Indiana driver still won the Bill France Triple Crown
award (total points at Toledo Speedway, DuQuoin State Fairgrounds &
Chicagoland) by just 15 points over Ragan.Michael Simko finished 10th.
Joel Kauffman, in the Cycle Country-Mmi Fitz no. 14 Dodge,
earned the
SK Tool lap 85 85th Anniversary Award, by virtue
of being the driver in the highest position wearing an SK patch
on his fire suit on lap 85.
Bobby Gerhart was the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger of the race, while
Tommy Perkins, crew chief for Ragan, earned the SK
Hand Tool Crew Chief of the Race honors. Gladiator of the
Race honors went to Benning Motorsports.
Kyle Krisiloff
calls it a day.
© Oak Park Journal photo by Joe
Paolella
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