Nelson Piquet Jr. plans to run both ARCA RE/MAX and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series events in 2010. (Photo: arcaracing.com)
Rain couldn't stop 12 years of waiting as the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards returned to Texas Motor Speedway for a test session in preparation for the Rattlesnake 150 on Friday, April 16, that is part of the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend. While the morning session was washed out due to heavy rains throughout Monday, the 1.5-mile superspeedway was dry by 1 p.m. CT today and ready for practice for the 21 drivers on hand. Tuesday's test marked the first time the ARCA Racing Series had raced at Texas Motor Speedway since the inaugural Z-MAX 250 on Sept. 18, 1998.
West Lake, Louisiana's Mikey Kile, in a Venturini Motorsports Toyota, led the charts circling the 1.5-mile speedway in 29.033 seconds, an average speed of 185.995 mph.
Brandon McReynolds, in an ESR Toyota, was second quickest overall at 185.752 mph. McReynolds is the son of former crew chief and current FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds. McReynolds hopes to make his first career ARCA Racing Series start in the Rattlesnake 150.
"It definitely helps chatting with Dad and other guys that have been around here a lot," said Brandon, whose father served as a successful crew chief for the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison, among others. "It definitely helped being around the race tracks. I'm comfortable because I've been here before. I've seen the facility. Obviously, with Dad over here, it is amazing the things he can tell you even though he didn't drive the race car; he really knows what he's doing."
Steve Arpin, suffering from flu-like symptoms, took just 20 laps around the track but managed the third fastest speed (184.647 mph).
"We've got a really good car, but to be honest, my whole body aches," said Arpin. "I woke up sick Sunday night, and I'm just not at my best. We're going to lean on my teammate Mikey (Kile) for the notes. He made a bunch of runs, so that's going to help a lot. This track's so fast; one mistake and you're going to be in trouble. Car's great though. I know that."
Craig Goess, also in an ESR car, was fourth on the charts.
"We made good, steady progress all day," Goess said. "We tried a bunch of stuff; some worked, some didn't. But we learned a lot. We should be very competitive when we come back. First time on the track for me; it's fast alright. You find yourself holding your breath for the first few runs. It takes a while to figure out just how much corner speed you can carry here. Winner of this race is going to be on his toes."
Grant Enfinger, in a Ford, was fifth fastest followed by Chad Finley in a Brad Keselowski Racing Chevrolet.
"We worked on our aero package all day," said the 17-year-old Finley, the son of former ARCA Racing Series winner Jeff Finley. "Mostly, it was just me getting used to how fast everything happens here. I talked to Brad (Keselowski) on Saturday and he gave me some pointers. It helped a lot. He talked about the transitions of the corners here, that it takes some getting used to."
For many of the ARCA drivers, the test was the first opportunity for them to get a look and feel for 'The Great American Speedway!'
