Tanner Overcomes Obstacles To Post Top-20 Finish At Toledo

Topics:  Billy Tanner, Hantz Group 200

Chris Knight
Stott Classic Racing
May 22, 2007

Stott Classic Racing Grabs Second Top-20 Finish In A Row

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 22, 2007) - - Billy Tanner had his fair share of obstacles in his first ARCA RE/MAX Series short track race, but the driver persevered with a 19th place finish in Sunday’s Hantz Group 200 presented by Federated Auto Care.

Tanner, aboard Stott Classic Racing’s No. 07 CheapCaribbean.com Pontiac Grand Prix headed into the tricky Toledo Speedway looking to gain experience and knowledge of not only his ARCA car, but the characteristics of a short track setup presented to a driver.

In the first and only practice session of the day, Tanner eclipsed the 25th fastest lap time of the day with a time of 17.662 seconds or 101.914 MPH. Tanner considered the practice a success and was looking forward to qualifying set for later in the afternoon.

“Man, what a place this is,” said Tanner. “It’s a little different than I thought it was going to be. I wasn’t really sure what to expect to be honest with you. Corrie (Stott, crew chief) did a great job with the setup and I think we’re going to be fine the rest of the weekend.”

In qualifying, Tanner knew he had to post a lap that was strong enough to lock him into the field, since his rookie team didn’t have enough provisionals to fall back on should the unexpected occur.

No worries.

In ARCA SIM Factory qualifying, Tanner logged the 19th fastest lap with a time of 17.176 seconds amounting to a speed of 104.797 MPH. The team picked up a half a second from practice enabling Tanner to make his third ARCA start of the season.

“Qualifying went just as planned,” Tanner added. “I’m really proud of my guys. We knew we had to make the race. We did it and now we’re focusing on the race.”

Sunny skies and comfortable temperatures greeted the teams for the eighth race of the 2007 season. With 35 cars prepared for the first of two events at Toledo Speedway this season, Tanner was buckled in and ready to go.

The field quickly went to caution on lap one when Robb Brent spun his No. 00 Ford Fusion. Tanner reported in that everything appeared normal on his No. 07 Pontiac Grand Prix and he was set to return to action.

Tanner would hover inside the top-20 for much of the first quarter of the event, but two spins with female driver Gabi DiCarlo tried to set the team behind, but the determination of the crew and rookie driver overcame the hiccups.

While trying to regain the ground he lost, Tanner noticed his motor began to showed signs of losing a cylinder. The team opted to keep the Pennsylvania native out on the track hoping they could finish the race on seven cylinders.

Despite losing four laps to race winner Ken Butler III, Tanner finished his first short track event with a respectable finish giving the team additional momentum heading into their next event scheduled for Iowa .

“Not a bad day overall,” said Tanner. “We had a decent car. We’re learning. This was our first short track race together and I think we did a pretty solid job. The car is in good condition and we can use it again. That’s a good thing.”

He continued, “Not sure what to say about the spins with Gabi DiCarlo, I guess I was in her way, but luckily we didn’t suffer much damage from her hits and we battled back to finish the race. I’m happy for Stott Classic Racing and CheapCaribbean.com.”

Next up for the ARCA RE/MAX Series is the return to Iowa Speedway. Before invading the track for the ninth race on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule, the team will enjoy a weekend off before returning to action for three straight weeks of racing. The second annual Prairie Meadows 250 is set for Saturday, June 2, 2007 at 8:00 PM live on SPEED.

About CheapCaribbean.com and COMM Group

CheapCaribbean.com is owned by COMM Group, Inc (Customer Oriented Marketing and Management Group) which provides wholesale and direct to consumer distribution of vacation packages, resort reservations, and cruises worldwide to Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Mexico , servicing over 250,000 passengers per year.

About Billy Tanner

A fourth generation driver, Billy Tanner IV, 25, hails from Newtown , PA. A veteran dirt specialist, Tanner won several events in 2006 including at Bridgeport and on his home track of New Egypt Speedway in New Egypt, New Jersey . Tanner finished last year sixth in the Race of Champions (ROC) North series, seventh in ROC South, seventh in ROC combined, seventh at New Egypt Speedway, and eighth at Bridgeport . Tanner will run more than a dozen ARCA races in 2007 in hopes of a full season campaign in 2008.

About Stott Classic Racing

Stott Classic Racing has over 50 years of racing heritage and success. Started in 1955, Ramo Stott was an ARCA champ in 1970 and 1971 along with USAC champ in 1975. His sons Corrie and Lance carried on the tradition, with Corrie having 20 years of NASCAR experience. Successfully starting and operating various NASCAR teams, Corrie was a Crew member for Jeff Gordon and Terry Labonte and Crew Chief for Sterling Marlin and Jimmy Spencer. Corrie has spent the past 12 years in management positions with Hendrick Motorsports, SABCO, and PPI Motorsports

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MEDIA CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight, Classic Stott Racing
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: Knight849@aol.com