Harmon Hopes Toledo Is Kinder To Him In ‘07

Topics:  Mike Harmon, Hantz Group 200

Chris Knight
Mike Harmon Motorsports
17 May 2007

“ARCA Veteran Looking To Change Toledo Luck”

TOLEDO, Ohio (May 17, 2007) - - Mike Harmon grew up racing on the short tracks. He loves short track racing. But when he comes to Toledo Speedway, he’s usually singing a different tune. However, after a top-20 performance last Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway, the ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) veteran is carrying some momentum and hopes to have a different opinion of the track after Sunday’s Hantz Group 200 by Federated Auto Care.

“ Toledo doesn’t like me,” spoke Harmon of the half-mile facility. “Every time we come here we usually go home with a mangled racecar. Hopefully, I’m praying that we’ve paid our dues and we can load up on Sunday with a decent finish and an intact racecar.”

Harmon has five starts at the Northern Ohio-ARCA owned track with a best finish occurring in 2005 when Harmon finished 12th after starting 13th. The Birmingport, Alabama native hopes to rejuvenate that type of run for the eighth race of the season.

“The last time I was here at Toledo (September 2006), I didn’t even make a lap and was swept up into a huge wreck. I couldn’t believe it after getting out of the car. I don’t think that has ever happened in my ARCA career, where I didn’t even make a single lap. Hopefully this year, our poor performances of Toledo will be a wave of the past and we can score our first top-10 finish of the season.”

Planning to make his 79th career ARS start this Sunday, Harmon hopes to bring his days of a short track warrior back into play and point his season back in the right direction.

“Our short track program has been up and down this season,” Harmon explained. “We’ve got caught up in some rookie mishap at Lakeland, bounced back at Salem with a good top-15 finish then got crushed again at Winchester on the first lap. It’s our turn again to have a good run; we sure could use the points.”

Speaking of points, Harmon enters this weekend’s festivities 15th in ARS standings just fifty markers behind Norm Benning and seventy points behind the top-10 which is carried by four drivers (Bryan Silas, Darrell Basham, Jason Hedlesky and Josh Krug) whom are all tied for the same position. He controls the 19th position in owner’s points tied with Michigan native Brad Smith and seventy credits behind 12th held by owner and two-time ARS champion Andy Hillenburg.

“Short track races can either award you or hurt you as far as the points go,” Harmon noted. “We lost a lot of points at Winchester because of the first lap tango. The good news is that it’s a close battle this year. If anything happens, we can be right back in the thick of things and that’s our goal this weekend. Be in contention, stay out of trouble and bring home a good finish. Toledo owes us one.”

Harmon running under the MHM (Mike Harmon Motorsports) banner is proud to have All Sports Armour on board their No. 38 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS this weekend as a primary sponsor.

All Sports Armour was established in 2000. The initial team was comprised of a chemist, a cardiologist, and a group of intelligent former collegiate and professional athletes with a mutually unconventional idea; comfortable sports equipment. For the past five and a half years, their passionate team has been tirelessly designing a revolutionary material that will change the world of sports protection. Unlike today's primitive "one-size-fits-all" sports gear that is made of stiff plastics and bulky foams, All Sports' body-conforming Armour technology raises the bar.

Their high tech, lightweight material is a creative fusion of five layers of fiberglass resin that reacts to oxygen. When formed and fully hardened, the armour takes the impact of a ball, hockey puck, or other obstructive objects and disperses the energy through its five layers, lessening the probability of injury.

“We’re thankful for the support of All Sports Armour this season. They don’t get enough credit for what they are trying to do and we’re just glad to have them aboard our car,” sounded Harmon.

The Hantz Group 200 by Federated Auto Care (200 laps/100 miles) is the eighth of 23 events on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. Practice begins Saturday, May 19 with an hour and a half ( 12:30pm-2:00pm Local Time) session planned. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is slated for later in the afternoon at 3:30pm Local Time. The event will take the green flag Sunday beginning at 12:00pm Local Time. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage online at arcaracing.com

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MEDIA CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight, Mike Harmon Motorsports (MHM)
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com