Dexter Bean Captures Third In Championship Standings Following Toledo

Topics:  Dexter Bean, Hantz Group 200

Chris Knight
BlackJack Racing
October 16, 2007

TOLEDO, Ohio (October 16, 2007) - - It wasn’t exactly the finish that sophomore ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) driver was looking for in Sunday’s Hantz Group 200 presented by Belle Tire but the finish allowed Bean to accumulate enough points to secure a third place in the championship standings beating local ARCA competitor Justin Allgaier by a mere 40 points.

After looking strong early in the Hantz Group, Bean would encounter an engine problem just 86 markers into Sunday’s season finale putting the team out of the hunt and out of sight.

However, the team wasn’t going to fret on the finish but instead look at the brighter picture, a successful season. A complete 360 degree turn for the Wisconsin based operation from just 12 months ago. Last season in his freshman year of competition Bean tackled the tour with a pole at Salem Speedway in addition to two top-fives and five top-10s. The team was marred by a series of seven engine failures over the season’s 23 races which also saw Bean miss the season opener at Daytona International Speedway.

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No worries this year. Bean competed in all 23 races with some impressive stats. The 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season saw him score three top-fives, 10 tops-10s and an outside pole at Salem Speedway this past April.

Bean’s consistency and determination paid off with the organization being a threat in the championship throughout much of the season. Running on a budget nearly less than half of the well established teams in ARCAville, Bean considers the season a huge success and is already looking ahead to the future.

“We had a great season,” said Bean, a native of Westby , Wisconsin . “I strongly believe that we turned some heads with our performances this year. Beating some of the best NASCAR Nextel Cup Series teams on the circuits with a second place finish at Pocono Raceway earlier this year was probably the highlight of our season, not to mention our stout second place finish at Salem Speedway in April.”

The 20-year old NASCAR bound driver continued, “We had our share of ups and downs, but so did everyone else. The good thing about this BlackJack Racing team is we never gave up, especially in times of doubts. We don’t have a huge crew and only two full-time employees, so to be able to do what we did this year with as little resources as we had just shows how hard this team really did work.”

“I could not have done this season without my crew chief Chris Bires. He was in the shop working endless amounts of hours with the goal for us to be at the top of the charts. I have to thank him for everything he’s done this year. Not only Chris, but everyone on my team. All my guys that come to the shop or help out on race weekends, but there are a lot of people to thank and I’ll make sure to thank them again at the awards banquet in December.”

Bean wanted to give a special thanks to two people that have made a great impact his racing career his mother and father. “My mom (Cheryl) and Dad (David) have supported me 100 percent and I can’t thank them enough. They are two very special people to me and I just want to tell them again and again, thank you!”

While the team was plagued in the sponsorship department, BlackJack Racing did welcome associate sponsorship support from longtime Dexter Bean supporter Five Star Telecom. Since their beginning in 1973, FST has become one of the largest interconnect companies in the Upper Midwest , with multiple locations serving the tri-state area.

“Sponsorship was tough this year, we had some prospects, but we could always count on Five Star Telecom. They did a lot for us not only in the past but this year as well. They were one of the components that kept this team on track. I have to thank them for that. We’re still looking for sponsorship for next year and believe me we’re doing everything we can to make a corporation a good home.”

With a career best season in the books, Bean is looking ahead to his future, but the future remains uncertain at this point. “We would love to come back and run the full 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule and maybe run some NASCAR races, but we have to find a sponsor to help make that happen. Our marketing people are working hard to make that happen. We have some good leads and I’m confident that we’ll be able to announce something at the ARCA RE/MAX Series Championship Awards Banquet in Covington , Kentucky on December 8.”

Dexter Bean’s father David locked third in the championship owner standings and will join his son on stage at the December 8 function.

Exiting the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season, Dexter Bean has 51 ARCA RE/MAX Series starts to his credit with five top-five finishes and 16 top-10 efforts. He holds a career best finish of second at Salem Speedway and Pocono Raceway (April 2007 and June 2007). He owns the 2006 ARCA SIM Factory pole award at Salem Speedway (September 2006) while hoisting a career-best speedway time trials effort of fourth at Pocono Raceway (June 2006). Bean has also led 138 laps in six races.

BlackJack Racing is still seeking additional primary and associate sponsors for the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series season. For sponsorship inquires, please contact BlackJack Racing at 608.634.4242.

For more on Dexter Bean and BlackJack Racing, please visit DexterBean.net

MEDIA CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight, BlackJack Racing

PHONE: 239.834.9797

EMAIL: Knight849@aol.com