Top-12 For Dexter Bean In Irish Hills

Topics:  Dexter Bean, Michigan ARCA 200

Chris Knight
BlackJack Racing
June 17, 2007

“Leads Laps; Moves To Third In Points”

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 17, 2007) - - ARCA RE/MAX Series sophomore driver Dexter Bean is continuing to enjoy a Cinderella season. After notching a second place finish the week prior at Pocono Raceway, Bean headed to Michigan International Speedway looking to score another good run.

In all accounts, his 12th place finish on Friday afternoon was respectable, but not exactly the run the Westby, Wisconsin native was looking for. No worries, though. It’s better than his finish here last June.

Unveiling a brand new car and paint scheme in the 11th race of the 2007 season, Bean claimed the 22nd position in the lone practice session of the weekend at MIS. Maneuvering the two-mile oval at a time of 40.695 seconds at 176.926 MPH, Bean wasn’t sweating the mediocre effort.

“This is a brand new car for us,” said Dexter Bean. “We worked really hard on this piece. We knew we had to shake out the new car bugs and I think we did that. We’re going to make some changes in qualifying and hope they work.”

In ARCA SIM Factory time trials, Bean posted a lap of 40.486 seconds or 177.839 MPH placing him 23rd for the ARCA 200. “The car was loose,” he said. “I gave everything I had. It’s a long race and a lot of room to pass, we’ll go the front.”

At the start of the event, Bean kept his promise. Slicing and dicing his No. 6 Five Star Telecom Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS, Bean would begin his charge towards the top-10.

With guidance from crew chief Chris Bires and spotter and mentor Jeff Spraker, Bean knew he was in good hands but had to keep focused.

An early race caution opted the opportunity to bring his automobile to the attention of his BlackJack Racing crew where they changed four Hoosier tires, added Sunoco Racing fuel and made a slight chassis adjustment hoping to make the car turn better.

The adjustment paid off. Bean would begin a serious mission on the restart trying to overtake his fellow competitors with the goal of his third top-10 at Michigan International Speedway.

Pit strategy would pay off for Bean and the team as the group elected to stay out and took control of the lead for five laps from 51 to 55 before being overtaken by close colleague Phillip McGilton.

Knowing that he didn’t have enough for the ARCAwackers, the team opted to bring Bean back down pit lane in the late stages hoping for a surging charge back towards the front.

With a great pit stop performed by his Wisconsin team, Bean would return to the field sitting in the top-15. Bean would endure fierce racing for the remainder of the event picking up several positions to cross the line 12th.

“We were okay today,” said Bean. “It was a tough race. These NASCAR Nextel Cup teams really come and shine away from the ARCA regulars. Sometimes it’s good if we can race with them, but on these bigger horsepower tracks, we just can’t keep up with them. We did everything we could.”

“The good news is that we learned a whole lot with our new car. Taking what we learned at Michigan , this car will be better the next time we unload. I want to thank Five Star Telecom and my guys for their hard work. I wouldn’t trade them for anything.”

With his solid performance on Friday, Bean jumped from fourth to third in the championship standings sitting just 20 points behind second place competitor Bobby Gerhart and sits 60 markers ahead fourth place runner Justin Allgaier.

The ARCA RE/MAX Series will enjoy a two-week break from competition before returning to Michigan for a battle at Berlin Raceway in Marne , Michigan just outside of Grand Rapids on July 7.

Last season in his Berlin Raceway debut, Bean qualified 19th advancing seven positions to collect a 12th place finish on the lead lap.

BlackJack Racing is still seeking additional primary and associate sponsors for the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series season. For sponsorship inquiries, please contact BlackJack Racing at david@mwt.net or 608.634.4242.

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

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MEDIA CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight, BlackJack Racing
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com