Venturini Motorsports Remains Undefeated at 2010 Open Test Sessions |
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Emily Teeter
Venturini Motorsports
March 9, 2010
FORT WORTH, TX (03-09-2010) - It has been over 10 years since the ARCA Racing Series has competed on the 1.5-mile speedway in 1998 and Venturini Motorsports set a high precedence with ARCA’s return.
Venturini Motorsports, with drivers Mikey Kile, Steve Arpin, and Alli Owens, traveled to Texas Motor Speedway in preparation for the Rattlesnake 150 on April 16th and rounded out the test session at the top of the charts.
Venturini Motorsports remains undefeated at the open test sessions for the 2010 ARCA Racing Series events. The Concord, NC based team was fastest at Daytona International Speedway with Mikey Kile, Palm Beach International Raceway with Steve Arpin, and Texas Motor Speedway with Mike Kile.
The strong precedence that the team sets in open test sessions never fails to carry dominance into the race. Venturini Motorsports’ drivers made a strong appearance in the Lone Star State and feel prepared and confident entering the Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway.
While none of the drivers have ever raced at Texas Motor Speedway, the test session speed charts may suggest otherwise.
Steve Arpin, despite feeling ill, remained at the top of the speed charts for most of the Texas test before rounding out test third quickest (184.647mph / 29.245 seconds). Arpin only made 20 laps around the track before wrapping up his practice session due to flu-like symptoms.
“I feel like we have a strong car for the race and it was really fast initially, so making only a few laps wasn’t much concern to me,” said Arpin. “I got sick with flu symptoms on Sunday evening and haven’t felt well ever since. To be honest, my whole body aches, but I wasn’t going to miss the test. I know that I can depend on my teammates for notes since this track is so fast.”
While Venturini Motorsports and Arpin are confident in the setup they have prepared for the Texas race, as the car was fast right off the hauler, this is a time when good relationships with teammates comes in handy. The no. 55 team will lean on teammate Mikey Kile and the no. 25 team for notes throughout the open test session.
ARCA Championship contender, Mikey Kile, was able to make multiple runs and clocked a bunch of laps. The no. 25 Toyota was spot on all day and only made minimal adjustments. Mikey Kile was fastest at the ARCA test session for yet a second time this season (185.995mph / 29.033 seconds). Kile was also fastest at the Daytona International Speedway open test.
“Texas Motor Speedway is really a place of it’s own. It a real fast track, but it’s easy to drive with a good car; and that is what Venturini Motorsports has given me. All of the team’s hard work is really paying off and it shows in our practice results,” said Kile. “The car felt like the best driving racecar I’ve ever driven in my life and it was really good in race trim.”
Alli Owens was 13th fastest in the Texas open test and continued to improve the entire day. Venturini Motorsports expects Owens to be competitive in the Rattlesnake 150 when they return.
The Rattlesnake 150 at Texas Motor Speedway is schedule to roll off at 6:30 PM Friday evening, April 16th and will be aired live on SPEED.
Venturini Motorsports will travel to Salem Speedway on April 11th for the third ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards event. The 200-lap race will begin at 2:15 PM and will be featured in live streaming audio at ARCARacing.com.