In his first ARCA Racing Series start since 2010, Ken Schrader was able to lead the most laps and win the Menards 200 at Toledo. It was his fifth career win in the ARCA Racing Series at Toledo and it was his first win in the series since his win at DuQuoin in 2007. Plus, Schrader became the oldest driver to ever win in the series. But it wasn't the easiest win possible for Schrader. Grant Enfinger constantly battled with him for the lead and made sure that he did not get away. Enfinger was even able to do this while he was down a cylinder and had a tire going down. All in all, it was a great race at Toledo that never disappointed.
Kyle Benjamin, a fifteen year old making his third start in the ARCA Racing Series, started on the pole. To add to that, Ken Schrader, a fifty seven year old making fifty eighth start in the ARCA Racing Series, started beside him. When the green flag waved, Benjamin was able to take advantage of the veteran Schrader and lead the first lap. It was a very short time before the first caution of the race waved on lap 4. Korbin Forrister spun out coming out of turn 2, but was able to keep the car out of the wall and keep going. The green flag waved and it was a sort time before a driver would have trouble. Cody Lane spun out in turn 4, but he was able to keep the car out of the wall and continue on. The caution flag did not wave and the race continued on until the second caution of the race on lap 27. Kyle Weatherman had a tire going down and was making the move to pit road in turn 4. Charles Evans did not see he was slowing and spun him out. Weatherman was able to avoid the wall and make it down pit road. The race went back green and two contenders had trouble.
On lap 46, Kyle Benjamin, who had been in the top 2 the whole race, began to slow on the backstretch. He was able to get the car back around the track to get to pit road. The crew diagnosed the problem as an ignition issue and he would lose a bunch of laps. Shortly after this, Spencer Gallagher blew a tire in turn 4 on lap 51. This resulted in him making heavy contact with the outside wall. He was able to make it back around to pit road and avoid a caution, but the damage was too much for him to continue. The race continued on until the third caution of the race on lap 76. Jake Francis tapped Blake Hillard coming into turn 1 and Hillard went for a spin. He was able to avoid the wall and continue on. The race went back green and one of the race and championship contenders had a little trouble.
Coming out of turn 4 on lap 85, Frank Kimmel got extremely loose and went for a spin. He was able to keep the car out of the wall and avoid any damage. This resulted in the fourth caution of the race. The race went back green and it was a short time before the fifth caution on lap 100. Kelly Kovski made contact with Roger Carter coming into turn 1. Carter went for a spin right in front of Frank Kimmel, but Kimmel was able to avoid and both drivers continued on. The race went back green once again and continued on until the sixth caution on lap 107. Bobby Gerhart and Brian Finney went for a spin in turn 3, but both drivers drove away with minimal damage. Taylor Ferns also lost power and stopped on the track, but she received a push to get back to pit road and continued on afterwards. The race went back green and continued on until the seventh caution on lap 124. Jake Francis went for a spin in turn 3, but he was able to continue with minimal damage. The race went back green and continued on until the eighth and final caution on lap 137. Brian Finney bumped Taylor Ferns in turn 4 and the two went for a spin. They continued on with only a little damage. Now, Grant Enfinger and Ken Schrader were set for a final dash for the victory.
The race went green and immediately Enfinger and Schrader began to battle. The odd thing was that Enfinger's car had poured smoke for most of the race and now the smoke had picked up. It seemed like every corner it got darker, but Enfinger still ran laps that mirrored Schrader's. Finally, on lap 189, Enfinger's tire gave way and he had to report to pit road. This caused him to fall out of contention and Schrader cruised to the victory. It was a well deserved win for Schrader and a hard fought one as well.
Like usual, the ARCA race at Toledo never seems to disappoint. Their was constant battling for the lead and plenty of spins to make it even more exciting. With this win, Schrader moved even closer to catching Frank Kimmel for wins at Toledo. By finishing ahead of Kimmel, Mason Mingus, who finished second, gained ten points on Kimmel for the points lead. Now, he sits twenty points back and in prime position to capture the lead. In two weeks, the ARCA Racing Series heads to Elko Speedway, but they will not be televised until, Pocono in three weeks. I hope to check that race out and see if the action continues in ARCA like it has over the past few races.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 4- Korbin Forrister spun out coming out of turn 2.
2nd Caution: Lap 27- Kyle Weatherman spun out in turn 4 after a bump from Charles Evans.
3rd Caution: Lap 76- Blake Hillard spun in turn 1 after a bump from Jake Francis.
4th Caution: Lap 85- Frank Kimmel got loose in turn 4 and went for a spin.
5th Caution: Lap 100- Roger Carter went for a spin coming into turn 1 after contact with Kelly Kovski.
6th Caution: Lap 107- Bobby Gerhart and Brian Finney went for a spin in turn 3. Taylor Ferns also lost power on the track.
7th Caution: Lap 124- Jake Francis went for a spin in turn 3.
8th Caution: Lap 137- Taylor Ferns spun in turn 4 after contact with Brian Finney.
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Ken Schrader
2nd: Mason Mingus
3rd: Frank Kimmel
4th: Justin Boston
5th: Matt Tifft
Notables Not in Top 5:
10th: Tom Hessert
15th: Grant Enfinger
16th: Bobby Gerhart
23rd: Kyle Benjamin
26th: Spencer Gallagher
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://timing1.arcaracing.com/
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Menards_200_Presented_by_Federated_Car_Care/A
-Image:
http://www.toledoblade.com/image/2013/05/19/800x_b1_cCM_z/SPT-ARCA19p.jpg
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