Frank Kimmel started on the pole. Since the morning practice session was rained out, ARCA decided to cancel qualifying and use that time for a practice session. This meant that the field was set by owner points and many drivers, like Chase Elliott, Corey LaJoie, and Brennan Newberry, would have to start in the back half of the field. Before the race could even get started, Corey LaJoie would almost be sent to the back of the field. LaJoie stopped on track to adjust his steering wheel and make sure it was straight before the start of the race. In NASCAR, this move is legal, but in the ARCA Racing Series, you are forced to start from the back of the field for giving up your position on track. Fortunately for LaJoie, some drivers made pit stops during the pace laps and he was allowed to start the race from his original position. Chad Boat would also have trouble during the pace laps. Boat stopped on track at the exit of turn 2 and another pace lap was added to move his car off track. His car had a fuel pump issue and he was able to make it into the race, but he was twelve laps down and he would not get a good finish. After an eventful few pace laps, the race was able to start and Frank Kimmel was able to come around and lead the first lap.
Erik Jones was able to take the lead from Frank Kimmel on lap 2 and he looked to run away from the field. It was a short time after this that one of the possible race and championship contenders would have trouble. Tom Hessert, who was running in the top 10, began to slow in turn 2 on lap 4 due to a blown tire. Hessert did not hit the wall and he was able to make it down pit road, but he was mired deep in the field and without a chance for a good finish. It was a short time after this that another possible race contender would have trouble. Josh Williams, who was running in or near the top 10 early in the race, was black flagged due to smoke coming out his car. He reported to pit road on lap 7 and his team made sure everything was okay before he went back on track. Everything was good with his car and he was able to return to the track, but he was put a couple laps down and he would not have a chance for a top 10. Shortly after this, Frank Kimmel was able to take the lead from Erik Jones on lap 9, but Chase Elliott was coming. Elliott was able to get by Kimmel for the lead on lap 17. If the feat didn't seem like much, Elliott had moved from twenty-third on the start to the lead in only 16 measly laps. Only the race would tell if he would be a factor later on.
Shortly after getting passed for the lead, Frank Kimmel decided to make the move to pit road on lap 21. He took two tires and this led to others making the move to pit road. Chase Elliott, Brennan Newberry, and Spencer Gallagher decided to pit a few laps after Kimmel. Newberry and Gallagher took two tires as Elliott decided to take four tires. This gave the lead to Erik Jones, who had led earlier in the race. It was a short time after this that Jones decided to make the move to pit road on lap 29. He took two tires and led more drivers to make the move to pit road. Corey LaJoie, Mason Mingus, Justin Boston, and Will Kimmel made the move to pit road in the laps after Jones. LaJoie, Mingus, and Will Kimmel decided to take two tires while Boston got only fuel in his car. Since he only took two tires, Erik Jones was able to stay in the lead with LaJoie and Chase Elliott in second and third, respectively. It seemed like Elliott had made the wrong move on his stop, but time would tell how it would turn out.
It was a short time after this that Elliott's chances were completely dashed. Coming into turn 1 on lap 41, Elliott lost a left front tire after he ran over some debris. Elliott was able to keep his car out of the wall and make it to pit road, but this cost him a chance at the win. Now, Erik Jones just had to cruise and he would be the youngest winner in the history of the ARCA Racing Series. He was doing a good job as Corey LaJoie could not make time on him, but a mistake cost Jones. Coming into turn 2 on lap 47, Jones made a move around the outside of Josh Williams, but Jones did not have enough room to make it past Williams. He made slight contact with the outside wall and was able to sneak by Williams. As Jones exited turn 2, his car shut off and he could not get it refired. Just like that, the leader of the race had engine troubles. Corey LaJoie was in second at the time and made the move around him to take the lead. LaJoie made no mistakes and cruised to the second victory of his young ARCA career. As the rest of the lead lap drivers made their way to the finish line, one incident would occur between Brian Kaltreider and Mason Mitchell. In turn 3, Kaltreider got loose as Mason Mingus was going by him. Kaltreider tried to save his car, but it went up the track and slammed into Mason Mitchell's door. Mitchell spun around and slammed the outside wall. In footage from his in car camera, Mitchell was visibly shaken up, but both drivers were able to get out of their cars and they were okay. Now, Corey LaJoie could celebrate his victory.
The luck Corey LaJoie has had in the past two races has been unbelievable. Two weeks ago in Chicago, LaJoie was able to get past Josh Williams for second as Justin Boston, the leader, ran out of fuel with a handful of laps to go. This gave LaJoie the lead and his first ARCA victory. This week in Pocono, Erik Jones, the leader, had engine problems with a handful of laps to go that allowed LaJoie to pass him for the win. It was definitely a big win for LaJoie that could put him on the radar of many big teams in the sport. The other end of the spectrum is not as pleasant. Erik Jones and Chase Elliott had the cars to beat, but both had problems that cost them wins and good finishes. It was definitely a good day for one driver, but a bad end for some drivers. The ARCA Racing Series heads to Berlin Raceway for the next race. It is not going to be live, but it will be tape delayed and shown later. This is the same trend for the two races after the one at Berlin. It will be over a month until the series is live again at Iowa Speedway. Will Mason Mingus draw closer to Frank Kimmel in these next few races, will Frank Kimmel run away with the points lead, or will Kimmel take down Iggy Katona's career record of eighty wins? We will have to watch the next few races to find this out and more.
(More Stats Down Below!)
Cautions: None
Lucky Dogs: None
Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Corey LaJoie
2nd: Frank Kimmel
3rd: Justin Boston
4th: Brennan Newberry
5th: Spencer Gallagher
Notables Not in Top 5:
6th: Mason Mingus
9th: Chase Elliott
12th: Erik Jones
17th: Bobby Gerhart
29th: James Hylton
Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://timing1.arcaracing.com/
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_ModSpace_125/A
-Image:
http://arcaracing.com/news.php?contentid=16026
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