BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – Shelby Township, Michigan native Robb Brent was just thankful to be in last Friday’s RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Upon the conclusion of the 100-lap event, Brent offered his hometown fans and sponsors a well-earned finish in the No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry.
Brent, who after running two full time seasons in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards took a brief sabbatical this season to regroup his racing career announced a two-race deal with the potent Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) which launched in Brent’s backyard at the two-mile oval of MIS.
With AutoDealAds.com stepping up to the plate as the primary sponsor of Brent’s first ARCA event at the wheel of a Toyota Camry, the road racing ace was looking to use the eighth race of the season to strut his stuff.
In the lone practice session on Thursday afternoon, Brent who reunited with crew chief Dave Leiner worked on the chassis setup on their No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry which landed the Denver, North Carolina-based team 20th in the overall rundown.
Not discouraged by the practice effort, Brent gathered his thoughts with Leiner and the two put their heads together to put a qualifying setup that would be both fast but not take away from the team’s overall plan of a healthy race setup.
In time trials Friday morning, Brent maneuvered his ESR machine around the Irish Hills track in 40.147 seconds or 179.34 miles per hour landing 22nd in the starting lineup. Comfortable with the car’s handling, Brent knew his car was setup for racing conditions.
At the start of the RainEater Wiper Blades 200, Brent patiently began moving through the field. Tucked in with ESR teammate Bryan Silas, the two tried to use the draft to manhandle their way into the top-20. The duo would be stalled on lap three when the first yellow flag of the day waived.
Restarting on lap 10, Brent would hold steady in his No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry up the ladder during the first solid green flag run of the day. By lap 20, Brent had found himself locked in the 22nd position. By the time the third yellow of the day waived on lap 30, Brent had moved up to the 20th position.
Four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment was the call from the pit box by Leiner. A solid pit stop by the ESR crew re-entered their driver 13th in the battle.
After another caution flag, Brent remained safely in the top-15 but had his sights set on entering the top-10. By the halfway mark, lap 50, the part-time NASCAR driver hoisted the 11th position.
When Tom Hessert and Maryeve Dufault crashed on lap 52, the yellow flag conditions returned offering a perfect time for Leiner to bring his driver back to pit road to top off the fuel in case the race would stretch into a long green-flag run.
Restarting 13th, Brent would quietly maintain a spot inside the top-15 but with 35 laps remaining, the former Pocono ARCA winner would nearly avoid disaster when the No. 42 of Clay Rogers spun directly in-front of the No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry, the two made slight contact before the No. 23 of Levi Youster joined the mess also making minimal contact with the two colleagues.
Under the caution, Brent brought his machine to the attention of his ESR crew for damage control. With the thumbs up on the overall condition of Brent’s automobile, they sent their driver back into the race.
Over the final 25 laps, Brent would slice and dice his way from his 15th position and survive a green-white-checkered finish to claim the 11th position.
“I had a lot of fun,” said Brent. “I appreciate the opportunity and support from Eddie Sharp, Eddie Sharp Racing and AutoDealAds.com for allowing me to race at my home track with a really good race car. We didn’t quite have enough for those leaders, but we had a competitive car and we learned a lot together that will help us going to Pocono in August.”
Ironically, Brent’s 11th place lead-lap finish on Friday was the third time in the last four races where he captured the exact same position. Last June, Brent delivered a 10th place outing for Allgaier Motorsports.
Brent would personally like to thank his family and friends who attended Friday’s contest. In addition to his duties at the track, Brent participated in two autograph sessions. On Thursday night, Brent joined a slew of ARCA drivers in Downtown Brooklyn, while on race day Brent spent time with children from DeVos Children’s Hospital and the Make A Wish Foundation.
The Michigander also supported his two charities during the race week, the Macomb Charitable Foundation (MCF) and the Animal Aid Foundation.
Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Brent will return to ARCA competition in August and will look to defend his title at the 2.5-mile oval of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 on August 6th in the No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota Camry.
Prior to joining Eddie Sharp Racing, Brent participated in the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving for NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski and Brad Keselowski Racing. Most recently, Brent spent the last two seasons in ARCA with Allgaier Motorsports, the 2008 championship team. In his 59 ARCA starts, Brent has acquired one win (Pocono 2010), six top-five finishes and 19 top-10 efforts. Brent notched his career best qualifying effort of second at Kentucky Speedway in 2008. He has led the ARCA pack five times for 55 laps. His best finish in the NCWTS occurred at Nashville Superspeedway in his inaugural truck debut where he finished 21st after qualifying 26th. The road racing ace also made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2010 driving for RAB Racing at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.
For more on Robb Brent, sponsorship opportunities and official team merchandise, please visit Robbbrentracing.com.
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