[media-credit name=”ARCA Racing Network” align=”alignright” width=”345″]
[/media-credit]After practice was able to start following a rain shower, it’d be 15-year-old Erik Jones topping the charts in final practice late in the session at Lucas Oil Raceway. The rookie Venturini Motorsports driver lapped the 0.686-mile oval in 22.217 seconds in his No. 55 Chevrolet. Jones became the youngest driver to start an ARCA race earlier this year after ARCA changed the minimum age from 16 to 15.
Jones’ Venturini Motorsports teammate Brennan Poole was second, 0.026 seconds behind. Poole is looking for a good run to get himself back in the points lead as he currently sits 35 points behind Chris Buescher. Clay Rogers was third, followed by Matt Lofton and Venturini’s Kevin Swindell. Swindell was last week’s race winner at Chicagoland Speedway, adding to Venturini’s 30th Anniversary ceremonies that took place throughout the weekend.
Mason Mitchell was sixth, followed by Chad Hackenbracht. Hackenbracht had led the charts in the first sesssion earlier today and was leading the charts before the rain delay in the second session.
Rain cut the first practice short by 15 minutes and then cut the second practice short by half of the 45 minutes allowed. Whether it will have an effect on the race tonight is yet to be seen.
Nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel was eighth ahead of ThorSport Racing teammate Matt Crafton. Mason Mingus rounded out the top 10. Points leader Chris Buescher was 16th.
It was Hackenbracht topping the charts in the first session earlier in the day at a lap of 22.655 seconds, followed by Jones, Kimmel, Poole and Rogers. Buescher was sixth in that session.
Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell will start at 6 p.m. and set the field for tonight’s Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 presented by Federated Car Care. The race will air at 9 p.m. on SPEED.
Practice 2
| 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Event #13 | |||||
| Lucas Oil Raceway, Clermont IN, 7-27-12 | |||||
| Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 presented by Federated Car Care | |||||
| July 27, 2012 / 3:45 PM | |||||
| POS | NO | DRIVER/HOMETOWN | TEAM & CAR | TIME | SPEED |
| 1 | 55 | Erik Jones/Byron MI | Paragon Corvette Reproductions Chevrolet | 22.217 | 111.158 |
| 2 | 25 | Brennan Poole/The Woodlands TX | Country Music Artist Buddy Jewell-Adcetera Chevy | 22.243 | 111.028 |
| 3 | 45 | Clay Rogers/Troutman NC | Beard Oil Chevrolet | 22.279 | 110.849 |
| 4 | 16 | Matt Lofton/Roxboro NC | Strutmasters.com Chevrolet | 22.373 | 110.383 |
| 5 | 66 | Kevin Swindell/Germantown TN | Curb Records Toyota | 22.464 | 109.936 |
| 6 | 6 | Mason Mitchell/W. Des Moines IA | J&S Ag Services-Make A Wish Foundation Chevy | 22.518 | 109.672 |
| 7 | 58 | Chad Hackenbracht/New Philadelphia OH | CGH Motorsports Chevrolet | 22.550 | 109.517 |
| 8 | 44 | Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN | Ansell-Menards Toyota | 22.571 | 109.415 |
| 9 | 18 | Matt Crafton/Tulare CA | Messina-Menards Toyota | 22.572 | 109.410 |
| 10 | 32 | Mason Mingus/Brentwood TN | 811 Call Before You Dig Chevrolet | 22.580 | 109.371 |
| 11 | 15 | Ryan Reed/Bakersfield CA | RaceHard.com Toyota | 22.673 | 108.923 |
| 12 | 98 | Chad Boat/Phoenix AZ | Curb Records-Celebrity Fight Night Chevrolet | 22.735 | 108.625 |
| 13 | 22 | Alex Bowman/Tucson AZ | St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Dodge | 22.771 | 108.454 |
| 14 | 95 | Michael Leavine/Bullard TX | WRL General Contractors Ford | 22.847 | 108.093 |
| 15 | 99 | Grant Enfinger/Fairhope AL | Breland Homes/Preble-Rish Ford | 22.887 | 107.904 |
| 16 | 17 | Chris Buescher/Prosper TX | Reliance Tool-Roulo Brothers Racing Ford | 22.961 | 107.556 |
| 17 | 52 | Tom Hessert/Cherry Hill NJ | Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet | 22.993 | 107.407 |
| 18 | 12 | Jared Marks/Napoleon OH | Walgreen’s-SRT Motorsports Dodge | 23.081 | 106.997 |
| 19 | 23 | Spencer Gallagher/Las Vegas NV | Allegiant Air Chevrolet | 23.122 | 106.807 |
| 20 | 01 | Austin Rettig/Sikeston MO | Rettig Racing Dodge | 23.141 | 106.720 |
| 21 | 88 | Buster Graham/Lafayette LA | Batter’s Dream-RoushYatesParts.com Ford | 23.190 | 106.494 |
| 22 | 02 | Josh Williams/Port Charlotte FL | Fields Auto Parts-Southwest Florida Cable Ford | 23.216 | 106.375 |
| 23 | 40 | Darren Hagen/Indianapolis IN | Al & Diane’s Red Onion Lounge Dodge | 23.249 | 106.224 |
| 24 | 35 | Nelson Canache/Caracas Venezuela | Venezuela Tourism Chevrolet | 23.307 | 105.960 |
| 25 | 3 | Brian Finney/Merritt Island FL | Bob Steele Chevrolet | 23.356 | 105.737 |
| 26 | 08 | Brad Cox/China Grove NC | 5 K Logistics Chevrolet | 23.400 | 105.538 |
| 27 | 68 | Korbin Forrister/Cedartown GA | Clarksville Schwinn & Cyclery Ford | 23.508 | 105.054 |
| 28 | 51 | Brad Lloyd/Charlotte NC | Frontline Ministries Ford | 23.728 | 104.080 |
| 29 | 04 | Larry Barford Jr./Denton MD | First Mariner Bank-Trauma Doc Dodge | 23.755 | 103.961 |
| 30 | 5 | Bobby Gerhart/Lebanon PA | Lucas Oil Chevrolet | 23.761 | 103.935 |
| 31 | 94 | Milka Duno/Caracas Venezuela | Milka Way Toyota | 23.787 | 103.821 |
| 32 | 34 | Darrell Basham/Henryville IN | Darrell Basham Racing Chevrolet | 24.563 | 100.541 |
| 33 | 69 | Will Kimmel/Sellersburg IN | Tilted Kilt Ford | 24.790 | 99.621 |
| 34 | 86 | Tim Walter/Valparaiso IN | MPBToday.com-Tom’s Auto Body Dodge | 25.330 | 97.497 |
| 35 | 48 | James Hylton/Inman SC | Radon.com Ford | 27.051 | 91.294 |
| 36 | 10 | Mike Senica/Doylestown PA | Damn Good Jerky Ford | 27.239 | 90.664 |
