Poole, Boston, and Coughlin Claim Top-10 Finishes
LONG POND, Pa. (August 4, 2014) – Venturini Motorsports (VMS) and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards returned to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for the second and final time of the 2014 season for the running of the ModSpace 125 on Friday evening.
Leading the VMS charge were teammates Brennan Poole and Justin Boston, both of which had dominant Toyota Camrys throughout practice, qualifying and the 50-lap race. Poole, an ARCA Racing Series winner at Pocono in 2012, made his first start of the season in the No. 66 The Identical Movie Toyota, while Boston continued his march in the championship point standings in the No. 25 ZLOOP Toyota.
During time trials on Friday afternoon, Poole and Boston set the stage for a VMS showdown as the drivers qualified second and third respectively. Poole’s lap of 53.284 seconds marked the identical time of Mason Mitchell, but Mitchell received the pole award based on current owner point standings.
After a brief rain shower delayed the start of the 50-lap race, the green flag was waved with Poole on the outside of the front row and Boston right behind in row two. With threatening weather still in the Pocono area, both drivers were instructed to not waste any time on the racetrack. By lap four, Poole had taken over the top spot from Mitchell and started to pull away from second-place.
A caution was displayed on lap 13 for a multi-car accident in turn three, with Poole leading the field and Boston holding third. After the field restarted on lap 20, Poole found himself in second-place for seven laps before receiving drafting help from Boston, propelling the teammates into the first and second positions.
With an ARCA Racing Series rule stating each car must pit at least once before lap 40, Poole and Boston had to relinquish their one-two running positions to visit pit road for a splash of fuel on lap 38 and lap 39. While three competitors were on a different pit strategy of making their stop before lap 10 and conserving fuel for the final stretch, Poole and Boston cycled into the fourth and fifth positions. With the final 10 laps remaining caution free, Poole and Boston were unable to close the gap and contend for the win.
Poole, who led a total of 31 of 50 laps, claimed his fourth consecutive top-five finish at Pocono, while Boston claimed his fifth top-five of the 2014 season.
“I’m proud of how good our The Identical movie Toyota was,” said Poole after the race. “Venturini Motorsports gave me the best car on the track but our pit strategy just didn’t pan out. We thought for sure it was going to rain and since we were leading the race, we couldn’t give up the track position knowing there was weather all around us.”
Fellow VMS teammate Cody Coughlin ran as high as third during the race, before piloting his No. 55 JEGS Toyota Camry to a ninth-place finish.
John Wes Townley, driver of the No. 15 Zaxby’s Toyota, did not compete after an incident during Friday’squalifying session. Townley is now in good health, but sat out of both the ARCA and NASCAR Truck events at Pocono Raceway as a precautionary measure.
Venturini Motorsports and the ARCA Racing Series will now head to Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan for the Federated Auto Parts 200 on Saturday, August 9. The green flag will wave shortly after 8:30 p.m. ETwith ARCAracing.com carrying live timing and scoring throughout the day’s on-track activities.
About Venturini Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, John Wes Townley and Erik Jones. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.
Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports
About ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading auto racing sanctioning bodies in the country. Founded in 1953 by John and Mildred Marcum, the organization administers more than 100 events each year in multiple racing series, including the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, the ARCA/CRA Super Series, the ARCA Truck Series and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
