TOLEDO, Ohio (June 27, 2017) — Kyle Weatherman is set to make his 50th career ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards start when the Fans With Benefits 150 comes to life at Iowa Speedway Saturday night, July 8. The Wentzville, Missouri driver is also coming with a championship team, teaming up with Mason Mitchell Motorsports.
I can’t think of a better track for me to make my 50th start,” said Weatherman. “Love the track, the facility…everything about that place. It doesn’t hurt that we run very well there either. We’ve been as close as you can get without winning…it’s time to seal the deal. I know my Mason Mitchell Motorsports team will prepare a car capable of winning.”
With or without MMM, Weatherman has been one of the most formidable drivers at Iowa over the years, finishing second to ARCA champion Grant Enfinger in his Iowa debut in 2013. He also finished second at Iowa in 2015. His runner-up run in ’15 came with a good bit of drama when the hometown hero Mason Mitchell powered past Weatherman on the final lap to win it. Considering Mitchell hails from nearby W. Des Moines, Iowa, it was one of the most popular wins in the annals of Iowa Speedway history, and certainly one of the most exciting.
Now, combine the two standout racers on the same side and you’ve got a recipe for a big story, not to mention a bona fide Victory Lane threat.
It doesn’t hurt that Iowa is one of Weatherman’s favorite race tracks.
“Iowa is so awesome,” said Weatherman. “It’s a very racy track…you can move around a lot and find out where you’re car is working the best. If the bottom isn’t working for you, you can move to the middle or right to the top.”
And that’s exactly what Weatherman did the night he finished second in 2013. With everyone tucked around the bottom line, Weatherman went right up to the wall to see what, if anything, was there. Running the rim around a race track is certainly not anything new except that at Iowa, it had not yet been done yet.
“It was an accident at first. But then I kept doing it and found out our lap times were getting faster. We made it work and showed everyone that it was fast up there. Everybody knows it’s there now.”
Weatherman’s experiment worked so well that Enfinger followed him up there, and eventually tracked down Weatherman, passing him for the win in the final laps.
“Most tracks have one good groove, maybe two at best,” Weatherman continued. “Iowa…different story. You’ve literally got four grooves you can work with. If your car isn’t working down here…no problem…just go up there. You can let the car sort out where it wants to be.”
As much as Weatherman loves the track, he also says it’s a difficult track.
“It’s not an easy track by any stretch. It’s tough to get around but so much fun. It’ll always be one of my favorite tracks.”
Weatherman, who’s driving for Mason Mitchell Motorsports in 2017, can lean on his car owner for pointers. Mitchell, a former Iowa winner, was also the ARCA Racing Series national driver and owner champion in 2014.
No Repeat Winners at Iowa
In 10 previous ARCA races at Iowa since the inaugural event in 2006, there have been no repeat winners. Steve Wallace won the first ARCA race at Iowa, and 2016 ARCA national champion Chase Briscoe won the most recent in 2016. Other ARCA winners at Iowa include Frank Kimmel (2007), Matt Hawkins (2008), Parker Kligerman (2009), Tom Hessert (2010), Ty Dillon (2011), Alex Bowman (2012), Grant Enfinger (2013) and Mason Mitchell (2015). Dillon is the only repeat General Tire pole winner at Iowa, having done it in 2010 and 2011.
ARCA Iowa Schedule/Media
Practice for the Fans With Benefits 150 is from 11:30 – 1 p.m. Saturday with General Tire Pole Qualifying following at 3:15. The Fans With Benefits 150 is scheduled to get the green flag at 8:18. Follow Live Timing, Scoring and Chat at arcaracing.com.
About Iowa Speedway
Iowa Speedway, The Fastest Short Track on the Planet, is a state-of-the-art 7/8-mile asphalt paved tri-oval race track and motorsports facility located in Newton, Iowa. Our 2017 schedule includes three exciting race weekends: June 23-24 (NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Iowa 200 and NASCAR XFINITY Series American Ethanol E15 250 presented by Enogen), July 8-9 (ARCA Racing Series Iowa 150 and Verizon IndyCar Series Iowa Corn 300) and July 28-29 (NASCAR K&N Pro Series Casey’s General Stores 150 presented by Vatterott College and NASCAR XFINITY Series U.S. Cellular 250 presented by American Ethanol). For tickets, call 1.866.787.8946. To learn more, visit www.IowaSpeedway.com, “like” us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About ARCA
The Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is among the leading and most versatile 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 and the ARCA Midwest Tour, plus weekly racing at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedways.
