SALEM, Indiana (September 13, 2012) – – “We gotta win.” Those are the thoughts from ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards veteran Tom Hessert III as he steers towards Saturday night’s Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Fall Classic by Federated Car Care at the historic Salem (Ind.) Speedway.
It’s been two years or 44 races since Hessert steered to his inaugural ARCA Racing Series victory but the Cherry Hill, New Jersey native has been winless since, but the drought hasn’t come from the lack of trying.
Since his Iowa Speedway triumph, Hessert has delivered three runner-up performances including a second-place run at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis in July. Still, the urge and desire to return to victory lane remains the primary focus for the driver of the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet Impala.
“I tell you, we have to win,” said Hessert. “It’s something that’s been my main objective lately and what a better place for the winless drought to end – other than at Salem Speedway. It’s by far my favorite place on the circuit. It’s incredibly fast but still hard to pass and tire management is everything. Salem truly represents what short track racing is all about.”
Saturday night will mark the 10th race of competition for the former Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series competitor on the 0.5-mile paved oval. In his previous nine races, Hessert has mastered a best starting spot of third (Fall, 2010) and finished in the same spot driving for Cunningham Motorsports. Overall, the ARCA veteran has gathered five top-10 finishes in five seasons of competition.
In April, driving the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet for Ken Schrader Racing, Hessert appeared to be heading towards his third top-five appearance at the Southern Indiana racetrack but a late race incident relegated the 26-year old to a frustrating 13th place run.
“It goes without saying that I’m looking for some redemption from the race in the Spring,” offered Hessert. “We had such a great car. We were just biding our time and waiting for the right opportunity to pounce, then disaster struck. Things though happen in a hurry at Salem, so you have to be on your game the entire race. I know we could find ourselves just running our race and then just get wiped out from being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That’s just part of the game. Hopefully, we avoid trouble and can bring the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet to victory lane.”
An extra incentive for the former NASCAR Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series pilot to do well is the ever-growing support of his primary sponsor, Federated Auto Parts and their divisions who will once again support an ARCA Racing Series contest as a presenting sponsor for the 18th race of the year.
“Everyone at Federated Auto Parts, Federated Car Care and all of their loyal divisions has been awesome to me and a blast to work with,” sounded Hessert. “It’s a great feeling to know that you have such constant support from a huge following of people. It’s been longer than it should have been since a Federated Auto Parts car has been in victory lane, we’re going to try and end that on Saturday night.”
Despite idling for three races this year, Hessert currently occupies ninth in the championship standings with three races remaining on ARCA’s 60th year anniversary tour. As it stands, Hessert is 95 markers from eighth and 220 points ahead of 10th. Currently, he has 14 starts with five top-five finishes and nine top-10 runs.
The Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Fall Classic by Federated Car Care (200 laps / 111 miles) is the 18th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 92nd ARCA race held at Salem Speedway is a one day show.Practice begins Saturday, September 15 with a forty-five minute session planned from 12:30 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. Final practice also consisting of forty-five minutes begins at 1:45 p.m. and will conclude at 2:30 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. An on-track autograph session has been etched in immediately following qualifying. The event will take the green flag shortly after 7:15 p.m. later that night. The race will not be televised but additional coverage including a radio broadcast and timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).
Entering Salem, Hessert has 97 career ARCA Racing Series starts. In those outings, he has maneuvered two poles, one win, 24 top-fives and 52 top-10s.
For more on Tom Hessert III, please visit tomhessert.com.
Hessert has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @TomHessert.
