Road Course in the Garden State Millville, NJ – 9/29/08) Michael Phelps, driver of the #45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge car, had a wet and wild ride at the Loud Energy Drink 150 in Millville, New Jersey this past Sunday. The exciting element to this race was that it was on a 2.3-mile paved road course; Thunderbolt Raceway at New Jersey Motorsports Park. Michael said, “This was definitely a learning experience for both the team and I. We made huge improvements every time we got out on the track. We were all feeling confident and excited by the time we lined up for the race.” Unfortunately, the field raced only 48 out of a scheduled 67 laps due to poor weather conditions. Michael stayed consistent during the brief race holding his qualifying position of 20th at the time that the race was called-off by ARCA Officials. “Overall, this was a really fun weekend for me. I got the chance to try something new and Cunningham Motorsports and Ilmor Engines really gave me a great car. It’s a shame the race ended so early but I’ll definitely be ready for the next time that I get the chance to race on a Road Course.” Said Michael. The second to last race in the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series will be at Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama on Friday, October 3rd at 4:00pm ET. The ARCA RE/MAX 250 will be 94 laps on the infamous 2.66-miled paved oval . Michael is excited to get back on a familiar track and dominate at Talladega.
Grand Marshall Tomorrow is the BIG day. The City of Suwanee is expecting approximately 40,000 visitors tomorrow throughout the entire day at Town Center Park for the 25th Suwanee Day celebration. The theme of the event and the parade is “Totally 80’s” and with the beautiful weather expected it should be a Totally Awesome day. The parade kicks off the festival activities at 10 a.m. The parade route begins at the corner of Russell St and Buford Highway traveling north on Buford Highway to Suwanee Dam Rd, then south along old Main Street to the finale in front of Pierce’s Corner for a total 1.25 miles. (Buford Hwy will be closed from McGinnis Ferry to Suwanee Dam Rd from 9:15 - 11:30 tomorrow morning for the parade and festivities). The parade’s Grand Marshall will be Michael Phelps, no not the guy going fast in the pool, but the guy going MUCH FASTER on the race track. Michael Phelps drives the #45 Bowen Family Homes race car competing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series.
Michael Phelps Stays Put in Top Ten Salem, IN (9.14.08) Michael Phelps, driving the #45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge car, had an amazing race Saturday at the Eddie Gilstrap Motors 200 by Advance Auto Parts at Salem Speedway. After a few unlucky races in Illinois Michael was determined to stake his claim in the top ten and stay there ! After a great 10th place qualifying effort, Michael charged at the beginning of the race, getting as high as 4th place. Phelps consistently ran in the top ten for all 200 laps while avoiding more than a handful of crashes. Ultimately, the Suwanee, GA driver finished the race in 10th place. “I was extremely pleased with our finish. We really came out strong and stayed that way all night. We improved over all performance the last few weeks and I’m glad we got to redeem ourselves. The car was great. Overall we had a solid night.” said Michael. Chris Carrier from Penske Racing took the reigns as Michael’s crew chief at the rough and tumble .555 mile oval. Carrier was formally Sam Hornish Jr. Crew Chief in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. In mid June of this year, Penske Racing announced a developmental partnership with Cunningham Motorsports, developing young drivers in three different series. The ARCA RE/MAX Series will be taking a break next weekend and will return on Sunday, September 28th for the Loud Energy Drink 150 in Millville, New Jersey. This race is located at the New Jersey Motorsports Park and is an exciting 2.3-mile paved road-course. Michael Phelps, however, will not be on a break from racing or school. This week he will be testing at Talladega Superspeedway and catching up on school activities.
“No luck” for Phelps in Chicagoland (Chicagoland, 9-8-08) Michael Phelps seems to have had an unlucky streak on Illinois tracks in this 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series. After an unexpected accident last week at DuQuoin, the #45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge driver was expecting this race to be a breeze compared to the dirt tracks he faced in previous weeks in the Prairie State. This past Saturday, the Cunningham Motorsports team headed back to Illinois for the Chicagoland ARCA 200, which turned out to be more of a struggle than they had hoped for. “We started the race off in 17th, but we had a tire go flat before the race and had to start in the back of the pack. Our car was really fast and we kept passing traffic on the outside until we were pushed up into the wall,” said Phelps. After a great run to the front, Phelps collided with the turn two wall, leaving Michael in 28th position by days end. “It was unfortunate because the crew put together an awesome car, but it seems that we had no luck at all,” said the #45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge driver. Carrying on their team strategy of having great cars, great drivers and great attitude, the team will not let a few bad weeks keep them from having another top ten finish. They are excited about next weeks race and look forward to good, clean racing competition. On Saturday, September 13th at 7:15 p.m., Michael heads to Salem, Indiana for the Eddie Gilstrap Motors 200 by Advance Auto Parts. The Suwanee, GA driver is looking to finish the year off strong with just four races remaining in the 2008 ARCA/ ReMax schedule. Michael and his team hope to have a clean slate at the Salem Speedway, commenting “we are just as fast as the leaders so hopefully we can stick the car up front and stay there!”
Phelps preparing to sweep into the Windy City DuQuoin, IL (9-2-08) Michael Phelps, driver of the #45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge, felt good about his second time racing on a dirt track yesterday at the Southern Illinois 100 in DuQuoin, IL. Although he qualified 23rd, he felt more optimistic about the race and even enjoyed the dirt saying “we were having a good day and we had a really good car to work with.” It all changed on lap 23, when Michael was bumped by another car and hit the wall coming off the corner, causing the Georgia driver to pack it in early. What’s great about Michael is that despite the accident he always keeps a good attitude and holds no hurt feelings20adding, “it’s all a part of racing.” Now the Cunningham Motorsports team is looking forward to their next race. Back in Illinois for the third time this year, Joliet, IL will host the ARCA/ReMax series 17th event with the Chicagoland ARCA 200, on Saturday, September 6th at 5p.m. Michael said he is “looking forward to the big track at Chicagoland and getting off the dirt.” He is also excited about getting back into the car he raced in at Kentucky where he started on the outside pole and finished 9th overall
Career First - Michael Phelps Hits the Dirt Sunday, August 17th, was the first time that Michael Phelps, the driver of the #45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge has raced on a dirt track. The Illinois State Fair, in Springfield, hosted the Allen Crowe 100. The 15th Series event in the 2008 ARCA RE/MAX season. The rookie driver from Suwanee, GA said “It was tough to get used to the track at first, but we got more comfortable towards the middle of the race, even though turns three and four got pretty bumpy as the laps added up.” The dirt, dust and bumps could not keep Michael from completing the 100 miles and taking home a 17th place finish, moving up eight places from his starting position. While the ARCA RE/MAX Series takes a break next weekend, Michael will be busy racing in the Hooters Pro Cup Series on August 20th, in the Aaron’s 150 at Bristol Motor Speedway, TN. The world famous, high-banked, .533 mile track and what’s sure to be some extremely difficult competition will keep Michael polished up for the next ARCA RE/MAX Series event. On Monday September 1st, Michael and the Cunningham Motorsports team will head back to Illinois for the Southern Illinois 100, in DuQuoin, IL. On top of staying focused for the races in the coming weeks, Michael heads back to school this week at Auburn University in Georgia. With only six races left in this series, Michael will have to balance his workload between racing and studying. “I’ll be busy these next couple weeks, but I’m looking forward going back to school,” said Michael.
News Flash! Michael Phelps Enters Allen Crowe 100 at Springfield
One of the most famous names worldwide will now be a part of the 40-car starting field for Sunday's stock car classic. No, no, not that Michael Phelps; we're talking about the one from Suwanee, Georgia - the one who slings 3,400 lb stock cars around in the ARCA RE/MAX Series world. And when he's not doing that, it's been an all-out media blitz for the driver that shares names with one of the most recognized names on earth - Olympian gold medalist Michael Phelps, the famous swimmer guy, not the race driver dude. But this story's about the race driver Phelps, who says the experience of sharing this particular name has been, well, an experience. "I've never swam," said Phelps. "Never even tried it. Maybe I should. A lot of people are like Michael Phelps? They think I'm the swimmer trying to start a racing career. A lot of people have emailed me through my website and have sent me messages because they think that I am the swimmer and then once they find out they are kind of down and disappointed. It's helping me a little because I'm getting some new fans. I don't know if it's helping him or not." Next stop for the SunTrust Rookie - who can't swim a lick - the Springfield mile-dirt this Sunday. The event marks the first-time that Phelps, who finished a career-best 9th at Pocono and Kentucky, has competed on dirt. Nonetheless, the driver of the no. 45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge is excited about the dirt. "I'm excited to go race on dirt but I haven't done anything really out of the usual to prepare for it. I'm trying to go into it with an open mind. Mark [Gibson, car owner] has been racing on dirt for a long time and Tayler [Malsam, teammate] comes from a dirt background so they've been giving me some advice. Mark told me that it's a lot like driving a loose racecar and once you get used to its fine. I'm actually really excited to race on dirt. I've always wanted to try dirt Sprint Cars or Late Models or something similar but never got the opportunity. Now I get to try it out in the ARCA RE/MAX Series car so it should be pretty cool." Meanwhile, it's back to the media blitz. "It's pretty funny [to be named Michael Phelps] and I get a kick out of it but I'm not the same guy. Maybe the real Michael Phelps would like to sponsor my racecar?" So don't forget to come out this Sunday for the big race in Springfield, Illinois and be one of the first in line to get an autograph from Michael Phelps, the one from Suwanee, Georgia. Practice for the Sunday, August 17th Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is scheduled from 9:00-10:00 AM local time with SIM Factory Pole Qualifying following at 11:00. The race is scheduled to roll off at 1:00.
Michael Phelps battles back after tough start in Nashville Kerry Scherer, team owner of Cunningham Motorsports was impressed with his young driver, “Michael did an excellent job this weekend. Especially considering that he was driving the back-up car and the team had a very short amount of time to get it ready for him. Michael gained a lot of valuable seat time at Nashville this weekend. He is getting better and better every week.”
Phelps tackles Pocono tri-oval
Michael and the Bowen Family Homes team felt confident about coming back to Pocono after bringing home a 9th place finish in their first attempt at the tricky tri-oval last June. Michael drove a hard-fought consistent race, avoiding several collisions during the event. Great pit stops and strategy also played a key role in Michaels solid 14th place finish. “We picked up so much time between practice and qualifying. We started the race 18th, avoided some huge wrecks and brought the car home in one piece. It was a decent day.” Michael said. Unofficially, Michael gained a spot in the ARCA Re/MAX Series point standings, landing at 14th. Michael is the highest ranking series driver to have missed a race this season. With a busy week of testing ahead Michael and the Cunningham Motorsports Team hope to keep up their momentum into the 14th ARCA Re/MAX Series event of the season. Next Saturday on August 9th, Michael will be heading, for the first time, to the legendary country music town of Nashville,Tennessee, to race 150 miles at Nashville Superspeedway. The Toyota 150 Series event will be broadcasting live on SPEED channel at 4:30 pm ET, and at arcaracing.com.
Phelps rolls in Berlin, looking forward to Pocono Michael Phelps, driver of the #45 Bowen Family Homes/Cunningham Motorsports Dodge, just finished the Berlin ARCA RE/MAX 200 race at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan. The visit to the .4-mile paved oval is the 12th stop on the 2008 ARCA series schedule. The young driver from Suwanee, GA qualified 18th, just one spot under his practice position. After qualifying Michael remarked, “I think we’ll be fine during the race. We have a great team and are competitive, we’ll make adjustments if needed.” The 15th place finish in the 200 lap race doesn't reflect the strong run Michael and the team had, especially overcoming late race adversity. With another solid finish under his belt, Phelps inches closer to the top 15 in ARCA RE/MAX Championship points. Next Saturday, August 2nd at 1:30 pm ET, Michael Phelps and the Cunningham Motorsports team will head back up north to Pocono Raceway for the Pennsylvania 200. "I'm looking forward to going back to Pocono because it’s a unique track with a lot of history,” said Phelps. Michael finished 9th at Pocono back on June 7th.
Phelps nabs top ten finish in Kentucky Michael Phelps from Suwanee, GA let it fly on Friday at the Kentucky ARCA RE/MAX 150. The Bowen Family Homes Dodge driver started off with a great practice and had the quickest time out of 47 cars at 30.856 seconds and a top speed of 175.006 mph. Michael also put in a flawless qualifying run that put him on the outside of the front row for the race. The clock is ticking down to the next race, which is July 26th in Marne Michigan, where Michael and the Cunningham Motorsports team will race at the Berlin ARCA RE/MAX 200. Phelps will be testing in Georgia next Monday on a track similar to the one at Berlin Raceway and is excited for the up coming race, “we have good top ten cars and we want to show everyone that we’re here to stay at the top!”
Michael Phelps Quickest In ARCA RE/MAX Series Practice at Kentucky SPARTA KY (7-18-08)--SunTrust Rookie of the Year contender Michael Phelps was quickest among 45 cars during ARCA RE/MAX Series practice at Kentucky Speedway on Friday afternoon. Phelps posted a top speed of 175.006 mph (30.856 seconds) in the No. 45 Bowen Family Homes Dodge fielded by Cunningham Motorsports. He was followed on the charts by Frank Kimmel, Robb Brent, Brian Scott, Matt Hawkins and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. Practice Speeds "We came here, I guess a couple of weeks ago, to test and we were fastest there so we pretty much unloaded the same as we were at the test," said Phelps. "We didn't actually put on new tires until the end of practice and that's when we made our fastest qualifying run. But in the beginning we had on old tires and we were still in the top two or three. I want to thank the crew. They put in a lot of work over the weeks and hopefully we can get a win out of this. The Bowen Family Homes Dodge Charger was great out there." "Luckily we kept it off of the wall when we spun because a lot of other guys didn't," said Phelps. "It's probably 20 degrees hotter outside then it was at the test but the car stuck well out there all day. We were actually tight at the beginning of the practice and then we loosened up, but it was mostly out of my own doing and little changes we made to the car, like putting tape on the grille and other adjustments like that."
Cunningham Motorsports Quick in Kentucky Testing; Rookie Phelps Tops Speed Charts SPARTA KY (7-1-08) - Suwanee, Georgia rookie Michael Phelps, in the no. 45 Bowen Family Homes-Cunningham Motorsports Dodge, unofficially posted the quickest speed in ARCA RE/MAX Series open testing Tuesday at Kentucky Speedway. The test, during which 20 drivers participated, was in preparation for the upcoming Kentucky ARCA RE/MAX 150 Friday night, July 18th LIVE on SPEED at 8:00 PM ET. Phelps unofficially circled the 1.5-mile superspeedway in 30.680 seconds, for an average speed of 176.010 mph.
Back to Kentucky Speedway for Michael Phelps Michael Phelps, the driver for the Bowen Family Homes Dodge #45 car had high hopes of bring a victory home for the Cunningham Motorsports last Sunday at the Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 in Cayuga, Canada. “We had a decent car all day in practice and qualifying. We had some troubles getting the car to turn and grip to the track, but the car handled better towards the end of practice. Michael ended up qualifying 20th for the 250 mile race. Michael has consistently been improving his finishing position, which has landed him in the top 20 for overall points. He is now 18th and hopes to gain more at the halfway mark of the series, in the Kentucky ARCA RE/MAX 150 on July 18th. Catch Phelps and the Cunningham Motorsports team live on SPEED at 8pm ET.
Penske Racing Teams Up with Cunningham Motorsports MOORESVILLE, N.C. (June 13, 2008) - Helping to pave the way for its continued success in stock car racing, Penske Racing today announced an official developmental partnership with Cunningham Motorsports. Through this partnership, Penske Racing will work with the Cunningham Motorsports teams racing in USAC Midget, ARCA RE/MAX Series and NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competition. Penske Racing will also help develop the talented young drivers in the Cunningham Motorsports program as well as identify potential crew and team members to add to its staff in the future. In addition, the partnership will provide Penske Racing another source for testing as well as engine and chassis development as it continues to enhance its program. "While we're certainly focused on the task at hand in 2008, Penske Racing is always looking to the future to figure out ways to improve the team and continue to raise the bar," said Tim Cindric, President of Penske Racing. "We're excited to partner with Cunningham Motorsports because they've got a proven track record competing across a wide range of racing series and we believe they'll be a great resource for Penske Racing as we look down the road." Over the past several years, Cunningham Motorsports has played a key role in the Dodge Motorsports driver development program. By establishing the relationship with Penske Racing, Cunningham Motorsports aligns itself with one of Dodge's top teams competing in NASCAR. "This partnership provides a great opportunity for Cunningham Motorsports," said Kerry Scherer, team Managing Partner. "We pride ourselves on our ability to cultivate promising young drivers and produce top-notch team members. Being associated with Penske Racing will only help attract more talent to our teams and it's our goal to develop that talent and be a part of the future success of Penske Racing for years to come." Cunningham Motorsports was founded in 1996 by Briggs Cunningham and Kerry Scherer. During the time since, the team has run in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and in NASCAR in the Craftsman Truck, Nationwide and Sprint Cup series. Since 2001, Cunningham Motorsports has partnered with Dodge to develop drivers for NASCAR. Among those who have driven for the team include Chase Miller, Josh Wise, Steven Wallace, Scott Lagasse Jr. and Marc Mitchell - all of whom are racing in either the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series or the Nationwide Series. Penske Racing is one of the most successful teams in the history of professional sports. Competing in a variety of disciplines, cars owned and prepared by Penske Racing have produced 300 major race wins, over 350 poles and 21 National Championships. This season, Penske Racing competes in the NASCAR Cup Series with 2008 Daytona 500 winner Ryan Newman and the No. 12 Alltel Dodge, 2004 Cup Series champion Kurt Busch and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge and former three-time IndyCar Series champion and current NASCAR Cup rookie of the year contender Sam Hornish Jr. in the No. 77 Mobil 1 Dodge. For more information about Penske Racing, please visit its newly redesigned web site at www.penskeracing.com.
Phelps had a Bear of a time at the Racing For Wildlife 200 The Racing For Wildlife 200 at Michigan International Speedway turned out to be a race against the rain on Friday the 13th. In fear of racing in the dark, officials called the race until the next morning at 8:30am. Before the race was called, Michael Phelps in the Bowen Family Homes Dodge, #45 car, was onto a great start in practice with a 39.588 lap time. He did even better in qualifying which put him in to a 9th place starting position. Phelps thought, “Yesterday in practice we had a pretty good car. We were really fast off the start and went out and made a qualifying run at the end of practice and the car ended up loosening up a lot because of the track. We got it figured out for qualifying and ended up qualifying in a nice top ten spot. This Bowen Family Homes Dodge Charger has been well this weekend and today, hopefully we will have a nice clean race.” The Crew Chief for the Phelps team, Richard Ezekial, also thought the car was running good saying, “the car was really good off the truck. It was 8th quickest in practice and stayed real consistent.” Like Phelps, “Zeke” also thought the car was “ a little loose in practice but I think we made the right adjustments to have a good run today.” With a new and improved outside tire compound from Hoosier and a completely new set of track conditions from practice, Michael and the crew were optimistic about their chances of a top 5 finish. Unfortunately, almost as soon as the green flag dropped Michael knew that he would have his work cut out for him. The car was too tight and Michael was struggling to maintain his track position. The Cunningham Motorsports Development driver could feel significant improvement after his first pit stop but it still wasn’t enough. Michael fought hard and so did the crew, trying to “free up” the car all morning. At the end of the day, the Cunningham boys came home with a 20th place finish. Certainly not what they were looking for but Michael and the crew did a terrific job of overcoming adversity and keeping the car on the track. Less than two weeks away, on Sunday, June 29th, the ARCA series goes international at the Cayuga Motor Speedway, ARCA RE/MAX 250 in Hagersville, Ontario, Canada. The race starts at 1:30pm ET and will be 156.25 miles of 12-degree turns and 5-degree straight-aways. Hopefully Phelps and his team can bring back another top ten finish as they did last week in Pocono, when he finished in 9th.
Top 10 Finish for Phelps and the Cunningham Motorsports Team Saturday proved to be an exciting race for the Cunningham Motorsports team, after two of their drivers placed in the top ten at the Pocono 200. The driver of Cunningham's #45 Dodge Charger; Michael Phelps, made a huge jump in the game after finishing 19th in practice, qualifying 14th and finishing the race in 9th position. “We came here today not knowing what to really expect at the track, especially a pretty tough track to get around with all the shifting and three difficult turns, but we qualified decent.” Phelps proved that he had little trouble keeping his car under control on the difficult triangle track and easily maneuvered his way through the field. He stayed consistent throughout the race, fluctuating between the tens and teens, finally landing just under tenth place. This is the finish Phelps’ crew needed to boost their spirits after a few unlucky weeks and they made some important decisions that led them to this position. Phelps was grateful for his crew stating, “the guys on pit road did a great job today of getting my tires on and getting me fuel. My crew chief, Zeke, half way through the race, made a really good call. Instead of getting new tires, we took fuel and it ended up paying off with track position. We held our spot up front for a while.” Phelps is referring to mid-way through the race when most of the drivers made a pit stop and Phelps stayed on track, placing him in second position.
Phelps finishes Toledo race and is fired up for Pocono Michael Phelps had a solid weekend in Ohio at the Hantz Group 200 at Toledo Speedway. Before the race the Bowen Family Homes Dodge driver was excited saying, “I really like this track and I think we’re going to have a good weekend. I’m shooting for a top ten finish, or a top fifteen qualifying effort.” Phelps qualified 26th out of a 39 car field, just 0.61 seconds off from Cunningham Motorsports teammate, Tayler Malsam. After qualifying, Phelps kept his head high and focused for the up coming race where he planned to “ride it out, stay of wrecks and move our way up to the front.” During the race, Phelps did “ride it out” climbing up through the field when with two laps to go he was spun out forcing him to surrender his 14th place position for a spot in the back of the pack. Phelps still managed to rocket himself up to 21st by the time the checkered flag dropped. Cunningham Motorsports Owner Kerry Scherer said “This was a great weekend for Michael because he finished 203 laps on a very difficult short track, running against one of the most competitive fields that the ARCA Series has ever seen. Michael really gained a lot of experience this weekend.” The past couple of weeks may have been unlucky for Phelps, but he is not getting discouraged because he knows his team has the whole package that can bring them a win, “I have a better team this year, Penske cars and Ilmore Engines.” Hopefully the support of his team will lead him to a better finish two weeks from this Saturday, June 7th at the Pocono 200. For those of you race fans that cannot make it out to Pocono June 7th, catch Michael Phelps and his team take the flag on Speed Channel or go to arcaracing.com for live timing and scoring. You can also see Michael racing in the Hooters Pro Cup "Sears Auto Center 150" at the legendary Milwaukee Mile on May 31st televised on the VERSUS Network Monday, June 8 (4 p.m. ET).
Will the "worm turn" for Phelps this weekend? This past Saturday at the Drive Smart! Buckle Up Kentucky 150, the Bowen Family Homes, Dodge driver for the #45 car, Michael Phelps was buckled up and ready to drive after an exciting qualifying run. The driver for Cunningham Motorsports was the ninth fastest qualifier with a time of 30.855, reaching 175.012mph. Michael was pumped up and thought, "The car was in good shape, it handled well and stayed consistent all day." As the race kicked off, just eleven laps in, a mechanical issue in his Dodge Charger caused the first year ARCA driver and his team to call it an early night. The team thought for sure this was going to be the race to redeem their point's position after last week's crash at Rockingham Speedway, but it was not to be this night. Kerry Scherer, the President and co-owner of Cunningham Motorsports has tried everything to bring some consistency to this "wild season" and is open to suggestions remarking that "we've tried different decals, I've changed my underwear, my socks, I don't know what to do next, wear my cap backwards? If anybody's got any suggestions, we're certainly open to it." This is the 63rd race at the .5-mile Toledo Speedway since 1963 and is also the track Phelps debuted his talent, at his first ARCA race last season. Phelps admits that he is "more use to short tracks like the one in Toledo" verses the long track at his first visit to Kentucky Speedway last Saturday. Since Phelps is no rookie to this track, he knows he needs to "qualify pretty good in at least the top five." Once he has accomplished this, he hopes to "be consistent and keep the nose clean" for the race. When Kerry met Michael last year he noted, "we knew he had talent, but I don't think we ever dreamed he has the talent he has." Since then, Kerry has gotten to know more about Phelps, not only as a talented driver, but on a personal level as well. Phelps was "kind of quite early on, but he's starting to show his personality more and he's really a funny, fun-loving kid and is great to be around." Not to mention, "a great looking kid" added Kerry. Maybe that's how Phelps is starting off his rookie year of ARCA racing? Shy at first, but wows you in the end with his speed and good looks! Hopefully Kerry will change his underwear and socks this week and help bring Phelps a top five finishing position. In order to do that, besides wishing on hygiene taboos, the team will do what it knows best, "put a quality race car on the track and hope that the worm turns, maybe starting this weekend at Toledo."
Phelps heads to Kentucky after last week's crash SPARTA KY (5-8-08) This next weekend at the 1.5 mile Kentucky Speedway, the driver of the Bowen Family Homes Dodge #45 car, Michael Phelps will have another chance to prove himself at the Buckle Up Kentucky 150 race on Saturday, May 10th. Last week at Rockingham Speedway, was unfortunate for Phelps after a crash took him out about half way through the race on lap 112. The first year ARCA driver remembered the incident and noted, "As I was coming down the backstretch I saw all the cars ahead checking up, I braked hard to not take out more cars, and my car slid out from underneath me." Despite the crash that caused heavy damage to the front of his race car, ultimately causing the motor to overheat, the young driver shows great promise for future races on the Cunningham Motorsports team. Phelps was the 19th quickest driver in the qualifying rounds out of over 50 cars. The team used happy hour to make dramatic changes to the car, "we ended up changing most of the set-up before the race." Maybe last week's diversity will rev up his skills at the B.U.K. 150 this weekend where drivers like Frank Kimmel, a five-time winner on this track, and Kyle Busch, have claimed their victories. Last Sunday Phelps remarked "my guys put a real fast car under me," and hopefully that fast car will lead him to a top position this Saturday." |
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