2012 Rockford 200 Pre-Race (B-Mains now up)

by **Ceej** Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:12 pm

The 2012 Rockford 200 will feature a 30-car starting field, the largest in the race's history.

The top 3 in points (Ebenezer Quiggles, Jr., Rip Tyler, and Yevgeny Kuznetsov) are locked into the race, as they are the only drivers mathematically eligible for the title...

...unless Laura Cyrus gets into one of the B-mains and wins it. In that scenario, she can win the title if she finishes in second in the 200 while everyone in front of her in the points DNFs.

119 cars are going for 25 spots through the heat races.

There will be 5 heat races, with between 22 and 24 cars each.

The top 5 finishers of each heat will transfer to the Rockford 200. The winner of each heat will also receive 20 bonus points.

Positions 6-15 in each heat will transfer to the two B-mains. Everyone else will fail to qualify.

6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th transfer to B-main 1.
7th, 9th, 11th, 13th, 15th transfer to B-main 2.

Like in the previous 2 years, the winners of the B-mains are awarded the final two spots on the grid of the Rockford 200, and they will also receive 50 bonus points.

by **Syzygy** Sun Nov 04, 2012 11:26 pm

RUS Autosport Armada rolls into Rockford

Championship-contending team RUS Autosport originally had only two cars entered for the Rockford 200, the #82 of Yevgeny Kuznetsov and the #88 of Lev Azarov.

That all changed after Talladega.

RUS Autosport team boss Vitaly Tsolikov filed two last-second entries (literally, he filed the applications the minute before the deadline), now bringing the #89 of Radomir Stanoytchev and #83 of Leonid Chernov ~~to wreck Quiggles, Jr. out of the Rockford 200~~ in order to give their developmental drivers more track time.

Yevgeny Kuznetsov was interviewed at the track yesterday. "I think, is good that RUS Autosport bring 3 teammate to track! Make me feel at home, race with drivers from near homeland. Azarov is like brother to me, but he not like talk much. Radomir bring lot of money to team but back up money with track result, and Chernov was compete against me in early year Formula RUS. Though, I hear Team Boss Vitaly not happy with only 4 car in race, he say he want to enter 20 car to track. I not know why he wanting to do this, series not called Russian Elite Series of ARLA, is American Elite Series of ARLA!"

by RyanB06 Mon Nov 05, 2012 7:10 am

Matthews Motorsports arrives at Rockford:
It could be argued that no team arrives at the Rockford 200 weekend with more question marks than Matthews Motorsports.

If the silly season rumors are to be believed, the team, which has enjoyed a somewhat stable 2012 season, could look very different next year, with current driver Tiffany Matthews being courted for a TM Lights ride with the Lynxe Women's Team, and her husband Ryan's Master Cup career very much up in the air.

But for now, Tiffany's focus is finishing her rookie ARLA season on a high note.

"We want to make the race, obviously," she said. "I'm ninth in points and would really like to improve on it if possible. But I've got to get through the heats first. I remember last year very well, and that's not an experience I want to repeat."

Matthews was referring to her attempt to make the 2011 event, in which she started dead last in her heat race and ran in the back for most of it, missing the race.

But she isn't the only Matthews Motorsports driver with aspirations of Rockford glory. Team boss Ryan, completing his first year moonlighting in the Elite Series, is also looking to make his first Rockford 200.

"I'm really looking forward to it," he said. "It's going to be a tough go, especially with all those RUS Autosport cars trying to crash the party. But that's the nature of this kind of race. I was told the Mini Indy 500 was the same way. So if we're not on our game, we're going to have a short weekend."

Matthews Motorsports is also bringing a third car to the Rockford party: the brand-new No. 146 car to be driven by future Dash Cup regular Kellan Rogers. Rogers attempted to make the Mini Indy 500, but was infamously slow in her qualifying race and missed the show. But she was fast in her two other ARLA appearances with Ike Durbin's team, and she looks to improve on her fourth-place finish at Talladega.

"I'm really excited about being here," she said. "I have no idea what to expect, since I haven't driven in a race set up like this before. So I'm going to do the best I can before I head off to Europe."

by Magus978 Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:39 am

TDR Arrives at Rockford, Delgado Cautiously Optimistic of Success

The Tom Delgado Racing haulers arrived at Rockford late last night, site of Tom Delgado's 19th place finish in last season's Rockford 200 after he hyped himself as the driver to beat. No such hype this year, as TDR has had a very disappointing season spread throughout all their teams. However, there was optimism in the #87 camp as Tom Delgado expressed his belief that he could make the race.

"We were fast in the heat last season. There's no reason why if we don't bring the exact same setup that got us into the 200 last season, that we can't get ourselves in again. I have some unfinished business here after last year's disappointment, but we're entirely focused on getting as many TDR cars into the 200. First part of the battle is to get in, and I feel we could easily get all our cars in if we have some good luck" Delgado said.

Kyle Gaffigan jumped out of his hauler, and surprisingly he was not wearing the dress that his team owner has made him wear all season. "I think this dress has had the opposite effect that we wanted. I can't take it with me where I'm going next season, so I wanna win and get rid of it here!" Gaffigan said, holding the dress in one hand and a lighter in another. "I wanna set it on fire! FIRE! FIRE!!!!!!" Gaffigan yelled whilst running around in a circle. He had to be dragged away by Delgado while everyone in the TDR camp watched as he made a fool of himself. Gaffigan will be headed to Team Thunder on loan from TDR for the 2013 season, as TDR is downsizing to two cars plus a 3rd part-time entry for Delgado that will vie for the Tornado Alley trophy.

Carlo de Pretto was not used to being up this late, being one of the elder statesmen of the team at 40 years old. "I usually make sleep this hour. Is very tiring the long travel, yes?" de Pretto remarked as he stumbled out of his hauler. "We 26 crew are very hungry. There not Italian restaurant open this late, is very not good" de Pretto added in his broken English.

by zaw24fan Mon Nov 05, 2012 5:42 pm

Webster Arrives at Rockford, Ready for Racing

When given the choice to arrive at Rockford later than the high-tier teams, Webster was very quick to deny the option. He wanted to get to Rockford as quick as possible.

With success at the short track last season and missing out on a full-time 2012 schedule due to a funds fall-through, Webster is ready to be racing again in ARLA.

"You guys have no idea how bad I want to be back here at Rockford in the ARLA Elite Series. This whole #95 team is VERY excited to get back behind the wheel."

Webster had under an average season in the races he ran in 2011. His best finish a 13th at Watkins Glen. He quickly accepted a full-time 2012 offer, though funds fell through. Now Webster returns to a track where he found some success. He finished 2nd in his heat race, and made a charge into the top 10 in the Rockford 200 before losing the handling on his #095 SuperCharged Energy Saar.

"We're throwing absolutely everything we have at this car for Rockford. We've been working on our short track equipment all season long leading up to this point, and we're ready to show what we have in our short track program. This chassis we brought here is purely a short-track car. It would be useless anywhere else."

Zack Webster is looking forward to getting back to racing in his number 95 DoItZack.com Saar for SuperCharged Racing. He is cautiously optimistic about his chances to make the Rockford 200 for the second year in a row in his second attempt. All this working towards a part-time 2013 ride.

by **Ceej** Tue Nov 06, 2012 9:50 pm

Heat #1

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 1 5 J Lester 41.181 40 40* 185 Running
2 5 211 B Stephans -0.96 40 0 170 Running
3 24 007 C Rutherford -2.62 40 0 165 Running
4 18 37 K Gaffigan -R- -3.40 40 0 160 Running
5 14 696 J Goodwin -R- -4.23 40 0 155 Running
6 15 57 A Tucker -R- -1L 39 0 150 Running
7 23 460 F Azure -1L 39 0 146 Running
8 7 18 S Dalitz -1L 39 0 142 Running
9 3 060 S Johnson -1L 39 0 138 Running
10 20 74 B Porteau -2L 38 0 134 Running
11 17 32 D Krikorian -3L 37 0 130 Running
12 16 24 L Bell -3L 37 0 127 Running
13 13 114 L Cranston -R- -3L 37 0 124 Running
14 12 91 S Dejao -3L 37 0 121 Running
15 22 256 A Tahmid -4L 36 0 118 Retired
16 2 65 T Brillon -5L 35 0 115 Header
17 9 51 J Bates -12L 28 0 112 Fuel Ln
18 10 70 R Griffin -14L 26 0 109 Retired
19 4 46 L Gruell -14L 26 0 106 Accident
20 6 97 R Gregory -R- -16L 24 0 103 Retired
21 21 0 J Forsstrom -R- -20L 20 0 100 Retired
22 19 098 D Hill -R- -20L 20 0 97 Retired
23 11 12 T Ashby -R- -21L 19 0 94 Retired
24 8 84 B Atkins -R- -27L 13 0 91 Retired

J.W. Lester drew the pole for the first of the 40-lap heat races.

Steve Johnson in the #60S drew third, but he was slow right out of the gate.

Ryan Griffin was knocked up the track in a three-wide situation going into turn 3, and he was quickly caught by another three-wide battle. This was too many cars in too small of a space, and Bell was sent spinning into the infield on the frontstretch. The caution didn’t come out.

At the same time, Scott Dalitz was sent sliding up into turn 1 after contact with Jason Bates, and this didn’t bring out a caution either.

I was starting to think that the flagman had fallen asleep, until lap 13, when Leigh Gruell was turned around by David Krikorian while running in fourth at the exit of turn 2. Several other cars clipped the #46, with Bobby Porteau and Ben Atkins getting the worst of it. Porteau returned to the track missing his front end, and Atkins dropped out.

During the caution, Steve Johnson was waved around the field. He drove around the outside, but J.W. Lester pulled right in front of Johnson, resulting in a nice little dent on the side of the #5O car. Both Lester and Johnson were asked to meet with Race Control after the race.

Seiju Dejao pulled into the pits under caution, but stalled at the pit entrance. He lost a couple of laps trying to get going.

After the restart, Lane Cranston and Dale Hill got together while battling for third. Hill was pushed into the lapped car of Ryan Gregory, sending Hill flipping down turn 2, collecting Jarkko Forsstrom and Libby Bell. Hill and Forsstrom dropped out.

Curtis Rutherford and Frank Azure got together while battling for sixth. Leigh Gruell and Ryan Griffin plowed into Azure.

When Azure was turned, he tagged Taylor Brillon, turning her into the infield off of turn 2. Brillon plowed through the grass and flew back up into Ryan Gregory in turn 3, in turn shoving Lane Cranston into and up the wall. Not surprisingly, Brillon was asked to meet with Race Control.

Right on the restart, Jason Bates, who was involved in the previous incident, broke down and stalled on the track, prompting another yellow.

Karma came back to bite Taylor Brillon, as she blew her engine right after the restart.

On lap 38, Curtis Rutherford dumped Afzal Tahmid coming out of turn 4. Tahmid spun through the grass and flew back up onto the track, collecting Ashley Tucker and David Krikorian. Tucker was going to finish in third had she not been tagged, but she ended up in sixth.

J.W. Lester, who appeared to retain his speed from IRP, led flag-to-flag.

Heat #2

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 9 93 A Carson 57.330 40 1 180 Running
2 1 231 J Eichholtz -0.13 40 39* 180 Running
3 5 98 K Walker -0.33 40 0 165 Running
4 19 728 N Kastapolous -R- -1.72 40 0 160 Running
5 3 61 M Driver -2.24 40 0 155 Running
6 4 19 A Riggs -3.02 40 0 150 Running
7 2 500 M Andrews -3.47 40 0 146 Running
8 6 116 T Matthews -R- -4.41 40 0 142 Running
9 10 6 K Hetsuno -R- -5.02 40 0 138 Running
10 7 22 M Yamada -5.48 40 0 134 Running
11 13 79 T Clason -6.41 40 0 130 Running
12 16 102 L Cyrus -7.06 40 0 127 Running
13 8 39 N Mura -8.04 40 0 124 Running
14 17 046 N Azure -R- -8.51 40 0 121 Running
15 11 71 T Wodarczyk -9.39 40 0 118 Running
16 24 08 J Warth -R- -9.88 40 0 115 Running
17 12 086 M Rhylen -R- -10.26 40 0 112 Running
18 22 2 A Pearson -10.58 40 0 109 Running
19 15 53 K Richards -11.32 40 0 106 Running
20 23 14 B Foote -11.75 40 0 103 Running
21 21 024 B Lareau -12.73 40 0 100 Running
22 14 66 E Schwarzloski -1L 39 0 97 Running
23 20 33 R Scott -1L 39 0 94 Running
24 18 01 B George -R- -31L 9 0 91 Ignition

Jacob Eichholtz drew the pole for heat #2. He built up a comfortable lead in the opening laps as Kurt Walker and Megan Driver fought for second.

On lap 7, Laura Cyrus got into the back of Nikos Kastapolous and sent him spinning through the backstretch grass. The caution didn't come out.

Bryan George blew up on lap 11 and came to a stop against the wall and out of the way in turn 1, bringing out the caution.

On lap 16, Kastapolous received another bump, this time from defending Rockford 200 winner Edwin Schwarzloski, and plowed through the backstretch grass, careening into the side of Raibeart Scott.

All sympathy towards Kastapolous evaporated when the #728 lined up on the inside line for the restart, illegally advancing to third. Kastapolous was stuck behind the pace car with the leaders until the "one-to-go" signal was given. Even though he hadn't lost a lap on the track, Kastapolous apparently thought that he did and started in the wrong line. Kastapolous never conceded the positions, earning himself a big fat DSQ and the laughter of all of his peers.

Jacob Eichholtz led every lap... until Alex Carson grabbed the lead (and the win) with a big run into the last corner.

Laura Cyrus can put herself back into championship contention if she wins her B-Main.

Heat #3

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 13 47 M Zavala 50.977 40 21* 185 Retired
2 15 146 K Rogers -4.33 40 0 170 Running
3 6 26 C de Pretto -R- -4.80 40 0 165 Running
4 4 250 S Carlisle -4.97 40 0 160 Running
5 3 58 N Howard -5.31 40 0 155 Running
6 11 94 A McDonald -5.59 40 0 150 Running
7 10 945 J Halks -6.17 40 0 146 Running
8 9 62 K Posadas -6.50 40 0 142 Running
9 22 071 R McCloud -6.65 40 0 138 Running
10 5 67 B Riggs -7.09 40 0 134 Running
11 12 54 P Lyons -7.38 40 0 130 Running
12 16 020 R Brown -R- -7.86 40 0 127 Running
13 21 87 T Delgado -8.22 40 0 124 Running
14 20 80 E McDermott -1L 39 0 121 Running
15 17 99 Z Zins -R- -1L 39 0 118 Running
16 23 41 G Woodard -R- -1L 39 0 115 Running
17 18 34 R Navarro -1L 39 0 112 Running
18 24 106 R Matthews -1L 39 0 109 Running
19 19 002 H Santos -1L 39 0 106 Running
20 1 15 T Stater -2L 38 19 108 Running
21 14 02 A Young -4L 36 0 100 Running
22 8 10 K Campbell -R- -5L 35 0 97 Valve
23 2 7 I Lightener -R- -10L 30 0 94 Accident
24 7 666 Doom-O -12L 28 0 91 Accident

Todd Stater, in his return to racing, drew the pole for heat 3. Isaac Lightener started on Stater’s outside, but Stater got away from the field on the first lap.

In the back of the field, Ryan Matthews got into former Rockford 200 winner Rush McCloud, shoving McCloud into Earl McDermott and sending McDermott for a spin on the backstretch. The caution didn’t come out for McDermott, but it did come out on the next lap, as McCloud apparently had a problem with Ricky Navarro, and shoved him from turn 3 all the way until turn 1, when Navarro finally spun. McCloud was ordered to meet with Race Control.

Mariano Zavala got the best restart of anyone in the field, passing a couple of cars after the line. However, he drove into turn 1 much too hard, and got into the side of Carlo de Pretto. After getting by de Pretto, Zavala was then hit by Isaac Lightener, who had gotten into the side of Brenda Riggs. Riggs was sent for a slide into the wall, and lost several positions.

Paul Lyons drove his way up to ninth during this run, but he was shuffled back through the field after Jon Halks got by him.

Todd Stater was held up by Doom-O for a couple of laps. Doom-O laughed like a maniac over his radio as he impeded Stater. Stater finally got by the #666 car to find Mariano Zavala chasing him down. Stater then came across the slow cars of Henry Santos and A.J. Young and took evasive action on the outside. Zavala darted to the inside and took the lead.

On lap 21, Rush McCloud dumped Doom-O into the infield. Doom-O shot back up into turn three, clipping Zachary Zins and taking them both into the wall. However, the caution did not come out.

Doom-O was finally taken out of the race by Isaac Lightener in the other Gravity Racing car on lap 31. Lightener turned Doom-O into a concrete barrier off of turn 4, but Lightener also spun as he came across Paul Lyons’ bumper. Car #7 smashed into the #666 as Doom-O bounced off of the barrier, taking Lightener out of the race as well.

Todd Stater had a mechanical problem under this caution, and stalled at the entrance to pit road, taking him out of contention.

Zavala had several lapped cars in between himself and second-place Kellan Rogers on the restart. Zavala cruised to a surprising victory.

Heat #4

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 2 28 J More -R- 37.036 40 35* 185 Running
2 15 010 D Leckliter -0.65 40 0 170 Running
3 1 36 B Flynn -1.18 40 5 170 Running
4 6 999 B Sandy -R- -1.49 40 0 160 Running
5 14 63 K Monroe -1.78 40 0 155 Running
6 16 111 A Singer -4.78 40 0 150 Running
7 13 264 Z Gott -5.06 40 0 146 Running
8 4 04 C McGuffie -5.40 40 0 142 Running
9 20 48 A Rossini -5.54 40 0 138 Running
10 23 95 Z Webster -5.59 40 0 134 Running
11 19 21 K Rodriguez -5.60 40 0 130 Running
12 22 3 E Jackson -5.98 40 0 127 Running
13 24 88 L Azarov -6.27 40 0 124 Running
14 3 672 K Oreiller -R- -7.61 40 0 121 Running
15 21 058 M Howard -1L 39 0 118 Running
16 9 55 H Roberts -1L 39 0 115 Running
17 17 149 L Barnton -1L 39 0 112 Running
18 11 68 D Dudding -2L 38 0 109 Running
19 18 81 G Bryan -R- -7L 33 0 106 Running
20 12 016 J Little -R- -18L 22 0 103 Accident
21 10 027 R Scott -19L 21 0 100 Accident
22 5 8 L Sweeney -22L 18 0 97 Accident
23 8 72 M Skov -22L 18 0 94 Accident
24 7 42 K Splison -R- -23L 17 0 91 Accident

Benji Flynn drew the pole for heat 4. On the first lap, contact from Dan Leckliter propelled Zach Gott into Kevin Monroe, who in turn took Derek Dudding and Jeff Little into the wall.

Under caution, Alessandro Rossini had to pit, but stalled his car at the pit entrance.

Derek Dudding, who restarted as the first car one lap down, was immediately spun by Benji Flynn after the restart. Dudding flew back up onto the track, collecting Kalvin Oreiller and Barton Sandy. Alessandro Rossini then piled into the back of Sandy like an idiot.

On lap 12, Holden Roberts was turned on the frontstretch after contact between Zach Gott and Lucas Sweeney. Roberts would be spun again on the restart by Jeff Little, who was mistakenly put in the line for lapped cars and restarted in fourth. Kelly Splison hit Roberts, and she had to make an immediate move for the pits. However, Magnus Skov in the #72 prevented Splison from reaching the pit entrance, and she slammed into the end of the pit wall. Lucas Sweeney slammed into the #42, giving him terminal damage.

Jeff Little restarted third, even after officials realized their mistake and ordered him to get into his proper spot. It ultimately didn’t matter, as he and Richard Scott got together and smashed into a concrete barrier on the backstretch after the restart.

Coming back to the caution, Zach Gott was held up by the wad of cars stuck behind Derek Dudding, and he was turned into the path of Kalvin Oreiller by Kerry Rodriguez.

Cletus McGuffie was running in fourth for most of the race, maintaining his position with all of the cautions that were happening.

The next caution flew when Derek Dudding was spun by Aaron Singer. Dudding collected Zach Gott, and Lev Azarov received some damage when he clipped the pit wall taking evasive action.

Jim More took the win. Kevin Monroe took the last transfer spot from McGuffie in the last 5 laps.

Heat #5

F S # DRIVER INTERVAL LAPS LED POINTS STATUS
1 1 96 H Finkelberg 49.204 40 40* 185 Running
2 9 07 D Richards -2.90 40 0 170 Running
3 7 673 T Lautenschlager -3.32 40 0 165 Running
4 5 9 L Burr -R- -3.40 40 0 160 Running
5 6 056 C Winter -R- -3.83 40 0 155 Running
6 13 031 B Calhoun -3.90 40 0 150 Running
7 16 50 L Riggs -5.41 40 0 146 Running
8 2 69 J West -6.10 40 0 142 Running
9 17 314 P Borland -6.11 40 0 138 Running
10 19 59 J Graham -R- -6.63 40 0 134 Running
11 21 56 N Moreno -R- -1L 39 0 130 Running
12 20 83 L Chernov -1L 39 0 127 Running
13 4 900 C Smith, Jr. -1L 39 0 124 Running
14 11 17 J Howard -1L 39 0 121 Running
15 14 73 S Harb -1L 39 0 118 Running
16 3 112 M Brinson -1L 39 0 115 Running
17 23 11 P HENDERSON -R- -1L 39 0 112 Running
18 10 361 C Smith -2L 38 0 109 Running
19 15 64 M Madrigal -2L 38 0 106 Running
20 18 89 R Stanoytchev -7L 33 0 103 Retired
21 12 45 H S. Enola -32L 8 0 100 Accident
22 8 23 J Olenick -33L 7 0 97 Accident
23 22 171 R Rainsford -34L 6 0 94 Accident

Herbie Finkelberg and James West were on the front row in heat 5. Finkelberg decided that it was time for Speedvision to actually do something again, and pulled out to a big lead.

However, the caution came out at the end of the first lap when Bill Calhoun got into the back of Joe Olenick, turning the #23 in front of Curtis Smith.

On lap 8, Rachel Rainsford made a sudden move for the pits. She smashed into the end of the pit wall and bounced in front of Joe Olenick and Harry Enola. A moment earlier, Enola had hooked Patrick Henderson, taking him across Leslie Riggs’ front bumper and sending the #11 spinning into the infield.

Finkelberg pulled out to a big lead after the restart. Curtis Smith, Jr. was surprisingly running in second in his ugly greymobile, but he would be challenged by Tyson Lautenschlager for the position. Smith, Jr. then lost third to ASCC regular Dan Richards.

Curtis Smith in the other ugly greymobile, running a lap down, was spun on the frontstretch by Phillip Borland on lap 28. The caution didn’t come out.

On lap 32, a shunt from James West causes Joseph Howard to get into Curtis Smith, Jr., putting Howard into the wall off of turn 4 and sending him for a spin.

Finkelberg ran away from the field in the ensuing two-lap shootout, leading all 40 laps.

by day500champ1 Tue Nov 06, 2012 10:44 pm

More in with Heat win; will give seat to Griffin if team's are allowed

Going into the Rockford 200 weekend, GLM owner and driver, Jim More, had a lot on his mind. First was the 1 year anniversary of the GLM tragic plane crash and second trying to put two cars into the Rockford 200.

Unfortunately, Heat #1 was not what GLM had hoped for with driver Ryan Griffin crashing out of the race and DNQ for the 200. Griffin did give his thoughts afterword.

"Well, that's sucks. I had hoped we could have made either the Mini Indy race or the 200, but things didn't go our way this year. It's not the way I wanted to end my run with GLM, but I can't thank Jim [More] enough for the opportunity to drive for this team. This is a great group and I wish them the best going forward."

Griffin is going to drive the 86x full time for Ike Durbin Racing in 2013. After his interview it should be noted, Griffin was off to get ready for the Rockford 200 concert event which happens following the B main races later tonight. (OCC: I'm not sure if this is how it's suppose to go Ceej, so I assuming here.)

But, GLM's captain did have a surprise up his sleeve. Starting 2nd in Heat #4, More took the lead from Benji Flynn and never looked back leading 35 of the races 40 and putting a GLM car into the Rockford 200. Afterword, More shared his thoughts.

"Well, first I have to say how bad I feel for Ryan [Griffin] that things didn't turn out better. He's a good talent and it's a shame we couldn't get him in. On the flip, I can't believe the car the team gave us with this 28 car. We got one car in the show and I can be happy with that."

More would comment later after the interview that he would give up his seat to Griffin if ARLA officials allow driver swaps. If not, he plans on making a statement in the 200.

by RyanB06 Tue Nov 06, 2012 11:23 pm

Heats mixed bag for Matthews bunch:
The Rockford 200 heat tally had a little of everything for the Matthews Motorsports drivers.

One in, one in the B-mains, and one on the outside looking in.

But it's the one in that's the shocker: Kellan Rogers, making her first Matthews Motorsports start in the team's third car, raced her way into the main event by virtue of her second-place run in Heat 3.

"Wow!" she said. "I never thought I'd actually make the race on my first go. Ryan and the guys gave me a great car, and I did what I had to do. Now I can focus on winning the race!"

The one in the B-mains is Tiffany Matthews, who finished 12th in Heat 2, but, unlike in 2011, where she finished 12th and missed the show in her heat then, will live to race again.

"I really wished we could've avoided the B-mains, because now there's a whole load of pressure on me," she said. "I'm up to the challenge, but it's going to be tough. We'll see what happens!"

On the outside looking in is Ryan Matthews, who got into Rush McCloud in his heat and finished one lap off the pace and didn't transfer.

"I want to apologize to Rush first off," he said. "Don't know what happened there. I understand it's short-track racing, but I want him to know there wasn't anything to that."

"I'll go grovel to Packer too, I guess," he added, chuckling.

by navycook75 Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:09 am

Leckliter Racing has a good day

For the first time in their ARLA tenure, Leckliter Racing will have both cars race in the main event.

"I'm happy with second. Not much to say yet until after the main event." Leckliter said after taking a sip of water.

"It's about time I make a one off race...Leckliter Racing isn't anything to mess with!" Chris Winter said as he was congratulated by Leckliter.

by Cardinals5 Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:14 am

Olenick offers little commentary to the Press

ASCC regular Joe Olenick was involved in the first two incidents of Heat #5. The first, a spin off the front end of Bill Calhoun, put Olenick in the back. The second, a collision with Rachel Rainsford (whose car had bounced off the pit wall) put him out of the race.

When asked about his race, Olenick bluntly said "How do you think I feel?" before walking away to talk to his crew and a small group of fans.

After giving him a few minutes to cool off, reporters tried again for an interview.

"I went from being a competitor to being a spectator in 7 laps. I don't particularly enjoy being wrecked out. It's happened far too much already this year, and I hate bringing back a torn-up car."

by **crl** Wed Nov 07, 2012 1:20 am

Lane Cranston: "I'm sorry about the collision with Dale [Hill] that caused him not to qualify for the race. It messed us up, too. We are very fortunate to have a second chance to get in the race, and we need to win, so we can finish the season on a good note."

Jon Halks: "It's a tight track, that's for sure. Difficult to pass on. But we have another chance to get in, and we need to win to get in, so I'm hoping for a small trophy to take home, along with the big one."

by BWard Wed Nov 07, 2012 2:46 am

Kelly Posadas: "I'm not concerned at all about finishing 8th in my Heat. MY team just need to get a good setup on my car for the first B-Main Race. Hopefully it will work as I was quick throughout my heat race and can bring that momentum forward more as well."

by bartman97 Wed Nov 07, 2012 5:55 am

Sandy happy to be in Rockford 200

Barton Sandy's obvious main skill is his road course racing, but his short track skill is getting better, says the Australian born driver.

"We've improved step by step to get the car where it's been. I've had practice at similar ovals around where my workshop is based. It's been bad luck for this year but practising makes perfect. I think we had the easiest heat to get through."

Sponsors for next season was also asked in the interview for the 90 car that Sandy's driving part time.

"Look, next season is next season. Let my team finish on a high note thank you very much."

by Rykia Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:12 am

Where was Mac Rhylen?

by JMac525 Wed Nov 07, 2012 7:24 am

Rykia_RKXK wrote:Where was Mac Rhylen?

Along with Makoto Yamada and Tom Moore?

by gwoodard41 Wed Nov 07, 2012 10:35 am

Terra International Motorsport's cloudy outlook at Rockford had a silver lining during the heats.

While Greg Woodard and Kelly Splison were both knocked out of contention by speed or by someone's idiotic actions. Megan Driver, the 16 year old cousin of Greg Woodard surprised the team by finishing 5th in her heat starting from 3rd place. She will be the youngest driver for the team ever attempting a major sporting event. Megan will move onto the main race, not needing to worry about participating in the B-Mains, a relief for the team as they didn't have all that good of luck in 2011.

Megan's chances of winning are very slim but looking good none-the-less. Greg praised her efforts on Twitter while Kelly remarked on how she was astounded that she [Megan] did rather well. However, Kelly would shortly leave to meet Magnus Skov to 'talk' with him about courtesy on track. Rumor has it she took her favorite baseball bat with her.

by **Ceej** Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:17 pm

JMac525 wrote:
Rykia_RKXK wrote:Where was Mac Rhylen?

Along with Makoto Yamada and Tom Moore?

I forgot Rhylen and Yamada, but I never got Moore's car.

The #22 and #86x will be put in heat 2 and the race will be re-run, because that race only had 22 cars anyway.

by Rykia Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:42 pm

Ceej wrote:
JMac525 wrote:
Rykia_RKXK wrote:Where was Mac Rhylen?

Along with Makoto Yamada and Tom Moore?

I forgot Rhylen and Yamada, but I never got Moore's car.

The #22 and #86x will be put in heat 2 and the race will be re-run, because that race only had 22 cars anyway.

Oh. Alright.

by JMac525 Wed Nov 07, 2012 3:57 pm

Rykia_RKXK wrote:
Ceej wrote:
JMac525 wrote:
Rykia_RKXK wrote:Where was Mac Rhylen?

Along with Makoto Yamada and Tom Moore?

I forgot Rhylen and Yamada, but I never got Moore's car.

The #22 and #86x will be put in heat 2 and the race will be re-run, because that race only had 22 cars anyway.

Oh. Alright.

Sounds good.

by ParaLanche Wed Nov 07, 2012 4:56 pm

Warth happy to get second chance in B-Main

Jared Warth finished 16th in heat #2 for rockford so he will have a second change to get into the rockford 200 with the B-main.

"I'm hoping we get a good starting position in the B-main, This team deserves it."

by **Ben Atkins** Wed Nov 07, 2012 5:40 pm

Sarah Carlisle to make ARLA Debut, Tucker to B-Main, Barnton and Atkins DNQ

Starting with the negatives, Ben Atkins finished last in heat 1, after an early crash. Atkins yelled over the radio after the crash "Goddamnit, what the f**k was that? The cars done, it's f**king done." After Atkins got out of his car, he reportedly thrown his helmet at the #32 car, driven by David Krikorian who sparked the incident by turning Leigh Gruell. Atkins give an interview about his future and a look back at the season in general after the race;

Click to Read, some NSFW Language:

Lucy Barnton also missed the race, however, this is more predictable than Atkins as she is much less experienced than Atkins. Her two top 10's at Orange County and Talladega could be a good sign when she goes Eichholtz Atlantic Racing ways for her full time campaign.

Ashley Tucker will get a second chance, however, as she heads into the B-Main after a 6th place finish, one that should have been a 3rd, arguably after she got caught up in an accident. Tucker remains optimistic however, and she is determined to give Riggs Motorsports a good end to the season after her two wins at Houston and Motegi, and her victory in the Rookie Shootout as well... now, where's Shane Lake about that bet?

The real shock story within between these four though is that Sarah Carlisle, a driver who little have heard of, but is best known for being the sister of RROL driver Bradley Carlisle, made the race after a 4th place finish in her heat. Carlisle, along with brother Bradley will head to High-Line Racing in the ARLA Street Stock Series in 2013. Right now, though, Carlisle is focused on the race; "I'm really really really excited about making the race, but I'm here with a mission; win the race. If I'm to make myself a big name in racing, then I need to make a big impact to begin with. I know it's unlikely, but I wanna do it for the team, and to get myself out there. Making the race in itself is an honour though."

by TheRacingExperts Wed Nov 07, 2012 8:22 pm

Nikos Kastapolous was more or less........ condemned.. by the folks at CAM for his actions at Rockford. We couldn't get a response from him considering he walked right out of his car and proceeded to throw his things in disgust of himself in the hauler... but team spoksepeople had this to say:
"It was a boneheaded move that was spearheaded by a lack of communication, and the bottom line is that everyone at the camp is at fault here, something that takes our triumphs this season into total shambles. Nevertheless, we're gonna try and shrug this off and hope for the best next season.

by zaw24fan Fri Nov 09, 2012 10:51 pm

Webster Hoping to Take Advantage of Second Chance

After finishing 10th in the 4th Heat Race, advancing to the B-Mains, Zack Webster finds himself with a second chance to make his second consecutive Rockford 200. The task comes a little bit more difficult to do now, as Webster must win his B-Main race to make it to the Rockford 200. "We just have to qualify better. Climbing from 23rd at the start of the race to 10th at the end of the race is definitely something to smile about, but we have got to get a good starting spot so we can give ourselves a more realistic chance to make this race."

Webster later said that no matter what happens in his B-Main race, he is so happy to be able to compete in an ARLA-sanctioned event in 2012. He believes that this should spring-board him into a good start for the 2013 season.

by **SnakePlissken** Sat Nov 10, 2012 9:01 am

Tyler Hoping to "Rip" His Way to Title

Ripley "Rip" Tyler stands on the precipice of greatness. If he could manage to overtake Ebenezer Quiggles, Jr and erase a 72 point deficit, that is.

"I'm just hoping for an opportunity to present itself and that when and if it comes, that I can capitalize on it," stated a fairly calm Rip Tyler.
When reminded of the 25 point penalty he incurred in Race 7 at the Four Corners 200 of Toronto, Tyler responded, "What's done is done and I can't worry about that now. I've let that go. Kurt Plissken has helped me get better at that. Besides, I was way more concerned about what happened to Libby anyway. I'm just hoping both my teammates get in and have good runs so that we all stay in the Top 10 in points. Regardless of if I can overtake Quiggy or not, we as a team have made a great accomplishment this season. It wouldn't hurt to have them out there with me for some support, but it's just fun competing not only with them but against them as well. I can only control what I can control. That's how I've always approached it and I see no reason to change that now."

One can't help but wonder how much more pressure would be on Quiggles, Jr. if his lead were down to just 47 points instead of 72 and how he would react to that much more pressure filled environment.

by RocketKnight Sat Nov 10, 2012 10:26 pm

where's Michael Calhoun?

by **SnakePlissken** Sun Nov 25, 2012 7:25 pm

Tyler Stricken With Stomach Aliment!

On the eve of the biggest race of his young career, Rip Tyler suddenly found himself contracting some form of intestinal flu.
"With a name like mine, I've heard all the "Rip One" jokes a guy could hear in his life, but this gives a new meaning to that term," stated Tyler via phone interview. "Not sure what happened or what I ate that could have possibly caused this. Maybe I caught some kind of virus or something, but I haven't ventured too far from the porcelain throne. I know one thing for sure, it wasn't nerves. I've never really gotten the jitters behind the wheel. But I've had stuff coming out of every orifice. It's definitely something that gave me flu-like symptoms... uhhhh... hang on.... "

Strange, guttural sounds emanate in the background.

"Okay, I'm back but I'm gonna let you go. I don't feel too good right now. This couldn't have happened at a worse time though, but I will not use it as an excuse. I'll be there and ready to go. Hopefully. Bye." [Click!]

At this stage, no one knows how or if this will affect Tyler's championship hopes.

by **SnakePlissken** Tue Nov 27, 2012 7:38 am

Quiggles Gave Tyler Tainted Peanut Butter

Apparently Ebenezer Quiggles, Jr. gave Rip Tyler some Trader Joe's Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter for him to sample. The brand is manufactured by New Mexico-based Sunland Inc. which has recently come under fire for distributing products tainted with salmonella. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says there are now 30 illnesses in 19 states that can be traced to the Trader Joe's peanut butter. Salmonella can cause diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 hours to 72 hours after infection, which is known as salmonellosis. It is most dangerous to children, the elderly and others with weak immune systems. Tyler is young and healthy and expected to make a full recovery.

Quiggles inadvertently gave Tyler the tainted product. "He obviously didn't do it on purpose, let me make that clear," Tyler stated via phone interview. "It was just one of those bad timing things. So don't blame him. I'm feeling better with each passing hour. I won't be 100% by race time, but nothing is going to keep me out of the car-- nothing!"

by **Ceej** Sun Dec 23, 2012 12:29 am

by Magus978 Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:00 am

Spoiler:

by Kornography Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:22 am

Spoiler:

by Dan Mackay Sun Dec 23, 2012 1:24 am

> mfw at all of my cars being deletrazes

by **crl** Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:37 am

Spoiler:

by Backmarker Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:45 am

Spoiler:

by BWard Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:53 am

Spoiler:

by **Ben Atkins** Sun Dec 23, 2012 10:09 am

Spoiler:

by RyanB06 Sun Dec 23, 2012 11:58 am

Spoiler:

by JMac525 Sun Dec 23, 2012 12:19 pm

Spoiler:

by iAMBADDATGAMES Sun Dec 23, 2012 12:58 pm

Spoiler:

by Alta Sun Dec 23, 2012 2:40 pm

Spoiler:

by zaw24fan Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:52 pm

Spoiler:

by racingfreak1999 Mon Dec 24, 2012 2:05 am

WARNING: EXPLICT LANGUAGE WITHIN

Spoiler:

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