ROCKINGHAM NC (10-9-09) - Two drivers. One champion. The stage is set.

 

That stage is Rockingham Speedway in Rockingham, North Carolina where the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship is at stake. The drivers, a second-year veteran and a rookie, are Justin Lofton and Parker Kligerman. The outcome - unknown.

 

What we do know is that there are just 15 points that separate Lofton and Kligerman headed to Rockingham this weekend for the ARCA RE/MAX American 200, the final event of the 2009 season.

 

There are, of course, many other variables one could consider.

 

Past History at the Rock
Let's start with past history at Rockingham where Lofton has two starts ('08 & '09) and Kligerman has one. While Kligerman had some relative success in his Rockingham debut this past spring, Lofton's Rockingham resume is nothing to crow about.

 

Lofton made his Rockingham debut in the spring of 2008 in the Carolina 500. After qualifying a respectable third, the Westmorland, California driver got caught up in a wreck off turn two early on and eventually finished 43rd after spending most of the race in the garage for repairs.
Earlier this year, Lofton made his second start at Rockingham where he qualified fifth, but finished a dismal 22nd, five laps down after he bounced off the wall in turn four. That gives Lofton an average finish of 32.5 at Rockingham. More than likely, that will not do this weekend.
Kligerman, on the other hand, fared much better in his one and only Rockingham start. The Westport, Connecticut rookie qualified a not-so-hot 19th, but finished fifth in the race after recovering from a mid-race spin off turn two.

 

History tells us that Kligerman may have the edge headed to Rockingham. At any rate, the 19-year-old Penske Racing development driver still trails championship point leader Lofton by 15 points going in.

 

Pressure
In pre-race interviews, both drivers appear cool and collected, which, in fact, they may be. However, when things come down to the wire, as they most certainly are, pressure always seemingly comes into play - last year's championship season finale at Toledo certainly comes to mind. More often, it's how one deals with that pressure that so often determines the outcome. It's quite possible that the driver who best manages the stress factor this weekend will be the champ. Even the very best head doctors will tell you that some stress is a good thing. Too much stress, however, can lead to bad decision making and, in this application, bent racecars. Remember, one bad decision over the course of this ensuing 200-mile short track grind can take it all away. Whether we're making a bigger deal out of the pressure element or not, it will, no doubt, find its way into the equation when the field rolls off at Rockingham.

 

Weather
There is a chance of rain this Saturday and Sunday in Rockingham (40% on Saturday and 50% on Sunday/Weather.com 4:35 pm Thursday, Oct 8). The possibility of rain always brings out the "what ifs?" Well, if qualifying rained out Saturday, so goes the points available during Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell. That's 15 for 1st, 10 for 2nd and 5 for 3rd. And when it comes to qualifying, Lofton, according to history, reigns superior. We know that Lofton, a five-time pole winner in 2009 alone, has earned twice as many points in qualifying this year as Kligerman has - 100 to 50. To be fair, Kligerman's crew, headed up by veteran crew chief Chris Carrier, improved their qualifying effort in a big way over the second half of the season.

 

Kligerman, in an interview on "Inside ARCA" Wednesday afternoon, explained. "When we started the year we were only intending to run eight races. So, in the beginning, we didn't put any emphasis on qualifying because it didn't matter that much to us. When it became pretty clear we were running for the championship, we realized we were losing too many points in qualifying so we started focusing more on qualifying and improved our qualifying effort."  

 

After earning no qualifying points in the first half, Kligerman tallied 50 qualifying points in the second half - a major improvement indeed.

 

"What if" the race is shortened because of rain?

 

Well, for one, it changes strategy in big ways. We know that if we can get half the race in, the race can become official without going the full distance. If there's a threat of rain during the race, then crews, en route, must modify their 200-mile race strategy into some other shorter version. Going from one to the other has major implications. Implications that change pit stop strategy. Should we put early and stretch our mileage and tires because it's probably going to rain, or should we wait because if it doesn't rain, we need to be set up to go the distance? Hmmmm; it's a crap shoot. Whether you're a wizard or just prone to making wise decisions, the possibility/honor of being the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series champion could rest on the shoulders of a crew chief, who, did, or did not, make the right call.

 

 

Mark Rette/Crew Chief for Justin Lofton:
"I realize there's a lot at stake for a lot of people," said Rette. "But to me it's another race and I'll make decisions as the race unfolds. You can plan ahead, and sometimes that works based on your experience level but you also have to be able to make decisions on the run because the complexion of the race can obviously change for a variety of different reasons.

 

"If there's weather involved, which I think there will be, you've got to change your strategy. When to pit, when not to pit. There are lots of variables, but it's still just another race. We'll come race-ready like we always are and go do what we know how to do best.

 

"I don't have a lot of experience at Rockingham, not as a crew chief anyway. I was there a couple times as a mechanic for Kurt Busch. Ten years ago, I won a race as a tire changer for Kenny Wallace. That may be one area where Chris (Carrier) has an advantage over me. He's been there probably 10 or 15 times. In that regard, I'd say he has the upper hand; but then again, a lot of these tracks we went to this year that we won or ran really, really good at, I had never seen in my life, so we'll see. It's still Rock, an old worn-out racetrack.

 

"We had a little trouble last time we raced there (at Rockingham). We were actually running well before we got into the fence. We were running fourth and making faster lap times than the leaders. We didn't have the best car in the beginning, but we tuned on it and got it really good. With Schrader falling out at the end, I think we would have won that race."

 

It's often said that experience is always the best teacher. If that's true, then Kligerman may have an advantage, crew chief-wise, headed to the Rock.

 

Chris Carrier/Crew Chief for Parker Kligerman:
"As a crew chief, I worked for Andy Petree from '92 through 2002," said Carrier. "We actually won the fall Cup race at Rockingham with Joe Nemechek in 2001. It was one of the last races ever at the Rock.

 

"The value of experience is hard to beat in anything. I guess you could say it's one of my strong points. I've had some good days at the Rock, and some really bad ones. It's probably my favorite track. Reminds of some of the tracks I grew up on. It's high-banked, fast, rough; it takes a different mindset. I know the track. I know how it will affect the car if I change a shock or a spring. I know that tires are huge deal at Rockingham and that they're gunna fall off. It's how racing ought to be (at the Rock). That place still requires that human element; it's not all about data acquisition, and that's what I like about it.

 

"But beyond the experience, there's the decision-making element that will play out. I make my decisions based on all the information I have available at that time. That's all you can do. That means you've got to be prepared to make the right decisions by having all the available information. Once the decision is made, you go right to the next one. You don't waste time puffing your chest out or hanging your head down; you go right to the next decision. I've always said, don't make anything bigger or harder than what it is. This isn't rocket science.

 

"I'm really excited. I've never raced for a championship before. This is very important to me. Rockingham's my favorite track on the ARCA schedule. It killed me when they (NASCAR) took it off the schedule. It (Rockingham) puts it right back into the driver's hands."
The Rock
When considering all the variables, one cannot leave out Rockingham Speedway itself. Like a lot of old, quirky, worn-out racetracks, drivers are forced to pay as much, if not more, attention to the track as they are each other.

 

Justin Lofton: "That's one thing I learned about Rockingham, that you have to pay a lot of attention to the track," said Lofton. "If you try and get too aggressive with it, it'll bite you, like it did me in the spring. But we're taking back one of my favorite cars. It's the same car that won Pocono, Chicagoland and finished second at Kansas. We're going to take it to Rockingham and win this Championship. The Championship is coming down to the last race. Me and Parker [Kligerman] joke about it all of the time. It's going to be basically who finishes ahead of who at Rockingham so we're taking the very best car we have and we're going to be on top of our game there.

 

"We really want this championship. It would mean so much to me, my crew chief Mark (Rette) and Eddie (Sharp, car owner). We've all worked so hard and had such a good season. There's nothing we can do when it comes down to race time. We can't control what Parker does or how people race us. We're going to race our race and go for the win. That's what we need to do to win this championship."

Parker Kligerman: "I think Rockingham is a really cool track in the way that the tires go away so fast," said Kligerman. "In our last run at Rockingham Speedway we obviously had a lot of trials and tribulations. We'll go back there more prepared and we'll show up with a better car and I think we'll be able to go out there and go for the win. I think that with all that I have learned about driving stock cars over this whole season that going back to Rockingham Speedway I'll be able to better conserve my tires over a long run which is really crucial there with how much the tires go away."

 

Lofton's race wins in 2009 - 6. Kligerman's race wins in 2009 - 8.

 

Lofton's average finish in 2009 - 5.3. Kligerman's average finish in 2009 - 5.2.

 

Lofton's laps-led in 2009 - 1005 in 15 races. Kligerman's laps-led in 2009 - 659 in 14 races.

 

Lofton has 1 Nationwide Series start - finished 16th at Michigan Int'l Speedway, 2009

 

Kligerman has 1 Nationwide Series start - finished 16th at Kansas Speedway, 2009 

 

X-Factors
After you've figured out Rockingham Speedway, beat the weather, conquered the pressure, made all the right decisions on pit road and are still there at the end, there are other variables, kind of like X-Factors that could play a role in the overall outcome. X-Factors like Venturini Motorsports, who were recently fined $500 and placed on disciplinary probation following a physical altercation after the race at Kansas. However, the disciplinary probation lasts through the 2009 season, which comes to end at Rockingham Speedway this weekend. Hmmmmm. To add, the Venturinis are two for two in the win column at Rockingham with Joey Logano in 2008 and Sean Caisse earlier this year. They are, of course, taking that same winning car back to the Rock with yet a different driver - Steve Arpin who, ironically, drove the first half of the season with Eddie Sharp Racing as a teammate to Justin Lofton. A little further investigative reporting uncovers that the post-race altercation at Kansas was between Arpin's crew and one of Eddie Sharp's crews, an altercation that included some sharp verbal exchanges regarding the championship in addition to the physical altercation.

 

Remnants of the 2008 season finale during which the championship battle got ugly between title contenders Scott Speed and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. It started on lap 27 when Stenhouse got into the back of Speed headed into turn three. Speed drifted up the track and clobbered the wall, causing extensive damage to the right-side.

 

After losing a lap on pit road, Speed returned to competition, albeit way off the pace. Then, as the leaders, including Stenhouse, drove to the high side of Speed to put him another lap down, Speed turned right as Stenhouse was going by, sending Stenhouse hard into the turn two wall. The exchange also sent Speed into the inside wall causing further damage to his already wrecked car.

 

As a result, ARCA officials parked Speed for rough driving for the remainder of the race. The Manteca, California driver had already been on driving probation for incidents that occurred earlier in the season.

 

Stenhouse returned to competition 69 laps down and eventually finished 25th.

 

With Speed and Stenhouse gone from the championship mix, Justin Allgaier, on a new mission, won the race and the title.

 

While it's hopeful that the championship will be decided between Lofton and Kligerman via good old-fashioned, gut-it-out, wheel-to-wheel racing to the very end, one can never know - kind of like getting back to the 'stress factor', and who manages it better. Neither Speed nor Stenhouse fared very well in that department last year.

 

Race Ringers
In addition to the regular cast of drivers, there are those who aren't running for points who could ultimately affect the championship in some form or fashion. And we're talking about drivers going for the win in very good equipment - drivers like Corey LaJoie making his career-first ARCA RE/MAX Series attempt in a Kevin Harvick, Inc Chevrolet. Or drivers like Kyle Grissom making his first series attempt in what will be a very stout Richard Childress Racing entry and Casey Roderick in his series debut for Bill Elliott Racing. Through it all, there is a rock-solid 48 drivers entered all hoping to make a late-season splash. Add a Ken Schrader, a Frank Kimmel, a Dakoda Armstrong, a Joey Coulter, a Chris Buescher, a Robb Brent, a Clay Rogers, a Brian Ickler, a Grant Enfinger, a Bryan Silas, a Justin Marks a Chad Finley, a Tom Hessert or a Patrick Sheltra and a host of other hopefuls and anything can happen. It usually does.

 

So many variables. So much on the line. Welcome to the ARCA RE/MAX Series championship weekend at Rockingham Speedway.

 

Coverage of Championship Weekend at Rockingham will be featured in live streaming audio at ARCAracing.com.

 

In addition to live timing and scoring, live steaming audio coverage begins Saturday afternoon, October 10th with practice from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM followed by Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell at 2:30.

 

The Sunday afternoon American 200, scheduled for 1:00 PM, will also feature live streaming audio coverage at ARCAracing.com.

 

The ARCA RE/MAX American 200 will also air same-day on SPEED at 10:00 PM.

 

For more information about the Carolina ARCA RE/MAX 200 or to order tickets, please contact the speedway at (910) 205-8800 or visit the website at http://www.rockinghamspeedway.com/. 
 

CONTACTS:
Don Radebaugh 419-450-0611
Jackie L. Franzil 419-574-2685
http://www.arcaracing.com