VORSE CAPTURES FIRST CAREER ARCA WEST LMCS VICTORY

Source: ARCA West LMCS Media/dp
Date: 07/06/2008

KALISPELL, Montana –Jared Vorse earned his first career ARCA West Circle K Late Model Challenge Series victory in the Firecracker USA Tundra 125 held at Montana Raceway Park in Kalispell. The win continues Vorse’s dominance of the 2008 season with his fifth top-5 finish in as many starts to maintain his position atop the series points standings and Port City Racecars Rookie of the Year leader board.

Erick Hargraves led the most laps of the evening with 85 circuits around the .250-mile Montana oval but with 37 laps to go could not hold off the hard charging Vorse and finished second.

Wes Rhodes was third followed by Alex Lessor and Agni Howell.

Bodie Morton, Dan Rhodes, Rocky Erickson, Micah Sampson and Cory Wolfe rounded out the top-10. The race was at a lightning quick pace as only one caution flew over the first 109 laps. Overall the event saw three caution periods which brought Vorse’s average speed to 47.793 mph in route to the victory.

Morton led the field to the green flag based on a six-car invert of the field’s fastest qualifiers. The Montana Raceway Park star held Hargraves to the outside line for the lead over the first two laps before yielding the point exiting turn No. 4.

Mark Owens set a new track record in qualifying by .05-seconds and moved from sixth to second by lap 10 and gave Hargraves constant pressure over the course of the early run in the 125-lap affair. With 49 laps to go Vorse, who had been as far back as sixth in the running order, cleared Owens and brought his teammate Rhodes with him to the top-3 running order.

The pair worked lapped traffic as Hargraves was never able to settle into a gentle groove and was in constant battle with lapped traffic late in the race. Rhodes and Vorse reeled the leader in at lap 98 as Vorse went underneath Hargraves while Rhodes tried the outside line to split the Pontiac of Hargraves.

Unable to clear the leaders from the outside line, Rhodes settled in behind Hargraves and the pair stayed glued to Vorse over the next several laps. The race’s second caution of the evening flew with 16 laps to go giving Hargraves what appeared to be one final chance to clear Vorse for the win.

Vorse held a strong line off turn No. 4 on the re-start and streaked to a five-car length lead with less than 13 laps to go. The final caution of the evening flew on lap 112 bring Hargraves and Rhodes right back to Vorse’s rear bumper.

On the final re-start Rhodes tapped Hargraves in turn No. 3 but let off the gas allowing the second place driver to catch his car. The pair settle in for one final attempt at Vorse but the Olympia, WA native’s Knight Fire Protection Chevrolet was to strong in the late going and cruised to his first win of 2008 and fist in just under two seasons on the ARCA West Late Model Challenge Series.

The ARCA West Circle K Late Model Challenge Series returns to action on July 26 at Wenatchee Valley’s Super Oval for a 125-lap main event. For more information log onto www.latemodelchallenge.com

NEWS/NOTES/QUOTES

No. 21 Jared Vorse, Knight Fire Protection/Larry’s Shock Shop Chevrolet Impala: “This is an unbelievable feeling. I have to thank my pit crew for getting to victory circle. We’ve worked so hard this year and I knew we could get a win somewhere along the line. It’s incredible (to be the Rookie of the Year and series points leader at the same time) and I know right now it’s a pretty cool feeling to be in that position. We ran well here at Kalispell and I can’t wait to get back here for the Montana 200.

No. 51 Erick Hargraves, Magic Metals/APEX Anodizing Pontiac GTO: “It was neat to race Jared for the win. He had a great car there at the end and I knew our right rear was going away. My spotter told me he was gaining and I tried to change my line but I just couldn’t hold (Vorse) back there. We worked to get the car like we had it last year (in the Montana 200 where Hargraves finished second) but I think we might have had just a bit too much diagonal in it. We’ll get it right and be back here in two weeks ready to give it another try.”

No. 6 Wes Rhodes, Knight Fire Protection/Thurston County Transmission Chevrolet Impala: “I tried to get up there (to battle Vorse for the win) but I wouldn’t dump (Hargraves) to do it there at the end. I was real happy to see Jared pick up the win. Our cars are identical right down to the nuts and bolts and it shows in how we’ve been running. With so few cautions (3 in 125 laps) it was tough to get through lapped traffic but we managed.”

–Mark Owens picked up the Mechanix Wear Pole Position with a time of 12.852-seconds which lowered the track record from a 12.900 set by Brandon Riehl. The Montana native developed an oil leak and was forced out of the event after 111 laps.

–Vorse’s payday included a $2,000 winner’s check sponsored by Kootenai Transfer & Storage. The leading rookie driver on the series grabbed his first win just two races after picking up his first career pole award. It was the first time since 2006 (Shelby Thompson) that a rookie had won an event on the ARCA West Circle K Late Model Challenge Series.

–Rhodes picked up his third consecutive top-3 finish. The Yelm, WA driver was gunning for his first win since 2004. That victory came at Montana Raceway Park on the former NASCAR Northwest Series.

–Hargraves grabbed his second top-3 finish in the last three races. The Firecracker 125 runner-up finish capped a great week for the 25-year old as he won on June 28 in a late model event at Yakima Speedway earning over $1,700 and a set of Hoosier tires. Just 16 hours later the Toppenish, WA native was engaged to Jenn Allard who is the daughter of former Inland Northwest late model star, Brad Allard. The run in Kalispell propelled Hargraves to third in the series points standings at the halfway point of the season.

–Wrango West and Vorse were the youngest drivers in the field at the ages of 17 and 20 respectively. West suffered power steering failure prior to qualifying and was forced to start at the end of the 21-car field. The former Legends star moved up seven positions for a 14th place finish.

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