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JOLIET,
Illinois (September 10, 2007) - - In their final scheduled ARCA RE/MAX
Series (ARS) event of the 2007 season, Blake Feese and Tennessee's Sadler
Racing headed into the Chicagoland 200 with a strong car and the capabilities
of posting their fourth consecutive top-10 finish of the season.
They didn't disappoint.
Switching numbers this past weekend thanks to a fair chance of rain
over Chicagoland Speedway on Friday, the organization was ready for
any obstacles that stood in their way.
Leading into the two-hour practice session, the Sadler Racing team
was looking to give local hero Blake Feese an opportunity to get comfortable
with the Joliet based speed plant. Despite competing on many of ARCA's
diverse tracks, the Chicagoland ARCA 200 marked the first time that
Feese would compete at the 1.5-mile facility.
During practice, the No. 8 Scottish Rite-FPC Dodge Charger moved through
the charts. When the cross-flags were waived, Feese had claimed the
10th fastest time after notching a time of 31.472 seconds at 171.581
MPH
"The car is pretty neutral. We're going to make some changes and
see if we can lay down a good qualifying lap. The guys on the Sadler
Racing team have worked hard to give me a great racecar and I don't
want to let them or our sponsors down. I'm looking forward to racing
here at Chicagoland, I've been waiting a long time to do this,"
said Feese, a two-time winner in ARCA competition.
Heading into qualifying, the Sadler Racing team was hoping to back
up their practice effort and put them in prime position for the final
intermediate track of the season.
Feese conquered the track in 31.523 seconds at 171.303 MPH, putting
the team 26th on the starting grid. Climbing from his car, Feese was
disappointed with the run but not worried.
"We just can't get our car to run in qualifying trim," said
Feese, who securely locked himself into his ninth career ARCA start.
"Our Scottish Rite-FPC will race awesome, but we just can't get
a grip with our qualifying setups, it just doesn't want to run. We'll
be fine for the race and we should put on a good show for everyone."
Feese wasted no time getting down to business at the start of the Chicagoland
ARCA 200. At the completion of the first 10 circuits, the No. 8 Dodge
had gained ten positions and held the 16th spot when the first caution
flag waived on lap 11.
On the restart, Feese continued to gain spots in the running order
and when the next caution flag waived for a multi-car incident on lap
27, Feese had climbed to 11th setting up for the pit stop of the race.
The team knew heading into the weekend that Feese's time on pit road
would be a hinder, as members of the Sadler Racing team would go over
the wall for the first time this weekend as another group originally
scheduled to pit for the Sadler Racing team backed out two days before
the race.
Giving it their all, the group delivered a solid stop, sending their
driver back into the hunt occupying the 22nd position.
Feese radioed his team offering them praises for their hard work and
stated that the car was strong enough to head back to the front.
On the restart, Feese kept his word. Turning in lap times comparable
to the leaders, Feese sliced and diced his No. 8 Dodge back into the
top-20 by the completion of lap 32.
Feese would maintain running in the top-20 until another caution on
lap 73 offered the teams to make a final round of pit stops. The team
stepped up to the plate once again dishing out a clean stop, sending
their driver back into battle.
Back to racing, the car was fast. Feese quickly worked through traffic
and set himself into the top-10 despite a massive wreck on lap 101.
The cautions worked against Feese as his machine worked better after
three laps of clean racing. Returning to race conditions only put Feese
back on the prowl again quickly moving towards the front.
Lap 111 would however change the day for Feese as the car attracted
an "aero" push as the No. 8 was chasing the No. 98 of Erin
Crocker for the third spot. As Feese caught her, his car caught the
push sliding his machine into the wall, causing some damage to the right
side of the team's machine.
The damage would dramatically change the handling of the car over the
next 23 laps sending Feese backsliding through the field.
Even with the damage, Feese would put on a great battle with Dexter
Bean and Brett Hudson as the duo battled for seventh for the final seven
circuits. With a fading car, Feese would lose the two positions but
settle comfortably behind Hudson and claim the ninth spot awarding the
team their forth top-10 in four starts this season.
"I hate it," said Feese after the race. "We probably
had a second place car, but the aero push into the wall really hurt
the car in the end. I tried to stay in the top-five, but the damage
really changed the car's handling dramatically. We did the best we could,
we hung in there and netted another top-10 finish, I can't really complain."
He continued, "I'm really proud of the guys on pit road. Circumstances
forced the guys from the shop to go over the wall today and they did
a good job. We overcame many of the obstacles we faced this weekend
and this team once again showed we can conquer almost anything. I'm
happy for our association with Scottish Rite and the Fuel Performance
Catalyst. We wanted to give them another good run and I know we accomplished
that."
Chicagoland marked the final ARCA RE/MAX Series event of the 2007 season
for Feese, but the team is hoping to invade the NASCAR Busch Series
for other events later this season.
About The Scottish Rite:
The Scottish Rite is a Masonic organization that continues a Master
Mason's education of the first three degrees. The Scottish Rite consists
of the fourth through 32nd Degree and an honorary 33rd, which is awarded
for exceptional service. For more on Scottish Rite, please visit ScottishRite.org
About Fuel Performance Catalyst (FPC):
FPC is a fuel additive that changes the burn rate for internal combustion
engines. It works by making the fuel burn more efficiently. Independent
tests have confirmed that FPC reduces fuel consumption from four percent
to eight percent.
Besides increasing fuel economy, FPC will extend engine life and performance.
Since the engine will be burning fuel more effectively, hard carbon
cannot build up on critical engine components. Hard carbon causes injector
coking and accelerates engine wear.
FPC also reduces pollutants. Laboratory tests have shown reduction in
carbon monoxide (CO), unburned hydrocarbons (carbon particulate), Particulate
Emissions, sulfur dioxide (SO2), and NOx. Additionally, FPC will reduce
oil contaminants caused by soot and carbon generated in the combustion
process. For additional input on Fuel Performance Catalyst (FPC), please
logon to FPC1.com
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