Annett takes Toyota to Victory Lane at Talladega
Annett, in a Bill Davis Racing entry, fought off Roush Fenway Racing's Colin Braun on the final lap, and then edged eight-time series champion Frank Kimmel at the checkered flag by a half-car length to win the thrilling ARCA RE/MAX 250 in only his fourth series start.
"I knew they were going to try something (on the final lap)," said Annett. "Colin came to the outside of me going through the trioval. We kind of got together. I just kept my left side on the yellow line, and when we got together it slowed down his momentum. Then Frank (Kimmel) decided to go with me, and that really helped. Frank raced me clean. You can't ask for more out of your competitors.
"It was a learning experience throughout the race. We got shuffled back early, but I found out what the car needed to get back up front. And once we got up there, we pretty much stayed there."
Simultaneously, Erin Crocker, who finished 18th, made history of her own by earning the 2007 Hoosier Tire Superspeedway Challenge Championship, becoming the first female driver to win the award.
"It's a really big deal for me," said Crocker. "It's a really prestigious award and it's a huge honor to win it. When you look back at some of the drivers who have won ARCA's superspeedway title, from Davey Allison to Frank Kimmel, it makes it even more special.
"I also think it could really help my career. It means something to be the ARCA RE/MAX Series Superspeedway champion. I'm truly honored to hold the title."
Kimmel, in addition to finishing second, clinched the 2007 Bill France Triple Crown Award, which is designed to measure a driver's success on three very different tracks. This year's edition of the award included a dirt track (DuQuoin State Fairgrounds), a short track (Salem Speedway) and a superspeedway (Talladega).
"I think the fastest car won the race," said Kimmel. "Michael (Annett) did a nice job. He was really fast. We just couldn't quite team up enough to pass him. I was able to get by Colin (Braun) right there at the very end, and then almost made it (past Annett), but didn't quite."
Dominick Casola, in Andy Belmont's A. Casola Farms Ford, finished third, marking his career best finish in his first restrictor plate start. Casola was also the highest-finishing rookie and earned the Hoosier Tire Hard Charger honors for advancing the most positions.
"I'd never drafted with anyone before," said Casola. "So this weekend definitely paid dividends. We started in the middle, fell to the back, and I tried to work my way back up there. My car was real strong all day. I just haven't had a lot of experience on these restrictor-plate tracks."
Richard Johns finished fourth in the BeavEx Ford. Billy Venturini finished fifth in the Hampton Luxury Homes Chevrolet.
From start to finish, Annett was the dominant player in the show, leading 75 of the 94 laps that made up the 250-mile race. Braun was also a factor most of the way, leading eight laps before getting shuffled back to ninth at the finish.
2007 Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti made his stock car debut in Chip Ganassi's Dodge, and finished 17th.
"I gained a huge amount of experience learning from the start of the race," said Franchitti. "The first part of the race I was drafting like an Indy car. I was getting up behind people and then I figured out it was more important who was pushing you than who is in front of you. Once I figured that out I was getting into side drafting and everything started to come together.
"It was a lot of fun out there. I'm disappointed with the result, but what I've learned, I don't think you can put a price on it. I learned so much today. I'm looking at the long game. I'm looking at next year. From that point of view, I'm very happy. I'm a little disappointed because I think the Target guys deserved a better result than that."
Bryan Clauson earned the SIM Factory Pole Award on Thursday with a speed of 184.840 mph. Clauson also battled back from one lap down to finish 11th.
Next up for the ARCA RE/MAX Series is Championship Weekend at Toledo Speedway. The Hantz Group 200, presented by Belle Tire, is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday, October 14. Tickets are available by calling Toledo Speedway at (419) 727-1100.
Results
|
FIN |
STR | NO | DRIVER/HOMETOWN | TEAM & CAR | LAPS | STATUS |
| 1 | 2 | 28 | Michael Annett/Des Moines IA | Pilot Travel Centers Toyota | 94 | Running |
| 2 | 9 | 46 | Frank Kimmel/Clarksville IN | Pork-Fort Dodge Animal Health-Greenheck Ford | 94 | Running |
| 3 | 21 | 1 | Dominick Casola/Holmdel NJ | A. Casola Farms Ford | 94 | Running |
| 4 | 14 | 39 | Richard Johns/Charlotte NC | BeavEx Ford | 94 | Running |
| 5 | 10 | 15 | Billy Venturini/Chicago IL | Hampton Luxury Homes Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 6 | 15 | 3 | Jeremy Clements/Spartanburg SC | Liquid Lightning Boltz Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 7 | 7 | 21 | Scott Speed/Manteca CA | Red Bull Toyota | 94 | Running |
| 8 | 35 | 65 | Justin Marks/Rocklin CA | Crocs Dodge | 94 | Running |
| 9 | 3 | 99 | Colin Braun/Ovalo TX | Roush Fenway Racing Ford | 94 | Running |
| 10 | 8 | 94 | Max Dumarey/Gent Belgium | BodyCoach.net Ford | 94 | Running |
| 11 | 1 | 40 | Bryan Clauson/Noblesville IN | Memorex Dodge | 94 | Running |
| 12 | 13 | 12 | Mario Gosselin/Lake Wales FL | DGM Racing Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 13 | 30 | 16 | Justin Allgaier/Springfield IL | AG Tech-Schluckebier Farms-Auto Xpress Chevy | 94 | Running |
| 14 | 16 | 7 | Jason Hedlesky/Clinton MI | Curtis Air Compressors Ford | 94 | Running |
| 15 | 23 | 31 | Tim McCreadie/Penfield NY | Camping World Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 16 | 27 | 60 | Patrick Sheltra/Indiantown FL | US Construction-CP Concrete Products Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 17 | 6 | 42 | Dario Franchitti/Edinburgh Scotland | Target-FugiFilm-Tums Dodge | 94 | Running |
| 18 | 19 | 98 | Erin Crocker/Wilbraham MA | MAC Tools Dodge | 94 | Running |
| 19 | 31 | 52 | Bill Baird/Sarasota FL | Saturn Machine Dodge | 94 | Running |
| 20 | 29 | 8 | Marc Mitchell/Tallahassee FL | Ergon Pontiac | 94 | Running |
| 21 | 4 | 47 | Phillip McGilton/Marion IL | SI Performance Ford | 94 | Running |
| 22 | 37 | 11 | Bryan Silas/Stuart FL | Nortrax-Holland Pump Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 23 | 38 | 23 | Josh Krug/Omaha NE | Bigford Enterprises-ARCASimRacing.com Chevy | 94 | Running |
| 24 | 40 | 90 | Gabi DiCarlo/Phoenix AZ | Great Clips Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 25 | 12 | 04 | Eric McClure/Abingdon VA | Hefty Brand Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 26 | 33 | 6 | Dexter Bean/Westby WI | Five Star Telecom-Glock-Cycle Country Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 27 | 28 | 00 | Robb Brent/Shelby Township MI | Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ford | 94 | Running |
| 28 | 20 | 5 | Mark Thompson/Cartersville GA | Lucas Oil Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 29 | 41 | 25 | Ryan Fischer/Surrey BC | LBT Inc-Venturini Motorsports Chevrolet | 94 | Running |
| 30 | 17 | 09 | Eddie Mercer/Pensacola FL | Miccosukee Indian Gaming & Resort Chevrolet | 87 | Running |
| 31 | 32 | 4 | Tim Andrews/St. Louis MO | Dodge Motorsports Dodge | 85 | Running |
| 32 | 22 | 61 | Chase Austin/Mooresville NC | HomeLife Communities Dodge | 78 | Engine |
| 33 | 11 | 2 | Michael McDowell/Phoenix AZ | Lotame-Make A Wish Dodge | 72 | Accident |
| 34 | 34 | 32 | Brian Scott/Mooresville NC | Red Line Oil Dodge | 72 | Accident |
| 35 | 25 | 22 | Josh Wise/Riverside CA | NAPA-ESR Development Toyota | 72 | Accident |
| 36 | 26 | 07 | Billy Tanner/Newtown PA | CheapCaribbean.com Chevrolet | 72 | Accident |
| 37 | 18 | 18 | Billy Leslie/Algonac MI | Titan Tires & Wheel Ford | 71 | Accident |
| 38 | 36 | 59 | Justin South/Hueytown AL | G-Force Racing Gear-Alabama Brick Dodge | 67 | Running |
| 39 | 24 | 29 | Mike Ciochetti/Clayton GA | Daytona-n-Friends.com Ford | 53 | Accident |
| 40 | 39 | 84 | Norm Benning/Pittsburgh PA | Valley Air Supply-Baptist Physical Therapy Chevy | 52 | Accident |
| 41 | 5 | 20 | Bobby Santos III/Franklin MA | Chimney Rock Cattle Company Toyota | 2 | Engine |