Event Preview
No. 23 Holmes ll Excavation Chevrolet SS
Bret Holmes
Event: General Tire 200
Date: April 26, 2019
Venue: Talladega Superspeedway – Talladega, Ala.
This Week’s Holmes ll Excavation Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway … Bret Holmes will pilot Chassis No. 205 in the General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway. This Bret Holmes Racing-prepared Chevrolet SS is the same chassis that Holmes raced at the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in February. Holmes started the event 14th but was involved in a late-race incident, relegating him to an 18th-place result.
By the Numbers … Holmes has three previous starts at Talladega Superspeedway in the ARCA Menards Series. In those three appearances, he has garnered one top-10 finish and six laps led. Holmes has a 15.3 average starting position coupled with a 19.3 average finishing position.
To the Point … Holmes currently sits third in the ARCA Menards Series driver championship point standings. The 21-year-old driver trails the leader by 20 points heading into this week’s race at Talladega Superspeedway.
Atop the Leaderboard … Following the event at Salem Speedway, Holmes inherited the top spot on the S&S Volvo lap leaderboard with 385 laps completed of the 387 contested laps.
Home Sweet Home … This week’s ARCA Menards Series race at Talladega Superspeedway brings Holmes back to his racing roots. The Munford, Ala., native grew up just 12 miles from the 2.66-mile speedway. Holmes spent many of the early years of his racing career racing across the street at the Talladega Dirt Track. Still a fixture to the area, Holmes is enrolled at Auburn University where he is obtaining his degree in building science.
Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge … With two of the 11 short track events complete so far this season, Holmes is fifth in the Sioux Chief Short Track Challenge point standings. The next race in the challenge is Fairgrounds Speedway Nashville on May 4.
Review Mirror: Salem Speedway … Holmes started the 200-lap main event from the ninth position as rain showers began to creep in over the half-mile speedway. The Munford, Ala., native reported to the No. 23 team on lap 10 of a loose-handling condition. As the track temperature increased, the handling of Holmes’ red Chevrolet shifted to the tight side. The rain showers intensified and by lap 101, ARCA Menards Series officials had brought the field down pit road and displayed the red flag for rain. With rain blanketing the Salem, Ind., area, race officials were forced to call the race at the halfway point, relegating Holmes to a 10th-place result.
Autograph, Please … Holmes is scheduled to make an appearance at the Team Chevy stage in the Fan Zone on Friday, April 26 at 1:15 p.m. local time. He is also scheduled to sign autographs for fans at the General Tire display at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday beginning at 11 a.m. The display is located behind the grandstands in the Fan Zone.
Tune In Alert … Coverage of this week’s General Tire 200 at Talladega Superspeedway will be televised live on Friday, April 26, beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern Time on Fox Sports 1. Live timing and scoring will also be available at ARCARacing.com.
BRET HOLMES QUOTES:
What is the biggest difference between Daytona International Speedway and Talladega Superspeedway as a driver?
“Talladega (Superspeedway) is a little bit of a wider track, so you get a little bit more room to make an error. Honestly, I think this weekend will be a lot less crazy than Daytona. You have a lot of built up tension over the off season for both first-time racers and veterans. You haven’t raced all off season, and Daytona is the first race back behind the wheel. At this point in the season, we’ve all settled into our rhythm and know how we need to run this race. Daytona is more of a mental game for drivers. I think the biggest difference is how we treat this race.”
How much do you notice the difference in width between the two tracks?
“I don’t notice it that much. In these ARCA (Menards Series) cars, we run more two-wide than anything. That extra space at Talladega (Superspeedway) makes it easier to pass lapped traffic. It also gives you a little extra room is you’re trying to avoid a wreck. Other than that, you’re still racing close to all the other cars at fast speeds.”
Talk about what it would mean to win here at Talladega Superspeedway.
“I spent about seven years of my life racing across the street at the dirt track. This is the race on the schedule that I circle. Being an Alabama native, I’d love to win here more than anything. It would mean the world to me. I went to school in Anniston, Alabama, that’s about 20 minutes down the road. I attend Auburn University now which isn’t far and grew up in Munford. That’s about 10 minutes away, literally almost my backyard. My friends always ask me what I would do if I won here at Talladega. It would be the coolest feeling in the world. A win here would be for more than just me and the team. It would be for my dad, too. We both have a lot of history racing around this place. I’ll have a lot of family and friends at the race and being able to perform well in front of them and my hometown crowd, would be a great feeling. We’re hungry for our first win but to do it here, at Talladega Superspeedway, it would definitely be the biggest win of my career.”