SPARTA, Ky. (Sept. 21, 2017) – After a full day of testing at Kentucky Speedway, all three Cunningham cars are primed and ready for the next battle on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. With two races left on the year, Shane Lee, Dalton Sargeant and Ty Majeski all head to the bluegrass state for the Crosley Brands 150 in search of keeping the Cunningham banner in victory lane.
What You Need to Know:
- Kentucky Speedway was repaved again this off-season. Another layer of asphalt was applied over the repave from last season. With a newer track surface, teams will once again have to figure out how the track will run throughout the day in terms of tire wear and grip.
- With another race that has a daytime practice and nighttime race, the change in track will be especially difficult to predict since no team has run the newer surface under the lights.
Cunningham won at Kentucky Speedway last season with the No. 99 car. In the past four races, - Cunningham cars have nearly taken the checkered flag (Road America, DuQuoin, Salem, Chicago).
Shane Lee, No. 22 Big Tine Ford Fusion
- Lee is coming off of an eighth-place run at Chicagoland Speedway last week. With the finish, he moved back into third in driver championship points.
- Leading 25 laps in last year’s Crosley Brands 150 and starting on the outside pole, Lee has proven success at Kentucky Speedway and looks to use that experience in tomorrow’s race.
- During the test Lee moved around in the top-10 cars, ending the day with the eighth fastest time.
- Lee: “Kentucky is one of my favorite tracks to come to on the schedule and I’ve run well here in the past. Last season I started second and led the first quarter of the race. We have a pretty stout car for the race. We made some swings during the test to get it perfect and by the end of the day the entire team was happy with the car. It’ll be another tough race with so many competitive cars, but I’m excited for it and it makes the racing much more interesting. The 22 team has always put in every bit of effort they have and even when things haven’t gone our way, this team bounces right back and never gives up. We’ve had some good runs lately and I’m confident for this race and hopefully we’ll keep getting strong for these last two races of the year.”
Dalton Sargeant, No. 77 Big Tine Ford Fusion
- Last time out at Chicago, Sargeant took his No. 77 car to a sixth-place finish after starting the race at the tail of the field.
- Sargeant had an exceptional run in his first time out at Kentucky last year, starting fourth and finishing second.
- The No. 77 team completed the Kentucky test in 11th place after making some large changes to the car throughout the day.
- Sargeant: “Kentucky Speedway is a really fun track to go to with its own challenges. The test went pretty well for the 77 team. We made a lot of changes throughout the day to get the car where we wanted it to be and I think with a few more fixes here and there, we’ll be a strong contender for the race. There’s another tough field here for Kentucky and it should be a great race to watch for the fans and teams. Last year I had a good run with a second-place finish and I’m hoping to turn that into a win this time around. With two races left on the season I’d like to finish off strong and get back to victory lane.”
Ty Majeski, No. 99 Treeo’s Ford Fusion
- Majeski nearly came away with his first ARCA win at Chicago last week. Leading on the last restart, he got shuffled back to seventh where he finished.
- The Roush Fenway development driver now heads to Kentucky for the first time in his racing career.
- Making laps around the track during the test proved beneficial for Majeski who battled back and forth for the fastest time yesterday. Ultimately, the No. 99 Treeo’s Ford took home second after a rewarding day.
- Majeski: “I’m very optimistic for Kentucky this weekend. We had a great day at the test and bounced around from first to second and we finished the day with the second fastest time, but we have a great car for the race and I think we’ll definitely be a contender. For taking my first laps around the track yesterday, I’m really happy with my progress and with the car. We had a strong car at Chicago and fell short of the win so coming to Kentucky I’m looking for some redemption. We made a few changes here and there, but based off of the test yesterday, I think we’re in good shape for the race. It would be incredible to get this No. 99 Treeo’s Ford Fusion a win and hopefully we can finish what we started at Chicago and get it done.”
The Crosley Brands 150 will air live on FS1 at 8:00 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22. Race day activities will kick off with practice at 1:00 p.m. followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 5:10. Live timing and scoring will be provided at www.arcaracing.com throughout the day. All times are local (Eastern).
Keep up with Cunningham Motorsports on Facebook and Instagram (@CunninghamRace) and on Twitter (@Cunningham_Race). Head to www.cunninghamrace.com for more news.
You can follow Shane and Dalton on social media as well. Follow Shane on Facebook/Twitter (@ShaneLeeRacing) and on Instagram (@Shane_Lee00). You can find Dalton on Facebook (@DaltonSargeantRacing) and Twitter/Instagram (@DaltonSargeant). You can also follow Ty Majeski on Facebook (@TyMajeskiRacing), Twitter (@TyMajeski) and Instagram (@TyMajeski_).