Bobby Gerhart Makes Thrilling Pass for Eighth Daytona Win

Saturday, February 18, 2012

“Did That Just Happen?”

Bobby Gerhart Makes Thrilling Pass for Eighth Daytona Win

(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.) – Bobby Gerhart’s day at Daytona International Speedway
started
early with the installation of an engine fit to ARCA Racing Series presented by
Menards standards, and ended with the Pennslyvania driver setting the standard
himself.
Gerhart led just one lap, but it was the 83rd and final one in a
green-white-checkeredfinish, giving him his third consecutive Daytona win and his eighth overall in
25starts since 1988.
The veteran started 42nd in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, forced to the back
afterhis No. 5 Lucas Oil Slick Mist Chevrolet failed an engine vacuum leak inspection
after Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell on Friday. Gerhart had
qualified
irst, which would have given him his fifth pole at Daytona.
Gerhart slowly stalked through the field, pitting twice on Laps 1 and 10 to
ensurehe would have enough fuel to drive to the finish. That strategy ended up
important,as race leader Brandon McReynolds (No. 4 Turner Motorsports Chevrolet) led 64
consecutivelaps before running out of fuel as he drove around Turn 4 toward the checkered
flag.
“Well, did that just happen?” Gerhart immediately asked upon entering the
Daytonamedia center for his post-race press conference.
Gerhart touched on his Friday penalty from ARCA officials, admitting
disappointmentin the decision but saying that his second engine was just as stout as the
first.
After all, Gerhart led the final practice earlier Saturday morning. He said his
decision to pit even earlier than he did last year – Lap 5 – had been in the
worksfor a long time.
“(The second engine) ran the (speed) we had, so I said we’ve just got to put
ourselvesn position,” he said. “At the beginning of the races, there’s a strategy that
(crewchief, owner, and brother) Bill and I talked about a long time ago. We decided
todo it, win, lose, or draw, and the worst thing that could happen in that
positionis that we get a lap down. But we get the Lucky Dog and we’re right back where
wewere. We looked at it and had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
“We kept digging. There were a lot of great cars again. The way it came, we kind
of needed that last pit stop. That last lap, I had a great run down the
backstretchand we were matched up with a real good car behind us. I said, ‘You know what?
I’vegot absolutely nothing to lose here.’ Nobody’s going to remember me finishing
fifth,so let’s see what happens. That’s what the fans come to see. It just happened at
the right time, the leader took a little blip, and that was it.”
That real good car, as Gerhart called it, belonged to Drew Charlson (No. 28
AlumaAluminum Trailers Chevrolet), who finished second. Charlson’s car was the one
drivenby Ty Dillon last season at Daytona to the Menards Pole Award and 11th place.
Charlsonentered with just one previous start.
Will Kimmel (No. 68 Enterprise Software Development Ford) finished third in his
first race as the primary face of Kimmel Racing. Kimmel had earned just two
othertop-fives since his debut in 2008.
Sean Corr (No. 82 Empire Racing/United Way Ford) ended up the Menards Pole Award
winner after Gerhart’s lap was disallowed late Friday afternoon. He eased to a
0.109-second lead over Steve Blackburn as the field entered a single-file line
afterone lap. On the fourth lap he drove past Gerhart, who had dropped back to 43rd
withhis uncustomary early pit stop.
Milka Duno (No. 33 Milka Way Chevrolet) spun on Lap 6 to bring the race’s first
caution, and Corr continued to lead as many of the contenders behind him drove
topit road on Lap 9. Leilani Mϋnter (No. 12 The Cove Dodge) then crashed
whenshe lost her left rear tire, bringing another caution flag.
Corr drove to pit road for fuel as he finished Lap 15, handing the lead to
Duno’sEddie Sharp Racing teammate, Cale Gale (No. 6 Rheem Chevrolet). Gale led off of
the Lap 18 green flag, but soon saw McReynolds taking charge. McReynolds, Ryan
Reed(No. 15 JDRF Chevrolet), and Chris Windom (No. 32 Justice Brothers/Gillund
EnterprisesToyota) all passed Gale, leaving him fourth on Lap 19.
Another car scraped the wall to bring a caution flag on Lap 20, with McReynolds,
Reed, Windom, and Gale in front of Chris Buescher (No. 17 BeavEx/Reliance
Tool/GaryYeomans Ford Lincoln Ford). The green flag flew on Lap 24, and the field again
entereda single-file line.
McReynolds, whose father Larry won the Daytona 500 twice as a crew chief in the
1990s (Davey Allison, 1992; Dale Earnhardt, 1998), seemed primed to write a
pieceof his own Daytona history. He led the same line of cars to the halfway point,
holdinga 0.117 lead on Reed at Lap 40 with Windom, Gale, and Buescher continuing to
follow.
Meanwhile, Gerhart had jumped to the top 30.
Will Kimmel, who had started 21st, climbed to the top 10 on Lap 47, as
McReynoldscontinued to hold a lead of just over 0.1 second on Reed, Windom, Gale, and
Buescher.
Seven cars were within a second in the line on Lap 51, and the makeup of that
groupchanged only when Gale took his first and only pit stop for fuel on Lap 60. That
move helped Buescher into fourth. A caution flag flew on Lap 69 for a Sloan
Hendersoncrash, and Buescher improved to third when Reed drove to pit road on Lap 71 -
withnine regulation laps remaining.
As the field drove under caution on Lap 74, McReynolds showed signs that he
mightnot be able to drive to the finish, working his car to the apron, off the high
Daytonabanks. The green flag returned on Lap 76, with McReynolds hugging the yellow
lineto keep the field at bay. Buescher looked to the outside to advance from third,
but Windom held him away. Buescher ended Lap 77 nearly side-by-side with Windom,
but all hope would go out the window when he fell back driving the outside
line.
Buescher then crashed on Lap 78, setting up a certain green-white-checkered
finishto decide the race. McReynolds led Windom, Will Kimmel, and Steve Blackburn (No.
94 Harley Davidson Pikeville/Pop’s Chevrolet) for the two-lap finish, starting
with Lap 82.
McReynolds held the lead at the white flag, but started to wobble as he finished
his final lap out of fuel. Charlson charged from behind in sixth to give
Gerhart,running fifth, a push to the finish, and the two drove past the struggling
McReynoldand the cars tied up in his wake. Brett Hudson (No. 09 Hudson Performance
DrivelinesDodge) initially finished third, but was sent to the tail end of the lead lap
forillegally passing Will Kimmel below the yellow line.
Frank Kimmel (No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota) and Nelson Canache Jr. (No. 35
VenezuelaTourism Toyota) were assessed the same penalty; Hudson, Canache, and Frank
Kimmelinished 21st, 22nd, and 23rd, respectively.
Blackburn finished fourth, just ahead of Mark Thompson (No. 66 Phoenix Air
Toyota).Max Gresham (No. 9 Made in USA Chevrolet) was sixth, leading Brennan Poole (No.
25 Adcetera/The Ad Man Chevrolet), Windom, Alex Kennedy (No. 08
SprakerRacing.comFord), and Tom Hessert (No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Toyota).
McReynolds ended 11th, one spot ahead of Reed, who he had led for many of his 64
laps at the front.
The five caution flags slowed the race for 25 laps. The event finished in one
hour33 minutes, and 51 seconds, at an average speed of 132.745 mph.