Talladega: Friday drivers practice quotes, notes

Under warm and cloudy conditions, over 55 ARCA RE/MAX Series (ARS) teams participated in the first practice session of the week for Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250. The teams utilized the two and half hour session to make adjustments and tweak their machines in preparation for this afternoon's ARCA SIM Factory Pole qualifying slated to begin at 3:30pm CTS.

Here is what some of the drivers are saying.

DEXTER BEAN, NO. 6 CYCLE COUNTRY-FIVE STAR TELECOM CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS

- Bean is competing with the same Chevrolet Monte Carlo he raced in the season opener ARCA 200 at Daytona this past February.

- Bean is reaching for his third straight top-10 finish at Talladega Superspeedway Friday afternoon. In 2005 and 2006, Bean started 21st before drafting to two 10th place finishes.

- In 21 races this year, Bean has three top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes.

"I am pretty confident in our car despite our lap times. We decided to go out on our own and then we'll tackle the heavy draft in happy hour tomorrow. It really doesn't matter where you start this race, but it's important to get all the kinks worked out so you know where you stand for the rest of the week. The practice times don't mean a whole bunch, some drafted, some didn't. We've been solid during qualifying in the past and I'm expecting us to hopefully produce the same later today."

DOMINICK CASOLA, NO. 1 A. CASOLA FARMS FORD FUSION

- Casola will make his restrictor plate debut in Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250. Casola is piloting the same Ford Fusion he tested at Talladega Superspeedway last Monday and Tuesday with Andy Belmont Racing.

- Casola is sporting a new look this week at Talladega Superspeedway. Instead of Casola's normal white Ford Fusion, his No. 1 will sport a black paint scheme with Halloween figurines promoting his sponsors ongoing Holiday festivities.

- In 20 races this year, Casola has one top-five and two top-10 finishes.

"That's a good time for our car. We didn't draft at all during practice. The time is about what we ran in testing here last week. I tell you, I am really excited about this weekend. Andy Belmont and the guys have done a great job and our chances for a good finish on Friday are looking very good."

GABI DICARLO, NO. 90 GREAT CLIPS CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS

- DiCarlo will make her restrictor plate debut in Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250. DiCarlo is piloting the same Chevrolet Monte Carlo that ARCA colleague Phillip McGilton competed with in the season opener at Daytona. He finished ninth.

- DiCarlo is the only full time female competitor in the ARCA RE/MAX Series in 2007.

- DiCarlo will return with sponsor Great Clips, Stringer Motorsports and new crew chief Barry Dodson next year for a another full slate in the ARCA RE/MAX Series.

"We know that our car is going to run very competitively in the draft. A lot of the guys out there were drafting during practice while we were focusing on our qualifying setup. Starting as close to the front as possible is crucial here and we're going to try out best."

KERRY EARNHARDT, NO. 37 GLOCK CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS

- Earnhardt, a four-time ARCA RE/MAX Series winner is returning to the sanction after a six year absence.

- Earnhardt will pilot a car recently purchased from Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) and the power will also come from a motor built by DEI.

- Earnhardt hopes to make his 12th career ARCA RE/MAX Series start Friday afternoon and the first at Talladega Superspeedway.

"We're struggling a little bit, but we are going to make some massive adjustments before qualifying and it should pay off. This is a good team and we have a great car, we just need to find a little more speed and we'll have a good run tomorrow."

JOHN GRAHAM, NO. 62 KICK BUTT AMPED ENERGY BALLZ FORD FUSION

- Graham an experienced road racer hopes to make his restrictor plate debut in Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250 in a second entry for Andy Belmont Racing (ABR).

- Graham is piloting a Ford Fusion formally driven by former ARCA female sensation Christi Passmore of Christi Passmore Motorsports.

- Graham is a native of Aurora, Ontario (Canada).

"We are giving it our all. We'll make some adjustments before qualifying and see what we can drum up. You really can't go off of practice because there were a lot of teams out there drafting. The guys on the Andy Belmont Racing team have given 150 percent so far this week and that's all I can ask for."

MIKE HARMON, NO. 38 LITTLE TALLADEGA-SUPERSOURCE CAR CARE PRODUCTS-JUST1SHIRTS.COM CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS

- Harmon is competing with the same Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS he raced in the season opener ARCA 200 at Daytona this past February.

- Harmon who will make his 93rd career ARCA RE/MAX Series start on Friday afternoon is looking to better his 13th place finish in last year's Food World 250 at Talladega Superspeedway.

- In 21 races this year, Harmon has one top-10 finish at Pocono Raceway (August).

"The car will draft good. We're not that fast out there by ourselves, but we're going to be good in the race. Talladega is a track where you can come from the back to the front if you have everything together and believe me when that green flag drops, we are going to go to the front."

BRIAN SCOTT, NO. 32 RED LINE OIL DODGE CHARGER

- Scott will make his second career ARCA RE/MAX Series start on Friday afternoon for Country Joe Racing. It will also be Scott's inaugural restrictor plate debut.

- Scott is utilizing Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250 to gain approval from NASCAR to compete in the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series opener at Daytona International Speedway where he will run the full schedule for Xpress Motorsports.

- Scott made his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut earlier this year at Kentucky Speedway (July) finishing a stout 13th after starting 19th.

"We're good. The car will go by itself and it will go in the draft. I'm really proud of all the boys on the Country Joe Racing team. We found some speed from the test last week and I know we'll only continue to get better as the week progresses."

PATRICK SHELTRA, NO. 60 CP CONCRETE PRODUCTS, US CONSTRUCTION, FLORAGANICS-BRADY RANCH CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS

- Sheltra will make his restrictor plate debut in Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250 for his family owned Sheltra Motorsports team. The organization will announce their 2008 ARCA RE/MAX Series plans at the Championship Awards Banquet at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Kentucky on December 8.

- In addition to running the ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, Sheltra will also compete in a dirt event at "little" Talladega located across the street from Talladega Superspeedway.

- In 21 starts this year, Sheltra has two top-fives and four top-10 finishes.

"That's a good time. We didn't do any drafting, so I'm really happy with that time. We found some more from the test so that's a real testament to my guys on the Sheltra Motorsports team. I will make my first career ARCA RE/MAX Series start at a restrictor plate on Friday afternoon and I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to it."

BRYAN SILAS, NO. 11 NORTRAX, SHELL ROTELLA T, HOLLAND PUMP, PALM BEACH GRADING (PBG) FORD FUSION

- Silas will make his third career restrictor plate start in Friday's ARCA RE/MAX 250. In last year's Food World 250, Silas qualified a strong 16th and hovered in the lead draft before being swept into an accident relegating him to a disappointing 36th place finish.

- In addition to running the ARCA RE/MAX Series event at Talladega Superspeedway, Silas will also run the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series (NCTS) Mountain Dew 250 on Saturday behind the wheel of the No. 71 Chevrolet Silverado.

- In 22 starts this year, Sheltra has three top-10 finishes.

"I'll tell you one thing our car is very good in the draft. I'm not sure what kind of lap what we'll post in qualifying, but we'll be mid-pack. We were struggling last week after the test and the guys went back and literally spent 18 hour days in the shop getting this car ready and it's paying off. I'm looking forward to recovering from our finish last year and garnishing our fourth top-10 finish of the season."

BILLY TANNER, NO. 07 CHEAPCARIBBEAN.COM CHEVROLET MONTE CARLO SS

- Tanner hopes to make his second career restrictor plate start and first at Talladega Superspeedway on Friday afternoon in the ARCA RE/MAX 250. Tanner competed in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February in a car fielded by Bob Schacht Motorsports.

- Tanner drives for veteran crew chief and car owner Corrie Stott. The team's primary No. 07 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS is a former PPI Motorsports (NASCAR Nextel Cup Series) automobile.

- Tanner is expected to make his 13th career ARCA RE/MAX Series start on Friday afternoon.

"We'll be fine. We're messing with qualifying setup because we have to qualify for this race on time. My car owner and crew chief Corrie Stott has spent a heck of a lot of time preparing this car and I think we'll be just fine the rest of the week. Talladega is pretty intimidating but I am having a blast. I'm looking forward to the race tomorrow and giving everyone on the Stott Classic Racing team a good run."

-credit: Chris Knight