Rain couldn't stop 12 years of waiting as the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards returned to Texas Motor Speedway for a test session in preparation for the Rattlesnake 150 on Friday, April 16, that is part of the Samsung Mobile 500 NASCAR doubleheader weekend.

While the morning session was washed out due to heavy rains throughout Monday, the 1.5-mile superspeedway was dry by 1 p.m. CT today and ready for practice for the 21 drivers on hand. Tuesday's test marked the first time the ARCA Racing Series had raced at Texas Motor Speedway since the inaugural Z-MAX 250 on Sept. 18, 1998.

West Lake, Louisiana's Mikey Kile (left), in a Venturini Motorsports Toyota, led the charts circling the 1.5-mile speedway in 29.033 seconds, an average speed of 185.995 mph.

Brandon McReynolds, in an ESR Toyota, was second quickest overall at 185.752 mph. McReynolds is the son of former crew chief and current FOX race analyst Larry McReynolds. McReynolds hopes to make his first career ARCA Racing Series start in the Rattlesnake 150.

"It definitely helps chatting with Dad and other guys that have been around here a lot," said Brandon, whose father served as a successful crew chief for the likes of Dale Earnhardt and Davey Allison, among others. "It definitely helped being around the race tracks. I'm comfortable because I've been here before. I've seen the facility. Obviously, with Dad over here, it is amazing the things he can tell you even though he didn't drive the race car; he really knows what he's doing."

Steve Arpin, suffering from flu-like symptoms, took just 20 laps around the track but managed the third fastest speed (184.647 mph).

ASALMS PR – November 4, 2009
Champions and royalty go together, at least they do at the last event of the season for the ASA Late Model Series Teams. On Saturday, November 7th at Memphis Motor Sports Park we will put on a Finale Spectacular with the top short track drivers in the country. This will be a historic event being held in Memphis, the last race ever to be put on at Memphis Motorsports before it closes its doors for good. Gates will open at 10am, racing starts at 12pm, autograph session at 1pm and at 2:30pm the O’Reilly’s Auto Parts ‘King’s Ransom 300’ Presented by Suncoast Plastering.

Steve Carlson from Sparta, Wisconsin will do all he can to hold on to the title he earned last season as ‘2008 King of Short Track’. This Midwest legend is just one of the many talented teams going for the title of king. The O’Reilly’s Auto Parts ‘King’s Ransom 300’ Presented by Suncoast Plastering will have Champions door to door in one of the most highlighted events of the season.

by Phil Burgess, National DRAGSTER Editor
Tony Schumacher, Robert Hight, Greg Anderson, and Hector Arana scored huge playoffs victories at the 24th annual O'Reilly Super Start Batteries NHRA Fall Nationals presented by Castrol Syntec at Texas Motorplex, wins with huge points implications for all.

Schumacher and Hight used their wins at Texas Motorplex in Top Fuel and Funny Car, respectively, to springboard into the Full Throttle Drag Racing Series points lead as the Countdown to 1 playoffs hit the one-third mark with race two of six. Arana's win in Pro Stock Motorcycle kept him ahead of the two-wheeled pack, while former world champ Anderson moved from sixth up to third with his victory in Pro Stock.

The Top Fuel final was a continuation of the ongoing power struggle between the decade's only two world champs and a rematch of their Mac Tools U.S. Nationals final. The result turned out the same, with Schumacher leading Larry Dixon across the stripe, which was most unexpected here as no Top Fuel driver before Schumacher had won in the right lane all day. Schumacher got the win, the 60th of his career, 3.944, 312.86 to 4.23, 225.18.

ENNIS, Texas – Every time Tony Schumacher enters the gates of the famed Texas Motorplex a bit of a nostalgic feeling must sweep over his body.
All of the great drivers vividly remember their first time.

For Schumacher, his first career NHRA victory came at the sport’s first super track, during a wild and wacky 1999 season. After four runner-up finishes in ’99, and four straight runner-up finishes spread out over the three previous seasons, Schumacher must’ve been wondering if he was ever going to break through and finally get the job done.

But that lone victory in ’99, a gritty win over two-time Top Fuel world champ Scott Kalitta, provided all the momentum that the second-generation racer needed to go on and close the doors on his first series championship crown.

He had one race victory and one world championship trophy. Life was good.

At the time, he probably didn’t realize that his ’99 season was actually the launching pad for what has turned out to be a very special drag racing career. Since then, his trophy collection has grown. A lot.

By Tim Tuttle
Special for the Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service
FORT WORTH, Texas -- Todd Bodine won his fifth NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race Friday at Texas Motor Speedway, finishing 1.321 seconds in front of runner-up Matt Crafton in the WinStar World Casino 400.

Bodine became the first driver in the history of the series to have five victories at one track. They've all been accomplished in a Toyota for Germain Racing. It was Bodine's 17th career victory in trucks, also all with Germain.

"It's incredible to win five races at one track," Bodine said. "It's hard to win anywhere."

Bodine took the lead on the 125th of 167 laps on the 1.5-mile superspeedway and was never threatened. He had a 2.5-second lead over Crafton's ThorSport Racing Chevrolet with 25 laps to go and 2.1 with five remaining. Making sure he had enough fuel to reach the checkered flag, Bodine backed off the throttle on the final lap.

Bodine had been running third behind Ron Hornaday Jr.'s Kevin Harvick Inc. Chevrolet and Crafton when a sequence of green-flag pit stops began on lap 98.