MOBILE, AL :: The kick-off for the second annual ARCA Mobile 200 is well underway. A full week ahead of the actual race event, the track is conducting an open test session this Saturday from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m., and there are several takers.
At least a dozen drivers are expected at the open test Saturday, including local favorite Grant Enfinger (Team BCR), who hopes to score his career-first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory at Mobile, a track the Fairhope, Alabama driver cut his teeth on.
Enfinger led 48 laps in last year’s event before fading on the closing laps to 13th in the final running order.
“We guessed wrong on the tire strategy there last year; we picked two, and everyone else got four. We struggled from then on,” Enfinger said.
Enfinger has been so close to his career-first ARCA victory with second place finishes at Kentucky, Chicagoland, and just last year at Iowa. Enfinger has also finished third at Kansas three times, third at Toledo, Pocono, Berlin, Texas, Iowa, Chicagoland and Talladega. He’s been knocking on the door for some several years now.
“We’re definitely ready to drive it to Victory Lane. I consider Mobile my home track, so if there’s a home field advantage, I feel like we’ll have it. There are so many tracks in ARCA that I, either haven’t been to much, or not at all. Sometimes I leave the track just getting the hang of it. But Mobile is where I started running late models. I know the ins and outs of the track, so I feel I have that advantage going.”
Considering that most of ARCA’s tracks are farther north, it should be quite a homecoming for Enfinger, who finally gets to race in front of family and friends.
“It’s one of the few places where I’ll have family and friends out to watch, and root me on. It would definitely make the win sweeter.”
Enfinger will have the aid of veteran driver and crew chief Kelly Kovski at Mobile. The two have a successful history together on the tour. Enfinger, with Kovski as crew chief, drove for Allgaier Motorsports full time in 2011 and finished a career-best fourth in national championship points.
Other teams and drivers scheduled to test at Mobile this Saturday include Cunningham Motorsports (drivers Tom Hessert and rookie Anderson Bowen), and Venturini Motorsports (Milka Duno, and rookies Taylor Ferns, Justin Boston and Kyle Benjamin). Benjamin has been in the news a lot lately, having won four consecutive late model events at New Smyrna Speedway (Fla.) during Speedweeks 2013. Benjamin is just 15 years old, and could become the youngest winner in series history with a win at Mobile.
Also on the list for testers this Saturday are Win Tron Racing (driver Mason Mingus), Hixson Motorsports (driver Thomas Praytor), and defending champions Roulo Brother Racing (rookie Mason Mitchell).
