Mitch Calvert
Fort Frances native Steve Arpin will take aim at the half-mile, high-banked asphalt track of the Salem Speedway this weekend for the 85th running of the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200.
With a new Toyota car and engine program in tow, Arpin is heading back to the track where he and his team made test runs during a private session less than two weeks ago.
“The car was great,” Arpin enthused of the test run during an interview yesterday.
“My crew chief, Wayne Carrol, had the car set up perfect right out of the box, and we went out and turned some of the best times that any of the teams that have tested there have turned this year,” he noted.
Arpin and his team were scheduled to fly into Salem, Ind. this morning, then will hit the track tomorrow morning for practice, followed by pole qualifying in the afternoon.
The 25-year-old said he’s anxious to get back into racing for real after a two-month break since his last ARCA race in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway on Feb. 7.
“We had some downtime there and I tell you what, it’s been a long couple months,” Arpin admitted.
“I thought it would go by fast, but after we got a little bit of a taste of it at Daytona, it’s felt like six months.”
The race is set for Sunday at 1:15 p.m. (CDT) although Mother Nature may delay Arpin’s long-awaited second race on the ARCA circuit even longer.
“Yeah, hopefully Mother Nature will co-operate with us,” Arpin said.
“Went from 70 percent chance of thunderstorms to 60 percent chance of scattered thunderstorms [for Sunday],” he noted.
“The tires on the cars are so sensitive to the track surface that, for our safety sake, we have to make sure it’s completely dry.”
Arpin, entering the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 with car #612, said he’s fully prepared for the obstacles the Salem track presents.
“It’s a fast track and there is no time for mistakes,” he remarked.
“I think really watching what is going on in front on me, staying alert, and really paying attention to the handling of my car are the main factors that are going to help me get a good finish in this Sunday’s race.”
