Nelles Corners, ON – Eddie Sharp Racing’s Ken Butler, III and the Aaron’s Lucky Dog team travelled to Ontario, Canada for the Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 at Cayuga Motor Speedway. Butler, III qualified in the 11th position with a 20.770 second lap. KBIII charged into the Top 5 and was running fourth when contact on lap 176 sent the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota into the outside wall, ending Butler’s day prematurely and in the 21st position.
“It’s so frustrating because we easily had a Top 5 car today, ” said Butler. “We really needed a good finish here to gain some momentum, especially in the points. The Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota was in great shape today. This was the first weekend with my Crew Chief, Jonathan Davis. I really like working with him and think we are going to have a great chemistry for the rest of the year. I really appreciate all the work the guys put in. Despite the early exit, we had a solid weekend here.”
ARCA RE/MAX Series teams returned under threatening skies and with fingers crossed that the 250-lap event would be uninterrupted by showers. As crew members set up their pit stalls, rain came pouring down without warning. Teams scrambled for cover and waited for the downpour to stop, returning to work as soon as it ended. The track dried quickly, but the showers during the driver autograph session sent fans and drivers scrambling for cover. This slightly delayed the start of the Cayuga ARCA 250.
Immediately following the green flag, Butler jumped into the Top 10. The No. 22 came to pit road during the first caution at lap 36. Butler quickly ran the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota back into the Top 10 following the restart, remaining there until the next pit stop on lap 123.
The Aaron’s Lucky Dog crew quickly made adjustments to the Camry, putting on four fresh Hoosier tires and fuel. The team also tugged on the right front fender that had been banged in during some short-track rubbing. KBIII restarted the race and was back into the Top 10 by lap 130.
At lap 130, Davis radioed his driver that “it’s all in your hands now. We gave you the best we could. You’ll have 119 laps to go this next time by. You can do this! ”
Butler keyed the mic and replied “Thanks guys! I appreciate it! ”
By lap 150, Butler moved the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota into the fifth position.
Running in the fourth position on lap 176, Butler and the No. 44 driven by Frank Kimmel made contact, sending the No. 22 into the outside wall. As Butler worked to catch his breath and restart the car, Davis instructed the team to grab hammers, dollies, bearbond, and anything else that they needed to work on the car.
It didn’t take long to determine that the day was over for Butler and the No. 22 Aaron’s Lucky Dog Toyota. Completing 175 laps, KBIII finished the Cayuga ARCA RE/MAX 250 in the 21st position.
“Well, there isn’t really much to say, ” said the disappointed Butler. “We will just turn our attention to Kentucky in a couple of weeks. I’m looking forward to building on the chemistry with the new group of guys. Jonathan is very talented and a great leader. He’s a nut and I think we’re going to have a lot of fun in the process! It’s time to put the first half of the season behind us and focus on the second half.”
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