Thanks to the many people who have called me since the Daytona race. I have gotten calls from people in Kansas, Indiana, New Jersey, Florida, and Tennessee. I appreciate the encouragement everybody has given me.
After the race, I spent a few days on a cruise. Some people who found out I was going on a cruise asked if I was celebrating making the Daytona race. Actually, I booked the cruise a few months ago thinking it would be a way to forget about the disappointment of not making the race. As it turned out I got to celebrate instead.
Thanks again to everyone for your support.
- Tim
Monday, February 18, 2008
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Passing of Sarah Peterson
Sarah Peterson, wife of Tim's car owner Wayne Peterson, passed away Saturday shortly following the Daytona ARCA 200. Below is the text of a release posted on the ARCA web site. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Peterson family.
Condolences to the Family of Sarah Peterson
ALBERTVILLE AL (2-12-08)—Sarah Peterson, 67, of Pulaski, Tennessee, wife of long-time ARCA RE/MAX Series car owner Wayne Peterson, died Saturday, February 9th, 2008.
Peterson’s husband, Wayne, has been a car owner and driver in the ARCA RE/MAX Series since 1983, most recently finishing 23rd in final car owner's points in 2007. He fielded the No. 06 Star Wheels Skate Center Chevrolet for veteran driver Tim Mitchell during Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Sarah Peterson is survived by her husband Wayne Peterson; sons Michael, Brian and Kevin Peterson; five grandchildren; and brothers Bob, Bill, Roger and Danny Greene.
Visitation is at Albertville Memorial Funeral Home in Albertville, Alabama from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008. Services are at the Albertville Memorial Funeral Home Chapel at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Albertville Memorial Funeral Home is located at 5011 Hwy 431 S., Albertville, AL 35950 (256) 878-2424.
Condolences to the Family of Sarah Peterson
ALBERTVILLE AL (2-12-08)—Sarah Peterson, 67, of Pulaski, Tennessee, wife of long-time ARCA RE/MAX Series car owner Wayne Peterson, died Saturday, February 9th, 2008.
Peterson’s husband, Wayne, has been a car owner and driver in the ARCA RE/MAX Series since 1983, most recently finishing 23rd in final car owner's points in 2007. He fielded the No. 06 Star Wheels Skate Center Chevrolet for veteran driver Tim Mitchell during Saturday’s ARCA 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
Sarah Peterson is survived by her husband Wayne Peterson; sons Michael, Brian and Kevin Peterson; five grandchildren; and brothers Bob, Bill, Roger and Danny Greene.
Visitation is at Albertville Memorial Funeral Home in Albertville, Alabama from 5-8 p.m. on Wednesday, February 13th, 2008. Services are at the Albertville Memorial Funeral Home Chapel at 1 p.m. on Thursday. Albertville Memorial Funeral Home is located at 5011 Hwy 431 S., Albertville, AL 35950 (256) 878-2424.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Post-Race Press Release on Daytona ARCA 200
Here is a press release distributed on Tim's behalf following the Daytona ARCA 200:
TIM MITCHELL STEADY IN FIRST ARCA DAYTONA RACE
Patience pays off with finish in 21st position
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (2-09-08) – When Tim Mitchell arrived at Daytona International Speedway earlier this week, he was excited yet realistic about his chances in the first ARCA RE/MAX series event of the 2008 season. Tim enjoys coming to Daytona, “It’s every driver’s ultimate dream to race at Daytona,” he said. But, that dream had never been fulfilled for Mitchell as he had never made the starting field. This year was different as he was able to use a provisional to start in 42nd position.
With almost the entire field in front of him, Mitchell knew that patience would be needed if he had any hope of moving toward the front. His strategy paid off as incidents that knocked out several cars in the first half of the race enabled Mitchell to move the #06 into the top 20. Spark plug problems ended his day after 69 laps and resulted in a 21st place finish. “We just couldn’t finish. We would have finished around 16th if we did not have the spark plug problem,” Mitchell said about his result.
Despite a disappointing end to what was shaping up to be a very good day, Mitchell knows his solid finish was important. In addition to giving his team positive momentum to start the season, being in the race and finishing in the position that he did allows the #06 team to accumulate valuable points. “Driver points are always important, but they become more important after the first five races,” according to Mitchell. It is at that point of the season that provisional spots are awarded based on this season’s point standings, not 2007’s standings.
In past years, missing the Daytona race had put added pressure on Mitchell’s team to perform in the races that followed. This season, the team has points in hand as it looks ahead to the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 by Federated Auto Parts on April 13th.
About Tim Mitchell
Tim Mitchell resides in Fayetteville, Tennessee, where he owns and operates Star Wheels Skating Center. Tim is a veteran of the U.S. Army and a 1973 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. Tim is single and has two children. Mitchell drives the #06 car for Wayne Peterson Motorsports in the ARCA RE/MAX series. He has made 114 starts in the ARCA RE/MAX series since 1997.
TIM MITCHELL STEADY IN FIRST ARCA DAYTONA RACE
Patience pays off with finish in 21st position
DAYTONA BEACH, FL (2-09-08) – When Tim Mitchell arrived at Daytona International Speedway earlier this week, he was excited yet realistic about his chances in the first ARCA RE/MAX series event of the 2008 season. Tim enjoys coming to Daytona, “It’s every driver’s ultimate dream to race at Daytona,” he said. But, that dream had never been fulfilled for Mitchell as he had never made the starting field. This year was different as he was able to use a provisional to start in 42nd position.
With almost the entire field in front of him, Mitchell knew that patience would be needed if he had any hope of moving toward the front. His strategy paid off as incidents that knocked out several cars in the first half of the race enabled Mitchell to move the #06 into the top 20. Spark plug problems ended his day after 69 laps and resulted in a 21st place finish. “We just couldn’t finish. We would have finished around 16th if we did not have the spark plug problem,” Mitchell said about his result.
Despite a disappointing end to what was shaping up to be a very good day, Mitchell knows his solid finish was important. In addition to giving his team positive momentum to start the season, being in the race and finishing in the position that he did allows the #06 team to accumulate valuable points. “Driver points are always important, but they become more important after the first five races,” according to Mitchell. It is at that point of the season that provisional spots are awarded based on this season’s point standings, not 2007’s standings.
In past years, missing the Daytona race had put added pressure on Mitchell’s team to perform in the races that followed. This season, the team has points in hand as it looks ahead to the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers 200 by Federated Auto Parts on April 13th.
About Tim Mitchell
Tim Mitchell resides in Fayetteville, Tennessee, where he owns and operates Star Wheels Skating Center. Tim is a veteran of the U.S. Army and a 1973 graduate of Middle Tennessee State University. Tim is single and has two children. Mitchell drives the #06 car for Wayne Peterson Motorsports in the ARCA RE/MAX series. He has made 114 starts in the ARCA RE/MAX series since 1997.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Daytona ARCA 200: Tim Takes 21st
Tim finished 21st in today's ARCA Daytona 200, won by Michael Annett (see results). His strategy to be patient in the early stages of the race paid off as several incidents in the first half of the race took out many drivers in front of him. Tim ran as high as 12th and just missed his goal of a top 20 finish. Not a bad day for someone who arrived at Daytona as a long shot to even make the field. Way to go, Tim!
Great Article from Detroit Free Press
Mike Brudenell wrote a nice article about Tim that appeared on the Detroit Free Press web site today. To read the article, click here.
The article gives a glimpse into Tim's remarkable story. There has to be a potential sponsor out there that will read about Tim and realize his inspirational journey would be a good match with its company's values!
The article gives a glimpse into Tim's remarkable story. There has to be a potential sponsor out there that will read about Tim and realize his inspirational journey would be a good match with its company's values!
Friday, February 8, 2008
Tim Is In!
There's a first time for everything, they say. That is the case for Tim as he has made the field for the ARCA 200 at Daytona tomorrow! He was among the slowest cars in practice and qualifying, but he received the final provisional starting spot. Actually, Tim will be 42nd on the grid (Frank Kimmel will be 43rd).
I asked Tim for his thoughts about being in the Daytona ARCA race. "It is a dream come true," he said. "Many times we have been one or two cars away from getting a provisional, and this year we got the last one. Now they can put on my tombstone that I raced at Daytona!" Tim acknowledges that he doesn't have the horsepower of cars at the front of the field. His strategy is to work with comparable cars in the back of the field and draft together. Between the drafting help and looking to stay away from any big wrecks, Tim hopes he can finish in the top 20.
Now that Tim has made the field, I was curious what he'd be doing between now and race time tomorrow. He plans to take it easy this evening in his motor home. Tomorrow, he intends to spend some time alone before the race to collect his thoughts.
Good luck Tim. We're pulling for you!
I asked Tim for his thoughts about being in the Daytona ARCA race. "It is a dream come true," he said. "Many times we have been one or two cars away from getting a provisional, and this year we got the last one. Now they can put on my tombstone that I raced at Daytona!" Tim acknowledges that he doesn't have the horsepower of cars at the front of the field. His strategy is to work with comparable cars in the back of the field and draft together. Between the drafting help and looking to stay away from any big wrecks, Tim hopes he can finish in the top 20.
Now that Tim has made the field, I was curious what he'd be doing between now and race time tomorrow. He plans to take it easy this evening in his motor home. Tomorrow, he intends to spend some time alone before the race to collect his thoughts.
Good luck Tim. We're pulling for you!
Monday, February 4, 2008
My Daytona Week
It's about 3:30 pm here in Daytona, and I have arrived for the race. I left home at 7:00 am Sunday morning. After a stop to attend church in Gadsden, AL, I traveled south before stopping for the evening. Now I'm at Daytona ready to begin a busy week leading up to Saturday's race.
Here are some of the highlights of this week's activities:
Tuesday:
- Registration begins and garage opens
- Prep car for inspections
- Attend meetings
Wednesday:
- Attend Crew Chief Qualifying Procedure meeting
- Attend Team Owner business meeting
Thursday:
- Practice 12-5
Friday:
- Prep car for qualifying line at 9:00 am
- Qualifying begins at 12:00 pm
It is a time of mixed feelings for me. On one hand, I'm excited about the race and love being at the track. On the other hand, there is a 99% chance I won't make the field for the race. I hate to sound pessimistic, but I have to be realistic. There are more than 75 entries for the race, and a lot of them are part of well funded racing teams.
It is a long shot that we'll make this week's race, but attempting to qualify for all races helps me accumulate points under ARCA's Golden Plan point system. And, if qualifying were to be rained out, we will make the race based on '07 points. While I'd rather drive my way into the ARCA 200, I would accept the good fortune of making the field by a rain out, too!
- Tim
Here are some of the highlights of this week's activities:
Tuesday:
- Registration begins and garage opens
- Prep car for inspections
- Attend meetings
Wednesday:
- Attend Crew Chief Qualifying Procedure meeting
- Attend Team Owner business meeting
Thursday:
- Practice 12-5
Friday:
- Prep car for qualifying line at 9:00 am
- Qualifying begins at 12:00 pm
It is a time of mixed feelings for me. On one hand, I'm excited about the race and love being at the track. On the other hand, there is a 99% chance I won't make the field for the race. I hate to sound pessimistic, but I have to be realistic. There are more than 75 entries for the race, and a lot of them are part of well funded racing teams.
It is a long shot that we'll make this week's race, but attempting to qualify for all races helps me accumulate points under ARCA's Golden Plan point system. And, if qualifying were to be rained out, we will make the race based on '07 points. While I'd rather drive my way into the ARCA 200, I would accept the good fortune of making the field by a rain out, too!
- Tim
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