A Good Day in Nashville

Tim had a good day, overall, Saturday during the Toyota 150 ARCA RE/MAX series race at Nashville Superspeedway. Tim moved up from a 37th starting position to finish the race 24th. The weekend got off to a rough start as his car caught fire during practice on Friday. "I had the hottest car on the track," quipped Tim when talking about his troubles on Friday. His qualifying speed Saturday morning was 33rd fastest, which meant he missed making the field on his time by one position. He took a provisional and started 37th.

Tim liked his car for the most part. The engine was one built originally by Penske Racing when Rusty Wallace was driving th #2. "The back end gave out toward the end" Tim said. Otherwise he managed to have a decent race on a hot summer day in Nashville (the pic was taken right after the race as Tim was cooling down).

- Don

36th Starting Position for Pennsylvania ARCA 200

Tim Mitchell will roll off the starting grid 36th in tomorrow's Pennsylvania ARCA 200. Tim took a provisional after having the 40th fastest qualifying time of 60.881 (147.829 mph). His qualifying time was about 2 seconds faster than his best practice time. "We have a decent car for the race," Tim said. "This car hasn't been raced in about a year and a half until we ran it at Kentucky two weeks ago."

Tim had some success at the Pocono 200 in June when he started 34th and finished the race in 21st position. Let's hope Tim can move even further toward the front in tomorrow's race!

- Don

ARCA Back in Action at Kentucky

Following a break after the race in Canada on June 29th, the ARCA RE/MAX series resumes today. The Kentucky ARCA RE/MAX 150 is scheduled for 8:00 PM tonight at Kentucky Speedway. This marks the second ARCA race at Kentucky Speedway this season. Tim Mitchell finished the May race in 26th position after starting in 36th.

Tonight's race marks the halfway point in the 2008 season. After 10 of 21 races, Tim is tied for 20th in the point standings with 1410 points. Having made 9 of 10 races (missing only Salem) has allowed the #06 car to earn points consistently. Tim is optimistic about his prospects for tonight's race. The team plans to run a new car for the race. We'll know later tonight how well it went!

- Don

Tim had a tough day during the last ARCA race, the Racing for Wildlife 200 at Michigan International Speedway. He took a provisional to start 37th and finished the race in 35th position. Here is Tim's wrap up on his day.

"The car was very loose going into the turns and tight coming out of the turns so we got behind at the very begining. We were not able to do anything until we came into the pits. Adjusted on wedge bolts and air pressure and the car was a lot better. Got hit and spun out coming out of turn four. Flat spotted all the tires so we had to come in and change them on under green so we lost laps in the pits. However, we would have only finished three or four positions higher had I not spun out because not many cars fell out of the race."

Competition Has Heated Up in ARCA

Tim's challenges to qualify toward the front of the field each race has turned into a challenge to make the field, period! According to Tim, one reason is because the competition in ARCA has gotten tougher. "As we look at our performances lately, we see improvement over how we have been running the past few years," said Tim. "The problem is that other teams our running better, too. And, there are some teams that are coming out of NASCAR shops, and that has raised the bar for all ARCA teams."

The more competitive teams have forced Wayne Peterson Motorsports to step up their efforts. Tim and the team are encouraged by their improved showing, but it will continue to be an uphill climb as the competition in ARCA is likely to continue to be strong, if not get even stronger.

- Don

Cover Story - The Phoenix Magazine

The June issue of The Phoenix magazine features a cover story on Tim Mitchell. The Phoenix is a publication dedicated to covering people and topics important to ostomy patients. As many of you know, Tim had a colonostomy in 2003 following a diagosis of colon cancer. More information about The Phoenix can be found at: http://www.uoaa.org/Phoenix.shtml

I have not seen a copy of the article yet, and Tim has not seen it, either. Needless to say, he is proud of being profiled in the magazine. He hopes his comeback story will motivate other people who are experiencing adversity.

Congratulations, Tim, on being recognized for the remarkable journey you've made the past four years.

- Don

37th Starting Position in Michigan

Tim made the field for tomorrow's Racing for Wildlife 200 at the Michigan International Speedway by taking a provisional. He will go off in 37th position. The #06 was 38th fastest in qualifying earlier today.

In the past few races, Tim has had good luck to start near the back and move up in the field. Fortunately, he has been able to avoid crashes and major mechanical problems and run until the finish.

Good luck Tim!

- Don