LONG POND, PA -- Herd Racing's first attempt at the ARCA Re/Max Series produced a solid 26th place finish in the Pocono 200 June 6.
Driver Chad Beahr started the 80-lap, 200-mile event on the 2.5-mile superspeedway in the 37th position as qualifying was rained out on June 5 and teams were lined up based on owner points.
With just five laps of practice on a car which was making its first trip to the race track, Beahr was able to consistently improve his lap times as the race wore on and he became more comfortable with the track and the car.
"We know what we have now and know that we can be competitive the next time we go out,"Beahr said after the race. "We were real blessed all weekend that everything went very well and we didn't have any major problems."
The Herd entry bore the #89 and carried a Racing With Jesus paint scheme similar to Morgan Shepherd's #89 entry in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. Both Herd Racing and Shepherd's Faith Motorsports program share common ownership.
Herd owner Dana Tomes said he was very pleased with the team's efforts and was confident the team made a good impression during its first run in the ARCA Series.
"We looked very professional and our crew was awesome," Tomes said. "We had a 13-person crew of volunteers who were all dedicated to their jobs and it showed in every aspect."
Car Chief Brad Ellis said although the car ran a hot due to losing a radiator fan during the race, the team accomplished its goals of making the race, running a clean race and finishing the contest without any major damage.
"We brought Chad down twice under green flag conditions, once for fuel and then again when he was overheating," Ellis said. "We took some tape off, took fuel and changed four tires on the second stop. Both times we lost a lap but we accomplished our goals."
The over-the-wall crew included Car Chief Brad Ellis as jackman; Jim Ice as front tire changer; Will Clark as front tire carrier, Derek Kiser as rear tire changer; Greg Smith as rear tire carrier; Sterling Ayers as gasman and Randy Spencer as catch can man. Team owner Dana Tomes served as crew chief and Joe Gilley served as spotter.
In addition, the team would like to thank photographer Rick Adkins; hospitality coordinator Pat Haney; hauler manager Krystal Stone; and shop crew members Roger LeGrand, Brian Brumfield and Pete Stone for preparing the car and hauler back at the shop.
