Venturini Dominates ARCA Testing at Daytona Int'l Speedway

Posted on 12/18/2011

DAYTONA BEACH (12/18/11) -- For his first time at Daytona International Speedway, stock-car rookie Nelson Canache looked at home on the tri-oval.

The Venturini Motorsports import from Venezuela turned the seventh-fastest lap Saturday during the second day of testing for February's ARCA Series Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200.

Venturini dominated the day, posting the four fastest speeds with Alex Bowman (188.336 mph), John Stancill (188.241), Brennan Poole (188.237) and Ryan Reed (188.237).

Only Jared Marks of Tony Marks Racing (188.159) and Milka Duno of Sheltra Motorsports (186.854) kept Venturini from sweeping the top five spots in the afternoon drafting session.

Canache, 33, finished right behind fellow Venezuelan Duno, who is a big reason why he came to America to race stock cars.

"I started looking at the series because Milka Duno came over here, then I got this connection with Venturini and now we're testing," Canache said. "We decided to start with this series because it's a really nice series, and I'm trying to keep going all the way to the top."

Friday, the first day of testing, was the first time Canache had even driven a stock car.

"This is my first time at Daytona with the speed and the drafting," he said. "They couldn't get my car ready in time, so this is a backup car just for me to get the feeling of the track."

Duno had the fastest time in the single-car morning session at 186.016 mph.

Owner Bill Venturini, a two-time ARCA champion himself (1987, '91), was all smiles not just with Canache, but his whole crew.

"We put a lot of effort into our speedway program," Venturini said. "I'm really excited. We have five real good drivers, and I've got four rookies who have never been to Daytona before (Poole, Bowman, Reed and Canache).

"And Nelson, he's never been in an ARCA car until (Friday). And Ryan Reed's never been in an ARCA car."

Reed had the fastest lap in Friday's testing at 184.221.

Former South Daytona resident Alli Owens, who just became a mother, had the 21st-fastest lap at 183.850. She said she was happy with how her car tested.

"We came out here to just kind of get re-acclimated with the idea of being back in the car, as far as just giving birth, to see if I still had it in me," she said. "Everything has gone really good."

Other notable finishes among the 63 drivers who made laps Saturday were: seven-time and defending ARCA 200 winner Bobby Gerhart (22nd); 2011 ARCA 200 runner-up and series Rookie of the Year Chris Buescher (30th); and nine-time series champion Frank Kimmel (33rd), who was making his first ARCA laps for ThorSport Racing.

- By ROB ULLERY, Staff writer

The Daytona Beach News-Journal