Team ESR has ride ready and waiting for next young talent
Eddie Sharp Racing has proven it is the place to be for young drivers
looking for a jumpstart to their stock car careers. Team ESR currently
houses four teams, but one may soon be sidelined if the next young talent
doesn't step forward and embrace the opportunity to climb behind the
wheel of one of the most competitive rides within the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
To date, ESR's four teams sit within the top 10 of the point standings.
Justin Lofton, who drives the No. 6 Toyota for Eddie Sharp, has garnered
two race wins so far this season, spanning the superspeedway in
Talladega, Alabama and the Berlin short track in Michigan, showcasing the
team's diversity on the tour's various tracks.
Lofton has guided the No.6 car to the top spot in the owner point
standings, and second in the driver standings. His teammate Craig Goess,
driver of the No. 81 Toyota for ESR, has made his transition from the
Camping World East Series look easy, settling into the fifth spot in the
points. The two remaining ESR-backed entries, the No. 20 and the No. 2,
are also within the top 10 of the points, sitting seventh and 10th
respectively.
The 20 however, is missing one thing, a driver. Following the Berlin race
last weekend, Steve Arpin, who had piloted the No. 20 to four consecutive
top-10s in recent weeks, vacated the ride, leaving it open for the next
up and comer.
"I wish Steve the best of luck. We put together a very strong team and
the results have shown that. All of our cars are within the top 10 in the
points, that says a lot," car owner Eddie Sharp said. "We'll wait and see
what comes along. With the economy the way it is, I am lucky to have the
three teams out there but I would hate to see the 20 sidelined."
As the hunt for a replacement driver in the No. 20 continues, Kevin
Belmont will climb behind the wheel in Pocono this weekend in order to
keep the car in contention in the point standings for the next hungry
racer. Whoever it is has big shoes to fill, as ESR has quickly become the
best at producing new talent. Over the last few seasons, ESR has ushered
along the careers of Michael McDowell and Scott Speed. McDowell nabbed
four race wins in 2007 driving for Sharp while Speed tallied four wins in
2008.
-credit: esr
