In Commanding Fashion, Sargeant Defends Cunningham Win at Iowa Speedway

With the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season reaching the halfway point, Cunningham Motorsports drivers Shane Lee and Dalton Sargeant have experienced a dramatic first 10 races, ranging from visits to victory lane, General Tire Pole Awards and career-best finishes. Now looking ahead to Lucas Oil Raceway, a track where Cunningham claimed a win last year, Lee and Sargeant go into the Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 keeping in mind what they’ve already accomplished but not forgetting what they still hope to achieve during the second half of the 2017 season.

In the first 10 races of the year, Lee started off strong earning a career best finish with third-place in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. The 24-year-old has since collected four top-five finishes as well as one General Tire Pole Award, but hopes that Lucas Oil (LOR) can bring him his first win of his ARCA career.

“We’ve had some bumps along the way, but we’ve also had some really strong runs,” said Lee. “Those strong runs show the potential that this 22 team has and I have some pretty high hopes for the rest of the year. I think over the past 10 races I’ve grown a lot as a driver…I’ve become more comfortable going into places that I’ve never been to and Paul (Andrews) and I have worked really well together. Even though we’ve had a few races that haven’t gone our way, we’ll put those behind us and move on to Lucas Oil and hopefully we’ll be able to get this No. 22 Big Tine Ford Fusion a win and start the last half the season off right.”

Teammate Sargeant has also received accolades for his performance during the first 10 races, coming away with two wins, five top-five finishes and his first General Tire Pole Award of his career. Sargeant’s second half checklist, though, contains earning more wins while focusing on consistency.

“I’m pretty happy with the first half of the season,” said Sargeant. “There are a lot of expectations that come with driving the 77 car after last year’s championship run and I’ve still got a lot of work to do to fulfill those expectations. We’ve had two good wins so far this season and while the goal every week is to win, consistency is also key to staying up in the championship points and that’s something I want to work on as well. Getting that last win at Iowa was definitely good for momentum and team morale and I think we’ll have a shot at defending another Cunningham win this week with our No. 77 Big Tine Ford Fusion.”

Sargeant and Lee were both able to get familiar with the track during a test last Sunday. Lee took his first laps around the .686-mile oval, while Sargeant got reacquainted with the track he raced on last year.

“I think the test went pretty good,” said Lee. “Anytime we test at these places, it gives us a chance to pick up on small details and really work on how we want the car set up. I’ve never raced at Lucas Oil so to be able to test during the day and into the night was extremely valuable. I really like the track so far and I’m excited to get to the race Friday.”

The Sioux Chief PowerPEX 200 will kick off with practice from 12:15-2 p.m. followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 5. The 150-lap feature is slated for a 9 p.m. start and will air live on FS1. All times are local (Eastern).

Keep up with Cunningham Motorsports on Facebook and Instagram (@CunninghamRace) and on Twitter (@Cunningham_Race). Head to www.cunninghamrace.com for more news. You can follow Shane and Dalton on social media as well. Follow Shane on Facebook and Twitter (@ShaneLeeRacing) and on Instagram (@Shane_Lee00). Follow Dalton on Facebook (@DaltonSargeantRacing) and Twitter and Instagram (@DaltonSargeant).

Big Tine is manufactured in Rockville, IN and was introduced to the market in 2010. Big Tine is the only feed supplement on the market that utilizes the power of Whitetail InstitutesTM 30-06 mineral and vitamin supplement for year-round support management of a healthy, flourishing herd. For more information on Big Tine, products or where to buy visit us at www.bigtine.com on Facebook @BigTine and on Instagram @BigTineOfficial.

Cunningham Motorsports PR