IGDALSKY FORCED TO 15TH PLACE FINNISH IN ARCA RACE; RAIN AT PALM BEACH

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HEAVY RAIN CHANGES FINISH FOR IGDALSKY IN TIRE KINGDOM 15O PRESENTED BY MODSPACE ARCA RACE



PALM BEACH, FLORIDA February 28, 2010 . . . Heavy rain had quite an impact on the finishing position for Nick Igdalsky and the ModSpace No. 1 Ford in the Tire Kingdom 150 Presented by ModSpace ARCA Series race at Palm Beach International Raceway on Saturday afternoon. The race was actually brought to a stop with 70 laps completed due to the rain.

With less than 20 circuits remaining in the 150-mile ARCA Racing Series Presented by RE/MAX and Menards race the Long Pond, PA racer was running in ninth position. However when the race was brought to a stop ARCA officials credited the ModSpace team with a 15th place finish, one lap down on winner Justin Marks.

“We were using the race strategy we had planned,” said the 32-year-old racer. “We figured there would be racers having problems and there would be more cautions in the second half of the race. The cautions didn’t really happen but we were working our way through the field, picking them off one at a time. The car on rain tires (the first time in the 58 year history of ARCA that rain tires were used) really performed well.

“Unfortunately the rain got very heavy and I was having a very difficult time seeing where I was going. At times I could not even see the hood of the car. The spotters were doing a great job of telling me where I should be on the track but it was almost impossible to see because of the rain and we ran off the track a couple of times in a couple of the corners in the closing laps.”

Igdalsky had the ModSpace Ford, owned by Andy Belmont Racing, in 15th starting spot after qualifying with an 81.345 second, 89.530 mph trip around the 2.034-mile road circuit.

“It would have been great to have a better finish in a race with our sponsor being the presenting sponsor of the event,” said Belmont. “We really felt we had a strong car and we were happy with the performance of our driver. We felt that we had at least a top ten effort in the bag in the final laps but the heavy rain proved to create an almost impossible situation forcing us to settle for 15th.”

Next up, after a lengthy break in the schedule for Igdalsky and the ModSpace Ford, is the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA 200 on the tight confines of Salem, Indiana Speedway.

“I have heard it (Salem) is a very interesting track,” said Igdalsky. “It is a high banked track and I have had no experience on a banked short track. I don’t see it as a problem overall. We will just start quick and give it all we got.”

The race takes place on Sunday, April 11th with the green flag falling at 2:15 pm. Practice and qualifying set for Friday, April 10 on the .555 mile banked asphalt oval.

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