Venturini Motorsports Scores Emotional Win At Chicagoland Speedway

Joliet, ILLINOIS (September 8, 2008) - - It wasn’t a Venturini behind the wheel but it was close enough as Scott Lagasse, Jr. piloted a Venturini Motorsports owned Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS to victory in the team’s hometown state Saturday afternoon at the Chicagoland Speedway. 

In a one-race deal with the former NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Scott Lagasse, Jr, crew chief Billy Venturini, Jr. used his prior Chicagoland Speedway success to the limit by giving Lagasse, Jr the opportunity to go to victory lane for the second time in his racing career.

Carrying sponsorship from the Nicholson Group and Hamptons Luxury Homes, the Venturini Motorsports team proved just how much of a factor they would be after Lagasse in the familiar No. 25 emblem carried the team to the top of the speed charts in the lone practice session of the weekend Friday afternoon. 

Looking ahead to ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying, the North Carolina based team knew they had a car capable of sitting on the pole but would need a flawless lap to make it happen. Lagasse bid to capture his first pole of the season came up a little short after busting out a lap of 30.071 seconds at 179.575 MPH, good enough for outside row number one, position number two.

At the start of the Chicagoland ARCA 200, Lagasse held his own. With a series of early race cautions, the No. 25 would remain near the front but not in control.

A series of two-long green flag racing runs would see the Cathy Venturini-owned machine dip back in the running order with Lagasse reporting to Venturini that he could not get his machine to turn the way he wanted to. 

Continuing to fade back, the caution flag flew allowing the team to bring Lagasse, Jr in for four tires, fuel and a major chassis adjustment.

On the restart, Lagasse, Jr proved once-again that he had a fast machine by bolting through the field and remained on the lead lap through the next series of long-green flag runs. 

Venturini, the son of two-time ARCA RE/MAX Series champion Bill Venturini, Sr.  opted to keep his driver out on the 1.5-mile racetrack while the other leaders began to duck down for their final stop of the night.

It proved to be the winning call. 

An incident on the racetrack caused the yellow to be waived again with the field in close quarters and setting up for a 20-lap match. Lagasse, Jr. would take control of the field on lap 122 and never look back and bolt to his second career ARCA RE/MAX Series victory and second of the season for Venturini Motorsports.

Lagasse, Jr. led 18 of the race’s 136 circuits. 

Earlier this year, NASCAR Sprint Cup Series-bound Joey Logano dominated the field in a Venturini Motorsports machine in his ARCA RE/MAX Series debut at Rockingham Speedway taking the win in the North Carolina 500K.