Casola Happy with ARCA Efforts as He Heads to Berlin Raceway

HOLMDEL NJ (6-29-07)--Figuring that I did not go to the season opener at Daytona and missed out on the bonus points I am pretty happy with the progress made," said young Dominick Casola. "If I had been in the Daytona race I would probably be up close to the top ten in the point standings."

At present the Holmdel, NJ racer is 18th in the ARCA RE/MAX point standings.

Casola is driving the Andy Belmont Motorsports Ford Fusion and has the family business, A.Casola Farms, as the sponsor for their season long effort.

The former Wall Township, NJ Speedway racer has been a consistent performer in ARCA competition with five top 20 finishes and one top 15.

"The tough luck we had at Salem and Winchester, Indiana really hurt us," Casola commented. "Both times I got caught up in situations that were out of my control."

The next race on the schedule for the A.Casola Farms team is on July 7 at Berlin Raceway in Marne, Michigan.

This race will mark the halfway point on one of the most competitive seasons in ARCA history. In 11 events so far, there have been nine different winners.

What makes the ARCA  RE/MAX Series a real challenge for racers is the fact that the 55-year-old racing organization appears on everything from super speedways to dirt tracks.

The July 7 Request Foods-GFS 200 marks the 20th series appearance at Berlin.

"I love running the short tracks," said Dominick. "Getting back to the short tracks, like Berlin Raceway, is exciting for me. It is getting back to my roots in the sport. I think Andy (Belmont) and his team will have a great race car for me."

ARCA RE/MAX Series practice kicks off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 7 followed by SIM Factory Pole Award Qualifying at 5:00 pm. The Request Foods-GFS 200 rolls off at 8:30 p.m.

Casola currently sits in 18th spot in the point standings with 1515 counters. More than 130 racers have earned points so far this season.

The talented youngster is looking to move up in the standings in the second half of the season.

"We are shooting for a top ten right now," said Casola. "It is not unrealistic to think about a win before the season is over. Andy has been providing me with some great equipment."

Casola feels that visiting some of the tracks for a second time this season will be a great advantage.

"With what we learned the first time at a track plus the additional practice time at the track for the second time we should be able to improve our performance," Dominick said. "I am looking forward to the second half of the season and the second opportunity to improve.

"I am optimistic about the second half of the season. We will be moving up the point standings and if our luck improves we will be going to victory lane before the year ends."

The A.Casola Farms team heads for Kentucky Speedway (Sparta, KY) on Friday, July 13 for the WLWT Channel 5-150 on the 1.5-mile super speedway.

Check in at http://www.dominickcasola.com/ for more information on Dominick's schedule of events , results and other plans.