Los Angeles, CA (August 21, 2013) – In her career-first race on a dirt track Milka Duno finished 21st in last Sunday’s ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Allen Crowe 100 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Ill.
Competing in her first full ARCA Series season Duno was looking forward to the DIRT mile at Springfield as her first of two dirt track races on the 2013 schedule.
With the two practice sessions, the qualifying session and the race all occurring on the same day Duno and her Venturini Motorsports (VMS) team were hard at work getting the No. 35 Milka Way/Cantv Chevrolet dialed in.
Duno started the race on the 1-mile dirt oval in 22nd and generated four of her ‘fastest laps’ – on laps 7, 9, 16 and 19 – before the first yellow flag waved on lap 22. Pitting under this first caution Duno would get new tires, fuel and adjustments from the VMS crew.
Lap 31 would be Duno’s fourth and her fastest lap of the race and she would pit again under the second yellow on lap 48.
Unfortunately, a flat left rear tire just past pit entrance would require Duno to slowly make it around the 1-mile track and come into the pits under green flag conditions for her third stop of the race. Back out with new tires and a full load of fuel Duno would continue her fight to break into the top-20.
On a fourth and final pit stop Duno would receive right side tires only and would ultimately finish 21st.
“I have a lot of respect for the history and tradition of dirt track racing and I looked forward to my first race on dirt,” said Duno. “It was a different experience and something new to me and my goal was to do the best that I could my first time out. We have another dirt track race coming up soon and I hope for a better result my second time around.”
“It was a good outing for Milka’s first dirt track experience,” said Kevin Caldwell, Crew Chief, No. 35 Venturini Motorsports Cantv/Milka Way Chevrolet. “It was a new challenge for her and she got to learn what dirt tracking racing is all about. We’ll take that with us to her next dirt race on September 2nd at DuQuoin.”
Duno is now 6th in the Driver Point standings and her next race will be on the 0.5-mile oval at Madison International Speedway on August 25th.
