LEBANON PA (1-16-06) - For the third consecutive season, Bobby Gerhart Racing and Lucas Oil Products have teamed up to take on the ARCA RE/MAX Series and its increasing supply of ultra-competitive teams.

The renowned maker of heavy duty and high performance lubricants will be the title sponsor on Gerhart’s fleet of #5 Chevy Monte Carlos for 10 to 12 televised events in 2006.

“We're excited to have Lucas Oil back as primary sponsor on the Bobby Gerhart Racing Team for the 2006 season,” said Gerhart. “We’re confident we can provide Lucas Oil the marketing potential in the ARCA RE/MAX Series they deserve to have. They’re a quality company; we expect to produce quality results.”

With most of the team’s focus on Daytona, the series crown jewel, testing has become a premium for Gerhart and crew.

“We had a very good off-season testing our Lucas Oil Chevy Monte Carlos, and we’re not done yet. We look forward to being very competitive at Daytona.”

In fact, no driver will test more for the upcoming Daytona event than Gerhart, who spent three days at Daytona in December, and then went to Talladega and tested on January 3rd. Quickest at both venues, and still not satisfied, Gerhart will return to Talladega January 21st and 22nd for two more solid days of testing, and leave it open for still yet another possible test before Daytona.

“Every time we test, we learn something,” said Gerhart. “It isn’t always good, but we always learn something, little by little. We know that the very moment we stop trying to learn, let ourselves become satisfied, content, complacent, whatever, we’ll get beat.

“In our situation, the number of times we need to test to help our effort would be infinite. We always gain every time we go. I can’t express how important these two restrictor plate races are to Bobby Gerhart Racing, and to Lucas Oil. And the older I get, the harder I swing. And the reason I swing so hard at Daytona is because we refuse to be stomped on there. We know the best of Cup will have the finest equipment locked and loaded with talented young drivers ready to prove themselves. They’ll have to prove it to Bobby Gerhart Racing too."

Gerhart is seeking a record 4th Daytona ARCA 200 victory when the 43rd annual ARCA RE/MAX 200 rolls off from Daytona Int’l Speedway on February 11, LIVE on SPEED Channel at 4 pm Eastern. Gerhart is currently tied with the late Iggy Katona as the only drivers who have won three Daytona ARCA 200s.

“Right now, we have six speedway cars ready to go,” added Gerhart. “We know that Andrew Myers will be in one of them; not sure yet about the third team; so it will become a question of whether we take five cars down, or six. Andrew will be driving the same car that Kyle Krisiloff finished second in at Talladega in 2005. We know it’s a very good piece.”

Also in Gerhart’s stable of speedway cars are two new machines as well as the car that Gerhart won in at Daytona in 2002 and 2005, in addition to the cars that Kyle Busch won in at Daytona and Blake Feese won in at Talladega.

Gerhart’s record at Daytona over the last seven years has been impressive to say the least, beginning with his first win there in 1999. The Lebanon, Pennsylvania veteran returned to the Daytona winner’s circle in 2002, repeated as winner in last year’s classic and finished second in 2000. It’s also worth noting that Gerhart has been the Pork Pole Award winner in the last three consecutive races at Daytona. Gerhart, who also won at Talladega Superspeedway in 2001, won poles at Talladega in ’01 and ’02.

Lucas Oil Products, headquartered in Corona, Calif., is the world leader in heavy duty and high performance lubricants. Lucas has long been directly involved in the American racing industry through multiple vehicle sponsorships and racing event promotions at all levels. Its line of high performance engine oils and gear oils are second-to-none in the racing industry, as Lucas racing products have proven themselves on NASCAR, NHRA, IHRA, USHRA and ATPA tracks across the country.

“We've tested some new products from Lucas Oil with some very positive results,” said Billy Gerhart, team owner and crew chief. “We are very pleased to have Lucas on board as our primary sponsor this year and are looking forward to an exciting race on February 11th at Daytona.”