Month: June 2011

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – Without question, Sean Corr and his Empire Racing team made a bold statement Friday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). And even though the team once again didn’t receive the finish they rightfully deserved, the competition knew that Corr’s No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion were a contender in the RainEater Wiper Blades 200.

On the adrenaline of a successful open-test at the two-mile oval last month, Corr and his family-owned team led by Michigan native Howard Bixman returned to MIS looking to flex their muscle and put their operation in the hunt for a top-10, if not a victory.

All indications led in the right direction as Corr in practice found his No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion tucked inside the top-10 during the lone practice session before eventually landing in the 13th position overall. Strong adjustments made by the team left the Goshen, New York native heavily optimistic heading into qualifying.

Unlike his prior start at Michigan International Speedway, time trials would not be held on the same day as practice. Instead, the stars and cars of ARCA would set the grid for the eighth race of the season Friday morning. Corr maneuvered his No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion to the 17th fastest lap. However, the team wasn’t fazed by their starting position as they felt their blue oval would solider to the front once the green flag flew.

The team’s intuitions became a reality. A quick caution on lap three stalled Corr’s path towards the front but returning to racing conditions several laps later offered the ability for Corr’s automobile to begin the march towards the lead pack.

Through the race’s first 30 circuits, Corr nicely negotiated his Ford Fusion through the extremely tight field and moved into the 12th position when the second yellow flag of the afternoon waived.

Bixman opted to bring his driver to pit road for two right side tires and fuel. The pit strategy paid off bolting Corr from 12th to third on the scoring pylon.

Despite the call for two tires, Corr’s No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion brilliantly remained in-toe with the leaders, most of whom had taken four tires. Fending off some of the strongest teams in ARCA competition including nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel, Josh Richards and Joey Coulter, Corr appeared to be heading towards his strongest run of the year in the ARCA Racing Series before on lap 40, an unexpected parts failure would cause the right front tire to go down forcing an unscheduled trip to pit road for four new Hoosier tires.

Upon further inspection, the team notified Bixman that the right front brake rotor had been destroyed, which initially caused the tire to deflate, forcing the Empire Racing team to quickly push their race car behind the pit wall to replace the rotor.

Magnificent repair work by the crew had Corr back on the track quickly where the team would use the remainder of the day to salvage as many crucial points as possible in order to stay in the top-10 in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings. After sitting as low as 30th in the running order, Corr quietly climbed the leader board to take the checkered flag in the 24th position.

“One of these days, we’re going to have everything go our way and get the finish we deserve,” said an obviously frustrated Corr. “We had a good car, a real good car. The Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines Ford Fusion was going to be a contender. We made a call on pit road early and I think it was the right call, we just didn’t expect the tire to blow. We just haven’t had the luck on our side when we really needed it.”

The 27-year old added, “I have to give props to the Empire Racing team. Howard (Bixman), John (Bellesfield, team manger) and the whole team built me a really fast car and words cannot express my thanks to them for putting us in position for a great run. We’re going to get ourselves some redemption here soon and we’ll prove to everyone that never giving up will equal rewards.”

Despite avoiding a DNF (did not finish), Corr did slip to 10th in the ARCA Racing Series championship standings, but stands just 10 markers behind ninth place competitor Chad Hackenbracht.

Corr made his 18th career ARCA start at Michigan International Speedway on June 17. In those 18 races, the avid dirt racer has maneuvered nine top-16 efforts and 14 top-20 finishes including seven in the first eight events of 2011. Pocono Raceway hoists the track with Corr’s career best finish of 11th in June 2011. An eighth place qualifying effort at the 2.5-mile triangle also in August 2010 is also a personal best accomplishment to date.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Corr will make his inaugural debut at the Indiana short track with a brand-new No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion.

For more on Sean Corr, Empire Racing and marketing partnership opportunities for the 2011 racing season, please visit empireracingllc.com.

Are you FORD tough? Connect with Roush Yates Performance Products and Roush Yates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.

Tweet with Sean Corr through Twitter @EmpireRacingLLC.

About Empire Racing:

Established in 2009, Empire Racing LLC. (empireracingllc.com) is a two-tier professional Motorsports organization consisting of dirt and asphalt competition. Sean Corr, a 26-year old hailing from Goshen, New York pilots the team’s automobiles in the DIRTcar Series and Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). In 2011, the team will attempt to run for a championship in the ARCA Racing Series with aspirations of moving into the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). The team is headquartered in Goshen, New York with an additional operation in Mooresville, North Carolina.

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards Rookie of the Year contender Maryeve Dufault put on another good showing Friday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway in Tony Marks Racing’s No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger. Unfortunately, the results won’t show just how strong the team’s performance was as Dufault became a victim of circumstances during the RainEater Wiper Blades 200.

Despite the Sorel, Quebec’s limited experience at the two-mile oval, Dufault showed extreme maturity during practice, qualifying and during the eighth race of the 2011 season.

After negotiating the 22nd fastest lap during practice, the Tony Marks Racing (TMR) team led by Darren Wolfe and Ryan Chism along with Dufault made some adjustments to their No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger hoping for a solid starting position. In qualifying, Dufault raised the bar by maneuvering the 16th fastest lap putting smiles on the rookie team heading into the race.

Immediately from the start of the race, Dufault maintained a position in the top-20. An early race caution would keep the former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series from making an early race charge. On the lap 10 restart, Dufault locked the 16th position.

By lap 20, she had slipped back to 17th but the rookie was biding her time and logging laps in her Michigan International Speedway. Five laps later, she lost a position to Matt Merrell while battling tire wear and some tightness.

The caution flag though would waive by lap 30 with Dufault on the lead lap and solidly in the top-20 where four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment were on deck for the Tony Marks Racing rookie during routine pit stops.

Restarting in the 17th position, Dufault moved into the 16th position on lap 41 with her sights set on entering the top-15. When Hal Martin blew a tire at the same time, the yellow flag waived once again allowing the opportunity for the TMR team to catch up to the rear of the field and prepare to throttle forward.

The lap 47 restart positioned the popular ARCA driver in the 12th position. With determination to move into the top-10 in the second half of the event, the No. 52 of Tom Hessert lost a tire in front of the No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger forcing Dufault to take the high line to avoid Hessert’s spinning machine. Hessert though clipped her as he drifted back up the track sending the former road racing talent into the wall on the backstretch.

She was able to leave the scene of the incident under her own power but heavy damage to the No. 12 Mad Croc / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger would ultimately force the TMR team to exit the event after 52 laps. The team was credited with a frustrating 28th place finish.

“It’s frustrating, because we had a really good car,” said Dufault. “I cannot thank Mad Croc, VR-12 and Dodge enough for the opportunity to allow us to race at Michigan. We were going to have a good day. I learned an awful lot. I went to the high side and had no where to go when I got clipped. It’s stinks because I wanted to leave here still in the top-10 in the championship standings, but we’ll look ahead to Winchester next week and see what we can do.”

Tony Marks, team owner commented on the team’s performance in the Irish Hills. “There was nothing no one could do; this unfortunately is part of the game. I cannot tell you how proud I am of Maryeve. She was doing a magnificent job and was going to have a good finish to carry us into Winchester next weekend. We’ll just go there and look to close what we started here.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Dufault will make her inaugural debut at the Indiana short track.

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks.  Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies. 

Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars.  Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he  then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old).  Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’  “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway. 

For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice.  Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest. 

As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – Matt Merrell had every reason to be frustrated upon the conclusion of Friday’s RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). After keeping the nose clean on his No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry for 80 of the event’s 100 laps, Merrell made his move into the top-10 only to be taken out of competition on the last lap of his MIS debut.

The Lakeville, Minnesota team arrived in the Irish Hills of Michigan with a brand new Toyota Camry hoping to guide Merrell towards another strong run in his inaugural meeting with the two-mile oval.

The teams were given an hour and a half practice on Thursday afternoon to dial in their machines with Merrell eclipsing the 11th fastest lap overall. The team led by ARCA wizard Mike Chaffee made some slight adjustments to their Japanese nameplate hoping to give Merrell a comfortable race setup.

Time trials occurred on Friday morning with Merrell being coached by his team to just make a good lap. With a loose race car underneath him, Merrell negotiated the 19th fastest lap.

Despite their starting position, the veteran ARCA team had little worries about their performance during the 100-lap shootout.

The green flag waived shortly after 5:15 p.m. with Merrell attempting to throttle his way in the field. An early race caution would waive on lap three with Merrell uncharacteristically slipping back to the 21st position.

Waiting for his car to come to life, Merrell would slowly inch his No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry through the running order closing in on the first quarter mark.

When the second yellow flag of the day waived on lap 30, the Portland, Texas native had climbed into the 16th position offering a prime opportunity to enter pit road for tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment.

Restarting the race in the 14th position, Merrell methodically began working his way up the leader board and by the half-way mark; the former USARacing Pro Cup Series star had crafted his Toyota into the 10th position.

The Win-Tron Racing development driver would hover inside the top-10 for the remainder of the event but coming to a green white checkered, Merrell sitting ninth had his sights set on a potential seventh place finish. 

In a three-wide battle on lap 99 of the race, Merrell found himself racing with nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel and Chad McCumbee. Kimmel drifted up into the path of Merrell which turned the No. 32 Champion Oil Toyota Camry hard into the outside wall on the backstretch.

Heavily mangled, Merrell left the scene of the incident to slowly creep across the start finish line to avoid a DNF (did not finish). Merrell would be credited with a 15th place finish.

“I always have had a lot of respect for Frank (Kimmel), but this is the second time in three races where I’ve had a problem with the way he drives,” offered Merrell. “I’ve always given him a lot of room and raced him clean but his boldness cost us a good finish for the team and Champion Oil. I hate it. I’m frustrated and disappointed. I just don’t know want to say.”

Win-Tron Racing co car-owner Nate Thiesse offered his comments on Friday’s outcome. “It’s a shame to be taken out the way we were like that on the last lap. I’m all about for good, hard racing but what happened to Matt and us today could have been easily avoidable. It’s discouraging for Matt because of the bad luck he’s had the last couple of races, but this team stands behind him and we know he can get the job done at Winchester next week.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Merrell will make his inaugural debut at the Indiana short track.

Merrell made his 21st career start in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at Michigan International Speedway on Friday. In those 21 outings, Merrell has eight top-fives including runner-up finishes of second at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (August) in 2009 and 11 top-10s. His best start position for Win-Tron Racing occurred at the tricky triangle of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway where he qualified his No. 32 CollinsHope.org Dodge Charger second in June of 2009.

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 952.469.1839.

For more on Champion Oil, Champion Brands LLC and their products, please logon to championbrands.com or championsusechampion.com.

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 20, 2011) – – Shelby Township, Michigan native Robb Brent was just thankful to be in last Friday’s RainEater Wiper Blades 200 at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Upon the conclusion of the 100-lap event, Brent offered his hometown fans and sponsors a well-earned finish in the No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry.

Brent, who after running two full time seasons in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards took a brief sabbatical this season to regroup his racing career announced a two-race deal with the potent Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) which launched in Brent’s backyard at the two-mile oval of MIS.  

With AutoDealAds.com stepping up to the plate as the primary sponsor of Brent’s first ARCA event at the wheel of a Toyota Camry, the road racing ace was looking to use the eighth race of the season to strut his stuff.

In the lone practice session on Thursday afternoon, Brent who reunited with crew chief Dave Leiner worked on the chassis setup on their No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry which landed the Denver, North Carolina-based team 20th in the overall rundown.

Not discouraged by the practice effort, Brent gathered his thoughts with Leiner and the two put their heads together to put a qualifying setup that would be both fast but not take away from the team’s overall plan of a healthy race setup.

In time trials Friday morning, Brent maneuvered his ESR machine around the Irish Hills track in 40.147 seconds or 179.34 miles per hour landing 22nd in the starting lineup. Comfortable with the car’s handling, Brent knew his car was setup for racing conditions.

At the start of the RainEater Wiper Blades 200, Brent patiently began moving through the field. Tucked in with ESR teammate Bryan Silas, the two tried to use the draft to manhandle their way into the top-20. The duo would be stalled on lap three when the first yellow flag of the day waived.

Restarting on lap 10, Brent would hold steady in his No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry up the ladder during the first solid green flag run of the day. By lap 20, Brent had found himself locked in the 22nd position. By the time the third yellow of the day waived on lap 30, Brent had moved up to the 20th position.

Four tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment was the call from the pit box by Leiner. A solid pit stop by the ESR crew re-entered their driver 13th in the battle.

After another caution flag, Brent remained safely in the top-15 but had his sights set on entering the top-10. By the halfway mark, lap 50, the part-time NASCAR driver hoisted the 11th position.

When Tom Hessert and Maryeve Dufault crashed on lap 52, the yellow flag conditions returned offering a perfect time for Leiner to bring his driver back to pit road to top off the fuel in case the race would stretch into a long green-flag run.

Restarting 13th, Brent would quietly maintain a spot inside the top-15 but with 35 laps remaining, the former Pocono ARCA winner would nearly avoid disaster when the No. 42 of Clay Rogers spun directly in-front of the No. 2 AutoDealAds.com Toyota Camry, the two made slight contact before the No. 23 of Levi Youster joined the mess also making minimal contact with the two colleagues.

Under the caution, Brent brought his machine to the attention of his ESR crew for damage control. With the thumbs up on the overall condition of Brent’s automobile, they sent their driver back into the race.

Over the final 25 laps, Brent would slice and dice his way from his 15th position and survive a green-white-checkered finish to claim the 11th position.

“I had a lot of fun,” said Brent. “I appreciate the opportunity and support from Eddie Sharp, Eddie Sharp Racing and AutoDealAds.com for allowing me to race at my home track with a really good race car. We didn’t quite have enough for those leaders, but we had a competitive car and we learned a lot together that will help us going to Pocono in August.”

Ironically, Brent’s 11th place lead-lap finish on Friday was the third time in the last four races where he captured the exact same position. Last June, Brent delivered a 10th place outing for Allgaier Motorsports.

Brent would personally like to thank his family and friends who attended Friday’s contest. In addition to his duties at the track, Brent participated in two autograph sessions. On Thursday night, Brent joined a slew of ARCA drivers in Downtown Brooklyn, while on race day Brent spent time with children from DeVos Children’s Hospital and the Make A Wish Foundation.

The Michigander also supported his two charities during the race week, the Macomb Charitable Foundation (MCF) and the Animal Aid Foundation.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return to Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the running of the Winchester ARCA 200 presented by Federated Auto Parts. Brent will return to ARCA competition in August and will look to defend his title at the 2.5-mile oval of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 on August 6th in the No. 2 Eddie Sharp Racing Toyota Camry.

Prior to joining Eddie Sharp Racing, Brent participated in the ARCA Racing Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series driving for NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski and Brad Keselowski Racing. Most recently, Brent spent the last two seasons in ARCA with Allgaier Motorsports, the 2008 championship team. In his 59 ARCA starts, Brent has acquired one win (Pocono 2010), six top-five finishes and 19 top-10 efforts. Brent notched his career best qualifying effort of second at Kentucky Speedway in 2008. He has led the ARCA pack five times for 55 laps. His best finish in the NCWTS occurred at Nashville Superspeedway in his inaugural truck debut where he finished 21st after qualifying 26th. The road racing ace also made his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in 2010 driving for RAB Racing at Road America in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin.

For more on Robb Brent, sponsorship opportunities and official team merchandise, please visit Robbbrentracing.com. 

About AutoDealerAds.com:

AutoDealerAds.com is Michigan’s largest on-line auto dealer inventory website – with over 300 Michigan based new and used car dealers, and over 40,000 new and used cars to view – with just one click. They have developed a quick and easy to use website, to view area auto dealer’s ads all in one place – with over 2,000,000 hits per month.

Accessing AutoDealerAds.com, consumers at a car dealership can easily comparison shop other area dealer’s current new and used car ads using a SmartPhone, Note Pad, iPad, etc. AutoDealerAds.com has a proven track record – substantially beating newspaper advertising’s price per call – quickly becoming a favorite of area dealerships. AutoDealerAds.com is owned by Auto Connection Media Inc., which specializes in marketing and publishing for Auto Dealers for the past 20 years.