Category: ARCA

PLANO, Texas (Sept. 28, 2023) – Toyota captured its eighth overall, and its seventh-consecutive, manufacturer’s championship in the ARCA Menards Series following racing action from Bristol Motor Speedway.

Toyota drivers have won 15 of the 18 races in the 2023 season and come into the race at Indiana’s Salem Speedway having won the last nine consecutive events.

“It was another wildly successful season in the ARCA Menards Series, and we couldn’t be prouder of the efforts from our partners and team members,” said Paul Doleshal, Group Manager, Motorsports, Toyota Motor North America (TMNA). “The complete on-track performances we’ve had throughout the year have been impressive and historic. We’re thankful toward each for helping Toyota achieve our seventh-consecutive ARCA manufacturer’s title.”

Toyota supports two ARCA Menards Series teams, Venturini Motorsports (VMS) and Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR). The 2023 season’s success was highlighted by Jesse Love’s sensational championship run. The Toyota development driver, who will officially be honored as the champion at the season finale at Toledo Speedway, has had a dominating season with nine wins and 15 top-five finishes. Brent Crews, added another victory for VMS, capturing his first career win at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in August, as the 15-year-old impressed with three podium finishes in his three starts this season.

Toyota development driver, William Sawalich, also notched three wins with JGR at Berlin Raceway, the Milwaukee Mile and Bristol Motor Speedway to go along with the ARCA Menards Series East title, while Connor Mosack earned his first victory in the series at Kansas Speedway earlier this month to add to JGR’s victory total. Toyota’s ARCA success also included former ARCA East champion Tyler Ankrum. In his only ARCA Menards start for Hattori Racing Enterprises (HRE) this season, Ankrum captured a victory at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.

Toyota first entered the ARCA Racing Series in 2007 and has captured eight manufacturer’s titles (2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023) and eight driver’s titles (2009, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023). Toyota now sits at 143 national ARCA Menards Series wins.

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 65 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands, plus our more than 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota directly employs more than 63,000 people in North America who have contributed to the design, engineering, and assembly of nearly 45 million cars and trucks at our 13 manufacturing plants. By 2025, Toyota’s 14th plant in North Carolina will begin to manufacture automotive batteries for electrified vehicles. With more electrified vehicles on the road than any other automaker, Toyota currently offers 24 electrified options.

KANSAS CITY, Kan: After enduring a choppy six-week stretch of ARCA Menards Series competition, Frankie Muniz and his Rette Jones Racing return to Kansas Speedway for Friday night’s Sioux Chief Fast Track 150, looking to right the ship with just four races remaining in his inaugural rookie season.

Muniz appeared headed towards his 10th top-10 of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season this past Sunday night at the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds, but a divebomb move by another competitor didn’t pan out and instead wiped out three cars in the process and left Muniz and the Rette Jones Racing team with a frustrating 12th-place result.

Hoping to return to the top-10 for the first time since finishing seventh three races ago at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Muniz, for the first time in his ARCA Menards Series career, will return to a track he has competed on before.

Earlier this season, in his intermediate ARCA debut at Kansas, Muniz qualified his No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang sixth and earned his then-third top-10 finish of the season with an eighth-place result.

Inhaling 16 ARCA Menards Series races so far this season, Muniz, the former Malcom in the Middle television icon, has certainly padded his racing resume and looks to utilize some of that experience on the intermediate tracks this season and apply it towards earning his second career top-five finish in Friday night’s 100-lap race.

“I am certainly ready to get this monkey off our back,” said Muniz. “It’s been a little bit of a rough four or five weeks. Our finishes haven’t been terrible, but we have certainly had things happen that have taken us out of the hunt for a stronger finish and the opportunity to gain some crucial points.

“With all that being said, I am excited to return to Kansas Speedway this weekend and put our Rette Jones Racing team back in the top-10. I like Kansas. It’s a fast track with plenty of room to race.”

Muniz explained how the fundamentals of learning how to race on a mile-and-a-half track and larger this season should pay dividends in the final speedway race of the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season.

“I have learned so much about the draft and aerodynamically how to race these ARCA cars since Kansas in May,” explained Muniz. “I have learned how to utilize the draft to my advantage and how the air works when trying to pass another competitor, as well as how to wrestle our No. 30 Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang when it comes to being aero loose or aero tight.

“I think all of the factors will come into play again on Friday night, so it’s just making sure I execute on what I learn and use a patient approach to ensure we can capitalize on any opportunity during the second half of the race.”

For the seventh time this season, Muniz and Rette Jones Racing will display the Ford colors for the 17th ARCA Menards Series race of the season.

“It’s great to have Ford back on board as a partner this weekend at Kansas Speedway,” sounded Muniz. “Our race in the spring was the debut of our on-track partnership, and we had a competitive run with an eighth-place result.

“This week, I’m looking for more than another top-10. I’m looking to put our No. 30 Ford | Rette Jones Racing Ford Mustang inside the top-10 and contend for our second top-five finish since Michigan International Speedway last month. It’s a competitive field for Friday night’s race, but I believe Mark (Rette) and the rest of the Rette Jones Racing team will have me tuned up and ready for battle.”

Former ARCA championship-winning crew chief and co-owner Mark Rette has been highly impressed with Muniz’s performances in the first 16 races of the year. He looks forward to seeing him strengthen his craft in his Kansas Speedway return on September 8.

“The last five or six races for us have been tough because we certainly have had the speed but lacked the results we know we were capable of. “Frankie has stepped up to the plate and continued to give more than 100 percent behind the wheel – but we’ve just had racing circumstances that have hindered us a little.

“We all have been looking forward to returning to Kanas knowing how fast and comfortable Frankie was in the spring, and we feel like he will be even faster when on-track activity gets underway on Friday.

“It should be a good night for us.”

Entering Kansas, Muniz sits third in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 21 points behind second-place runner Andrés Pérez de Lara. He sits 149 markers behind championship leader Jesse Love with four races remaining.

Rette Jones Racing stands a respectable sixth in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings.

Since 2023, Muniz has 16 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, with a career-best finish of fifth at Michigan International Speedway in August 2023. In all, Muniz has delivered one top-five and nine top-10 finishes. He also maintains an average finishing position of 10.7 in his inaugural year of stock car competition.

For more on Frankie Muniz, please visit munizracing.com, like him on Facebook (FrankieMuniz4) and follow him on Instagram (@frankiemuniz4) and Twitter (@frankiemuniz).

For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing), or follow them on Instagram (@RetteJones30) and Twitter (@RetteJones30).

The Sioux Chief Fast Track 150 (100 laps | 150 miles) is the 17th of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series schedule in the 71st consecutive ARCA season Practice begins Friday, September 8 from 12:40 p.m. – 1:25 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying in a timed session will begin a short time later at 1:40 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 5:00 p.m. CT (6:00 p.m. ET). The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) handling the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.

About Rette Jones Racing:

Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the intent of building a successful racing operation built around the fundamentals of hard work and a never-give-up attitude.

Owned by racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, RJR plans to field a full-time entry in 2023 in the ARCA Menards Series, while also planning to field vehicles in the ARCA Menards Series East respectively.

The winning ARCA team also offers technical and setup intel as part of its technical alliance partnership program.

DE SOTO, Kan. (09/06/23) – She’s back.

Kansas native Mandy Chick is set to return to the driver’s seat of her No. 74 Dynamic Drivelines/Jennifer R. Chick, CPA, LLC/Freedom Concrete, De Soto, Kansas Chevrolet SS on Friday evening in the Sioux Chief Fast Track 150 at Kansas Speedway. The ARCA Menards Series race at the fast D-shaped oval in Kansas City, Kansas, will be Chick’s fourth of the season and her first since turning in a 12th-place result at the track in May.

For the 21-year-old Chick, racing close to home with her Chick Engineering program is a special opportunity.

“Growing up in the Kansas City area, making many memories at the track and frequently passing Kansas Speedway, I always dreamt of racing there one day,” said Chick, a native of De Soto, Kansas. “That dream of mine came true in May as I got to race at my home track and got a solid finish. I am excited to return, with many of my local fans and marketing partners there to support me, while continuing to learn about the track and how we can do better.

“I rarely get to have extended family at my races as I frequently travel far distances to race, but racing at Kansas Speedway provides us the opportunity to have family with us and race at a track near and dear to our hearts.”

Chick was one of the top stories during the early part of the 2023 ARCA campaign, first turning heads with a fifth-place finish in the series’ season-opener at Daytona International Speedway in February. She also took on Talladega Superspeedway in April before the Kansas race.

Chick recently started her senior year at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Terre Haute, Indiana, where she majors in mechanical engineering. She stepped away from competition over the summer months to complete an engineering design internship at General Motors and plans to utilize lessons learned from the experience in her own racing program.

“I grew my skills in designing intricate parts on vehicles and got to be involved in many areas of the design process,” Chick said of her internship. “I think my biggest takeaway was to look at problems much differently and always think out of the box. This is beneficial when I’m helping build my cars – sometimes it is easy to stick to the ‘traditional’ way we build cars and fabricate different components, but I really think there is a lot we can simplify and refine to be better. After all, the spirit of an engineer is to never stop improving.”

But not only did Chick advance her professional career over the summer, she also got engaged.

Now, thanks to a full course load, Chick and her team have decided to round out their 2023 campaign with the Kansas race. They look to end on a high note and build upon the team’s May finish with a top-five or top-10 result.

“We had a solid run in May, but learned a lot from the race and had things in our mind we wanted to work on,” Chick said. “With the extended time we have had to improve different things and prep our cars, I feel like we are set up for success.”

In the offseason, Chick plans to utilize the extra days to prepare for January’s preseason test at Daytona and the prestigious season-opener at the track the following month.

“We are working on some funding opportunities at the moment to give us a clearer picture of what next season looks like,” Chick said. ”But I will assure you we are excited to see what the future holds and will continue to work hard and build our program for many years to come in ARCA.”

The Sioux Chief Fast Track 150 is set for 6:00 p.m. ET (5:00 pm CT) on Friday, September 8. Television coverage will be provided by FOX Sports 1 and the FOX Sports App. The radio broadcast can be found on MRN / SiriusXM (XM channel 391/online channel 981) / ARCARacing.com.

More information on Mandy Chick is available at www.mandychick.com.

AM Racing | ARCA Menards Series
The Milwaukee Mile (Wisc.) | Sprecher 150

Fast Facts

No. 32 AM Racing Team:

Driver: Christian Rose

Primary Partner(s): Disability Opportunity Fund | West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services

Manufacturer: Ford Mustang

Crew Chief: Ryan “Pickle” London

Spotter: Mark Soronen

Chassis Intel: AMR Chassis No. 232

Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies

Driver Championship Point Standings: Fourth

Team Championship Point Standings: Seventh

Notes of Interest:

Settled In; Approaching The Home Stretch: AM Racing returned to the ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2023 with Automobile Racing of America (ARCA) Rookie of the Year candidate Christian Rose behind the wheel of the team’s No. 32 Ford Mustang.

The 2023 ARCA Menards Series will mark the first time that AM Racing has competed full-time in the NASCAR-owned development series since Gus Dean drove for the organization during the 2018 season.

Meet Christian Rose: Rose, a former Division 1 baseball player for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has traded the glove and bat in for a steering wheel and helmet and has set achievable goals for his first full season of stock car competition aboard the team’s flagship No. 32 Ford Mustang.

Rose joins the Statesville, N.C.-based team on the heels of a limited ARCA schedule in 2022 competing in a series of races on ARCA’s platform with Cook Racing Technologies which was highlighted by a career-best seventh-place finish at Kansas Speedway last October.

Additionally, Rose earned two additional top-10 finishes at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway and Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway respectively.

Glad To Have You: To help steer Christian Rose and the AM Racing team towards a championship in 2023, the organization has recruited Ryan “Pickle” London to serve as crew chief of the No. 32 Ford Mustang this season.

London, a long-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series crew chief returns to AM Racing after spending the 2020 season with the team’s Truck Series program as the truck chief.

London has plenty of experience as a leader in the ARCA Menards Series, including guiding drivers Tom Hessert and Frank Kimmel to poles and leading Grant Enfinger to victories at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in 2014.

In addition to the two wins as crew chief, the winning NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series crew chief has numerous ARCA top-fives and top-10 efforts to his credit.

Partner Support: The Department of West Virginia Tourism will serve as the primary marketing partner on Rose’s No. 32 Ford Mustang in Sunday afternoon’s Sprecher 150.

The West Virginia Department of Tourism promotes West Virginia as a leading four-season travel destination and a top state to live, work and retire.

Known as the Mountain State, West Virginia is one of the most scenic states in the United States and home to thousands of acres of parks and public lands, including America’s newest national park and 45 state parks and forests.

In addition to its majestic mountains and rolling hills, West Virginia is full of rich historic sites, enchanting art galleries, charming towns and an immense sense of belonging found only in its heaven-like landscapes.

This weekend at The Milwaukee Mile, Rose and the AM Racing team will offer a preview of their gorgeous Department of West Virginia Tourism fall paint scheme beaming the adventures that await with a tour of West Virginia.

On June 20, 2023, the state of West Virginia celebrated its 160th birthday!

Secured Partnership: In addition to the Department of West Virginia Tourism, Secure Testing Services (STS) will serve as a major associate marketing partner for the 15th of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series tour.

Secure Testing Services LLC. is a nationwide leader in on-site drug testing located in Richmond, Virginia.

Quite simply, STS provides customized assistance to your organization’s Human Resources and Safety teams in achieving their compliance goals.

Racing for Stride: ARCA Menards Series professional race car driver Christian Rose, AM Racing, the Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF) and Nine Line Apparel announced recently the launch of the “Racing for STRIDE (Supporting and Transforming Rights, Inclusion, Disability Empowerment)” initiative aimed to celebrate and honor veterans with disabilities.

DOF, Rose, AM Racing and Nine Line will provide one veteran with a disability the opportunity to win a brand-new, accessible, redesigned Ford F-150 truck, courtesy of Paul Thigpen Automotive Group.

The centerpiece of the groundbreaking initiative is the Racing for STRIDE competition that invites veterans with disabilities, or a representative on their behalf, to submit an application sharing their story of living with a disability, their experience serving the country, and the impact a new, redesigned, accessible Ford F-150 truck would have on their lives.

The first part of the application process opens on August 1, 2023, and runs through August 31, 2023. After this, the judges will select three finalists to submit a 30-second video for final consideration.

The competition is open to individuals nationwide who wish to nominate a deserving veteran with a disability in their community, and individuals can also refer a friend by sharing a picture of your nominee on DOF’s Facebook and Instagram accounts using the hashtag (#racingforstride).

Participants can enter to win at racingforstride.com.

Only In New York: On Tuesday, August 22nd, Christian Rose spent the day in New York City, highlighting his partnership with the Disability Opportunity Fund and Nine Line Apparel. Starting the day, Rose joined New York’s PIX 11 and Justin Walter’s, followed by showcasing the No. 32 ARCA Menards Series Ford Mustang in Times Square.

In addition, FOX News highlighted the campaign through DOF & Nine Line Apparel to giveaway a brand new, fully accessible Ford F-150 to a disabled Veteran.

A name can be submitted on racingforstride.com, nominating a disabled Veteran to win the truck. One winner will be selected and presented with the Ford F-150 in Phoenix at the NASCAR championship weekend in November.

AM Minute: Last weekend was another busy summer weekend for AM Racing.

In addition to the ARCA Menards Series team being in action at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and the Illinois State Fairgrounds, AM Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team was also roaring to life in the Finger Lakes of New York with driver Brett Moffit.

Unfortunately, after showcasing a solid pace with their No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford Mustang throughout the weekend, Moffitt was sidelined with an axle issue.

On the flip side, AM Racing’s Dirt Division was victorious again at Lake View Motor Speedway.

Overall, the Statesville, N.C.-based Dirt Division has nine victories thus far in 2023.

To The Point(s): Entering Milwaukee, Rose is fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 136 markers in the arrears to championship leader Jesse Love with six races remaining.

Just 14 points separate Rose from third in the championship standings currently occupied by Frankie Muniz

He sits 22 points behind second place in the championship standings occupied by Andrés Pérez de Lara.

Rose is the series leader in most laps completed in 2023 at 1,603 of 1,674 at 95.8 percent overall.

AM Racing stands a respectable seventh in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings.

Thanks For Your Support: With 70 percent of the season complete, AM Racing and Christian Rose would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AIRBOX Air Purifier, Black Draft Farm & Distillery, Disability Opportunity Fund, Extreme Family Fitness, Flying Circle, Lopez Team, Mountaineer Rub, Mobil 1, Whitetail Smokeless and Warwood Tool.

Christian Rose ARCA The Milwaukee Mile Stats: Sunday’s Sprecher 150 will mark Rose’s second tango with the iconic Milwaukee short track in West Allis, Wisc.

Last July, Rose qualified a track-best 11th but finished 15th in the 150-lap contest.

Christian Rose ARCA National Series Stats: In 22 career ARCA National Series starts, Rose has earned nine top-10 finishes: seventh at Michigan International Speedway | August 2023, seventh at Iowa Speedway | July 2023, seventh at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway | June 2023, seventh at Kansas Speedway | October 2022, eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway | May 2023, ninth at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway | July 2023, ninth at Kansas Speedway | May 2023, 10th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | August 2023, 10th at Elko Speedway | June 2023), while also showcasing 13 top-20 finishes overall.

Dutch Boy 100 | Illinois State Fairgrounds Race Recap: In the most recent ARCA Menards Series race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Rose and the AM Racing team chased their eighth top-10 finish of the season together.

In his ARCA Menards Series debut on dirt, Rose was impressive. After practicing inside the top-10, he qualified his No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services LLC. Ford Mustang 10th but battled overheating woes throughout the race.

The issue prevented the AM Racing team from finishing the race, completing 55 of the 100 scheduled laps.

He posted his 11th top-12 finish since Kansas Speedway in May 2023 for the Statesville, N.C.-based team.

Show Your Support: AM Racing and Christian Rose are proud to announce that official team 2023 apparel is available by visiting Christian Rose’s website.

You can show your support for Christian Rose and the No. 32 AM Racing team by purchasing an official West Virginia Tourism tee-shirt, as well as a team cap representing West Virginia Tourism, Secure Testing Services and Disability Opportunity Fund.

Follow on Social Media: For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.

For more on Christian Rose, please like him on Facebook (Christian Rose Racing), or follow him on Instagram (@christianroseracing) and Twitter (@CRoseRacing).

Christian Rose Quoteboard:

On The Milwaukee Mile: “After two mediocre finishes at Watkins Glen and Springfield, I am ready for The Milwaukee Mile. I feel like I can return to the track and have a great finish for our AM Racing team.

“We’ve had a great week promoting the team and our partners in New York and with just six races left on the schedule, it’s incredibly important to make the best out of every opportunity.

“I feel really good about the race car we are bringing to the track and I am hopeful we are able to contend for a top-five finish on Sunday afternoon.”

On 2023 Season: “The season is starting to slowly windle down and I think we can really press the attack and make some noise the rest of the season.

“In my first full season as a full-time driver, I have learned a lot. I have a great team around me that believes and supports me and we have incredible partners that allow us to be at the track every week.

“Over the next month and a half or so, “I am focused on doing my part to ensure we leave the track every weekend with the best finish possible. Every race isn’t perfect, but limiting mistakes and capitalizing on the opportunity will hopefully propel us forward as we inch closer to the second half of the season.

“We have shown speed, finesse, led laps, and put ourselves in contention to win a race. I’m hopeful we can achieve everything we set out to do by October.”

Race Information:

The Sprecher 150 (100 laps | 100 miles) is the 15th of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series schedule in the 71st consecutive ARCA season Practice begins Saturday, August 26 from 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying in a timed session will begin a short time later at 4:00 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag the next afternoon, Sunday, August 27 shortly after 1:00 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while also streaming on FloRacing. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) will handle the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.

About AM Racing:

AM Racing is a multi-tiered, multi-faceted Motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C.

Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.

The family-owned team will compete in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and various Dirt Modified events in its seventh year of competition.

The team has named Brett Moffitt, Christian Rose and Austin Wayne Self as their primary drivers for the 2023 Xfinity, ARCA Menards Series and Dirt Modified seasons respectively.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.: It will be a busy weekend for ARCA Menards Series rookie Frankie Muniz and his Rette Jones Racing team.

First, the Mooresville, N.C.-based team treks to the Finger Lakes region of New York, set to do battle in the final road course race of the season in Friday afternoon’s General Tire 100 at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International.

Two days later, Muniz will embrace his first ARCA race on dirt at the Illinois State Fairgrounds for the Dutch Boy 100.

Both races present an opportunity for the popular freshman driver and, more importantly, a chance to rebound from last Friday night’s performance at the Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, where the former Malcom in the Middle television actor struggled to find the perfect balance on the tight-quartered short track, leaving the No. 30 Rette Jones Racing team with an 11th place finish at the checkered flag.

Despite the disappointment of their Indianapolis showing, Muniz is recharged, returning to a road course and ready to tackle Watkins Glen for the first time in an ARCA car and improve on his sixth-place road course showing at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last month.

“I have been ready to get back in the car since a few hours after we took the checkered flag at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park,” said Muniz. “Yes, the race didn’t go right, but I still learned a lot, and that performance will make me a better driver for the long haul.

“I am excited to return to a road course this weekend and the opportunity to turn lefts and rights as such an iconic track in New York. I expect the race to be extremely competitive, but I think we will make strong gains from the practice to qualifying and then the race that will allow us to contend for our second top-five finish of the season.”

Watkins Glen does open the door for Muniz and his Mark Rette-led team to pull off an upset and score their first ARCA Menards Series win together. Still, the Scottsdale, Ariz. native also knows everything will have to line up perfectly to pave that way to Victory Lane.

“The road courses have been races that I have circled as opportunities for our No. 30 Rette Jones Racing team to go out and not only challenge for a top-five but contend for the win,” added Muniz. “We had a lot of good speed at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course but didn’t have the track position we needed to capitalize.

“There’s so much race experience you inhale – what works and does not work with these ARCA cars. I feel a bit more confident heading to Watkins Glen.”

Muniz plans to go with the flow as far as his inaugural debut on dirt.

“The dirt races will probably be my biggest learning curve of the 2023 season,” he admitted. “I’m not sure what to expect. We don’t have much practice time either for me to get comfortable, so I need to stay positive and let the race come to us.

“We just need to improve from the moment we unload to the checkered flag and then apply what I learned to DuQuoin in a few weeks. We’re at that busy stretch of the ARCA season, but I’m happy to embrace all these different types of tracks and improve my craft.”

For the first time this season, Muniz and Rette Jones Racing will display the AvAir colors for the 13th ARCA Menards Series race of the season at Watkins Glen.

AvAir is a global leader in aviation inventory solutions. We develop and implement expert strategies for recapturing capital and ensuring operators have the components they need for their individual aircraft or fleets.

Serving over 3,100 clients, our fully customized solutions and agile services are available in the U.S. and 127 countries worldwide.

AvAir’s unrivaled purchasing power, highly competitive pricing, and operations that meet the most stringent certifications are the source of our exceptional industry reputation and what makes us a preferred provider for a wide range of clients.

With over 26 million in-stock rotable and consumable components for Boeing, Airbus, regional, business, and military aircraft fleets, we can deliver the parts you need on demand.

“I’m very excited and honored to bring a new marketing partner to the ARCA Menards Series in AvAir,” added Muniz. “AvAir is a global leader, and we are putting them on a national stage on Friday night to bring attentiveness to a great company whose strategies and reputation speak for themselves.

“The car looks great and I’m ready to wheel our No. 30 AvAir Ford Mustang.”

Former ARCA championship-winning crew chief and co-owner Mark Rette has been highly impressed with Muniz’s performances in the first 12 races of the year. He looks forward to seeing him strengthen his craft in his Watkins Glen debut on Friday afternoon.

“We all feel good about heading to a track where we know Frankie will feel comfortable,” offered Rette. “I think the track layout will fit into Frankie’s wheelhouse and he will have the opportunity to showcase his road racing skills and put our No. 30 AvAir Ford Mustang at the front of the field.

“Sunday’s race on the dirt will be a tough learning curve for Frankie, but I think he will be fine. We don’t expect him to set the world on fire. We want him to be smooth and consistent. If we can do that, we should come out with a strong finish and a good outlook to DuQuoin on Labor Day weekend.”

Entering Watkins Glen, Muniz sits second in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 98 markers behind championship leader Jesse Love with eight races remaining.

Rette Jones Racing stands a respectable fifth in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings.

Since 2023, Muniz has 12 ARCA Menards Series starts to his credit, with a career-best finish of fifth at Michigan International Speedway in August 2023. In all, Muniz has delivered one top-five and eight top-10 finishes overall. He also maintains an average finishing position of 9.5 in his inaugural year of stock car competition.

For more on AvAir, please visit AvAir.aero and our Instagram (@AvAir.aero).

For more on Frankie Muniz, please visit munizracing.com, like him on Facebook (FrankieMuniz4) and follow him on Instagram (@frankiemuniz4) and Twitter (@frankiemuniz).

For more on Rette Jones Racing, please visit RetteJonesRacing.com, like them on Facebook (Rette Jones Racing), or follow them on Instagram (@RetteJones30) and Twitter (@RetteJones30).

The General Tire 100 (41 laps | 100.45 miles) is the 13th of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series schedule in the 71st consecutive ARCA season. Practice begins Friday, August 18 from 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying in a timed session will begin a short time later at 4:15 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 6:00 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while also streaming on FloRacing. The Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) will handle the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.

The Dutch Boy 100 (100 laps | 100 miles) is the 14th of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series schedule in the 71st consecutive ARCA season. Practice begins Sunday, August 20 from 10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. General Tire pole qualifying will begin a short time later at 11:15 a.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 1:00 p.m. (2:00 p.m. ET). The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while also streaming on FloRacing. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.

About Rette Jones Racing:

Headquartered in Mooresville, North Carolina, Rette Jones Racing (RJR) was founded in 2015 with the intent of building a successful racing operation built around the fundamentals of hard work and a never-give-up attitude.

Owned by racers Terry Jones and Mark Rette, RJR plans to field a full-time entry in 2023 in the ARCA Menards Series, while also planning to field vehicles in the ARCA Menards Series East respectively.

The winning ARCA team also offers technical and setup intel as part of its technical alliance partnership program.