Category: Other Series PR

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Friday, Dec. 21, 2012) — Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and INDYCAR announced today that Bridgestone Americas’ Firestone brand will remain the sole tire supplier to the IZOD IndyCar Series through the 2018 race season.

“Firestone performance and safety have been synonymous with Indy car racing for more than 100 years,” said Al Speyer, executive director, Firestone Racing. “We are excited about the opportunity to continue the ongoing success of this series by extending the Firestone brand’s history in the sport through the 2018 season. We treasure the relationships we have fostered with the league, drivers, owners and various other partners involved with the sport through the years, and look forward to continuing our legacy of high performance for which Firestone tires are known.”

Firestone has supplied tires to the IZOD IndyCar Series since the league began in 1996, and this announcement confirms the Firestone brand’s participation in the 100^th running of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race in 2016. As part of the partnership extension, the Firestone brand will increase its commitment to and investments in the series to help maximize the growth potential of the series.

“The Firestone brand’s significant contributions to IZOD IndyCar Series racing are the result of more than 100 years of experience competing in this sport, most recently as part of a continuous 22-year partnership,” said Jeff Belskus, interim president and CEO, INDYCAR. “The agreement expands our opportunity to continue working together to provide on-track excitement for our fans and grow the sport through coordinated and consistent off-track promotions. This is an important relationship for both Firestone and INDYCAR and we are very pleased to continue the association.”

The expanded agreement begins in 2014, and includes tires and technical support, investments in advertising, event promotions, at-track signage, hospitality, race title sponsorships and other programs. Specific details of the agreement and relationship will be announced next year.

The title sponsorship and official tire status of the Firestone Indy Lights series will run through 2013.

“Our partnership with the IZOD IndyCar Series is based on mutual respect and benefit to all parties. Our agreement to move forward together is a manifestation of the business value we both realize from this partnership as well as the legacy of safety and performance that we have built together over a century of experience,” said Speyer.

“We are proud to continue our tradition of exceptional support for the IndyCar Series. One of our future aims is to help grow interest, so we look forward to welcoming a new generation of fans to the sport while at the same time energizing the existing loyal fan base. Fans are the true end customer for both INDYCAR and Firestone, and their engagement is fundamental to our mutual future success.”

The IZOD IndyCar Series 2013 schedule includes 16 tracks with doubleheader race weekends at Belle Isle Park in Detroit; in Toronto, Canada; and at Reliant Park in Houston, Texas.

In addition to the partnership with the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Firestone brand will be the official tire of the race season kickoff — the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach in Long Beach, Calif.

In keeping with tradition, Firestone will remain the Official Tire of the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race. Firestone also will continue as the title sponsor of the Firestone 550 at Texas Motor Speedway in June.

[media-credit name=”Cunningham Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”345″][/media-credit]MOORESVILLE, N.C. – December 20, 2012) – Anderson Bowen, a 15-year-old rookie from Suwanee, Georgia, has announced plans to run three ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards short track races in 2013 with Cunningham Motorsports.

Cunningham will also be fielding Bowen in two NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races. In addition, he will compete in a full Super Late Model racing schedule with his family’s Anderson Bowen Racing team.

During his 2012 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour season, he was awarded the 2012 Rookie of the Year honors.  Bowen’s path to the ARCA Racing Series has included the 2010 Southern Pro Challenge Series Championship, the 2010 AMS (Atlanta Motor Speedway) Winter Series and Winter Flurry Championship, and the 2009 QMA (Quarter Midget Association) National Championship.

Bowen completed his 2012 season at the 45th annual Snowball Derby weekend at Pensacola, Florida’s Five Flags Speedway on December 1.  With a lot of the nation’s top short track racers and many NASCAR drivers in attendance, Bowen achieved a great accomplishment when he qualified for the Snowflake 100, one of the two main features.  Momentum from his team’s JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Rookie of the Year award and a victory in Georgia at Watermelon Capital Speedway a few weeks prior to his season finale, gave Bowen the confidence to earn a 12th place finish in the Snowflake 100.

Bowen’s first ARCA race with Cunningham Motorsports will be the second race of the season at Mobile Int’l Speedway on March 9.  He’ll follow that up with the next event on tour at Salem Speedway, and wrap up his ARCA schedule at Madison Int’l Speedway in late August. Bowen also plans to run both NASCAR K&N Pro Series East races at Iowa Speedway with the Cunningham organization. Bowen will have guidance from veteran NASCAR champion crew chief, Paul Andrews, for his ARCA Racing Series races.  Andrews was the crew chief for Alan Kulwicki’s 1992 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship season.

Follow Cunningham Motorsports on twitter @cunningham_race

[media-credit name=”ARCARacing.com” align=”alignright” width=”345″][/media-credit](TOLEDO, Ohio – December 21, 2012) – So who wants to put their name in the record books as the winner of the 50th annual Daytona ARCA 200? Apparently, lots of people do. Just a week after the annual three-day ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards open test from Daytona Int’l Speedway, series officials have assembled the first look at the official entry list.

Already ARCA’s biggest prize, this year’s Daytona event will carry even more meaning as the 50th anniversary race for the ARCA Racing Series at Daytona.

ARCA’s history at Daytona reaches back to 1964 when Bill France, Sr. invited John Marcum’s Midwest Association for Race Cars (MARC) to race on the 2.5-mile superspeedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The event would mark the very first superspeedway race for the expanding Midwestern-based tour.

France also made a suggestion to Marcum regarding his MARC tour now that the “World Center of Racing” would be on the schedule. It was France’s opinion that Marcum should consider changing the name from MARC to something that would reflect a series more national scope. Together, they came up with, ‘Automobile Racing Club of America’ (ARCA), and the rest is history.

Daytona, as history would show, would pave the way for many more superspeedway events, including one at Charlotte Motor Speedway (Curtis Turner/winner) that served as the season finale for the ’64 season.

Nelson Stacy won the inaugural Daytona ARCA race, which debuted as a 250-miler. However, Stacy was not officially the first ARCA winner at Daytona. That distinction would go to Earl Balmer, who won a 50-mile qualifying race the day before the big show.

There were actually two 50-mile qualifying races that led to the ultimate 250-mile big prize event, won by Balmer and Jack Bowsher. Much like NASCAR utilizes the 125-mile qualifiers to help determine the starting grid for the Daytona 500, ARCA, back then, staged twin qualifers to set the starting line-up.

So, technically, Balmer won the first ARCA race at Daytona on February 7, 1964, and Bowsher won the second 50-mile qualifier that immediately followed. However, it would be Stacy who would etch his name in the record books as winner of the inaugural ‘Daytona ARCA 250′ on February 8.

ARCA’s qualifying races were reduced to just 25-mile sprints in 1965, and remained that way through the 1967 season. In 1968, France and Marcum decided to eliminate the qualifying races altogether, and as a result, increased the race distance to 300 miles. The race distance remained at 300 miles up until 1974, when it was reduced to 200 miles, which it’s been ever since.

While Bowsher would eventually go on to win the ‘big race’ at Daytona, Balmer, Neil Castles (1967), Les Snow (1967) and Jack Lawrence (1966) could still rightfully call themselves Daytona winners as victors of ARCA’s qualifying races in the early days. And that’s still worth bragging about.

Entry List

[media-credit name=”ARCARacing.com” align=”alignright” width=”345″][/media-credit](TOLEDO, Ohio – December 18, 2012) – To see Daytona from the sidelines is one thing. To see it from the driver’s chair is quite another, and one thing the 2012 ARCA Touring Series champions will never forget.

“The Road to Daytona”, an ARCA initiative that offers champions from the ARCA CRA Super Series, the ARCA Midwest Tour, and the ARCA Allegiant Air Gold Cup Series the chance to test during ARCA’s open test at Daytona Int’l Speedway was an overwhelming success this past weekend.

And it was helped made possible by ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards champion Andy Hillenburg, whose Fast Track High Performance Driving School provided the cars while Roush Yates provided the engines.

“All I can say is wow,” said ARCA CRA Super Series champ Johnny VanDoorn.

“I don’t think anyone can explain the rush until you feel it yourself. I’m just grateful for all that has transpired this weekend and I really have a great appreciation for what ARCA is trying to do to build short track racing for these two

tours and the drivers within them. I’m honored to be a part of all of this and this pretty much tops off my Christmas.”

Jonathan Eilen, the 2012 ARCA Midwest Series champion, had a similar reaction.

“From the minute we drove through the tunnel I thought, how can this be happening?” Look at this place, I mean, how many people actually get to experience this opportunity in their racing career, Eilen said.

“All the years that our family has been coming down here and now it’s reality. The experience of this whole thing is amazing and I never envisioned being able to go this fast; it’s a new step in my career.”

Andy Hillenburg, a two-time ARCA Daytona winner and the 1995 Series champion, spearheaded the Road to Daytona experience for each ARCA touring series champion. His Fast Track High Performance Driving School, ARCA’s Official Driving School, provided the cars and support for the test.

“This new relationship with ARCA and the Midwest tour is going to be special,” added Eilen. “I can’t thank all of the parties involved enough for what they have done in such little time. I can’t wait to see all of the good things about to come in the future, this will give us something to talk about during the off season.”

Roush Yates, in full support of ARCA’s Road to Daytona, supplied the ARCA spec restrictor plate engine lease for the weekend.

“We commend ARCA for taking the initiative to develop their upcoming drivers,” said Doug Yates, CEO of Roush Yates. “Roush Yates is proud to power these standout racers as they compete to run on ARCA’s most prominent track.”

ARCA Allegiant Air Gold Cup Series champion Dakota Carlson opened up the three-day test among the three drivers on Friday, opening day.

“It was a little hairy at first, but after the first run it was awesome,” Carlson said.

“I have a whole new respect for how busy those guys are in the car to run in the draft. We had a great family vacation and it’s been a great experience. Andy (Hillenburg) was awesome to work with. Makes me want to win the ARCA Allegiant Air Gold Cup Late Model Series championship again in 2013 so I can come back.”

Cup Driver Burton Joins Forces With Respected Quarter Midget Organization

CONCORD, NC (December 19, 2012) – Jeff Burton Autosports, Inc., and Robbie Stanley Racing, Inc., announced today that the two entities have partnered to create an easier way for families to get started in the sport of quarter midget racing.

The new alliance brings together Jeff Burton, a noted successful NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver who has been a part of many technological advances in NASCAR, and Ryan and Ron Stanley, respected leaders in innovation and supporters in the quarter midget world since 1977.

The goal of the new “Robbie Stanley Racing” joint venture is to provide youngsters a simple, easy and effortless way to compete in quarter midget racing, and to provide easy access to state-of-the-art quarter midget race cars and the very best, ground-breaking products at affordable pricing.

“I have a huge passion for quarter midget racing,” said Burton, whose 12-year-old son Harrison has competed in the open-wheel series since he was five. “We want to expose the sport to families and let them try it out. We are going to have the best original parts, the best service, the best pricing, and we will make it easier for beginners to get started in the sport, and help the ones at the top of their game become better.

“Ryan and Ron have the best reputation of anyone in the sport. Ask any family who has ever needed help at the track, and they will tell you that the Stanleys are always willing to lend a hand. We all want to educate people about a sport that is a ‘best kept secret.’”

Quarter midget racing has been around for more than 50 years. Both USAC (United States Auto Club) and QMA (Quarter Midgets of America) sanction many race tracks (1/20 mile ovals) across the country. The series allows families to spend time together, and the young drivers (5 to 16 years old) help work on the race cars (1/4 the size of full-size midget cars) and see what it takes to be successful. They learn skills and sportsmanship, providing lessons in life.

“That is why we are going to make it easy for racers to find whatever parts and pieces they need. We want the sport to continue to grow nationwide, and for other families to see what they are missing,” said Ryan Stanley, ” of RSR, which is based in Concord, NC. “We will completely upgrade to a state-of-the-art website (www.robbiestanleyracing.com) to make it simple for customers to get the items they need quickly and in an efficient way. We also have dealers across the country who will carry our products as well (check website for locations).

“Jeff has seen motorsports from pretty much every aspect. He built race cars as a youngster and has driven for nearly 40 years. His knowledge of technology used at the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series level only helps us. We will be able to learn from his experience, his expertise, vision and desire to be the best. This partnership will help take us to the next level.”

The website is being revamped so that anyone can easily maneuver their way on the site to find the items they are in need of. In addition to showcasing hard-to-find products, the web will also showcase tutorials to educate the novice on the specifics of quarter midget race cars. There will also be additional education videos to assist each customer.

The new Robbie Stanley Racing will be the number one outlet – anything quarter midgets – and will offer “exclusive” items that won’t be able to be purchased anywhere else. Inventory will be large, offering more parts and pieces with the best prices.

“We want to see the sport grow,” said Ron Stanley, Ryan’s father, who started the business. “Seems like we have been in business forever and we have always tried to do the right thing with our customers. We certainly have good intentions with this endeavor.

“Jeff has some great ideas, and knows a lot of people throughout all forms of motorsports. He will be able to help us get in new doors to ultimately help make our sport better. He knows and understands what families need to be in quarter midget racing. He brings a technological savvy to our organization. We have some great things coming down the pipe.”

Many recognizable names in motorsports today got their start in quarter midget racing. Some include: NASCAR Champions’ Jeff Gordon, Terry and Bobby Labonte, and this year’s titlist Brad Keselowski, along with legendary, four-time Indy 500 winner A. J. Foyt and 1996 Indy Car Series Champion Jimmy Vasser.

A quarter midget car is a scaled-down version of an actual midget racer, approximately ¼ scale. The cars are built around a tubular frame and are fully suspended with springs or torsion bars and shocks. The bodies are fiberglass and the driver is surrounded by roll cage and nerf bars.

To learn more about how to get involved in quarter midget racing, contact the new Robbie Stanley Racing via website at www.robbiestanleyracing.com, or by phone at (704)-STANLEY (782-6539).

[media-credit name=”Venturini Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Concord, NC (December 17, 2012) — Three days of open testing for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at Daytona Int’l Speedway came to a conclusion Sunday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway with a total of 61 drivers posting time during the weekend.

While several veteran teams and drivers utilized the open test in preparation for the 2013 season opener, several rookies circled the 2.5-mile superspeedway in search of seat-time with the intention to gain approval to compete in ARCA competition. Given the success of the test, ARCA’s newest rookie crop is off to a very good and safe start.

Venturini Motorsports, in all Toyotas, led the leader board in six separate sessions during which New Castle, Indiana rookie Caleb Armstrong posted the fastest speed overall. He was followed by rookie Justin Boston, veteran John Wes Townley and rookie Taylor Ferns.

“As a driver there is no doubt Daytona is the place to be,” Armstrong said. “I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited to see my progress in making the transition from open wheel to stock cars. The team has been totally supportive and given me really good equipment.”

Venturini Motorsports also provided some ‘really good equipment’ for Boston, who was second quickest overall.

“Obviously there are a lot of variables here but we’ve been able to quickly create a strong baseline and develop a lot of synergy,” said Boston.

“This is new territory for everyone, but the Venturinis prove year after year they can quickly adapt and make it real comfortable to fit in and find speed.”

Boston, with title sponsorship from ZLOOP (Electronic Recycling), announced recently a full season in the No. 25 Venturini Motorsports flagship machine. Daytona will mark his ARCA Racing Series debut.

“It’s an honor and privilege to drive at Daytona. This place is the real deal. No other place I’d rather make my series debut than here at Daytona. It’s true what they say – all roads do lead to Daytona.” 

About Venturini Motorsports 
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars in the ARCA Racing Series, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. The 2012 season marks the team’s 30th Anniversary of competition in the ARCA Series. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports.

Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Steve Arpin, Brian Scott, Max Gresham, Miguel Paludo, Josh Richards, Ryan Blaney, John Wes Townley, Scott Lagasse, Jr., and Kevin Swindell.

Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com  |  Twitter @VenturiniMotor  |  Facebook: Venturini Motorsports

[media-credit name=”Venturini Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”250″][/media-credit]Daytona Beach, FL (December 14, 2012) — One week removed from the 2012 ARCA Racing Series Awards banquet the series is already back on-track at Daytona International Speedway for weekend testing in preparation for the series opener on February 16th, 2013.

Venturini Motorsports returns to the track revitalized and ready to go with four drivers (including 3-rookies) entered into the weekend’s open test session.

Veteran driver John Wes Townley is back with the team testing his No.15 ZAXBY’s Toyota. Leading the rookie trio of drivers this weekend at Daytona is 23-year old Justin Boston. Boston signed on during the offseason to drive VMS’s flagship No.25 ZLOOP (Computer & Electronics Recycling Centers) Toyota.

Making their Daytona on-track debuts this weekend with Venturini is 20-year old Caleb Armstrong and 17-year old Taylor Ferns. Both drivers will be splitting time this weekend in the No.55 VMS Toyota. Ferns, who celebrated her birthday earlier this week, is the youngest competitor on the track this weekend.

ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of testing throughout the day on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Make sure to also follow Venturini Motorsports on twitter at @venturinimotor for updates. 

About Venturini Motorsports 
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars in the ARCA Racing Series, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. The 2012 season marks the team’s 30th Anniversary of competition in the ARCA Series. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports.

Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Steve Arpin, Brian Scott, Max Gresham, Miguel Paludo, Josh Richards, Ryan Blaney, John Wes Townley, Scott Lagasse, Jr., and Kevin Swindell.

Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com  |  Twitter @VenturiniMotor  |  Facebook: Venturini Motorsports