Category: Other Series PR

MARNE, Michigan (August 9, 2012) – – Lakeville Minnesota’s Win-Tron Racing has been a predominant fixture in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards for the past five years. During that time, the potent single-car operation has sailed young drivers to victory lane, their first time in victory lane.

This Saturday as the tour returns to the Great Lakes state of Michigan for the running of the Berlin ARCA 200 presented by Hantz, the team not only returns as the defending champion but also a serious threat to record back-to-back victories at the 0.4-mile paved oval.

Should the team led by Mark Rette be able to pull off such a feat, it would mark the second consecutive year that Win-Tron Racing has hoisted a first time winner in victory lane at the short track nestled on the outskirts of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mason Mingus, the promising rookie from Brentwood, Tennessee returns to the helm of the No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet Impala.

In their last outing together two races ago at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, Mingus proved just how much he’s learned this season as he climbed from his eighth place qualifying position to race inside the top-five before late race contact shuffled the driver back to a 10thplace finish.   Even though the group didn’t post the finish they knew that they deserved, the morale has remained high as the team is eager for the 15thrace of the season.

“I feel really good about Berlin,” said Mingus. “We are coming off a race that we should have won had a couple of things gone our way. I think not just myself but everyone on the Win-Tron Racing team is ready to go to track this weekend and carry the momentum over from Lucas Oil Raceway.”

While the teenager has yet to see the track for himself – the youngster knows that he’ll have to rely on the experience of his team through the early stages of the day.

“Berlin’s another track that I’ve yet to see with my own eyes, but I’ll be okay,” he said. “The odds aren’t against us this weekend – despite the facts. Together, we’re the defending champions of this race and we hope we don’t have to relinquish that rein just yet. There’s no question in my mind that I’ll get the hang of the place quickly and we’ll be ready to fight in the No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet once that green flag drops Saturday night.”

Set to make his ninth start of the year and eyeing his sixth top-10 thus far, Mingus has been content with the progress he’s made. But, the soon-to-be High School senior admits he is still aiming for more.

“I think as a driver, you always are a little harder on yourself than some others may be, but that just gives you the drive to fight,” he said. “I’m real happy with the way our season has gone – but I don’t think I’ll be satisfied until we have a trophy in our hands. I’m hoping that time comes this weekend.”

For the eighth time this year, the 17-year old standout will be carrying the likes of Call 811 Before You Dig, which has been with him since his inception into the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

“I can’t begin to thank Call 811 Before You Dig for their support of me on the ARCA Racing Series tour this season,” added Mingus. “We’ve had some really good runs and gained them some attention – but our goal remains focused on making others aware of what Call 811 Before You Dig is all about and how their program works. At a track like Berlin anything can and will happen, so I think as long as I can keep the car out of trouble, we should have a shot at bringing home the checkered flag for them and all of our partners at Win-Tron Racing”

Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his sentiments on his protégés tango with Berlin Raceway. “After Lucas Oil Raceway, we’re amped for Berlin. We celebrated last year with Matt Merrell as a first time winner in the ARCA Racing Series and it would be no surprise to me whatsoever if Mason was able to do the same this weekend. He knows what he wants in these cars now and that was a clear indicator at Lucas Oil. Hopefully, this will be a weekend that we won’t soon forget.”

On top of Berlin Raceway, Mingus’s current ARCA schedule also includes Madison (Wisc.) International Speedway, Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield) and the traditional Fall Salem (Ind.) Speedway classic.

In addition to Call 811 Before You Dig, Diamond Equipment will leap aboard the team as an associate marketing partner for Mingus’s 10th-career ARCA start.

The Berlin ARCA 200 presented by Hantz(200 laps / 88 miles) is the 15th of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 25th ARCA race at Berlin is a one-day show. Practice begins Saturday, August 11 with a forty-five minute practice session planned from 2:00 p.m. – 2:45 p.m. A final practice is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag under the lights shortly after 8:30 p.m.  The race will not be televised but additional coverage including a radio broadcast and timing and scoring will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.comor contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641

Learn about Call 811 Before You Dig and what it can do for you by connecting to call811.com.

For more on Mason Mingus, please visit MasonMingusRacing.com.

 

About Win-Tron Racing:

Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus and Aleks Gregory.

 

About Call 811 Before You Dig:

811 (call811.com) is the new number you should call before you begin any digging project. A new, federally-mandated national “Call Before You Dig” number, 811 was created to help protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects. People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects. These assumptions can be life-threatening. Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.

Concord, NC (August 10, 2012) — Two-time Venezuelan driving champion Nelson Canache is starting to click in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. Entering the 2012 ARCA season Canache had virtually no oval track experience and relied heavily on his driving instinct to navigate around his new surroundings.

During a rookie season of highs and lows Canache is on an upward swing as of late, which is evident during his last few series starts for Venturini Motorsports claiming career highs in both qualifying and race finishes. In 14 career series starts Canache is averaging a 19th place finish in competition. However, in just his last three races he has improved his average to a 10th place finishing spot.

Canache’s improvement can easily be associated with becoming more familiar with his team and getting more seat time, but a lot of his recent success can be attributed to the guidance he’s receiving off the track from former NASCAR Nationwide and Venturini team driver, Sean Caisse.

“I’m not surprised with his improvement – the more laps he runs the better he’s going to get. Nelson is a true student of his trade and his work ethic on and off the track is starting to pay dividends. Running ARCA is a huge transition for him and I think early in the season he put a lot of pressure on himself to succeed. He obviously has tremendous talent or he wouldn’t be here. Nelson and I have built a strong relationship and foundation which is so important for him trusting my judgement. Finishing races and seat time will continue to strengthen his confidence which is a baseline necessity in any competitive sport. I am more than confident Nelson Canache will be contender to win races in the near future” says Sean Caisse.

Canache’s career best ARCA performance was turned in last month at Chicagoland Speedway as he qualified third in his No.66 Venezuelan Tourism car and finished the race in seventh after running up front the entire day.

Canache’s road continues this weekend when the series returns to short track racing Saturday night in the ARCA 200 presented by the Hanz Group at Berlin Raceway just outside Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The Berlin ARCA 200 presented by Hantz Group will start at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 11, with live timing and scoring and live audio coverage available at ARCARacing.com. Practice for the 200-lap race will take place that afternoon from 2-2:45 and 3:15-4, with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell following at 5 p.m. ARCA Racing Series drivers will participate in an autograph session – open to all fans – at 6:15. The race will be the 15th of 20 this season.

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, and Scott Lagasse, Jr.

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

POCONO, Pennsylvania (August 5, 2012) – – Everyone knew it wasn’t a matter of if, but when. New Philadelphia Ohio’s Chad Hackenbracht soared to his first career ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory Saturday afternoon at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway after a gutsy call from crew chief Kevin Reed proved to be pivotal in the team’s first triumph in the Pennsylvania ARCA 125.

Already dubbed as a pre-race favorite after finishing second just two months prior at the 2.5-mile triangle, the CGH Motorsports team focused on dialing in their No. 58 CGH Motorsports Chevrolet during the lone practice session on Friday afternoon. After landing sixth overall, the team conferred about changes leading into Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell.

In typical Hackenbracht fashion, the 20-year old stepped it up in time trials and netted the fifth place starting spot for the 50-lap dash that awaited the team on Saturday afternoon.

The green flag flew shortly after 3:00 p.m. with the sponsorless No. 58 Chevrolet making some bold maneuvers for track position by passing the cars of A.J. Henriksen, Ryan Reed and Chris Buescher to move into the runner-up position by the completion of lap one.

A loose racecar stalled Hackenbracht’s ability to maintain the second spot early on as he fell back to fourth by lap three. By lap four, Hackenbracht was able to move back past Buescher to move into third until lap five when both Buescher and nine time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel were able to pass him. Settling for fifth at the moment, the first and only caution of the 50-lap dash would waive on lap seven when Michael Levine spun in turn one. Under the yellow, Reed instructed his driver to bring his car to pit lane for their only planned stop in the 14th race of the season.

Taking on four new tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment to help his entry into the corner, Hackenbracht would restart the event in the 24th position on lap 12. Utilizing patience and guidance from spotter Joel Edmonds, Hackenbracht would methodically and quietly begin working his way back towards the top-10. Ten laps following the restart, Hackenbracht moved himself up 10 positions passing the No. 99 of Brandon Davis for 14th.

Knowing that the field would have to make a mandatory pit stop by lap 40, the driver was coached by Reed to save his tires and stay focused – little did the field know that Hackenbracht was sitting in the cat bird’s seat. By lap 29, Hackenbracht found himself back in the top-10 by passing the No. 32 of Matt Merrell and trying to stalk the No. 66 of Nelson Canache Jr. for ninth.

Still under green flag conditions, the leaders would soon have to make their required trip to pit lane. By lap 40, all of the leaders including pole sitter Brennan Poole had made their way to pit road, soaring Hackenbracht to the top of the leaderboard by lap 39.

Hackenbracht completed lap 40 with more than 25 seconds on Poole. Throughout the final 10 laps it was picture perfect for the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team as he cruised to his first career victory while also becoming the 10th different winner and third first time recipient in the ARCA Racing Series this year.

“I’m not sure what to think,” Hackenbracht said. Jokingly he continued, “You know, my parents weren’t able to make it to this race so we don’t know if they’re going to make to any of the other ones now. My dad’s back at home with a bad back, so I’ve got to say thanks to him and everything they’ve done. (Crew chief) Kevin Reed’s strategy played out great. In the past, every time we get in the lead and have the chance to win we have something go wrong. Those last 10 laps, I was just waiting for the caution. Finally, everything played into our hands and we finally got our first win and got the monkey off our back. I hope we’ll have many more to come.”

He added, “I just want to thank the guys on this race team, Kevin (Reed), John (Lanham) and Richie (Mason) and everyone else who helps us get to the race track every week. We don’t have a lot to work with and obviously, we don’t have any sponsorship, maybe this will open some opportunities. This is just amazing.”

Reed offered his sentiments on Saturday’s emotional victory. “This CGH Motorsports team has more heart and desire to do what we do more than anyone in the garage,” he sounded. “Even though we’ve been knocked down on several occasions – we rose up to the occasion again at Pocono and finally achieved our goal,” he sounded. “There are a lot of people that have helped us in numerous ways and we appreciate it sincerely. Hopefully this is the first of many. It’s been pretty overwhelming of all the support and congratulations we have received from friends, relatives and our peers. We are looking forward to the rest of the year as wins are our only concern and we are as prepared as we can be for the last six races.”

Saturday’s contest was the first ARCA Racing Series event his parents had missed in his 42nd career start through three years. In those outings, he has scored one pole, one win, seven top-fives and 19 top-10 finishes. His margin of victory was 13.453 seconds over Poole. Previously, the team had finished second, twice this season at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway eight weeks earlier.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is the Berlin ARCA 200 presented by Hantz at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway on Saturday, August 11. Last July, Hackenbracht finished fifth at the .4-mile paved oval. Unofficially, Hackenbracht will enter the 15th race of the season this upcoming week fifth in the championship standings.

CGH Motorsports still has marketing partnerships available for the 2012 ARCA Racing Series season. Interested parties can contact Jordan Dahl at Jordan@cghmotorsports.comor 570.234.5449.

For more information on Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports, please visit ChadHackenbracht.comand CGHMotorsports.com.

Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.

 

About CGH Motorsports:

CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team has stepped up their commitment from a partial schedule in 2010 and ran a full-effort in 2011, and will attempt another full season of competition in 2012.

LONG POND, Pennsylvania (August 6, 2012) – – After finishing 10th just eight weeks ago at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Josh Williams (@Josh02Williams) and his Josh Williams Motorsports (JWM) team were optimistic about their chances for a similar run in this past Saturday’s Pennsylvania ARCA 125 despite bringing a brand new No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Ford Fusion to the track known as “The Tricky Triangle.”

Unfortunately, on his Birthday weekend where Williams turned 19 on Friday, August 3, the team’s hopes of landing their fourth top-10 finish of the year were dashed in the early stages of the 50-lap shootout.

A respectable 17th in practice topped off with an impressive 15th place qualifying run for a family-owned team running on a skeleton budget, the team’s morale was riding high for the 14th race of the year.

Shortly after taking the green flag on Saturday afternoon, trouble struck the Concord, North Carolina-based team as on lap three while racing in a wad of cars inside the top-15, Williams keyed the microphone that he had no fuel pressure and had to come to pit road.

Dropping off the track in turn three, Williams coasted to pit lane where his team raised the hood on the No. 02 Southwest Florida Cable Construction Ford Fusion analyzed the situation and sent their driver back into competition.

Though a lap down to the competition, Williams would return to the racetrack gunning for every position available. The first and only caution of the day waived on lap seven when Michael Levine spun in turn one. The team elected to keep their driver on the race track restarting the race in the 31st position on lap 12 and the first car eligible for the “Lucky Dog”

With Williams posting respectable lap times, the team was prepared to ride the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 out and hope through attrition and competition that they would be able to battle back and salvage a decent finish.

Trouble would strike again for the Port Charlotte, Florida native as near the 25-lap mark, Williams reported the same issue again to his team forcing the teenager to duck off the 2.5-mile triangle and once again bring his blue oval to the attention of his team.

Quick but efficient work by the JWM team would return the Floridian to the racetrack but several laps down to the leaders. For the rest of the sprint, Williams gallantly fought to rise through the leaderboard and when the checkered flag waived, the team was left to swallow a disappointing 21st place finish.

“I swear – we have some of the worst luck,” Williams said. “We’re still not real sure what caused the fuel pressure issue. We’ll get the car unloaded back at the shop and dissect it in hopes of we can find the issue to make sure it never happens again. It’s a shame, because I felt we really had a pretty good racecar. Definitely worthy of a top-15 finish. This just has been the way our season has gone. Ups and downs. But, we’ll surge forward with our heads held high and look forward to getting back to some short track racing at Berlin Raceway.”

Before the start of the 14th race of the season, Williams was featured live on SPEED’s ARCA telecast as the Messina Rookie spotlight.

“That was pretty neat and when we found out about it on Friday, we were pretty pumped,” added Williams. “With no sponsorship, we can use any exposure we can get. I just wish we would have had a better finish to back-up the great things that Ray (Dunlap) said about our little team.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series is the Berlin ARCA 200 presented by Hantz at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway on Saturday, August 11. Williams and his posse will make their inaugural debut at the .4-mile paved oval in the Great Lakes States.

After 14 races, JWM has competed in 13 of them and unofficially occupies a respectable 13th in the championship standings. This season, the team has amounted three top-10 finishes including a season best of ninth at Salem (Ind.) Speedway and 10th at the treacherous Winchester (Ind.) Speedway. An 11th place qualifying run at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway in June is the team’s best time trials effort to date thus far.

For more information on Josh Williams, his Josh Williams Motorsports team and sponsorship opportunities for the 2012 and 2013 seasons please connect to the team’s official website at Joshwracing.com.

Williams has joined the Twitter crave. Follow and connect with him @Josh02Williams.

FRANK KIMMEL POCONO RACE RECAP

Driver of the No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota Camry  

ARCA RACING SERIES * PENNSYLVANIA ARCA 125 * POCONO RACEWAY    

Long Pond, PA. (August 5th, 2012) – On the heels of his landmark 75th victory at Indianapolis, Frank Kimmel continued his streak of stout summer performances with a 4th place finish at Pocono Raceway. The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ second appearance at the Pennsylvania Triangle featured a different complexion, as the event’s distance of 50 laps put a premium on track position and pit strategy.

Kimmel and the Ansell/Menards team were able to parlay a 7th place qualifying effort to run in the top five for the majority of the race. With only 50 laps to work with, Kimmel made quick work of the competition to crack the top five on lap one. Before the first and only caution on lap 7, Kimmel was able to fine tune his line to the Goodyear rubber coated racetrack and improved his lap times, setting his sights on the top three.

Kimmel moved into the top three on the ensuing restart at lap 14. The nine-time series champion ran lap times as fast as the leaders on a consistent basis before crew chief, Jeriod Prince, employed a pit strategy cognizant of track position, attempting to place Kimmel in a position to race for the win at race’s end. Kimmel came to the attention of the Thorsport Racing crew on lap 26 for a four tires and an air pressure adjustment to alleviate his loose condition. After battling a tight racecar in Friday’s practice, Kimmel fought a free racecar during the race’s opening fuel run.

Kimmel rejoined the fray outside the top fifteen, but was the first of the lead cars to hit pit road. Kimmel moved into the Lucky Dog position at lap 34, and back inside the top ten by lap 39. Once the cycle of green flag stops had circled back to the initial race leaders, Chad Hackenbracht, in the #58, assumed the lead by way of early race fuel strategy with Kimmel solidly in fourth.  Throughout the entire race weekend, the tire troubles from the June race were a concern, and came to the forefront yet again on lap 34 when Kimmel radioed a vibration. Down the final ten laps, Kimmel held Chris Buescher at bay for the 4th place finish and his fourth consecutive top five finish. The finish keeps Kimmel third in the championship point standings, now 80 points behind the leader, Brennan Poole.

No. 44 Ansell/Menards Toyota  “”We blistered the right rear tire a little bit again, so that is probably what caused the vibration on the second run. On sticker tires, the car was really free, and the whole second run, we were really free. We ran as fast as we did all day the last few laps, and the car started the come around. We learned more this weekend and should be able to apply what we learned to this racecar for the future. It’s always nice to have solid top five runs and stay in the thick of the points battle.”

 Race Recap:

Date: August 4th, 2012

Track: Pocono Raceway

Race:14 of 20

Started: 7th

Finished: 4th

Driver Championship Points Standings: 3rd

 

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE:   Berlin Raceway is the next stop on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards circuit on Saturday, August 11th. Berlin is one of the ARCA Racing Series’ most unique venues, challenging teams and drivers at all points on the .4 mile short track. The Berlin ARCA 200 presented by Hantz will mark the 1st of five consecutive races on tracks one mile or shorter. All on track activity will take place on Saturday, August 11th, with practice beginning at 2pm ET. Timing and scoring will be available on ARCAracing.com for Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Menards at 5pm ET and the 200 lap race at 8:30 pm ET.

2012 is the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards’ 60th Anniversary Season, featuring 20 races at 18 tracks. The complete 2012 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

LONG POND, Pennsylvania (August 6, 2012) – – In his ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards return, Matt Merrell negotiated a respectable 12th place finish in this past Saturday’s Pennsylvania ARCA 125 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway.

Returning on the tour for the first time in over a year, Merrell looked to enhance his already impressive resume at the track dubbed as “The Tricky Triangle.” Unlike his previous experiences at the 2.5-mile triangle, the Portland, Texas native would have fewer laps to accomplish the feat, not to mention a newly repaved surface.

In the first practice session, Merrell in the No. 32 Toyota of Scranton / Red Line Oil Toyota Camry negotiated the 12th fastest lap reporting to the crew chief Mark Rette that his automobile was fighting a tight condition. Adjustments were made and gains were accomplished during the lone practice session on Friday afternoon – but following practice, the duo felt that they were heading in the right direction.

In qualifying, the 27-year old picked up nearly three tenths of a second from his best practice lap to land his Lakeville, Minnesota-based team 11th for the 14th race of the year.

Immediately following the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race, the stars and cars of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards turned their attention towards their 50-lap stint which took the green flag shortly after 3:00 p.m.

Throughout the race, Merrell in his No. 32 Toyota of Scranton / Red Line Oil Toyota Camry flirted with the top-12. After starting 11th, Merrell hovered in that position through the race’s first and only caution which waived on lap seven when Michael Levine crashed in turn one. Riding in 11th, Merrell and Rette discussed the handling under the yellow which Merrell said that his car was tight throughout the racetrack.

When eventual winner Chad Hackenbracht pitted, Merrell rose from 11th to 10th but a good restart on lap 13 by the Texan allowed the No. 32 Toyota of Scranton / Red Line Oil Toyota Camry to stay tucked in with the lead group. While fighting to keep his place inside the top-10, Merrell made light contact with the wall on lap 15.

The driver reported to his crew that he did not believe that the car was hurt and the spotter confirmed Merrell’s intuition. Still battling a tight No. 32 Toyota of Scranton / Red Line Oil Toyota Camry, the former ARCA winner would have to keep plugging as the field continued to race under green flag conditions. With a mandatory pit stop having to be made by lap 40 to avoid a five lap penalty, the leaders started pitting on lap 27 with Rette electing to keep his driver out hoping for a caution.

With the field clean and green through lap 35, Rette instructed his driver to bring his Toyota to pit lane on lap 36 for initially two tires, fuel and a chassis adjustment. At the last moment, the call was made to switch from two tires to four with Merrell set to go to the checkered flag.

Despite a gallant effort by the team, they found themselves a lap down to Hackenbracht who pitted under the caution and remained on track during the long-green flag run; Merrell found himself trying to track down the No. 43 of Kyle Martel in the closing laps.

In the end, Merrell would run out of laps and take the checkered flag in 12th in his fourth career start at Pocono Raceway.

“Everyone on the Win-Tron Racing team really worked their tails off,” Merrell commented. “We were just tight throughout much of the weekend and Mark (Rette) made some great calls to get the car better – we just didn’t have enough laps to have everything fall into place for us to get a top-10 run. I just want to thank Nate (Thiesse, co car-owner) for allowing me the opportunity to come back and race as well as the folks and customers of Toyota of Scranton and Red Line Oil for jumping on-board with us this weekend. I hope to be back in the series again soon.”

Thiesse reflected on the weekend by saying, “Obviously, we’re thankful for Matt for giving it his all throughout the weekend for us,” he said. “When you have a short race like we had at Pocono, you have to be nearly perfect when you unload off the hauler. We weren’t there but Mark and the guys made great strides to try and make that happen. That’s commendable. We’ll take the 12th and move onto Berlin and hope we can repeat our trip to Victory Lane.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards in their 60th anniversary season is a trip Berlin (Mich.) Raceway for the running of the Berlin ARCA 200 presented by Hantz on Saturday night, August 11. Win-Tron Racing is the defending champion of the race after Merrell bolted to his first career victory last July at the .4-mile oval. Wrestler now turned racecar driver Mason Mingus will return to the seat for the ninth time in 2012.

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.comor contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641

 

About Win-Tron Racing:

Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus, Aleks Gregory and Merrell.

July 30, 2012.  Leader of the 2012 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series rookie of the year standings Napierville, QC racer Martin Roy can’t wait to return to action this weekend in the #90 Veloce/Gamache Truck Centre Dodge in front of the Quebec fans.  Also returning to action this weekend is teammate Isabelle Tremblay driver of the #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge.

 

With top ten results in all three western races including atop five result in Edmonton Roy is extremely proud of his team and looks forward to taking the next step of success.  “As both a driver and team owner I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished so far” said Roy.  “The confidence and momentum is building each week and we’re very happy to be back to race in front of the Quebec fans at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres this weekend.  And we couldn’t be making this progress without our sponsors at Veloce Gamache and Battery Expert ” he added.

 

Also back in action this weekend will be Roy’s teammate Isabelle Tremblay in the #07 Frank Lyman Design Dodge.  Last season’s runner up for rookie of the year is also poised for a strong weekend.  “Isabelle has been working very hard to be ready for this event” said Martin Roy.  “She’s been preparing physically, mentally and done a tremendous amount of work with her sponsor Frank Lyman Designs that will be featured on the hood of the car this weekend”.

 

Isabelle Tremblay herself is anxious to return to the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racing action.  “It’s been wonderful to work closely with our partners leading up to the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres” said Tremblay.  “Archibald and Arcopel have been very supportive of the team and I can’t wait to get back on track this weekend” she stated.

 

In addition to seeing them in action on the track, race fans will have plenty of opportunities to meet with drivers Martin Roy and Isabelle Tremblay beginning with an Autograph Session Wednesday, August 1^st at 2:30PM at the Agriculture Expo in St. Hyacinthe for Collete Sport.  “Both Martin and I are very excited to meet with the many race fans at the Expo and on the open day this Friday and all weekend a the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres” said Isabelle Tremblay

 

On track action opens Friday August 3^rd at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres.  Martin Roy & Isabelle Tremblay will be on track for their first practice Saturday August 4^th at 11AM and qualifying at 5:15PM.  The race will take place Sunday August 5^th at 3:30PM.  The race will also be shown on TSN Saturday August 11^th at 9:30PM and on RDS2 on Wednesday September 5^th at 10PM.

No. 44 Ansell/ Menards Toyota Camry

ARCA RACING SERIES – RACE 14 OF 20 – POCONO RACEWAY        

Coming off his 75th career win last Friday at Lucas Oil Raceway Park, Frank Kimmel returns to the Pocono Raceway looking for his second consecutive win and fourth career win at the Pennsylvania Triangle. Kimmel and the Ansell/Menards team enter the second Pocono event of 2012 riding a wave of impressive performances through the summer, and look to continue gaining on the championship point leaders.

In June, Kimmel battled back from a flat tire to finish 6th in the Pocono ARCA 200. Since the off weekend at the beginning of July, Kimmel has gained 95 points on the series point lead on the strength of three top five finishes. Leading up to his monumental 75th win, Kimmel scored a 5th place finish in Iowa and followed that effort up with an impressive 3rd at the Chicagoland Speedway. Kimmel and the #44 Thorsport Racing team come to Pocono to continue their momentum through the hot summer stretch of consecutive races, and look to improve on their effort in the June Pocono event.

Pocono Raceway has been the site of great success for the 75-time ARCA Racing Series race winner. Kimmel has scored three wins at the Tricky Triangle, the most recent of those coming in July 2006 when he won from the pole. In recent history, Kimmel has been a model of consistency at the 2.5 mile facility finishing inside the top ten in the last six consecutive ARCA events at Pocono, and finishing all but one lap. The 2012 edition of the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 will hold added intrigue for the nine-time champ, as he will look to accomplish something he has not done since 2008, win back-to-back races.

TOP FIVE STREAK: Kimmel returns to Pocono on a streak of three top five finishes dating back to Iowa Speedway on July 13th where he finished 5th. Before last week’s victory, Kimmel finished 3rd in the Ansell ActivArmr 150 at the Chicagoland Speedway. Starting with a 7th place finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park, Kimmel has a streak of four consecutive top ten finishes since finishing 11th at Winchester Speedway in June.

CHASING THE RECORDS: By taking his 75th career checkered flag in last week’s Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 in Indianapolis, Kimmel moved to within four wins of the all-time ARCA win record, held by Iggy Katona.  Kimmel can tie Katona’s all-time record of 43 pole awards this weekend during Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell on Friday at 5:15pm ET.

POINTS REPORT: After 13 of 20 races, Kimmel sits third in ARCA Racing Series points and trails point leader, Chris Buescher, by 65 points. As a result of his win at Lucas Oil Raceway Park, Kimmel gained 35 points after leading 43 laps en route to his first victory with Thorsport Racing. Kimmel has accumulated one win, six top fives, and ten top ten finishes thus far in 2012.

CHASSIS CHOICE: Kimmel will race Thorsport Racing’s A-2 chassis at Pocono, the car’s fourth appearance of 2012. Chassis A-2 has been raced to three top ten finishes in as many starts this season. (Pocono – 6th, Michigan – 7th, Chicagoland – 3rd).

SUMMER STREAK: During the three races in July, Kimmel scored one win, three top five finishes, and led in two events for a total of 66 laps. Those performances vaulted Kimmel and the Ansell/Menards Toyota team 95 points closer to the championship lead with seven races remaining.  GOING FOR BACK-TO-BACK: In his ARCA Racing Series career, Kimmel has scored consecutive race wins on 23 occasions. After breaking a 75 race winless streak, Kimmel will look to visit victory lane in back-to-back races at Pocono Raceway.

 

THOUGHTS FROM THE DRIVER: Frank Kimmel

WHAT DID YOU LEARN AT POCONO IN JUNE THAT YOU WILL TRANSFER TO THIS WEEKEND? “We don’t know if we’ll have a tire issue when we go back. We don’t know if the track has cured enough and lost a little bit of grip. We’re going to be aware of the tire issues and pay attention to that. The tires are going to need some attention, and our car was pretty good in the spring race. What we learned at Michigan and Chicago we are applying to the car, because we’ve raced this chassis at all those races.”

WHAT KIND OF PERFORMANCE ADVANTAGE DO YOU HAVE COMING OFF THE WIN AT INDY? “Confidence. We were all worried if we were doing the right things to the racecars and in the racecars. We were close several times, but could never get ourselves to break through. All that is gone now. That pressure is off Jeriod Prince and myself, and the entire team. The guys that work on the cars want to win, and everybody wants to see results. It wasn’t an easy one, we had to improve the car all race and really work for it. That’s what you have to do. It really increased our confidence to know that we can go out and win races now.”

 

Race Info

August 4, 2012

Pocono Raceway

2.5 Mile Oval

Pennsylvania ARCA 125

50 Laps/125 Miles

Broadcast Info:

Live Timing & Scoring at ARCARacing.com

Friday August 3rd: Practice – 1:40pm -3pm ET

Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell – 5:15 pm ET

Saturday August 4th: Race – 3 pmET – LIVE ON SPEED

Team Facts:

Current Driver Point Standings: 3rd

Chassis: A-2 (Recently Raced at Chicagoland – 3rd)

Engine: TRD (Toyota Racing Development) & TRIAD

Frank Kimmel ARCA RACING SERIES results at Pocono:

WINS: 3

POLES: 4

Top 5s: 18

Top 10s: 27

Total Appearances: 39

 

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CLERMONT, Indiana (July 29, 2012) – – Even though he soon may be entering his senior year of High School, not to mention is an amateur wrestler and champion – Mason Mingus clearly proved another talent during Friday night’s running of the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200 by Federated Car Care at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis.

Mingus, driver of the No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet Impala had been dubbed as one of the pre-race favorites entering the 13thrace of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season. The rookie’s performance throughout the day showcased why.

Led by veteran crew chief Mark Rette, the duo dodged Mother Nature but still were able to fine tune their automobile in preparation for Mingus’ ARCA debut at the historic Indiana-short track. Practicing 16th in the first practice and topping off “happy hour” with 10th, the Win-Tron Racing turned their attention towards Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell where the driver hustled his No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet Impala to a lap of 22.540 seconds at 109.565 miles per hour, the team’s fastest lap of the day.

Initially, Mingus would record the ninth quickest lap overall, but when Clay Rogers withdrew himself from competition after an engine failure; the team would be notified that they would start the contest from eighth. Before the Brentwood, Tennessee native would tackle his eighth ARCA race of the season, the teenager would compete in the ARCA / CRA Super Series Fatheadz 100 presented by Team Construction driving the No. 811 Call 811 Before You Dig / Diamond Equipment Chevrolet for Mingus Motorsports. Early on, the Tennessean showed speed and consistency but would be plagued by late race misfortune, ultimately denying him of a strong finish.

Still with one race down and one to go, Mingus strapped into his No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet Impala ready for battle in his ninth career ARCA start.

From the drop of the green flag, Mingus fell to 10th in the early stages of the Messina Wildlife Animal Stopper 200, but his machine virtually came to life 15 laps into the 200 feature jumping from 10th to eighth. When the first caution flag waived on lap 23, Mingus maintained his Chevrolet bowtie in seventh where he restart.

Nearing the lap 50 mark, Mingus impressively maneuvered his racecar into the top-five and began closing in on fourth. His momentum though would be stalled when leader Matt Crafton wrecked in turn one. Under the yellow, Mingus joined the rest of the leaders on pit road for a routine pit stop which included tires and fuel.

Rejoining the competition inside the top-10 after two cars elected to stay out, Mingus wasted no time throttling forward once again and reentered the top-five by lap 73. Just 11 laps later, Mingus moved to a race high fourth where he rode through the halfway mark.   Having by far his best performance of the year, Mingus would continue to race hard. On lap 132, Mingus was racing with the No. 66 of Kevin Swindell when the two made contact on the frontstretch knocking loose the bumper cover of the No. 32 entry.

The piece eventually flew off forcing a debris caution. During the yellow, Rette ordered his protégé to come to pit lane to survey the damage. With the damage deemed minimal and cosmetic, the team instructed their driver to dig deep and work his way back to the front.

When racing resumed, Mingus did exactly that. After restarting 11th, Mingus worked his way back into the top-10 with 58 laps remaining. 20 laps later and a strong piece underneath him, the rising star demonstrated his courage and talent by moving into the sixth position with the final stages of the race on deck.   Briefly, Mingus was able to battle his way into the top-five but had to fight for sixth between a gaggle full of lead laps cars. Despite making contact with point’s leader Chris Buescher in the final stages of the race, Mingus was still able to hold onto sixth while battling a tight car until the final caution flag waived inside the final 10 laps of the race.

The 18-year old knew that he needed a powerful restart to leave his mark in his Lucas Oil Raceway debut. Giving it his all, Mingus found himself in a huge wad of cars jockeying for a rightful spot inside the top-10. On the last lap of the race, hard racing and incidental contact would slip Mingus to 10th when the checkered flag was thrown.

“We had an extremely fast No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet,” offered Mingus. “I can’t begin to thank Mark (Rette), Nate (Thiesse, co-car-owner) and the entire Win-Tron Racing team for their dedication and hard work. It was a lot of fun. Obviously finishing 10th was not an indicator of our performance. We bounced back from the incident with the No. 66 – but the car became really tight when we collided with the No. 17. But still we proved to everyone that we can run in the top-five and be a threat. We’ll get there. We’re getting stronger and stronger with each race; I’m looking forward to the rest of the year.”

Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his sentiments on Mingus’s performance. “I can’t begin to describe how impressive Mason was. He wasn’t afraid to get up on the wheel and drive that No. 32 Call 811 Before You Dig Chevrolet. Start to finish, I’m really proud of his effort and attitude. If not for a little bad luck near the end of the race, we probably would’ve been celebrating our first top-five together. Still a good night overall. We’re looking forward to having Mason back in the car at Berlin in a few weeks.”

In addition to Call 811 Before You Dig, Diamond Equipment leaped aboard the team as an associate marketing partner for Mingus’s ninth-career ARCA start. In eight races this year, Mingus has recorded five top-10 finishes including a career-best finish of sixth at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway in June.

On top of Lucas Oil Raceway, Mingus’s current ARCA schedule also includes Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, Illinois State Fairgrounds (Springfield), the DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds and the traditional Fall Salem (Ind.) Speedway classic.

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is a return trip to Pocono (Pa.) Raceway for the running of the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 in a double-header combo with the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) at the 2.5-mile triangle. The 14th race of the year will air live on SPEED beginning at 3:00 p.m. Eastern.

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.comor contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641

Learn about Call 811 Before You Dig and what it can do for you by connecting to call811.com.

For more on Mason Mingus, please visit MasonMingusRacing.com.

 

About Win-Tron Racing:

Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus and Aleks Gregory.

About Call 811 Before You Dig:

811 (call811.com) is the new number you should call before you begin any digging project. A new, federally-mandated national “Call Before You Dig” number, 811 was created to help protect you from unintentionally hitting underground utility lines while working on digging projects. People digging often make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked due to concerns about project delays, costs and previous calls about other projects. These assumptions can be life-threatening. Every digging job requires a call – even small projects like planting trees or shrubs. If you hit an underground utility line while digging, you can harm yourself or those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and potentially be responsible for fines and repair costs.