Category: Other Series PR

KENNINGTON OPENS YEAR WITH TOP FIVE IN THE CASTROL DODGE

May 29, 2011. DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team began their defense of the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Championship this past weekend at Mosport Speedway near Bowmanville, Ontario. Kennington had a typically fast car but got tagged by other drivers on two separate occasions but still managed to bring home a top five finish.

The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge was near the top of the time sheets all during afternoon practice and Kennington would claim the fourth starting spot. “All the guys did a great job preparing the car and we were good right away” said Kennington. “We were able to try a couple of changes during practice and see how they might work during the race” he added.

As the 200 lap feature event began Kennington took the initial laps cautiously and settle into a comfortable pace. The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge got stronger as the race proceeded to the quarter mark and Kennington would take his first race lead of the season on lap 47 an claim the bonus points for leading a lap. “Everything was going according to plan early on” said the driver. “We got out front to get some bonus points and didn’t want to do anything too aggressive that early so I gave up the lead to a faster car” he explained.

After a green flag run of more than 100 laps the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge finally was able to stop for fuel and tires and once all stops cycled through Kennington found himself near the front of the field and late in the race was in position to claim if not the win then a top result. “Things got pretty aggressive at the end” said Kennington. “We got bumped by the #7 car and that set us back a bit” he stated.

As a result of losing several positions from the first incident, Kennington found himself back in more traffic and was again the victim. “That first knock put us back in tighter traffic and I got hit again, this time by the #19 car said Kennington.

The second bump while frustrating only fueled Kennington to push in the final few laps to gain as many positions back as he could. The #17 Castrol Edge Dodge would cross the finish line and claim a fifth place finish, a great accomplishment with so few laps remaining to make up spots. “We didn’t have the fastest car tonight and that’s why I let the #22 go earlier” stated Kennington. “It’s unfortunate we got bumped around a bit, but we did finish fifth which is one place better than we did last year at this race, and we lead some laps for bonus points. All in all things worked out okay” he summarized.

DJ Kennington and the #17 Castrol Edge Dodge team return to action this coming weekend, June 4 & 5 at Circuit ICAR near Montreal, Quebec. Once again this year fans will be able to watch all twelve races on TSN. Check local listings for times.

Race fans are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest team news in several ways. Race fans should bookmark the team website http://www.djkracing.ca www.djkracing.ca and follow them on twitter, http://www.twitter.com/djkracing www.twitter.com/djkracing Fans are also suggested to join the Facebook Group DJK Racing.

May 29, 2011. The 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire season opener took place this past weekend at Mosport Speedway near Bowmanville, Ontario. The driver that drew plenty of attention was New Liskeard, Ontario’s Steve Mathews. The #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford was fast right from the start of practice and Mathews continues to impress every time he takes to the race track.

The #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford was the car everyone was chasing during practice and Mathews showed great speed and maturity. He ran plenty of laps to get comfortable in the seat but didn’t abuse the car. “It felt so good to get behind the wheel of the car for the first time this season” said Mathews. “I just knew we’d run well and couldn’t wait to get started.

Mathews backed up his notable practice speeds by qualifying the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford third for the 200 lap feature event. Mathews wouldn’t remain in third position for very long. Right after an early caution period the race was restarted and Mathews powered his way to the front of the field and took over the race lead on lap eleven.

Maintaining a comfortable pace Mathews had no difficulty staying at the front of the field. “I wasn’t pushing the car at all” said Mathews. “I was setting the pace and it felt great to get out and lead some laps early on” he added.

During a long green flag run and the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford would relinquish the lead and the half mile track that batters brakes would also hamper Mathews. “Because we went green for over 100 laps the brakes were heating up and I just didn’t have a chance to get them cooled down” explained the driver. “That put us back a bit in traffic and it got a little messy after that” he added.

Instead of being out front and in control of circumstances, Mathews and the #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford was back in the field and would become tangled with another competitor. The contact would knock the alignment of the front end out and eliminate any chance of Mathews regaining the lead.

Steve Mathews would continue to fight for every position the rest of the way. #15 Mathews Motorsports Ford would finish the race in tenth position. “It’s a bit frustrating and I’m not in the best of moods right now talking about it” said Mathews after the race. “But I guess to be fastest in practice, qualify third and lead a lot of laps is positive. I know we’ll be just as strong at the next oval race at Delaware, I run really well at that track. First though we’re going to race at Circuit ICAR. Our team built a new road course car this winter and we’re looking forward to that event” he stated.

Steve Mathews and Mathews Motorsports will participate in the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series which features twelve events from coast to coast in Canada. All races can be seen on TSN. You can follow the progress of Steve Mathews by logging onto the new website www.stevemathews.ca

RON BEAUCHAMP SCORES TOP TEN AT MOSPORT

May 29, 2011. Ron Beauchamp Jr and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team began the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire series this past weekend at Mosport Speedway near Bowmanville, Ontario. Sporting the sleek new Dodge Challenger body on their race car the team battled for 200 grueling laps and claimed a top-ten finish to open the racing year.

Beauchamp and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team struggled a bit during the afternoon practice session and they worked hard to improve the cars performance. “We were surprised the car wasn’t quite as good as it was during the testing session here” explained Beauchamp. “We tried some different things prior to qualifying hoping it would improve” he added.

Beauchamp would qualify the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge tenth and begin the race from the outside of row five. Early on the changes appeared to be helping the car. “The car felt good at the beginning of the run but then it started to tighten up” said Beauchamp. “We had that long green flag run of more than 100 laps and that hurt us” he explained.

When a caution period allowed the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge team to make a pit stop for fuel and tires the team again adjusted the car looking for better performance. “The changes helped a little bit” said Beauchamp. “But again the longer the race stayed green the car would tighten up, if we had some shorter runs it would have helped us” he added.

Beauchamp would continue to push the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge to the checkered flag and claim a ninth place finish in the race. “We really thought our car should have finished higher” said the driver. “But it got a little wild near the end of the race with guys pushing, we came out of here with a top-ten and now we’ll make some adjustments and be better as the season moves on” he added.

Ron Beauchamp Jr. and the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries Dodge Team will compete in all twelve races on the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series. The next event takes place June 4 & 5 at Circuit ICAR near Montreal, Quebec. Once again this year all events will be broadcast on TSN. Fans should check their local listings for times. For more information about the #60 Mopar Parts/Mobil 1/Exide Batteries team log on to www.beauchampmotorsports.com and http://www.mopar.ca/ www.mopar.ca For series information check out http://www.nascar.ca/ www.nascar.ca

SPEEDWAY, Ind, – When the Henry Ford Museum decided to conserve its 1965 Indianapolis 500-winning, Jim Clark Lotus-Ford 38/1, the car was carefully worked on to make sure it remained as original as possible.

Forty-six years later, thanks to Firestone Racing, the last piece of the conservation is complete as Firestone today presented Henry Ford Museum with a special set of replica “Indy” tires that will be on the car when it makes a historic return to the track as part of pre-race ceremonies for Sunday’s centennial running of the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race.

Al Unser Sr., one of only three men to have won the Indy 500 four times, will be behind the wheel of the car when it takes a historic lap of the Speedway on Sunday. The Lotus-Ford 38/1 was chosen to represent the 1960s era of cars.

The Clark Lotus-Ford 38/1 is considered a paradigm-changing car in Indy racing history, becoming the first rear-engine winner, and a car that was purpose-built to win Indianapolis. That would be the only race in which this Lotus would compete.

“Being steward of this car at Henry Ford Museum has been an incredible journey for us,” said Christian Overland, Executive Vice President, The Henry Ford. “We had the chance to reinvent history and bring this historic car back to life by conserving it, using all of the original materials and all the original parts.

“This is one of the most important racing artifacts in the world. It was one car, one driver, for one race. And it went and dominated, leading 190 of 200 laps. This is why we consider it the world’s greatest Indy racing car and a treasure of The Henry Ford. We can use it to tell future generations how to innovate using this as a model.”

Part of the innovative nature of the car was the tires that Firestone provided for the race. They were specially-built for the car, and went the entire 500 miles without having to be changed. In order to make the car’s conservation authentic and complete, Firestone Racing worked with Coker Tire to produce the replica tires from that era.

“We uncovered some of the original drawings of the 1965 Firestone ‘Indy’ tire and Corky Coker’s group based the remanufactured tire molds from them,” said Al Speyer, Executive Director, Firestone Racing. “They did an amazing job in producing the replica tires that look so much like the originals. To be able to outfit this history-making race car with the Firestone tires on this historic centennial anniversary weekend here at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is something very special for us.”

May 26, 2011. (Toronto, ON) Sun Peaks, British Columbia racer Jason White has made several trips east in the past few weeks preparing for the 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series season. Following several very successful testing sessions White and the #21 A & W Dodge Challenger team are ready to hit the track next weekend for the opening event at Mosport Speedway.

The off season was one of change for Jason White who moved from team owner and driver to the sole position of driver. “I can see how this change has helped out already” explained White. “I have a lot more time now to focus on being the best driver I can and spend more time working on the marketing and promotion aspects of our partnership with A & W and it’s paying off” he added.

This season Jason White will pilot the #21 A & W Dodge Challenger under the guidance of Crew Chief Derek Lynch with the horsepower coming from the DJK Racing shop. “From the first time we hit the track during the Mopar Day test session I could feel the difference in horsepower from last year” said White. “We only got a few laps in that first day but I was very happy” said the driver.

White’s enthusiasm for the 2011 season grew significantly during his next test sessions, first at the Mosport road course and most recently on the Mosport Speedway. “Just feeling the power of that engine pull down the long straightaway was fantastic” said White. “And on the oval our times improved 7/10ths of a second from the start of the day. I can’t wait for the season to get going” said Jason enthusiastically.

The #21 A & W Dodge Challenger team also benefits from the great experience of Derek Lynch taking over as Crew Chief. “Derek is a successful racer himself, he’s experienced in management with the Kawartha Group who are partners with us this year and we’ve been able to really get to know each other and communicate what we’re both looking for over these test sessions” stated White.

Race fans will have even more opportunity to follow Jason White and the #21 A & W Dodge Challenger team this season. Just launched is the all new team website at http://www.jasonwhiteracing.com www.jasonwhiteracing.com and be sure to follow Jason on twitter for the latest updates @racinjasonwhite The 2011 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will consist of twelve events from coast to coast in Canada. Al races will be broadcast once again this season on TSN. Fans should check local listings for times in their area.

Attached Photo: Jason White with the A & W Dodge Challenger at Mosport Speedway.

Photo Credit: Sue Chisolm www.racetimeradio.com

A&W Food Services of Canada Inc., is Canada’s original hamburger quick service restaurant chain, and today is one of its fastest growing. The first A&W drive-in restaurant in Canada opened on Portage Avenue in Winnipeg in 1956. The combination of great tasting burgers, onion rings and frosted mugs of famous A&W Root Beer served by friendly carhops was an instant hit. Since then, A&W has continued to grow and evolve with the times, expanding into over 700 locations from Vancouver Island to Newfoundland. At the heart of that growth is the fact that, while so much of our world has changed, the simple things that made A&W so popular in its early days are the same today. We still serve A&W Root Beer in frosted mugs. Our onion rings are made fresh from whole onions every day. With a rich history behind us, we look forward to an even more exciting future ahead of us. A&W is expanding all across Canada, with particular emphasis on Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic.

HUNTERSVILLE, North Carolina (May 25, 2011) – – Jeremy Frankoski may not be participating in this year’s Indianapolis 500, but the avid IZOD IndyCar Series fan will partake in the historic Night Before the 500, a USAC Mopar Midget race at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis this Saturday night.

Recently, the NorthEastern Midget Association (NEMA) competitor tested at the legendary short track with Santos Motorsports to prepare him for what is considered one of American’s most traditional Motorsports events. Teaming up with Adam Cantor Racing (ACR) in his No. 7NY IGA / Lucas Oil Mopar, the duo is hopeful for a big payout not to mention a huge night of celebration in what would be the team’s biggest career win.

“I’m definitely looking forward to Saturday night,” said Frankoski, a former USAC Ford Focus Carolina champion. “I cannot thank Santos Motorsports and Bobby Santos III enough for allowing me to come up with them to Lucas Oil Raceway a couple weeks ago and test with them. Hopefully, the extra seat time will give us the preparation needed going into the weekend.”

Having the opportunity to compete in such a prestigious race means a lot to Frankoski, a resident of Huntersville, North Carolina but the stock-car bound driver made it abundantly clear that he would not be where he is today without the help and support of many.

“I’m fortunate,” Frankoski mentioned. “Adam Cantor Racing, IGA, Lucas Oil, K&N Filters and all of our other marketing partners continue to have faith in my driving ability and they’re giving me an opportunity that I need to try and make the best of. I can’t predict what’s going to happen on Saturday night, but all I need to do is go out there and give it my all and hope we’ll be the ones celebrating in victory lane.”

To get to victory lane though, Frankoski will have to race his way into the feature which is expected to be tough but he says he will be mentally and physically prepared for one of his biggest challenges of the 2011 racing season.

“It’s a big race, so there’s going to be a ton of cars there,” he added. “I have a good team with great equipment. We just have to get our car handling right and then have it go our way in the heat.”

As far Sunday’s 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, Frankoski plans to be glued to “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” and cheer on his two favorite IICS drivers John Andretti and Dario Franchitti.

“John (Andretti) has helped guide me with some areas of my career, so I’m pulling for him. He is a great guy and I continue to be thankful and appreciative for the impact he has in my racing career. Dario’s just a driver that you cannot help but like. He always has a great attitude and is a great role model for all drivers.”

In addition to IGA, Lucas Oil and K&N Filters, Frankoski will receive additional support this weekend from MCT, Brown and Miller Racing Solutions, Calico Coatings, Drive-In Web Design, Simpson Racing and Racing 2 Cure.

USAC Racing will stream the Night Before the 500 which includes practice, qualifying, heat races and the main event. To view the contest, please click to usaracing.com/usac­_live.

In two consecutive years with NEMA, Frankoski has tallied 27 starts, one win, nine top-fives and 18 top-10 finishes.

For more information on Jeremy Frankoski please visit JeremyFrankoski.com.

For additional input on NEMA, please click over to NEMAracing.com.

To learn more about Racing 2 Cure, please logon to Racing2Cure.org.

BROOKLYN, Michigan (May 25, 2011) – – Despite only four hours of practice Wednesday at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) before Mother Nature invaded the “Irish Hills”, ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship contender Sean Corr and his Empire Racing team were pleased with their efforts

Fresh off their fifth consecutive top-20 finish at New Jersey Motorsports Park (NJMP) this past Sunday, Corr and his team led by team manager John Bellesfield and crew chief Howard Bixman steered towards the Great Lakes state ready to tackle the two-mile oval

With weather threatening, teams took to the track shortly after 9:00 a.m. with Corr in his No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion following suit. At the beginning of their practice runs, Corr complained that his blue oval was tight but adjustments made by Bixman paid off with Corr’s lap times improving.

Just before 1:00 p.m., Corr had muscled his No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion into the top-10 before the skies opened up and drenched MIS. ARCA officials concluded the test shortly thereafter leaving the freshman full-time ARCA team 10th overall on the speed charts with a lap of 39.358 seconds at 182.936 miles per hour.

“Our No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion became faster with every run,” said Corr, who currently locks ninth in the ARCA championship standings. “Howard, John and the Empire team all did a good job despite the time restraints to make our car a lot better in a short amount of time. We definitely have some notes that we can build on when we return here in a couple weeks.”

Corr also described the continued confidence in Bixman, a native of Michigan who is calling the shots for the No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion.

“Howard and I are really working well together,” Corr sounded. “He is fitting in nicely with the rest of the team and our communication continues to improve with every test and race we get under our belts. His coaching has also been a big help. Michigan is important race for us with it being in the backyard of Ford Motor Company but also being an event where we feel we really can show what our team is made of. We’ll get the car back to the shop, make a few adjustments and (hopefully) come back even faster.”

Corr’s No. 82 Roush Yates Performance / Roush Yates Engines / Empire Racing Ford Fusion was the fastest Ford during the test ahead of Chris Buescher of Roulo Bros. Racing (14th) and Tommy O’Leary IV (17th).

When the Goshen, New York native takes the green flag in The RainEater Wiper Blades 200 on Friday, June 17, he will make just his second start at MIS hoping to improve on his 18th place finish from last year.

“Michigan is a wide, fast track,” Corr explained. “Not only do you have to have a good handling race car, you need power under the hood and that’s not a problem for us thanks to Roush Yates Engines. We’re just looking forward to coming back and hopefully being that first car to take that checkered flag.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the first stop of the year at a 1.5-mile facility. The Messina Animal Wildlife Stopper 150 from Chicagoland Speedway is set for Saturday June 4th set to launch at 5:00 p.m. live on SPEED. Corr will make his 16th career ARCA start and second at Chicagoland Speedway.

Recently, Empire Racing and BoomText officially announced the “Hard Corr Fans” program powered by BoomText, a mobile marketing campaign which allows fans to pledge towards becoming an official member of the Empire Racing team – not to mention helping three of Corr’s personal charities. To join the campaign, fans just simply have to text the word “CORR” to 411247 where they will receive an automated safe-secured link to join the “Hard Corr Fans” team.

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

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

Connect with Sean Corr and Empire Racing through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Sean Corr through Twitter @EmpireRacingLLC.

For additional input on BoomText, please visit BoomText.com.

About Empire Racing:

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

Partnership Brings Product Line to the Forefront of Popular Racing Organization

PHILADELPHIA, May 19, 2011 – SCA Tissue and its TorkR brand of Wipers today announced plans to serve as an official product sponsor in the wiper and shop towel category in the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The year-long partnership is a first for SCA, and will help the Tork brand gain further recognition within the automotive industry, which continues to be an important focus for SCA.

The brand will kick off the partnership on Sunday, May 15th during the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway, in which drivers will sport the Tork brand logo on their uniforms and cars. Additionally, teams will receive samples of Tork Advanced ShopMaxT Wipers and Tork Premium 520 Multipurpose Cloths. Throughout each race in 2011, SCA will reward the top four finishing Tork Wiper customers who also sport the Tork logo on their car and uniform with a product gift certificate.

“SCA’s line of Tork Wipers and PerformanceT dispensers are a perfect fit for ARCA. Tork’s innovative quality and designs make them a valued addition to the industry,” said Mark Gundrum, vice president of marketing and communications for ARCA.

“The ARCA partnership is an opportunity for SCA to gain additional traction in the automotive segment while showing appreciation to our loyal customers in the industry,” said Vice President of Product and Marketing at SCA Tissue North America, John Drengler. “Crew members, car engineers and mechanics insist on using the right tool for the job and continue to switch from conventional textile shop towels that can contain residual oil, grease and chemicals inhibiting performance and requiring constant laundering. Tork Wipers and Shop Towels provide higher quality, consistent performance and a more cost effective solution.”

About Tork Performance

SCA introduced Tork Performance, the first complete line of wiper dispensers to launch to the market in September 2010, helping customers control wiper consumption and decrease refill and disposal costs in a variety of environments including kitchen and food preparation, hygiene sensitive areas, and industrial and automotive facilities. SCA’s full range of Tork Wipers offer superior quality and cost-savings to accompany Tork Performance dispensing solutions. In addition to meeting high, medium and low capacity needs for fixed and portable solutions, Tork Performance dispensing systems provide innovative and ergonomically sound designs that protect the wipers within from cross-contamination.

In the automotive setting, a range of heavy-duty to specialty wipers are typically used for wiping and cleaning water, grease, oil, dirt and solvents from various surfaces, including mechanical areas and sensitive areas such as car interiors and exteriors. Tork Performance dispensers are available in a variety of colors and capacities to coordinate with any customer environment. Some Tork Wiper options in the Tork 300 (light duty) and 400 series are 100 percent recycled and are third-party certified by EcoLogoT. For additional Tork Wiper or Tork Performance product information, visit http://www.torkusa.com www.torkusa.com.

About SCA Tissue North America

Headquartered in Philadelphia, SCA Tissue is one of the three largest producers of tissue products for non-residential markets in North America and was the first American papermaker to earn EcoLogoTM certification for its environmentally sustainable processes and Tork products.

About SCA

SCA is a global hygiene and paper company that develops and produces personal-care products, tissue, packaging solutions, publication papers and solid-wood products. Sales are conducted in some 100 countries. SCA has many well-known brands, including the global brands TENAR and TorkR. Sales in 2010 were $15 billion. SCA has approximately 45,000 employees. More information can be obtained at www.sca.com http://www.sca.com/ .

About Tork The Tork brand offers a complete range of products and services within hygiene and cleaning for professional

washrooms, healthcare, food service and industry. Through customer understanding and particular expertise in hygiene and sustainability, Tork has become a market leader in many segments and a committed partner to businesses in over 80 countries. Tork is a global brand in the SCA hygiene portfolio. To keep up with the latest Tork news and innovations, please visit: www.sca-tork.com http://www.sca-tork.com/

Maryeve Dufault Takes The Checkered Flag At New Jersey Motorsports Park

MILLVILLE, New Jersey (May 24, 2011) – – ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards competitor Maryeve Dufault accomplished her main goal in Sunday’s ModSpace 150 at New Jersey Motorsports Park, finishing the race in her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger.

Dufault, the Sorel Quebec Canada native entered the fifth race of the season optimistic after hailing from a road racing background in her open-wheel days but Dufault and her Tony Marks Racing (TMR) team knew adjusting to not only a new track but a completely different automobile would present its challenges.

In practice Saturday, Dufault was one of the first drivers to tackle the Thunderbolt Raceway but her experience around the 12-turn race course would be short lived as a mechanical issue hindered much of the rookie team’s track time leading up to qualifying.

Time trails brought a worthy performance from the rookie on Saturday afternoon, picking up several seconds from her fastest practice speed to land her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger 21st on the starting grid.

At the start of the lone road course race of the season, Dufault would find herself maintaining a spot safely inside the top-25.

While finding her niche on the race track, on lap 20, Dufault would find herself at the wrong place at the wrong time as her and another competitor connected on the race track forcing her to bring her machine to pit road for four tires, damage control and fuel.

A quick effort by the TMR team sent their driver back into competition under yellow flag conditions. On the restart, Dufault aimed at moving herself back up the running order and despite going for an innocent spin on lap 25 in turn one after being tapped by another driver, the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger began methodically inching through the field and was holding the 21st position on lap 35.

Climbing into the top-20 by lap 40, Dufault’s lap times were comparable to those in the top-10 thus moving her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger into the 19th position on lap 50. With the caution flag waiving with 10 laps to go, the TMR team decided to bring their driver to pit road four tires, fuel and a spring rubber adjustment. Restarting in 21st, Dufault would run out of laps to gain additional positions on the track, but take the checkered flag in her fifth career ARCA start.

“I was hoping for a little better finish for VR-12, Dodge and the TMR team but we’ll take this finish in stride and move onto Chicagoland,” said Dufault after the race. “It’s a huge transition from open wheel cars to stock cars, especially on a road course. As a team we learned an awful lot this weekend and we were able to finish the race, which was our main goal coming into the weekend. We had some challenges as a new team and I think we were put ourselves a little behind with our gear selection. New Jersey is a tough road course but the more I was out there, the faster our No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger became. I wish we would have had another 10 or 15 laps, because I feel like we could have made some major gains.”

  She continued, “For our first road course race, we had some ups and downs but we persevered as a team. We know we faced some challenges and we ran out of time in practice but the effort by the Tony Marks Racing was commendable for sure. We can build off what we learned at New Jersey and apply it next year for hopefully a much better turnout.”

Tony Marks, owner of TMR spoke about the team’s run on Sunday afternoon. “We’ll take this finish for our first road course race,” the Napoleon, Ohio native said. “Maryeve and the team battled some adversity this weekend but overall we did what we needed to do which was finish the race. We’re heading to some tracks here soon where I really feel like we’ll get some strong finishes for VR-12, Dodge and everyone who supports our race team.”

Next up for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is the first stop of the year at the 1.5-mile Chicagoland Speedway. The Messina Animal Wildlife Stopper 150 is set for Saturday June 4th set to launch at 5:00 p.m. live on SPEED. Dufault and the TMR team will make their inaugural intermediate (mile-and-a-half) start in the Windy City.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net. For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com. Quench yourself with Victory Water, see how at Victoryh20.com.

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

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

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

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

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

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