Category: Other Series PR

SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA (January 25, 2011) –  The national talent search conducted by Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle has concluded with 14 talented drivers being awarded spots in the NASCAR focused driver development program along with sponsorships from K&N Filters to assist their 2011 racing efforts.

The Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle (RSWC) annual Shoot-Out is designed to identify talented, young up-and-coming drivers from across the United States, and world wide, with the potential and commitment to achieve a driving career in NASCAR. Following an application process in which 933 hopefuls submitted their racing resumes, 163 proven winners and champions were interviewed, prior to the top 40 racers being selected to take part in the 2010 Shoot-Out.

Recent RSWC accomplishments include Jessica Brunelli earning her way into NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, then winning two NASCAR Rookie of the year honors, and Joey Licata, Jr. testing and signing with Penske development team Cunningham Motorsports to participate in the 2011 ARCA season.

Following strong performances in the Shoot-Out track tests, the 14 winners include Ricky Bowers, Alejandro Capin, Steve Cote, Jarrett Crouch, Fritz Croy, Sheldon Didinger, James Eden, Paul Graham, Trevor Hunt, Brodie Kostecki, Brandon Martinez, Collin Milroy, Paden Phillips and Trevor Snow.  With sponsorship support from K&N Filters, these talented young drivers will race in USAC & NASCAR series this coming season.

Among the highlights is 2010 NASCAR Quebec Provincial champion Steve Cote.  Cote, of Montreal, won eight races and seven poles en route to the track championship at Autodrome St Eustache in the Sportsman division.  He will compete for the NASCAR Modified championship at All American Speedway in 2011.

Fritz Croy of Prescott, AZ, 20, comes to the RSWC program after finishing second in the Challenge Cup Sprint Car points at Prescott Valley Speedway in 2010.  Croy was named Rookie of the Year in the division while also competing in a part-time schedule of dirt Modified races.

Chanute, Kansas’ Paden Phillips, 19, won 19 times in B-Mods to win the championship in 2010.  Phillips is also an accomplished Speedway Kart racer who will look to make an impact in the paved NASCAR Modified scene in Northern California this year.

Perhaps the most high-profile racer to join RSWC is Alejandro Capin, a 19 year-old stock car star from Mexico.  Capin won Rookie of the Year in the NASCAR Mexico Series in 2009 and will compete in the series again in 2011, in addition to NASCAR Modified races in California.

The Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle/K&N Filters USAC Ford Focus Midget team will be a force to reckon with in 2011 with 10 new drivers, beginning with Paul Graham.  The 19 year-old Pennsylvania driver has achieved impressive success in Micro Sprints including the Rookie of the Year award in 2009.  He will compete full-time in the USAC SoCal Ford Focus Midget Series.

Slated to attack the USAC SoCal Ford Focus Midget division is Jarrett Crouch, a 19 year-old Micro Sprint racer from Oklahoma who achieved many top-tens and victories over the last four seasons on dirt ovals.

Colorado’s Trevor Snow, 17, brings a complete resume to RSWC including several IMCA Dirt Modified wins in his home state.  He won his first career Modified race at the age of 15 in just his fourth career start.  He should be a quick study in the pavement USAC Ford Focus ranks.

Another top young gun running the USAC SoCal Ford Focus Midget series will be 14 year-old Collin Milroy of New Jersey. Milroy has an impressive background on dirt ovals, with many wins in 250 Micro Sprints.

The USAC NorCal Ford Focus side of the program includes James Edens of Santa Rosa, Calif.  Edens has been very prolific in the competitive Outlaw Kart ranks in Northern California, winning the Open Intermediate championship back-to-back seasons and six career Outlaw Kart titles in total.

Sixteen year-old Sheldon Didinger should be a force as a rookie in the USAC NorCal Ford Focus Midget Series.  This highly talented and motivated karting champion comes from Pennsylvania with numerous wins on oval tracks.

Super smooth Ricky Bowers of Mentor, Ohio will travel to California to show his talent in the USAC NorCal Ford Focus Midget series.  Bowers has countless wins, numerous championship and runner-up seasons in kart racing. 

The exciting Brandon Martinez, recently celebrated his 13th birthday, has nearly 30 career Quarter Midget victories and won the Heavy 160 championship in 2010. Martinez is planning for success in the USAC NorCal Young Guns Midget series in 2011. 

The long-haul award goes to a talented young gun coming from Perth, Australia.  Thirteen year old Brodie Kostecki, ranked one of the top-50 karters in all of Australia, is making the ambitious move to America with his family to pursue his career development to NASCAR, starting with USAC Young Guns Midgets.

The youngest racer to earn a spot in RSWC, Trevor Hunt from Kansas City, MO, just turned 12. Hunt won three IKF Grand National Championships in 2010, along with Micro Sprint races, and has 11 career titles to-date.  The driver will be cutting his chops in USAC SoCal and NorCal Young Guns Midgets this season.

The race season begins in March and April for these 14 talented drivers but the off-season has been busy already with testing and classroom training sessions.

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle thanks partners: K&N Filters, Scribner Plastics, Allstar Performance, Sunoco Race Fuels and Star Racing Supply. 

For more information on Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle, log on to www.winners-circle-racing.com

About Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle:

Ron Sutton’s Winner’s Circle is an established talent scout and development program, providing long term, comprehensive racing and career development for up and coming drivers focused on NASCAR careers. RSWC drivers are raced, coached, groomed, trained and molded, within a professional racing environment, into what top NASCAR teams look for when hiring drivers. Drivers involved in the program race in a variety of cars, including USAC Young Guns Focus Midgets, USAC Ford Focus Midgets, NASCAR Grand American Modifieds, NASCAR Late Model stock cars and NASCAR Grand National stock cars.

CORNELIUS, N.C. — Eleven-time X Games Gold medal winner Travis Pastrana makes his NASCAR debut this weekend in the Toyota All-Star Showdown at Irwindale Speedway. Pastrana will drive the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota for Michael Waltrip Racing in the K&N Pro Series East-West race.

The 27-year old action sports star, along with co-owners Gary and Blake Bechtel, announced the formation of Pastrana-Waltrip Racing in November. Pastrana, a co-owner in the venture, plans to run seven NASCAR Nationwide Series races for Pastrana-Waltrip Racing in the No. 99 Boost Mobile Toyota in 2011. Pastrana will make his Nationwide Series debut on July 30th at Indianapolis – the same weekend he will make a cross-country trek to Los Angeles to compete in the ESPN X Games. 

Pastrana began preparation for his NASCAR career by testing at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway in December. He also tested at Gresham (Ga.) Motorsports Park and Irwindale (Calif.) Speedway in January. 

The four-time Rally America champion also plans to compete in the K&N Pro Series West race at Phoenix on Feb. 24.

Pastrana’s 2011 Nationwide Schedule

                                       July 30   – Indianapolis, Ind. 

                                       Sept. 9   – Richmond, Va.

                                       Oct. 1     – Dover, Del.

                                       Oct. 8     – Kansas

                                       Nov. 5    – Fort Worth, Texas

                                       Nov. 12  – Phoenix

                                       Nov. 19 – Homestead-Miami

QUOTES

 

TRAVIS PASTRANA ON HIS NASCAR DEBUT:  “This weekend is all about making laps and learning.   Driving a stock car is absolutely awesome. However, I think it’s going to be the biggest challenge of my career. I know this weekend and this year are going to be tough and frustrating at times.  I have had three different opportunities to test and I have learned a lot but I know there is a lot more for me to learn.  Honestly, this weekend I want to go out there and try to do the best we can, and earn the respect of all my competitors. You need the other guys to work with you and not against you. NASCAR is a team sport even if they’re not on your team.”

PASTRANA ON WHY HE DECIDED TO BEGIN A CAREER IN NASCAR:  “For me it’s all about waking up every morning with a passion. I have always been one to switch maybe before I needed to or maybe before other people thought it was wise. I think if you are passionate about something you can find a way to make it happen. In my 27 years I have been able to chase a lot of different dreams and I feel like I have done as much as I can do in that sport or been as successful as I want to. I need to wake up every morning thinking about nothing else other than what it’s going to take to get to the top of whatever sport I am in. I think this is the biggest challenge that I have ever had and it’s going to take a lot of time, but I am willing to put the time in.”

 

CREW CHIEF MIKE GRECI ON TESTING AT IRWINDALE:  “The first day was a little bit of a struggle for him.  He puts so much intensity making every lap perfect that he gets himself a little frustrated at times. So we ended the test a little early on the first day so he could sit back and evaluate some things.  We he came back on the second day he was spot on. Sometimes he is just so intense in doing well that he gets caught up in it a little. He thinks that he should be as fast as all the other cars on the track. He has succeeded in everything he has ever tried so he just gets frustrated when he isn’t the fastest car on the track.  I think he will be okay this weekend, he just needs to be patient.”

 

NOTES OF INTEREST

 

• Last Friday night at L.A. Live, the sports and entertainment district in downtown Los Angeles, Pastrana announced that Boost Mobile would sponsor his No. 99 Toyota for the 2011 Nationwide Series.  Additionally, the action sports icon announced his Nationwide schedule with his debut set for July 30th at Indianapolis. 

 

· The Michael Waltrip Racing K&N Pro Series East team has won two consecutive championships with Ryan Truex.  The team has captured five wins, two poles, 15 top-five and 17 top-10 finishes in just 21 races.  Brett Moffitt will drive MWR’s East car in 2011.

2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Champ Defends Title in 2011  

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (January 24, 2011)– 2010 NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour (NWMT) Champion Bobby Santos will return to the driver’s seat of the No. 4 Mystic Missile Dodge for the 2011 NWMT season. The Heinke-Baldwin Racing development driver will join the Mystic Missile team to defend the championship title.  

Santos joined the Mystic Missile team in 2010 for his first full season in the NWMT. The team was hot right off the bat, with three wins, two poles and two track records in the first four races of the season. Santos and team tallied a season-high four wins and four poles by the finale at Thompson International Speedway. Santos, the youngest NWMT champion, beat NWMT veterans Mike Stefanik and Ted Christopher to take his first touring championship trophy in his first full NWMT season.  

“It’s pretty exciting just to be on a second year with everybody at Mystic Missile,” explained Santos. “I think that we will be that much better working together. I think I will be better hitting the tracks for a second time. As a team, we can only be better, so it’s really exciting.”  

While most called the 2010 championship run a surprise, the Mystic Missile team knew that focus and race wins would be key to winning the championship. Ignoring critics, the No. 4 Mystic Missile held the top spot of the standings following all but one race of the season. After a banner year, owner Bob Garbarino believes the Mystic Missile team will improve this season. “We are planning to be tougher this year than we were last year, and I think we will be,” said Garbarino.  

Santos will kick off the season with the Mystic Missile team on April 10 at Thompson International Speedway. The Franklin, Mass., native will return to the track where he was crowned champion, looking to repeat his 2010 Icebreaker win.  

About Bobby Santos III

Bobby Santos III is a third generation driver, who has been racing since he was four years old. After running part-time in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour since 2004, this season Santos ran his first full schedule and took home the 2010 Championship with four wins, four poles, 9 top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in the 14-race schedule.  

The 25-year-old from Franklin, Mass. has driven 23 different styles of race cars, including USAC, ARCA, NASCAR Nationwide and Trucks, and the Modified car he currently races. Santos, a driver in the Heinke-Baldwin Racing driver development program, had one win, at Thompson International Speedway, in the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour prior to this season.

Fielding Three 2010 NASCAR Touring Series Champions

Antelope, CA – Bill McAnally Racing is looking to once again put a car in Victory Lane at the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown at Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California. They won the inaugural event back in 2003.

The BMR effort will be delivered by five teams and drivers; three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion Eric Holmes, two-time NASCAR Mexico Series Champion German Quiroga, 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion DJ Kennington, 2009 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Rookie of the Year Paulie Harraka, and three-time NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Most Popular Driver Moses Smith.

The 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Champion, Eric Holmes looks to take home a win at the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown Jan 29th. Piloting the No. 20 NAPA AUTO PARTS Toyota Camry for Bill McAnally Racing along with crew chief Matt Goslant, Holmes looks to give race partner NAPA AUTO PARTS its second showdown victory. He recorded five wins last season and won the Elite Division portion of the event in 2004, while competing in the former NASCAR Southwest Tour.

The two-time NASCAR Mexico Series and reigning champion, German Quiroga will be making the more than two thousand mile trip from his hometown of Mexico City, Mexico to compete in the 2011 NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown for BMR. Piloting the No. 2 telcel Toyota, Quiroga is guaranteed a starting spot in the race as the 2010 NASCAR Mexico champion. He has 14 wins in 80 career starts in the series.

This will be the first time the 2010 NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Champion, DJ Kennington participates in the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. He will be piloting the No. 17 Castrol Edge/Northern Provincial Pipeline Toyota Camry. Kennington has over 25 starts in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. The St. Thomas, Ontario, Canada resident has five wins in 2010 all coming on ovals.

Bill McAnally Racing’s No 16 Hasa Pool Products Toyota team and veteran NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Moses Smith are ready for the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. Coming off his best season ever in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, the three-time Most Popular driver is making his fourth start in the showdown.

NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Paulie Harraka will pilot No. 12 NAPA Gold Filters Toyota Camry for Bill McAnally Racing in the upcoming NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown. This will be the Duke University junior’s second start in this prestigious event. Harraka will be taking the green after being guaranteed a starting position by winning the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series West season opener at the BMR’s home track of All American Speedway in Roseville, CA.

The NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown will be on January 28-29th at the Toyota Speedway in Irwindale, California. The eighth running of the NASCAR Toyota All-Star Showdown, which brings together the top racers from the North American continent, will be highlighted by the 225-lap all-star race. Each race winner during the 2010 NASCAR K&N Pro Series season is eligible for a protected starting spot, as are the 2010 champions from each of NASCAR’s six regional touring series.

The two day event will be televised live on SPEED Channel at 10 p.m. ET. The coverage will be anchored by Rick Allen and Phil Parsons in the booth, with Dick Berggren and Jim Tretow covering action in the pits. The event will also be covered with lap-by-lap coverage on the NASCAR Home Tracks website.

For more information on Bill McAnally Racing and our race partners, please visit our website at http://www.billmcanallyracing.com www.billmcanallyracing.com. Become a fan of Bill McAnally Racing and follow us on our Facebook Fan page. We can also be followed on Twitter at BMR_NASCAR.

(TOLEDO, Ohio) – Officials from the Automobile Racing Club of America and Crane Cams have announced that Crane Cams has renewed its contingency sponsorship within the ARCA Performance Partners Program for 2011.

“We couldn’t be more pleased than to welcome Crane Cams back to the ARCA family of Performance Partners sponsors,” said Mark Gundrum, vice president of marketing and communications for ARCA.

Crane Cams returns to the ARCA Performance Partners Program as a contingency sponsor and will offer a cash awards program for teams displaying the Crane Cams decal on the front fenders of cars, and using identified Crane Cams products. In addition to the per-race awards, Crane Cams is posting a pair of $5,000 year-end cash awards for both a team and the team’s engine builder. These post-season bonus awards are among the largest offered through the Performance Partners Program.

“We are excited about our 2011 partnership with ARCA and working with all of the teams,” said Allan Bechtloff, director of oval track performance for Crane Cams. “Our product offerings are used widely with many engine builders and teams here, and the contingency postings will reward them for that. But it will be a battle, with so many high caliber teams, which is one more reason this series is so popular.”

Crane Cams has been manufacturing high-performance aftermarket parts since the 1950s, and has been a major force in motorsports. Whether it’s circle track, drag racing, or dirt track racing, Crane Cams has been providing engine technology to winning teams for more than six decades.

More information about Crane Cams is available at CraneCams.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards opens its 59th season of competition in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on February 12 at Daytona International Speedway. The 80-lap, 200-mile race – the first of 19 races for the developmental stock car tour in 2011 – will air live on SPEED.

The complete 2011 event schedule is available at ARCARacing.com.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

MOORESVILLE, North Carolina (January 21, 2011) – – Knight Motorsports Management (KMM) announced today that they have entered into an alliance agreement with Charlotte, North Carolina-based Tex Motorsports Marketing.

  The alliance between Tex Motorsports Marketing owned by long-time Motorsports veteran Chris Ragle will allow the two entities to combine resources and assets in order to further enhance their client on multi-level and platform basis. The two companies will continue to operate as normal and separately but work side-by-side in an effort to strengthen their presence in the Motorsports community.

  “I’ve known Chris (Ragle) for a long time and I could not be happier about today’s announcement,” said Knight Motorsports Management President Chris Knight. “We both have the same drive and goals. We both feel that we bring unique styles to the table that ultimately should circle back around to the best interest of our clients.”

  Ragle, a native of Paradise, Texas nearly echoed his new partner’s sentiments.   “This affiliation between Tex Motorsports Marketing and Knight Motorsports Management is really an ideal situation for both parties and its clients,” said Ragle. “Not only will both parties benefit by allowing more resources at our fingertips, but it’s also a huge help to the Motorsports industry as a whole in the form that between us all, we have everyone covered from the short track level all the way to the top echelons of the industry.”

  He added, “The knowledge and reputation Chris (Knight) has built at the ARCA level and above speaks for itself. He has built himself up over the years as a reliable and trustworthy resource that any program agenda would benefit greatly by adding his services to its organization. That alone has me excited on what we can build together over the foreseeable future.”

  Additionally, KMM announced today the appointment of Kim Castongia as Vice President of Knight Motorsports Management. Castongia, a long-time fixture in the Motorsports garage will also serve as account manager to the company’s growing clientele. Castongia and Knight met in 2000 and have since developed not only a personal friendship but (she) assisted the reality of the official formalization of KMM.

  Joining Castongia as an account manager in 2011 will be Angela Starke. A former Public Relations representative for Clements Racing and Matt Carter in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards and R3 Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series in 2008, Starke will assist KMM in a vast variety of projects the newly founded company offers. Starke will officially begin her tenure by attending the 2011 ARCA season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February.

  “I’m very proud of our team,” sounded Knight. “This sport is filled with a lot of great people but to have the team I’ve personally selected, I could not be happier. They all have the same ethics, responsibility and dedication it takes to work in this industry. This is their company just as much as it is mine. I don’t think we’re done just yet with our team, we’re just waiting on a few more announcements but I know that whoever we bring in down the road will fit the same integrity we all believe and strive in.”

  Currently, Knight Motorsports Management will be representing clients this year in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, Late Models, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS), NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) and the USARacing Pro Cup Series. KMM is also hoping to expand to the IZOD IndyCar Series (IICS) in the foreseeable future. A full client list will be officially posted when the company launches their new Speed Media-designed website in early February.

  KMM will also be the firm that handles the “Chris Knight Foundation”, a foundation started in 2010 by the Redford, Michigan native striving to give back to others in circles. The KMM team will unleash their plan for the foundation soon.

  Castongia, Ragle and Starke join KMM partner Kurt Dietrich of Grand Rapids, Michigan who owns Speed Media, one of the official vendors and partners of the Mooresville, North Carolina based firm.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (Jan. 20, 2011) – Race fans can gear up for the 49th running of the Rolex 24 At Daytona by watching GRAND-AM: Rolex 24 At Daytona, an action-packed show previewing America’s premier sports car race, which will debut Saturday at 11 p.m. (ET) on FX.

The one-hour program, produced in association with PGA TOUR Entertainment and NASCAR Media Group, will also air four times on SPEED, including Saturday, Jan. 29, at 2 p.m. (ET), just prior to the network beginning 14 hours of live coverage of the Rolex 24, the season-opening event for the GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series presented by Crown Royal Cask No. 16.

SPEED will also air the program on Sunday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. (ET); and Friday, Jan. 28, at 10 p.m. (ET).

“This show illustrates the ultra-competitive nature of the Rolex Series,” said GRAND-AM Vice President Kevin Hindson, “while also highlighting the iconic allure of the Rolex 24 to drivers, teams and most importantly, the fans.

“What it also illustrates … is our commitment to inclusiveness and accessibility when it comes to fans.”

The show features interviews with many Rolex Series competitors while taking an in-depth look at Rolex 24 preparation, via visits to various race shops and preseason testing. Vintage sports car footage is also interspersed throughout the program, such as scenes from the original precursor to the Rolex 24 – the Daytona Continental, a three-hour event held in 1962 and won by Dan Gurney.

Another highlight of the program is an examination of the unique characteristics of Daytona International Speedway’s 3.56-mile road course from competitors’ perspectives, including insights regarding the new pavement on the oval portion of the DIS layout.

SPEED will have live coverage of the Rolex 24 with a pair of seven-hour blocks. The race broadcast begins at 3 p.m. (ET) on Saturday, Jan. 29, running until 10 p.m. (ET), and from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, Jan. 30.

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 18, 2011) – – Chuck Norris once said, “Dreams do come true, if you want them bad enough. For Owensboro, Kentucky native Brett Hudson that statement could not have been more farther than the truth.    

Last week, Brett Hudson and his Brett Hudson Motorsports (BHM) team participated in a three-day open test at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway. After two and a half-days of testing, the team loaded up their hauler to make the trek back to Bluegrass State satisfied after Hudson impressed in his first superspeedway test session.

Under the leadership of former ARCA driver turned crew chief John Hayden, BHM unloaded Tuesday morning looking to get a good feeling on their No. 36b Dodge Charger. Utilizing some assistance from the 2008 ARCA Racing Series champion team of Allgaier Motorsports, it wasn’t hard to figure out that Hudson will be a sleeper heading into the season opener next month at Daytona.

Tuesday morning, the avid racecar driver posted the 12th fastest time. In the afternoon session, the team landed 21st out of 40 competitors who took to the daring restrictor plate track. Solid results in day one had the family-owned operation looking forward to day two.

Wednesday morning continued of single-car runs with Hudson in his Chrysler nameplate 19th on the sheets after 42 cars took their tango with the legendary race track. In the afternoon, ARCA Racing Series official opted to open the track to drafting with BHM taking a soft approach and keeping their focus on single-car runs but not ruling out dabbling a little in the drafting department.

Racing inches apart is nothing new to Hudson, but racing inches apart, three, four and sometimes five-wide at nearly 200 miles per hour is a whole new ballgame for the 23-year old. Wrestling very little in the draft, Hudson was able to thrust his Dodge Charger into the 13th position after nailing a time of 48.834 seconds amounting to a speed of 184.298 miles per hour.

“Drafting was pretty cool,” explained Hudson, who plans to make his ARCA Racing Series debut from Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway next month. “We have to concentrate on qualifying runs, because more than likely we’ll have to qualify on time. However, we knew we could not leave the track without doing some type of drafting. We wanted to make sure the car would “suck up” to the other cars. It’s a good piece, that’s for sure.”

Before loading up and heading home, the team elected to spend Thursday morning doing a couple more single-car runs. During the three-hour session, Hudson maneuvered his No. 36 Brett Hudson Motorsports Dodge Charger around the track in 49.804 seconds at 180.708 miles per hour, landing just outside the top-10 in 11th, his highest position on the sheets.    

Pleased with their results, the team opted out of the Thursday afternoon session and began their 13 hour ride home to Kentucky planning to piece together a game plan that would ensure Hudson the opportunity to cross off an item on his bucket list, racing at the “World Center of Racing.”  

“Overall, we’re very satisfied with the way the test went,” said Hudson, who has 21 ARCA Racing Series starts to his credits. “We came to Daytona with really no big expectations in mind except to get a good feeling for the car and keep making improvements. We did that and more.”   He added, “I have to thank John (Hayden, crew chief), Jared (Bartlett, car chief) and the entire BHM team for helping out at the test. John (Hayden) loves this restrictor plate racing and always has a great setup. I’m looking forward to coming back in less than a month and giving everyone else something to talk about.”  

The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona is the first of 19 races on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The first of two restrictor plate races this season is set for Saturday, February 12, 2011 slated for 4:00 p.m. live on SPEED.

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for the 2011 racing season. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Lisa Hudson of Brett Hudson Motorsports at 270.929.2160 or hudson00@adelphia.net.