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Tag: ARCA Racing Series

  • Weekend Schedule for Busch Clash at Daytona

    Weekend Schedule for Busch Clash at Daytona

    NASCAR returns to Daytona International Speedway this weekend for the Busch Clash. Jimmie Johnson is the defending race winner. He also won the event in 2005.

    The other active drivers who have won include Brad Keselowski (2018), Joey Logano (2017), Denny Hamlin (2016, 2014, 2006), Kevin Harvick (2013, 2010, 2009), Kyle Busch (2012) and Kurt Busch (2011).

    The ARCA Racing Series will kick off the competition Saturday at 4:45 p.m. in the Lucas Oil 200. The Cup Series will qualify Sunday and the Busch Clash will close out the weekend at 3 p.m.

    The Busch Clash at Daytona will consist of 75 laps with an opening segment of 25 laps and a final segment of 50 laps. The starting lineup will be set by a random drawing that will be held at 6:30 p.m. in the Fan Zone.

    All times are Eastern.

    Saturday, February 8
    11:35 a.m.: NASCAR Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona final practice – FS1/MRN/TSN
    12:30 p.m.: ARCA qualifying – No TV
    1:35 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying practice – FS1/MRN/TSN
    3 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying final practice FS1/MRN/TSN
    4:45 p.m.: ARCA Auto Racing Lucas Oil 200 – FS1

    Sunday, February 9
    12:30 p.m.: Cup Series Daytona 500 qualifying – FOX/MRN/TSN
    3 p.m.: Cup Series Busch Clash at Daytona – FS1/MRN/SiriusXM NASCAR Radio

    Entry List for Busch Clash:

    Aric Almirola (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Ryan Blaney (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Alex Bowman (former Daytona 500 pole winner)
    Clint Bowyer (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kurt Busch (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kyle Busch (former Clash winner)
    William Byron (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Austin Dillon (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Chase Elliott (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Denny Hamlin (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kevin Harvick (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Jimmie Johnson (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Erik Jones (2019 Cup Series playoff driver)
    Brad Keselowski (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Kyle Larson (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Joey Logano (2019 Busch Pole Award)
    Ryan Newman (former Daytona 500 winner)
    Martin Truex Jr. (former Daytona 500 pole winner)

    There are 20 drivers eligible for the 2020 Busch Clash but only the 18 drivers listed above will compete. Daniel Suarez will focus his efforts on qualifying for the Daytona 500 with Gaunt Brothers Racing. Daniel Hemric, who will drive for JR Motorsports part-time in the Xfinity Series, is not entered in the Clash.

  • 2019 ARCA Racing Preview -Talladega

    2019 ARCA Racing Preview -Talladega

    The ARCA Racing Series continues its diverse and unique schedule this weekend at the historic Talladega Superspeedway for the annual running of the General Tire 200.

    Last year’s race featured anything a race fan could ask for and your typical Talladega race. There were seven cautions for 38 laps and the race was ran under caution for 43.7 percent.

    There were two big wrecks in the last few laps and the closest finish statistically in ARCA Series history with a computerized margin of victory of 0.00 at the finish line. The dead heat featured Zane Smith (now drives for JR Motorsports, part-time) who ended up winning the race with the ARCA officials having to use a photo to determine the winner.

    On the other side of the outcome was Joe Graf Jr. who wound up a disappointing second. Despite the heartbreaking finish, Graf Jr. had to move on quickly.

    “I moved past it and went on to the next race. Over the last twelve months, lots of things have changed. I am competing for a championship and at the time last year, I had no idea I was going to run the rest of the 2018 season. The finish at Talladega opened opportunities for me and I’m grateful.”

    Even though Graf Jr. had a disappointing finish of second, he looks forward to heading back to Talladega and upping the finish one spot forward.

    “I’m excited to get back to Talladega this weekend,” said Graf. “Obviously, everyone knows how close the finish was and I still think I won, but we can’t dwell on last year, there’s a race to be won on Friday afternoon and I want to win it.”

    Graf Jr. will pilot the No. 77 Eat Sleep Race Ford Fusion Friday afternoon.

    Other names to keep an eye on include Truck Series regular Gus Dean, who won the 2016 race a couple of years ago when, in another photo finish, he narrowly edged out Josh Williams for the win. The race was called short due to darkness and at the time, Dean was ahead of Williams and won the race.

    To this day, Dean still remembers that finish and is excited to get back to Talladega.

    “Very excited to come back to race in the ARCA Menard Series and especially at Talladega Superspeedway,” said Dean. “The victory in 2016 will be something I’ll never forget and is very important to me – but I’m ready to make new memories on Friday with Win-Tron Racing.”

    One final competitor to keep an eye on is 2018 ARCA Daytona winner Michael Self. Despite his poor Daytona finish from this year, Self returns to Talladega in hopes of a win this weekend.

    “Talladega was an up-and-down race for me last year, and fortunately ended positively overall, so maybe we can repeat that this year. I feel like I have the experience and knowledge to do well at Talladega, but there’s just so much that’s out of your hands at the superspeedways. I think we have to be smart the whole day, race around the right people and focus on staying clean and being in position to be up front at the end.”

    Upset winner?

    There have been many winners for this race. One that stands out the most could very well be Keith Segars winning his only ARCA race in 2002. Red Farmer in 1984 stands out and Kraig Kinser who won here in 2005 also stands out.

    It will be an all day event for the ARCA Racing Series.

    The only practice session kicks off Friday at 9:30 a.m. ET with group qualifying at 3:25 p.m. ET. Both events will be streamed live on Arcaracing.com.

    The General Tire 200 is slated for 6:00 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

  • Harrison Burton collects top 10 finish after subbing for Christian Eckes

    Harrison Burton collects top 10 finish after subbing for Christian Eckes

    It was supposed to be an off weekend for Harrison Burton, the NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series driver. However, Burton got a call late Saturday night and flew to Salem, Indiana to substitute for Christian Eckes. Eckes had fallen ill and was unable to compete in Sunday’s ARCA Menards Series race at Salem Speedway.

    With the driver change to the No. 15, Burton had to drop to the rear of the field and start last. It didn’t take him long, however, to maneuver through the field.

    As early as Lap 22, he was already in the top 10 and was running ninth on Lap 40. Burton was relatively quiet throughout the race but he fell one lap down on Lap 68 and never could get it back.

    Right at the halfway mark, the skies opened up and the race was called official. Burton and the No. 15 JBL Audio Toyota ultimately finished eighth.

    “It was 11:30 p.m. last night,” Burton told MAVTV. “I got a phone call and was told you need to come to Salem tomorrow. So I hate that I’m here for my buddy, my best friend Christian (Eckes) who is not feeling great right now, bouncing around from hospital to hospital.”

    “My thoughts are with him (Christian Eckes) and I wanted to do well for him. I was a little disappointed on how that first little stint went.”

  • Disputes Continue Between Hamilton Jr., Ciccarelli, Judd

    Disputes Continue Between Hamilton Jr., Ciccarelli, Judd

    Disputes continue to surround former NASCAR and ARCA driver Bobby Hamilton Jr. as another driver has made allegations against the son of 2004 Camping World Truck Series champion, Bobby Hamilton.

    Ray Ciccarelli first met Hamilton when the two were associated with Roger Carter and Carter 2 Motorsports in 2015. Ciccarelli alleges that when his deal with Carter fell through Hamilton called him and told him that he was going to start his own team. He was in the process of selecting drivers and wanted to know if Ciccarelli was interested. After saying yes, he and Hamilton agreed to stay in contact regarding future developments.

    Two months later following the initial phone call, Ciccarelli says he received another phone call from Hamilton, where Hamilton proceeded to outline what his plans were for the team.

    “He called me up and told me what his game plan was,” said Ciccarelli, who has eight career starts in the ARCA Series. “He talked a big deal about his business plan, and I fell for it.”

    The first red flag, Ciccarelli said, happened at Daytona. According to his contract, his car was supposed to be prepared and ready when it rolled off the trailer for practice. But when Ciccarelli got to Daytona, they missed the first practice because the car wasn’t ready and wouldn’t pass tech. They then missed qualifying as well as a handful of laps in the second practice. Near the end of the second practice, the car began having motor issues. Ciccarelli told his team that they were having motor issues, and the car ultimately failed to make the show.

    The next scheduled event was Nashville, where the team again missed the first practice and the motor had issues during the second practice. He would run one lap and the motor started having difficulty. Ultimately, his second practice consisted of him going out one lap, coming in to try to fix whatever the issue was, only to go back out one lap and try again.

    Ciccarelli also said that he asked Hamilton if the engine was the same engine from Daytona. He was told that it was the same engine from Daytona but that the carburetor was the issue and it had been fixed. Ciccarelli then told Hamilton that they were having the same problem again. According to Ciccarelli, that’s when they finally found out that there was a hole in the piston.

    Ciccarelli further alleges that he went ahead and started the race so the team could collect some of the starting purse. After completing five laps, Ciccarelli was credited with a 33rd-place finish. Afterwards, Hamilton apologized to Ciccarelli telling him that this wasn’t how he ran his program and he’d give him a credit for a race. He also told him not to worry about making a June payment.

    “I said no problem to that,” said Ciccarelli. “But then Talladega came up and he called and asked if he could take his payment early since money was tight, and I got nervous.”

    But, Ciccarelli went ahead and sent in the payment to help Hamilton out by using his Nashville credit for the June payment. When New Jersey came around, Ciccarelli canceled his plans and went to New Jersey where he was supposed to race. Once he arrived, he discovered that the team and the cars were not there. Ciccarelli stated that he contacted Hamilton through a text message, and Hamilton responded by telling him to talk to the team’s new owners.

    At this point, Ciccarelli responded by saying that he didn’t have a contract with the new owners but with Hamilton. That’s when Ciccarelli began to believe that his deal with Hamilton was bogus, and he proceeded to end his business relationship with Hamilton. Ciccarelli said that since then, Hamilton has made no attempt to contact him.

    Ciccarelli does plan to pursue legal action against Hamilton in the near future. Aside from that, he’s focused on making select ARCA starts in 2017 in his own equipment.

    Hamilton has another take on the brief relationship he had with Ciccarelli.

    Hamilton knew Ciccarelli back when they both raced for Carter, and when Hamilton put Ciccarelli in his own car, they agreed on a select number of races. According to Hamilton, Ciccarelli attempted two of those events, qualifying for one (Nashville). Hamilton alleges that this was when the deal began to fall apart. After Daytona, Hamilton met with Tim Judd, who, according to Hamilton, later bought out the team and the contracts to the race team. Judd was looking to get involved in racing, according to Hamilton.

    “I told [Judd] that my only catch was that he could buy into this,” said Hamilton, “but he would have to buy the equipment when he was done.”

    According to Judd, Hamilton wanted to be done with racing and looked to be done after 2016.

    Judd agreed to the terms and after the Nashville event, everything was transferred to where Judd had 52 percent possession of the team. After that, Hamilton insists that everything ran through Judd. Anything Judd wanted to be done, the team did.

    “That was our main goal,” said Judd. “We wanted to keep the place growing and so forth.”

    Hamilton goes on to say that Ciccarelli’s issues at Nashville weren’t as big as he claimed because although he started the race in last, he passed more cars than anyone else all night. They then had an issue with the ignition and, according to Hamilton, Ciccarelli kept saying he wanted to park it while the team kept telling him to ride it out.

    “He was a missile,” said Hamilton. “But when the engine started missing he wanted to park the car. He came in and parked, then later he sent some kind of email saying that he wanted credit for Nashville. I told him, ‘Dude, we don’t do credits. Nobody does credits. There ain’t a race team out there that does credits.’”

    Hamilton says that Ciccarelli responded that he wanted a credit for Nashville, basically using the winnings from Nashville to run New Jersey. Hamilton told Ciccarelli that he would see how it went and called Judd. Judd’s response echoed Hamilton, saying that they would not do a credit and that was not how they did things. Judd stated that payments were due on the first of each month, and after the fifth of the month they were late and there would be a penalty. If the payment wasn’t received, after the 10th of the month, it was a breach of contract.

    “I don’t recall the time,” said Judd. “But I do know it was right after [Nashville]. We were informed by Bobby Jr. that we needed to contact Ray because Mr. Ciccarelli was going to use a bonus or a credit like he had already paid. So we went through everything and I contacted Bobby Jr. and he specifically told me that there were no credits and that we didn’t do credits.”

    Judd had the race team send Ciccarelli an email, telling him that they expected his normal payment in order to go to New Jersey. Ciccarelli responded and said that he wouldn’t pay it. Judd then contacted Hamilton telling him not to touch the race car or the equipment. When Hamilton said that it was the only car going to New Jersey, Judd said that the car wasn’t going to New Jersey anymore.

    Hamilton told Judd that they were going to catch grief for that, to which Judd replied by saying that if there was a problem Ciccarelli could take them [Hamilton and Judd] to court.

    After his conversation with Judd, Hamilton says that he sent Ciccarelli a text to inform him that they weren’t taking the car to New Jersey and Ciccarelli replied by asking where the car and team were that he was paying for. Hamilton responded by sending him Judd’s phone number, but, Hamilton says that Ciccarelli never called Judd.

    Hamilton maintains that the bottom line is that Ciccarelli breached his contract then voluntarily sent that email that said he wasn’t going to pay. After that, Judd decided to park the team.

    After the deal fell through Ciccarelli drove for Wayne Hixson, and, according to Judd, he was able to make his payments for that team.

    “In the racing world you can’t do credits,” said Hamilton. “You have to pay your bills. Credits don’t pay for anything.”

     

  • Grant Enfinger Holds Off Frank Kimmel For His Third Career Victory

    Grant Enfinger Holds Off Frank Kimmel For His Third Career Victory

    Grant Enfinger’s determination assisted him to victory lane in the Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday. His celebration after the impressive win proved just how much his third career ARCA Racing Series victory meant.

    “This is pretty special,” Enfinger said. “To get this, Iowa and Mobile last year means the world to me. Appreciate everybody at Team BCR. We have some great sponsors and great partners. It doesn’t get much better than this.”

    Enfinger, who began the race in the second starting position, fought off a late race caution and a charging Frank Kimmel to seal the victory. Kimmel wounded up with a career-best second place finish at DIS, but again, his ultimate career goal of winning at Daytona wasn’t accomplished.

    Clay Campbell, Martinsville Speedway President, racked up a magnificent third place finish. Tom Hessert and Tyler Reddick rounded out the top five after making many moves in the closing laps.

    The pivotal moment of the event occurred in the beginning laps after Buster Graham was sent around which caused a catastrophe on the front stretch. Justin Boston, Will Kimmel, Justin Allison and Jeb Burton were the notable drivers involved in the multi-car incident.

    Dylan Kwasniewski, who inherited the pole after many competitors failed post-qualifying tech, was shuffled outside the top five in the closing laps and eventually finished a dismal 14th position.

    Chase Elliott, who was certainly a favorite entering the race, finished ninth after having a bad restart with under nine laps to go. John Wes Townely, last year’s Daytona winner, finished a satisfying 11th place finish.

    The ARCA Racing Series returns to the racetrack on March 22nd at Mobile International Speedway, which is Enfinger’s home track and a track in which he captured one of his three career victories.

  • Dylan Kwasniewski Snatches Daytona Pole After Gerhart Fails Tech

    Dylan Kwasniewski Snatches Daytona Pole After Gerhart Fails Tech

    Dylan Kwasniewski continued his impressive resume after capturing the pole for Saturday’s Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Real at Daytona International Speedway.

    Kwasniewski, 18, garnered the pole after Bobby Gerhart failed post-qualifying inspection. Gerhart, after his time was disallowed, will begin the event dead last. Gerhart has witnessed victory lane in the ARCA Racing Series at Daytona four times before, including three consecutive from 2010-2012.

    Grant Enfinger, after a multitude of driver’s failed post-qualifying inspection, will inherit the second starting position. Enfinger, 29, recently finished second in the Snowball Derby.

    Buster Graham, like Enfinger, moved up the starting lineup after other competitor’s times were disallowed. Graham will begin the 200 mile event in the third position.

    Chase Elliott, NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, and Mark Thompson rounded out the top five. This will be Elliott’s first ARCA event at the famed Daytona International Speedway.

    Leilani Munter, Justin Boston and Spencer Gallagher were among the other drivers that failed post-qualifying inspection. Gallagher, after the penalty, removed himself from the entry list.

    The season opener for the ARCA Racing Series takes the green flag at 4 PM Eastern Time tomorrow, and can be viewed live on Fox Sports One with timing and scoring on the ARCA Racing Series web site.

  • Ken Schrader Just Having Fun as ARCA’s Newest and Oldest Winner

    Ken Schrader Just Having Fun as ARCA’s Newest and Oldest Winner

    Ken Schrader may just be the oldest winner in the history of the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, but he is no doubt the happiest after taking the checkered flag first in the Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care this weekend at Toledo Speedway.

    And in Schrader’s own words, he is simply an almost 58 year old driver that is “just having fun.”

    “Well, being the oldest winner is sure better than being the oldest loser,” Schrader said with a laugh. “I love it.”

    “That’s five (at Toledo) and we’ll take it.”

    Schrader started on the outside pole in his No. 52 Federated Auto Parts Chevrolet and led 163 laps in the event on his way to securing the win. Schrader was especially pleased as he has not been in an ARCA car for quite some time.

    “I haven’t run an ARCA race in two and a half years because Tom Hessert from New Jersey has been driving our car,” Schrader said. “He did a good job and ran for us the last two years but he is doing something different this year.”

    “So, we picked out a handful of races that Federated Auto Parts wanted to run and this was the first one,” Schrader continued. “We qualified second and won the thing.”

    Schrader, as one of the older veterans in the field, battled a bit with the youngest pole winner in the ARCA Series, Kyle Benjamin, who took that honor at the tender age of 15 years. But Schrader admitted that his biggest competition was Grant Enfinger, who he battled side by side at one point in the race but who eventually cut down a tire to finish 15th.

    “Kyle, we didn’t fight with too much,” Schrader said. “I just fell in behind him at the start and we went about 20 laps and we got around him and then he had some trouble.”

    “But Grant Enfinger – he looks young compared to me but he’s not young, young – he was really the strongest car all day,” Schrader continued. “I had a lot of fun racing with him.”

    Schrader admits that, while he enjoys racing at the highest levels of NASCAR, the ARCA Series has a special place in his heart.

    “Well, first off I still love the Cup Series but we’re just too old to play that game week in and week out,” Schrader said. “And that takes too much sponsorship.”

    “The ARCA Series, where you run tracks like three-eighths at Elko to Talladega to mile dirt tracks to road courses, I just love the diversity of the ARCA Series.”

    And of course Schrader receives a hero’s welcome whenever he does race in the ARCA events, just like he did at the Toledo event, although he modestly disagrees with that.

    “I’m no hero,” Schrader said. “I’ve just been there lots of times.”

    “It’s different now because there are so many young kids coming up and they’re doing a phenomenal job,” Schrader said. “Veteran Frank (Kimmel) has been there a long time and I’ve been there off and on for quite awhile.”

    “A lot of folks in the grand stands don’t know the young kids yet so they just remember us or their parents told them about us.”

    Although this was Schrader’s 61st ARCA start, he is not so impressed with that. Instead, he would much rather talk about the number of races he won in the series, which he does admit is pretty impressive.

    “61 starts are not very many though,” Schrader said. “I think we ran our first one in 1981 or so.”

    “So, that’s 60 some over all those years,” Schrader continued. “The most I’ve run in a year is five or so.”

    “But we’ve won 16 of them.”

    Schrader is not just running the ARCA Series this year but also has many other races on his dance card. And admittedly being behind the wheel of a race car is what keeps him going and traveling all over the country.

    “We’re running the Sprint Cup car ten times and then we’re going to run a couple of Truck races, Bristol and the Eldora, Ohio Truck race on the dirt,” Schrader said. “And then we’re running four or five ARCA races and my little dirt modified somewhere between 60 to 70 nights.”

    “Last year, we ran in 18 states and the year before in 22 states, Schrader continued. “So, we go all over with that thing.”

    “I don’t know,” Schrader said. “I must not be very smart because I still get up in the morning and want to go race.”

    At this weekend’s race, however, Schrader also paid tribute to Dick Trickle, a NASCAR legend that was lost due to a self-inflicted gunshot wound this past week.

    “There are so many of us across the country that Dick has taught,” Schrader said. “We learned from talking to him and racing with him.”

    “There’s young kids that he has taught, guys my age that he taught, and racers that are now retired that he taught,” Schrader continued. “He was one of the smartest racers there was.”

    “There’s so many of us that Dick raised, like Rusty Wallace and Mark Martin and Kenny Wallace,” Schrader said. “What we learned from talking to him and listening to him as well as watching him was amazing.”

    “I hate, hate what happened there but I know that he had to really be in some pain to do that.”

    In spite of that pain and loss, Schrader was in full celebration mode after scoring the ARCA win. But he puts it all in perspective as only Ken Schrader can.

    “It was a real fun day that obviously put Federated Auto Parts in Victory Lane,” Schrader said. “But when we wake up tomorrow, it doesn’t make any difference and we just have to get ready to go to Elko.”

    “I feel good about our sport though,” Schrader continued. “We had a good weather day and a packed grandstand out at the ARCA race.”

    “It doesn’t get any better than that.”

  • Ryan Reed works hard to promote JDRF and Ryan’s Mission

    Ryan Reed works hard to promote JDRF and Ryan’s Mission

    [media-credit name=”Venturini Motorsports” align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]In February 2011, Ryan Reed was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and was told that he would never be able to race again. However, after getting in contact with a doctor through IndyCar driver Charlie Kimball, he was told that it was possible.

    Now a year and three months later, Reed finds himself behind the wheel of the No. 15 JDRF car for Venturini Motorsports in the ARCA Racing Series. After two races this season, he sits sixth in points after finishing 12th at Daytona and Mobile.

    When he’s not behind the wheel of a racecar, Reed is spreading word about JDRF and Ryan’sMission. JDRF is the world’s largest funding provider for research towards curing, treating and preventing T1D and its complications. Ryan’s Mission is a non-profit organization that Reed formed to help build awareness, become a role model and positively touch the lives of others.

    Reed spoke of both JDRF and Ryan’sMission, talking about events that he has taken part of so far this year and some future events…..

     

    Ashley McCubbin: How has it been for you working with JDRF?

    Ryan Reed: JDRF has been unbelievable to work with. We’ve done so many incredible events so far this year and the relationship couldn’t anymore organic and we’ve just both have enjoyed all the great things we’ve done together. I mean, I really feel like we not only have been achieved great things so far, but the things we’ll be able to do in the future are even better.

     

    AM: Why did you want to get behind JDRF to begin with?

    RR: It kind of really happen organically. We were testing for the ARCA race in Daytona in December, Advanced Auto Parts contacted us and said we have a little girl named Makayla who wants to meet you and just figure out how you’ve compete with the disease. I said absolutely, and we were trying talking about JDRF. I had been talking about it for 10 minutes and I wanted to figure out how to get involved. I had my foundation and all, but we weren’t getting far. So when I got the chance to meet this little girl, I thought it was great.

    So when we talked about JDRF, I thought it was pretty cool and wanted to learn more about them. Their headquarters are inNew Yorkand my dad was inNew Yorkin December and he said he’d stop in there and drop off my portfolio and see if they want to do anything with me. They were like so excited and ever since, it’s just been an amazing relationship and everything has been good and had good intentions.

     

    AM: If you could, talk about why it is important for you to spread the word about JDRF.

    RR: Well, I mean being a T1D (Type 1 Diabetic), it obviously hits close to home. It’s important to me because they’ve done amazing things up to this point – obviously there’s no cure yet, but the medical advances they’ve participated in are just unreal.

     

    AM: How did Ryan’s Mission come about?

    RR: That was actually very near after I was diagnosed – well, I was first told I wasn’t going to be able to race, but then was told I’d be able to. Right after that, I knew I wanted to do this. I know other kids are being told that they won’t be able to do things and only some are lucky enough to find doctors that are as supportive as mine and able to still chase their dreams. So Ryan’s Mission was formed almost immediately and I just wanted to show kids and spread that message and not be held back.

     

    [media-credit name=”Ryan Reed Racing” align=”alignleft” width=”266″][/media-credit]AM: I know you’ve been to some Checkers Hockey Games and some games in Bakersfield, California over the past couple of months. How has that experience been for you spreading word about Ryan’s Mission and JDRF?

    RR: That’s been so much fun. I was a hockey fan growing up, played road hockey growing up, and followed the local hockey teams. I’ve always been a fan of the sport so to combine the two, fan of one sport, passion for the other, it’s just really a lot of fun just to be there. Then to be able to have all these kids come up to me and tell them how I inspire them and how much whenever they don’t want to take their shot and their parents tell them but, ‘Ryan takes his shots. If he can do it, then you can’ and they say okay. It’s unbelievable to hear and such a motivation on-and-off the track to keep doing my part in my career not just for myself, but for those kids to continue watch and get inspired.

     

    AM: I noticed lots of kids wanted to come by, meet you, get your autograph. How is it for you talking to the kids?

    RR: Any time a driver has fans, it means a lot to them. Any driver will tell you how much the fans mean to them and how fortunate they feel to have fans. Espically with my group of fans, they’re so loyal. They have unconditional ties to me, whether I win, lose or draw, with the T1D and they’re so supportive and all they want to do is help and they want to learn. Anytime a little kid comes up to me to get an autograph, I have a connection with them, so I think in my case, it’s a little bit different. Whether it’s a Type 1 Diabetic fan or not, it means a lot to me.

     

    AM:  Last month, I know you met with Congressman Kevin McCarthy. Talk about that experience, but also how important it is to have his support with the Special Diabetes Program.

    RR: That was really cool. That was the first time I had done anything with the Remember Me Campaign. So when I got the call to do that, I was really excited. When I showed up there, Kevin was a great guy, really down to earth. First thing we do when I walked in, we talked about racing. So we talked about racing for a bit and then I started telling him all the great things that JDRF has done. He was so supportive; he really a great guy. It was a lot of fun and a good experience.

    I think there was three or four of us, myself included, kids with Type 1 Diabetes from all ages. There was a little girl, a little eight years old boy – it was great to watch the whole Diabetic community come together and raise awareness and hopefully find a cure. The funding from that is crucial to JDRF so we all felt it was a obligation to go there and perform and show Kevin why it is important.

     

    AM: This weekend, I know that the showcar will be at the Long Beach Grand Prix. It may seem odd to some to have it at an IndyCar event, but maybe talk why you would want to have it there.

    RR: Long Beach isn’t a NASCAR event, but it’s a beautiful car that gets a lot of attention and it’s just another tool to raise awareness for JDRF. That’s kind of one of my goals is to just to raise awareness for JDRF. It’s a cool looking racecar, they look at it, do a little research on JDRF and learn more about diabetes, it’s for the better.

    A lot about what Ryan’s Mission is about is I really want diabetes to not be taboo. It does have a stigma about it and I don’t want that. I want people to be educated; I want people to understand it. A kid reaches to try and take a shot at the dinner table, people want to freak out. It’s just something that you have to deal with; it’s not a big deal. I think any kid that they don’t want to be treated weird or different because of it. A kid has asthma – people don’t freak out when he pulls out his inhaler. I want it to be accepted and like I said, I don’t want it to have a stigma.

     

    [media-credit name=”Ryan Reed Racing” align=”alignright” width=”255″][/media-credit]AM: I know the LA. Car Connection Cool and Classic Car Show is coming up later this month. Talk about being involved with that and helping Alec Buckner with his quest to raise money.

    RR: That is going to be really fun. L.A. Car Connection is a really great group of people with some cool cars. I actually got to drive a Ferrari when I was hanging out with them in L.A. when I was hanging out with them in L.A. one day. So that’s going to be a lot of fun, as well as raising money for JDRF. Like I said, it’s going to be a fun and great all the way around. It’ll be great to have people come out, have fun and look at some cool cars.

     

    AM:  While you’re in Salem, I know the Walk JDRF Charlotte RIC Walk to Cure Diabetes will be going on. Talk about how important it is for you to have Ryan’sMissioninvolved with that.

    RR: The walks are great; they have all them all over the country. The walks are a great awareness tool, as well as a way to raise some funding to help find a cure. That’s always a fun experience. To have the Ryan’s Mission team involved with that, it’s going to be great. It’s really important to have Ryan’s Mission out there and show our support and how dedicated we are to JDRF.

     

    AM: Looking at the schedule with you racing and the appearances, it seems it never stops. How do you keep it all balanced?

    RR: That’s definitely tough – I’ve got my family, my girlfriend – I feel it’s such an opportunity and obligation to raise awareness and use the gift that God’s given me to do some good. I find time for it all, epically trying to work out and stay mentally right for the racecar. It’s just one of my challenges. I don’t have to wake up and go to an eight-to-five job. When I’m not traveling, I get to go to the gym in the morning and have a different lifestyle. I can deal with the bad – I’m not saying its bad at all, but it can be draining with all the travel, but it’s definitely so rewarding and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

     

    AM: Mid May, there’s the JDRF Celebrity Golf Tournament. Talk about the event and what fans can expect.

    RR: I got the call to do that and I was really excited. I had never picked up a golf club before so I was a little nervous. I actually found a new passion. I went down and got a lesson in golf and have been playing the past couple of weeks so hopefully I’ll be ready. It’s going to be a ton of fun playing on a beautiful golf course.

     

    AM: Thoughts going into Salem…..

    RR: I’m really excited. We had a couple weeks to prepare and I’ve been in the gym everyday getting myself ready. Everyone’s hungry – we’ve had a break these past five weeks. Everyone’s going to be hungry when we get out there to perform and no one wants to have this race and go there and struggle. I feel everybody at Venturini Motorsports, myself included, has worked hard over this break and we’re all going to go there with our guns loaded. If we can stay on all eight cylinders, we’re going to be tough to beat.

     

    Some of the future events:

    • The showcar will be on display at the Long Beach Grand Prix IndyCar event this weekend (April 14/15th)
    • April 22nd: L.A. Connection Cool and Classis Car Show
    • April 28th: JDRF Charlotte RIC Walk to Cure Diabetes
    • April 29th: JDRF Promotion at Salem Speedway Fan Zone
    • May 1st: JDRF Promotion at Birmingham Baron’s Baseball Game
    • May 16th: JDRF Celebrity Golf Tournament
    • June 14th: Ford-JDRF Promotion at Michgan Int’l Speedway
    • June 16th: JDRF 24 Hour Hockey Game – Skating for a Cure
    • July 21st: JDRF Music Concert Series Promotion – Chicago
    • July 26th: JDRF Indianapolis Promotion
    • August 4th: JDRF Promotion at Pocono Raceway Fan Zone

     

    To learn more about Venturini Motorsports, check out http://www.venturinimotorsports.com.

    To learn more about Ryan Reed, check out http://www.ryanreedracing.com.

    To learn more about JDRF, check out http://www.jdrf.org.

    To learn more about Ryan’s Mission, check out http://www.ryansmission.org.

  • Erik Jones: Youngest Driver to Start an ARCA Racing Series Race

    Erik Jones: Youngest Driver to Start an ARCA Racing Series Race

    For the 2012 racing season, ARCA Racing Series officials made the decision to lower the age limit from 16 to 15. The new rules would allow drivers that were 15 years old and older to run short tracks, while waiting till they turned 18 to run the bigger tracks.

    Last month at Mobile International Speedway, 15-year-old Erik Jones took advantage of that as he drove the No. 55 Paragon Corvette Reproductions Chevrolet for Venturini Motorsports.

    “To be able to go and take advantage of the lower age limit, definitely was a cool experience to be able to be the first one to do that,” Jones says, adding that it’s great to be able to start young and do well.

    The day didn’t work out as Jones would’ve planned as mechanical issues would result in a 29th place finish.

    “It was a great learning experience to get used to working with Venturini Motorsports,” Jones, who qualified third for the event, says. “We learned a lot. I personally learned a lot about what I want personally in a racecar and this is a new style of racecar that I haven’t driven before. Just a lot of good experience, had a good run going before we broke. Definitely thought we were going to finish in the top three.”

    Jones is hoping to take what he learned at Mobile and apply it to Salem at the end of the month.

    “Salem is going to be a good race,” he says. “Venturini has always done well there so I’m hoping to go there and continue their tradition of doing well at Salem.  I’ve never been to Salem personally; I’ve heard a lot about it. It sounds like it’s got a lot of character so I always like going to a new race track and we’re really looking forward to it.”

    In years past, ARCA left the age limit at 16 as many felt letting drivers younger race was a bad idea. However, Jones says it works due to how they set it up.

    “There are definitely some drivers out there at (age) 15 that aren’t going to be ready to move into an ARCA car,” he explains. ”But they’ve got specific qualifications on that so I think they did a good job on lowering the age limit, but not allowing just any 15 year old to hop in these rides.”

    Jones started racing at the age of seven in quarter midgets, before moving to Street Stocks when he turned 12.

    Getting him started in racing was his grandfather as Jones says his grandpa, “built a lot of motors, drag raced himself, and he is kind of a gearhead. My mom and dad helped get me into quarter midgets and still help me to this day. They’ve been a big part, too, in getting me started.”

    At the age of 13, he moved up to Late Models and continues to race at that level well racing in ARCA.

    “Late Models definitely teaches you a lot,” the 2011 JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour Champion says. “It teaches you to race with a higher horsepower car, and definitely a lot more experienced drivers. Racing with those guys, you learn a lot about how you need to race people, how to be aggressive and how to save your stuff when you don’t need to be aggressive. There are so many things you learn in Late Models that I don’t think you could learn in other places.”

    It seems only fitting that it would be Venturini Motorsports being the first team to take advantage of the new rule based on their driver development program that has helped develop many drivers. Jones is well aware of the team’s history as Venturini Motorsports enters its 30th year of competition.

    “It’s cool to drive for a team that has as much as success and been around as long as Venturini Motorsports,” Jones says. “It’s definitely an honor to say the least.”

    Jones adds that working with Venturini Motorsports is a good learning experience as he gets to learn about working within a big organization and having teammates.

    “To come into a program like that and be able to learn so much, so quick, it’s very beneficial to my racing career,” he adds.

    Going down the road in the future, Jones hopes to be at the Sprint Cup level.

    “I think every driver would say that they’d like to see themselves in a Sprint Cup racecar racing for somebody,” he says. “Obviously I would like to see myself there. I believe we’ve put ourselves in the right situation to have a good shot at that. Hopefully we can get myself up to the Cup Series and be able to race for a living.

    Outside of racing, Jones enjoys listening to music, scuba diving and playing guitar.

  • Chad Hackenbracht Gets Off to a Good Start Early in ARCA Season

    Chad Hackenbracht Gets Off to a Good Start Early in ARCA Season

    [media-credit name=”CGH Motorsports” align=”alignleft” width=”280″][/media-credit]While watching a race from Daytona on television, Chad Hackenbracht became interested in racing and told his parents he wanted to race.

    “They told me to brush it off over a couple of weeks,” he tells the story. “After a couple of months, I said ‘What’s going on? Am I going to race?’.”

    His parents told him to come up with some possible options to go racing in, to which he responded go-karts and four wheelers. His parents turned both of those options down.

    “My mom said no to four-wheelers,” he continues. “My dad said no to the go-karts just because they don’t have seat belts. So when you wreck, the object is to get away as far as possible from the kart by flying out of it.”

    The end result was the family buying a quarter midget to race in the Mid Western Quarter Midget Association to begin his career.

    Flash forward to the present day and Hackenbracht is now a competitor in the ARCA Racing Series for CGH Motorsports, currently sitting third in points.

    With points leader Cale Gale not expected to compete in all the races this season, Hackenbracht currently sits second of the full-time series drivers, 10 points behind Brennan Poole.

    “So far, we’ve run really well,” he says. “Daytona is sort of a crapshoot and we were running pretty good, got shuffled out to the outside. But we came out with a clean racecar, ready to go to Talladega.”

    Last weekend at Mobile, Gale scored another second place finish while Cale Gale went on to win the race.

    “We’re really satisfied with that so far,” he says. “Can’t really ask for too much more.”

    He is also on track with his expectations for 2012 as he expects to run in the top five while contending for the championship.

    Before they can get to that point, he is hoping that a sponsor comes on board.

    “Right now, we don’t know what races we’re going to and what races we’re not going to,” he comments.  “So it’s kind of tough and nerve-wracking as a driver not knowing where you’re going to race.”

    That’s why it’s important to get off to a good start, but also so that way they’re not in a hole.

    “When you’re trying to work your way up in points from 40th, it just makes for a long year,” he says. “It takes a lot more to get up front if you don’t start at the beginning of the season.”

    If things come together, Hackenbracht and team are ready to head to Salem Speedway next month.

    “If we go there, I picture a win because every time we’ve been there the past few times, we’ve run top five and had the fastest car all day long,” he says. “We have just had something mechanical happen. So expectation is definitely a win and top five qualifying, but hopefully we can come out of there with a good finish and maybe the points lead.”

    A lot of people looked to Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports to have a successful 2012 season based on last year.

    Last season, he scored three top fives and 10 top 10s on his way to finishing eighth in points and impressing many people near the end of the season due to being a small, family-based team. Hackenbracht doesn’t consider it being a bad position to be in.

    “It’s not too tough when you have the right people, and I think we definitely do,” he says. “We’re definitely a small organization – we’ve only got three full-time guys. Kevin Reed came over from Venturini (Motorsports) and he’s done really well. He’s definitely stepped up our program. It’s not really tough to run against any so-called big name teams because once you get out there, it’s up to the driver. If you have the ability, then you’re going to be able to run with them.”

    Hackenbracht says one of the biggest lessons he learned last year was patience.

    “You’ve got 200 laps on these short tracks and you don’t need to going all out racing somebody for three or four laps, wearing out your equipment on lap 100,” he explains. “You don’t really have to use your equipment because it gets really hectic there at the end and that’s where you start getting the runs and able to go for the win with about 50 to go.”

    The patience factor is something he has in common with his racing hero – Mark Martin.

    “He’s a real clean racer and everyone sort of respects him and there’s not too much controversy surrounding him,” he says.

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