Testing SpeedwayMedia.com

Tag: Salem Speedway

  • ARCA Menards Series Preview-Salem II

    ARCA Menards Series Preview-Salem II

    After a few weeks off, the ARCA Menards Series drivers are back on-track this Saturday night at the historic and rough racetrack at Salem Speedway.

    It will be the 18th of 20 races of the 2019 season and will mark only three races left until the season finale at Kansas Speedway in October. Just two drivers are more than likely fighting for the championship at this point in the season and it’s the two Venturini Motorsports driver Christian Eckes and Michael Self. It would take something catastrophic to happen to these two drivers to bring in a third driver and even then, they would need a lot of help.

    If Eckes loses the championship this season, it might be because he missed this race back in April when the Venturini Motorsports driver was sick the night before due to food poisoning. However, Eckes does not think about that night and is focused on winning this weekend.

    “I try not to think too much about what happened at Salem early on in the season,” says Eckes who takes a mature approach to the situation. “Sure, it happened and set us back in the standings, it sucks. But there’s nothing I can do to change the past. It’s all about now and what we do moving forward. We’ve had plenty of opportunities after that race that we could have closed the gap further and didn’t. Those are the races that I think about the most in this championship battle, not so much that one.”

    With Eckes and Self pretty much the only two competing for the championship, Eckes looks forward to the next three races.

    “I’m really looking forward to battling with Michael to end this year out, Eckes added. “Self and his entire 25 team have been on their game the entire year and definitely made it interesting. I’m just really looking forward to continuing the momentum we’ve built over the last few races.”

    Eckes will be pulling double duty this weekend by driving the No. 51 Kyle Busch Motorsports Toyota Tundra at Las Vegas Friday night and he will then head to Salem to drive his No. 15 Toyota. At Salem, Eckes has four starts with one win that occurred in the April 2018 race. His other stats include one top five and three top-10s with 163 laps led.

    One driver hoping to keep Eckes from the win is his teammate and previous race winner Michael Self. Self is hoping to better his fourth-place finish at DuQuoin on Labor Day weekend.

    “Salem is probably my favorite short track on the schedule so I’m excited to get back and race it again, but expectation-wise I know this is a different day with different conditions than we had in the Spring,” says the 28-year-old driver from Utah. 

    Not only is Self the defending winner of this race, but the team will also be bringing back the same car he won with in April and it will likely boost his confidence.

    “While we’re bringing back the car we won with, we have to expect that things will be different and we aren’t just going to walk in and pick up where we left off without some work and adaptation.”

    Having an impressive track record that includes one win with three starts and one pole, Chandler Smith is hoping to go back-to-back in the fall race. He won last year’s fall race after leading all but one lap. Smith has an average finish of 5.0 with 319 laps led.

    “It’s always nice having some time off but I’m ready to get back at it,” says Smith. Salem is easily one of my favorite places to run. We only have the one win to show, but I feel the other two races we ran there just got away from us. Last year during the spring race we were battling our teammate (Christian Eckes) for the lead on the final lap and blew a tire. And back in April, we had the car to get it done but the race ended early because of the rain. Sometimes that’s how it goes in racing. I’ll be ready this week.”

    Rounding out the Venturini Motorsports powerhouse stable is rookie and up-and-comer, Gavin Harlien, who will be piloting the No. 55 Toyota paying tribute to Tony Venturini. It will be Harlien’s first start at Salem this weekend.

    “There’s only so much you can do to prepare for a track like Salem,” added the University of Arizona senior. “Knowing it’s going to be a dog fight I’ve watched lots of film and have spent a good amount of time talking with my crew chief Frank Kimmel to get a better idea of what to expect. This race surely will test my endurance. It looks fun. I can’t wait to get back in the car and feel those bumps flying through the turns in three and four. Everything I’ve seen and heard about Salem points towards having to manhandle the car to have success.”

    On the other hand, rookie Corey Heim hopes to break up the Venturini Motorsports powerhouse team. The Chad Bryant Racing driver competed in the April race earlier this year, where Heim started sixth and recorded a fifth-place finish. This season, the youngster has six top-fives and 10 top-10 finishes in the 2019 season.

    “I feel good about going to Salem Speedway,” said Heim. “The is the first time I get to use prior knowledge of an ARCA track to improve on it, so that should help me out a lot this weekend. “I feel like our No. 22 Chad Bryant Racing team is carrying a lot of momentum, we just need to execute on Saturday and win the race.”

    Heim and his No. 22 team tested at Salem last Friday to give him more track time. The Marietta, Georgia native is hoping for a win in Saturday night’s short-track.

    “I want to win on Saturday night, I think we’ve proven we’re capable of winning, just need everything to go our way. If for some reason we can’t win on Saturday, I’ve got one more chance at Lucas Oil Raceway next month, where there’s nothing else that matters to me except winning.”

    His teammate Joe Graf Jr. has three starts at Salem with a best finish of ninth this past April. Graf Jr. has one DNF which came in the fall 2018 race and an average finish of 10.3.

    “It feels good getting back to short track racing,” said Graf Jr. who sits fifth in the ARCA championship standings. “I genuinely like Salem Speedway, but it’s a not an easy track to negotiate. It’s a track that takes a lot of concentration and focus.”

    “It keep getting better and better with every race on Salem, but I’d like to leave there on Saturday night with our best finish of the season.”

    It has been a difficult season for the No. 77 for the Mahwah, New Jersey native who has recorded one top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Despite those stats, Graf Jr. is wanting nothing more than a win this Saturday night.

    “I want to win so bad,” added Graf. “That’s why I get behind the wheel of our race car every week. I need to win for a lot of reasons. I have a great partner in EAT SLEEP RACE who has stuck through our team through the bumps in the road this season and my guys at the Chad Bryant Racing team who have given everything they can to bring me the fastest racecar possible.”

    Like his teammate Heim, Graf Jr. also participated in the test last Friday at Salem.

    Sitting third in the championship points standings is Bret Holmes and his No. 23 family owned team. Holmes finished 10th in the April race and his stats at Salem have been decent. In five starts, he has one top-five and four top-10 finishes with a best finish of third in his first outing at Salem three years ago in 2016.

    “I like the tracks with a worn-out, rough surface. I’m just kind of used to racing at places like Salem (Speedway). Tire management is big at a short track like Salem. The two corners are completely different, too. It’s just a fun track to race. Earlier this year, we tried something a little too extreme on the setup and it didn’t work out the way we wanted it to. We’re going into this weekend with a set up that we know will be better and I’m excited to unload and get on track for practice. We’ve run well there in the past and I don’t see this weekend being any different.”

    With Salem being a throwback race, Ed Pompa and the No. 11 Andy Hillenburg team have chosen to pay tribute to the retired NASCAR broadcaster Darrell Waltrip.

    “With Darrell retiring from the broadcast booth this year, I thought it would be cool to do a DW throwback, as a ‘thank you’,” Pompa said. “We are running the No. 11, which Darrell ran at various times, but this particular scheme was from his No. 17.”

    At Salem, Pompa has seven starts with no top-fives or top-10 finishes, but his best finish was 14th twice (2013, 2017), both while driving for Hillenburg.

    Colby Howard and the No. 32 Kevin Cywinski team will be competing once again at Salem this weekend. It will be Howard’s first start since Iowa, where he recorded a 10th place finish. The Simpsonville, South Carolina native has just one start at Salem where he finished eighth in his first start at the track driving for former team owner Mason Mitchell.

    “I am really looking forward to returning to Salem. We had a good run in the test on Tuesday and should have had a top-five finish in last year’s race until I made a mistake on pit road. This time around, it should be better, because our car is really solid on old tires, which is critical on Salem’s worn out surface.”

    Sam Mayer and the No. 21 GMS Racing team are hoping to gain one more spot after they finished second in April after starting ninth.

    “Going to Salem for the second time I feel like Mardy (Lindley, crew chief) and I will be even better than we were in the spring. Mardy and the team have worked really hard this year and have made my cars better and better as we go, and I feel no different this weekend. I also know I’m a better, more experienced driver than I was earlier this year. I feel confident that we can compete for a win with our Chevy Accessories Chevrolet. The weather forecast looks good so far, so hopefully, we can run the whole race this time.”

    Other drivers on the entry list include Dick Doheny, Tommy Vigh Jr., Ty Gibbs, Travis Braden, Carson Hocevar, Mike Basham, Brad Smith, Scott Melton, Brian Finney, Tim Richmond and Ben Peterson.

    In the April 2019 race, Michael Self and the No. 25 team started fourth and led 72 laps before rain came on Lap 101 just past halfway, and gave Self his second win of the season.

    Salem Speedway has seen various winners including Austin Theriault, Dalton Sargeant, Christopher Bell, Grant Enfinger, Ken Schrader, Tom Hessert III, Alex Bowman, Chris Buescher, Brennan Poole, Dakoda Armstrong, Justin Lofton, Steve Arpin, Frank Kimmel, Justin Allgaier, Brian Keselowski, Billy Venturini, Joey Miller, Chad Blount, Jason Jarrett, Bill Baird, Tim Steele, Bob Strait, Bob Schacht, Bob Brevak and Bob Keselowski, to name a few.

    It will be a one-day show as always for the ARCA Menards Series drivers. On-track action begins on Saturday afternoon with an hour and a half practice beginning at 1 p.m. ET with coverage on arcaracing.com. General Tire Pole Series Qualifying is scheduled for 4 p.m. ET where all drivers will have two laps to record a time.

    Then a little after 7:15 p.m. ET the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers Fall Classic 200 will begin with 200 laps live on MAVTV and live timing/scoring on arcaracing.com.

  • Venturini Motorsports unveil throwback cars for Salem race

    Venturini Motorsports unveil throwback cars for Salem race

    With one throwback weekend down, there’s one more to go. The ARCA Menards Series will have their own throwback race in a few weeks at Salem Speedway.

    Salem Speedway has been home to some interesting throwbacks in the ARCA Menards Series over the past couple of years and this year’s race will be no exception.

    Already revealing their paint schemes for the 2019 race is the dominant powerhouse Venturini Motorsports team. So far, two of its drivers, Christian Eckes and rookie Chandler Smith, will be paying homage to the team’s heritage at the short-track in Salem, Indiana.

    Christian Eckes who currently sits second in points, will have a throwback to Bill Venturini’s (President of Venturini Motorsports) championship-winning seasons in 1987 and 1991. Eckes is excited to dedicate the No. 15 scheme to Venturini.

    “It’s a great honor to run Bill’s championship colors, especially at Salem,” says current championship contender Christian Eckes. “I’ve known Bill and his family since I broke into the series back in 2016. He’s done so much for me personally and so many others over the years. It’s just a really cool deal. Hopefully, we’re able to put this JBL Audio Camry in victory lane for him.”

    As for Smith, he will have a throwback to Venturini’s racing days in the USAC Series where Bill raced in 1978. Like Eckes, Smith is ready to run the No. 20 throwback scheme and get it to victory lane.

    “It was so cool to see all the old school paint schemes at Darlington,” said Smith. “But nothing will compare to driving this throwback car under the lights at Salem. Salem has a rich history. The ARCA Series has been racing there almost forever and Bill and the Venturini family has been running there since the ’80s. I can’t think of another track or paint scheme I’d rather run.”

    Both drivers have a great shot at getting one of the throwbacks to victory lane at Salem Speedway. In four starts dating back to 2017, Eckes has one win that occurred in spring of 2018. Other stats for Eckes includes one top-five, three top-10 finishes, 163 laps led and one DNF.

    Smith and the No. 20 team have one win (Fall of 2018), two top-fives and three top-10 finishes with 319 laps led and one pole in his first race at Salem in the spring of 2018.

    The ARCA Menards Series takes on Salem Speedway on Saturday night Sept. 14 live on MAVTV.

  • 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.”

  • 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.

  • ARCA: Max Gresham and Mason Mingus and Ready For Salem Speedway

    ARCA: Max Gresham and Mason Mingus and Ready For Salem Speedway

    Max Gresham is ready to get back behind the wheel of an ARCA Racing presented by Menards series car as he will team up with Venturini Motorsports for the Ford Dealers Fall Classic at Salem Speedway in Indiana.

    “I’m excited to go back to Salem,” Gresham said. “It’s been a good track for me. I won a pole at Salem in my first ever ARCA race and we ran really well this past spring in the No. 25 Venturini car. I like going back to tracks where I have run well in the past. It’s great when you go with a team like Venturini Motorsports because they always run well there too. My Venturini Motorsports teammate, Brennan Poole, won the spring race at Salem. Hopefully, we can go in and get my first win in ARCA this season with them this weekend.”

    Gresham hasn’t found the winning success like his teammate Poole, however he has come close. In Jne, Gresham finished second at Michigan International Speedway and last month, finished sixth at Pocono Raceway after winning the pole.

    “I for sure love the high banks and high-speed race tracks,” Gresham added. “They tend to suit my style and things seem to work out for me at them. It’s a lot of fun to throw an ARCA car right up against the wall at a place like Salem. It’s definitely a challenge, but when the race is over, you think ‘wow, that’s a lot of fun.’ Salem is a challenge, but it’s really enjoyable.”

    Despite the lack of ARCA starts this year, Gresham has been busy as he drove the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota to a fifth-place finish in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event at Greenville-Pickens Speedway last weekend, holds a 65-point lead in that division’s championship standings.

    With no pressures of having to work about the points, Gresham only has one thought on his mind.

    “The expectations are the same as they always are,” Gresham said. “Billy Venturini and his guys are going up there to win. That’s what they do and that’s what I am going to try to do for them.”

    Meanwhile for Mason Mingus and Win-Tron Racing, a good run is the key for their effort as Mingus will be making his first ever ARCA Racing Series start.

    “I have heard a lot about Win-Tron racing and seen that they have had a very good track record in the past,” he said. “That helps me to have confidence that I will be able to adjust very quickly because they will have a good car when they show up to the track. I’m just thankful for the opportunity.”

    This 16-year-old does come with experience as he has raced in the Champion Racing Association Super Late Model Series and is a former winner at Salem Speedway in the Ken-Ten Series in June 2010.

    Salem Speedway definitely ranks near the top of the list of my favorite tracks to race at,” the Brentwood, Tennessee native said. “I have only been able to race at Salem one time, but I had a lot of success there. It is a very tough track to race on but as long as we are able to save tires and have a consistent car it is a lot of fun.

    “Being that this will be my first time in an ARCA car it will be a big learning experience. I intend to be patient throughout the race and take opportunities when they come. Although it will be a different experience than driving a late model I will do everything I can to be competitive enough to win the race.”

    Win-Tron Racing this year has ran with a mixture of drivers as Mingus marks the fifth different driver to drive the No. 32 Champion Brands Toyota Camry this year.

    “It’s always exciting to bring a driver to ARCA for the first time,” Win-Tron Racing co-car owner Nate Thiesse said. “Mason comes to our team on the heels of a healthy season in the CRA Super Late Model Series and an extensive resume that resonates back years. Obviously, his experience at Salem will play into our advantage initially as far as him getting up to speed, but he’s up against some competition he’s never had to face before and a car he is unfamiliar with.

    “Despite those scenarios, there is potential for him to earn a lot of respect and potentially gleam in the limelight. While we know that our team is capable of winning races, we haven’t set our expectations that high for Mason. We just want him to learn, have fun and hopefully we’ll leave somewhere inside the top-10. If we can do that, we’ll consider the weekend a great success.”

    While they are just looking to have a good solid night, a win is something that is very well possible.

    “We’re not saying that Mason can’t win the race on Saturday night,” Thiesse added. “We just don’t want to put that kind of pressure on him in his first race. Salem though is a track where strange things have happened and a place that has bred first-time winners, so anything is possible. The biggest goal for this weekend is for him to be safe, have fun and bring the car home in one piece.”

    The Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic by Federated Car Care (200 laps / 111 miles) is the 17th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. Practice begins Saturday, September 17 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 1:05 p.m. – 2:35 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m.

    The field will take the green flag later in the evening at approximately 7:15 p.m. The event will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,329th race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.