Catchfence

Tim George Jr. follows the adage that hard work pays off. And though his priority has been the ARCA RE/MAX Series this season, George Jr. took a little time last weekend to blow off some steam and return to his road racing roots before capping off his rookie season in a stock car later this weekend at Rockingham Speedway.

George Jr., who sits 11thin the ARCA points after the first 20 races, notched another consistent finish last Thursday in Kansas, wheeling his No. 2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota into 15th.

The ARCA race however, was just the beginning for the 28-year-old. An early wake-up call on Friday saw the New York racer off to Virginia for a jaunt on the Virginia International Raceway road course for the Grand-AM KONI Sports Car Challenge season finale.

“Right after the Kansas ARCA race I flew out at 5:30 AM for Virginia. I ran in the Grand-Am KONI race. The weekend started off a little slow, but by the morning of the race we had our set up dialed in to be second in practice. We ran a solid race, but unfortunately had a pit penalty which eventually put us a lap down,” George Jr. explained.

“We had a podium car, and ended up 11th after some incidents with my co-driver and friend Conrad Grunewald. He’s a good driver, but even the best can’t predict brake issues. Once the ABS was reset we were okay until the end. It was great to be part of Rehagan Racing, who clinched the KONI Championship this weekend.”

“The last time I ran VIR with KONI in 2007, my team Automatic Racing also clinched the Championship. Maybe one of these seasons I will have my own championship to claim.”

George Jr. will return to ARCA competition behind the wheel of the No. 2 Ruby Tuesday Toyota for Eddie Sharp Racing this Saturday at Rockingham Speedway for practice and qualifying. The American 200 is set for Sunday at 1 PM and will be the season finale for the touring stock car series.

“I’m looking forward to going back to The Rock this weekend. I have a good shot at the top 10 in drivers points, and our run at Kansas helped this. I felt really good towards the second half of the Kansas race, and I’m looking to start off at The Rock like I finished the Kansas race. We are bringing the same car from Kansas to Rockingham, and it’s a nice piece. Finishing the season on a good note is what our sights are set on,” George Jr. said.

The 21stand final race on the ARCA schedule will conclude a solid rookie effort for George Jr. after transitioning from road racing to full bodied stock cars. Entering this weekend’s run at The Rock, George Jr. has a best finish of fifth with two top-10 and 13 top 20 finishes.

For more on Tim George Jr., please visit www.timgeorgejr.com

To follow Tim George Jr. on Twitter, visit www.twitter.com/timgeorgejr

To learn more on Eddie Sharp Racing, visit www.teamesr.com

About Eddie Sharp Racing

Eddie Sharp set up shop in 2005 after several years of transforming young, talented drivers into ARCA championship contenders. Today, Eddie Sharp Racing has evolved into the rite of passage for any serious upcoming driver with an ambition for professional stock car racing. Located in Denver, North Carolina just north of Charlotte, Eddie Sharp Racing occupies a top-notch facility that closely resembles a five-star NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, both inside and out. The two ESR buildings each contain two teams where on any given day, championship contending cars are assembled, engines tuned and teams strategize to score the next race day victory.

- Activ8 Communications Press Release