Saturday

Hitting their Marks: Win-Tron Racing Launches a Championship Caliber Effort with a Driver Looking to Make a Home in ARCA

Filed under ARCA, Press Releases

TOLEDO, Ohio (January 22, 2010)- Win-Tron Racing has become synonymous with the words “driver development” in the ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards, earning back-to-back Rookie of the Year titles with Joey Miller in 2005 and Blake Bjorklund in 2006 and helping to launch the NASCAR careers of drivers such as James Buescher. But the team will switch focus in 2010, enlisting the help of veteran Series competitor Justin Marks to focus on “championship development”.

Most of Win-Tron’s up-and-coming drivers have used their time in the ARCA Racing Series to acquire the skills necessary to move on to careers in NASCAR. Marks enters the Win-Tron Racing stable with a different mindset. As a former Rolex Grand Am Sports Car Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series driver, he has a ‘been there, done that’ attitude and is looking to make a home in ARCA, starting off with a run at the 2010 ARCA Racing Series Championship.

“I’ve missed running ARCA since I raced full time in 2007,” said Marks. “ARCA is fun. The people are great, the cars are fun to drive, the schedule is diverse. I’m not here to get “discovered”, I’m not here to move back up, I’m here to run hard and kick ass and try to win a championship. I’m ready for it, Win-Tron is ready for it. After the last few years I’ve had at different levels in stock car racing, I can apply what I’ve learned and know and what I need to get the job done. So we’re wide-open building some awesome racecars and putting this program together.”

Win-Tron Racing is no stranger to championships. Co-owner Kevin Cywinski is the 2004 ASA Champion Driver and much of the team, including crew chief Mike Chaffee, has been with Cywinski since the ASA days. Marks made one start for Win-Tron Racing in 2009-a one-off deal at New Jersey Motorsports Park-where he immediately noticed the benefits of pairing up with an established team.

“The Win-Tron guys have all been together for a number of years and have everything down to a science,” said Marks. It’s a great thing to be able to just kind of plug yourself into an environment like that where I just have to drive the car and focus on winning and not have to worry about the chemistry or if the driver-crew chief relationship is working, or if I’m getting the same stuff as my teammate. The focus is 100 percent on my effort. They come to the track prepared and ready to execute a plan each and every week.”

Marks heads into the February 6 Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway as a former winner at the World Center for Racing. Not, as many would assume, in the ARCA Racing Series, but in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. It was his podium finish with TRG Motorsports one year ago that helped Marks decide that a permanent return to ARCA was in order.

“It had been such a long time since I won a race when we won last year’s Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona,” said Marks. “It kind of re-ignited something in me where I just knew I had to start winning again or the whole thing just doesn’t make sense. I want to make a home here in ARCA. I’m not the young guy anymore so it’s going to be fun to race against these talented kids that are on their way up the ranks.”

Marks and the Win-Tron Racing Team begin the 2010 ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards with the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona Int’l Speedway on Saturday, February 6, 2010. The race is live on SPEED beginning at 4 p.m. Eastern.

- ARCA Press Release