NEWTON, Iowa (July 13, 2009) – Making his fourth ARCA RE/MAX Series start of the 2009 season, James Buescher was looking to keep his impressive streak intact. Capturing two wins and a fourth-place finish in his first three races, the 19-year-old was looking to repeat his on-track success. Unfortunately, two cut tires ended Buescher’s night prematurely and relegated the Plano, Texas native to a 30th-place finish in the Prairie Meadows 200 at Iowa Speedway Saturday night.

Starting from ninth-place, Buescher fell back to the 12th position at the beginning of the 200-lap event as his No. 9 Wolfpack Rentals Toyota was fighting a loose handling condition. The field continued under green-flag competition as Buescher felt his right front tire losing air. Buescher was unable to make it to pit road due to traffic, therefore the first caution flag of the night was displayed on lap 33. The Wolfpack Rentals Toyota came to pit road for four tires, fuel, and a track bar adjustment. In addition, Buescher returned to pit road the following lap to make sure that nothing was rubbing against the tire.

On lap 37, Buescher restarted the race from the 23rd position, one lap down. Quickly, the Texas native worked his way into the lucky dog position and on lap 50, the caution flew for the second time, allowing Buescher to receive his lap back. Reporting that his Toyota was “all over the place,” Buescher returned to pit road for a track bar adjustment and fuel.

Restarting from the 16th position, Buescher was still fighting a primarily loose handling Toyota. Despite these ever-changing conditions, Buescher was moving closer to the top-10 when the same thing happened once again. On lap 82, a right front tire was cut for a second time, sending the teenager into the wall. This hit ended the night early for Buescher and his Wolfpack Rentals Toyota team and left them with a 30th-place finish.

“It’s definitely disappointing,” said Buescher. “I thought we were going to have a good night and keep our solid finishes going. Unfortunately, things happen and we think a shock bolt was cutting the tire down. The first time I was able to save it, but the second time it happened too quick to react. Hopefully when I come back here in the Truck Series, I will have a little bit better luck.”

Buescher will return to racing action this Saturday night at Kentucky Speedway as the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races in the Built Ford Tough 225. Buescher and his No. 10 MaxxForce International Ford F-150 team will look to capture their first win of the season in the Bluegrass State. The green flag will wave shortly after 7 P.M. Eastern and live television coverage can be seen on SPEED.

- James Buescher Racing Press Release

Matt Merrell

Merrell, set to make his sixth run of the year is also searching for his first career ARCA win. And if there’s a team that competes on the ARCA RE/MAX Series circuit that has been known to spawn first-time winners on short tracks, Win-Tron Racing ranks near or more appropriately at the top.

With the big goal looking to be etched into stone, the Lakeville, Minnesota team joined a slew of fellow ARCA RE/MAX Series teams for the open test at Iowa Speedway last week where Merrell spent time testing at the .875-mile paved oval with co-driver James Buescher both trying to give Win-Tron Racing an advantage for the 10th race of the 2009 ARCA season.

“As a team we learned a lot at the test and I learned a lot about the track,” said Merrell, who best finish occurred at Rockingham Speedway where he recorded a career-best third. “I spent all day testing two cars, trying different setups and such hoping to give us that extra pull for Saturday’s race.”

Buescher and Merrell ranked seventh and eighth respectively but the Portland, Texas native cautioned that his team was not showing their full strength.

“We’re going to unload faster this week for the race than we did for the test,” Merrell explained. “We always come back with a little extra muscle which pays off for us on race day. Mike (Chaffee, crew chief) is so smart about setting up these cars for the short track and with several years of experience at Iowa, he knows what to do and want not to do. I’m stoked about the weekend.”

With a third place finish at the Iowa Speedway in 2007, Merrell knows that putting the Win-Tron Racing team in victory lane for the third time this season would be big.

“Our team is running for a championship; it may not be the driver’s championship but the owner’s championship is just as important. A win at Iowa would be able to shove us forward towards that big goal.”

For the sixth time this season, the Win-Tron Racing / Matt Merrell combo is utilizing the 10th race of the season to bring awareness to an even bigger picture off the race track.

The team will continue to recognize and help bring further attentiveness to Colin’s Hope.

Colin’s Hope is a nonprofit organization that creates and supports programs that aid in preventing children from drowning. Despite numerous sources for water safety, the number of children who drown per year is staggering. Colin’s Hope of saving children from drowning is being achieved through improved water safety awareness and standards throughout communities.

“We’re going out West so I’m looking forward to spreading our word through the great state of Iowa. I know the fans are going to come in droves this weekend, so hopefully we can gain some more support for Colin’s Hope. We’re going to get them a win before the end of the season, hopefully it will come Saturday night.”

Entering Iowa, Win-Tron Racing holds the second position in the ARCA RE/MAX Series owner’s standings after nine races. Car owner Kevin Cywinski is 25 markers from moving back to the top spot held by fellow car owner Jessica Sharp (No. 6). The team fell to the second spot after Matt Merrell posted a 20th place run at Mansfield Motorsports Park nearly three weeks ago.

Merrell Lease Service will join Colin’s Hope as the primary sponsors of Merrell’s No. 32 Dodge Charger in his inaugural Iowa Speedway debut this weekend.

James Buescher, the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series standout will be competing in a second entry for Win-Tron Racing at Iowa Speedway this weekend behind the wheel of the No. 9 Wolfpack Rentals Toyota Camry. Buescher will be gunning for his third ARCA win of the season after taking Win-Tron Racing to victory circle in the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in February and in his second start of the season at Kentucky Speedway in May.

Further information on Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 952.469.1839.

For more on Matt Merrell please visit, MattMerrellRacing.com.

The Prairie Meadows 200 (200 laps / 175 miles) is the 10th of 21 events on the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The fourth ever ARCA race at Iowa Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday July 10 with an hour and half practice session planned from 4:30 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is set for Saturday, July 11 slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 8:00 p.m. The event will not be televised however flag-to-flag coverage will be broadcasted live through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local.

- Win-Tron Racing Press Release

VENUE: IOWA SPEEDWAY (0.875-MILE PAVED OVAL)

CIRCUIT: ARCA RE/MAX SERIES (RACE 10 OF 21)

DATE: JULY 11, 2009 (200 LAPS, 175 MILES)

BUESCHER AT IOWA: Buescher has made two career starts at Iowa Speedway, both of which came last year in 2008. In his only ARCA RE/MAX Series start at the Newton, Iowa track, Buescher drove the No. 32 Win-Tron Racing car for a total of 118 laps before the engine expired, forcing the team to cut their day short and relegating Buescher to a 29th-place finish. In addition, Buescher has competed in one NASCAR Camping World East Series race at the Midwestern short-track. The Texas native qualified in the ninth position and came home in 13th-place.

NUMBER CHANGE: For this weekend’s race, Buescher will sport a new number on the side of his Win-Tron Racing Toyota. Instead of the familiar No. 32, Buescher will pilot the No. 9 Wolfpack Rentals Toyota, as the Minnesota-based race team will field two cars for the 200-mile event. Matt Merrell will be behind the wheel of the No. 32 as Buescher’s teammate for the Prairie Meadows 200.

LUCKY NUMBER THREE?: Buescher will be looking for his third win of the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season this weekend at Iowa Speedway. During the season-opening race at Daytona International Speedway, the Plano, Texas native led a total of 44 out of 80 laps, to cross the finish line first and win at the legendary superspeedway. Buescher returned to the driver’s seat in Kentucky Speedway for his second race of the 2009 ARCA season and had the same result. The teenager led the field for 57 of 100 laps and captured the checkered flag once again in his Wolfpack Rentals Toyota. In his third and most recent ARCA race at Michigan International Speedway, Buescher started from the second position and came home in fourth-place, after being caught a lap down as a result of a green-flag pit stop.

TESTING 1, 2, 3: The ARCA RE/MAX Series held an open test last Tuesday, June 30th, at Iowa Speedway for the teams to get acquainted with the .875-mile oval. Buescher tested his Wolfpack Rentals Toyota Camry in preparation for this week’s race. In addition, Buescher and the Win-Tron Racing team tested at an open ARCA test at Kentucky Speedway on Monday, July 6th.

ARCA SUCCESS: Buescher has obtained a great amount of success in his short ARCA career, which began in 2007. In a total of 17 races, the 19-year-old has captured three wins (Lakeland – ’07; Daytona – ’09; Kentucky – ’09), seven top-five finishes, along with 11 top-10 finishes. Buescher has also led a total of 266 laps in ARCA competition.

SMILES FOR EVERYONE: Last Thursday, July 2nd, Buescher visited Texas Children’s Hospital for an afternoon of signing autographs, taking pictures, and spending time with ill-children, who are faced with numerous surgeries and treatments instead of enjoying life like normal children. Buescher was able to put smiles on the faces of these courageous children and their parents in the Houston hospital, as everyone was excited to see a racecar driver in person. *Pictures and more information are available upon request.*

STAY UP TO SPEED: To stay up to speed with all of the racing action from Iowa Speedway, make sure to visit the ARCA Racing Network to listen and watch coverage of the Prairie Meadows 200 on arcaracing.com. Practice for the 10th race of the 2009 season will be held on Friday, July 10th, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Central Time. Qualifying will begin at 4:00 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, July 11th, with the green flag dropping on the 200-lap race at 8:00 p.m. Central Time.

QUOTES FROM BEHIND THE WHEEL:

BUESCHER (On returning to racing action in the ARCA RE/MAX Series): “I always enjoy racing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series. I’ve had quite a bit of success in this series, so its fun to come back and go for the win. To already have two wins this year is an accomplishment not only for me, but for this team. They put good equipment under me and we seem to be a contender every week that we are together, no matter what track we go to.”

BUESCHER (On racing at Iowa Speedway): “Iowa is a great track to race at. I raced there a couple of times last year, so I have some experience heading into this weekend. We also had a test session last week, which definitely gave us some time to work on our car and we should have a good setup when we get on the track. Any seat time that I can spend at a track that I have a Truck Series race at is a huge plus. I come into the weekend looking to win and gain some information that will hopefully help my team when we come back here in September.”

BUESCHER (On his visit to the Texas Children’s Hospital): “I have been to Texas Children’s Hospital many times in the past and I always enjoy going back there and seeing the kids. In my life, I have been blessed with a healthy body and to see these kids who aren’t as lucky is really sad. I can’t imagine being their age and having to go through all of the surgeries and treatments. These kids are unbelievably strong and all of them have great families who stand by them no matter what. For me to take a couple hours out of my life to go spend with them is nothing. If I can go sign some autographs, take some pictures and put a smile on their faces, then it is well worth every moment I was there.”

- James Buescher Racing Press Release