The No. 63 Sheltra Motorsports Ford Fusion driven by Milka Duno at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway

Circling the famed 2.5 mile superspeedway in a time of 48.383 seconds (186.016 mph), Duno not only set the fastest time in the first day and a half of testing but also tops 2011 ARCA Racing Series Champion Ty Dillon’s pole qualifying effort (48.509 seconds/185.533 mph) from last season’s race at Daytona by almost two tenths of a second.

Milka Duno

Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team are set to return to Daytona’s high-banks this afternoon for the first drafting session of the test. Teams have three total sessions left throughout the open test with this afternoon’s session and two more drafting sessions on Sunday.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

The No. 99 Bucked Up Apparel / PatrickSheltra.com Ford F-150 driven by Patrick Sheltra in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series for T3R.

Sheltra, the Indiantown, Florida native practiced his No. 99 Bucked Up Apparel / PatrickSheltra.com Ford F-150 Friday morning in the 32nd position in the lone-two hour session of the weekend after mounting a lap of 54.418 seconds at 175.971 miles per hour. However in qualifying, the 25-year old nailed the 21st quickest effort by maneuvering his blue oval around the 2.66-mile speedway in 55.129 seconds or 173.702 miles per hour.

The T3R Racing team led by Motorsports veteran crew chief Cal Boprey started the day with a strict agenda. With 40 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series teams on the ground, the team would have to beat four other competitors in order to earn a berth into tomorrow’s race.

After some routine adjustments, Boprey turned the reins to the three-time ARCA Racing Series winner where he impressed many in the garage with a solid time trials lap and attractable starting position.

T3R Racing out qualified some of the stoutest teams in the NCWTS garage that included; Germain Racing (Max Papis and Brendan Gaughan), Kyle Busch Motorsports (Josh Richards), Randy Moss Motorsports (Todd Bodine) and Red Horse Racing (Miguel Paludo).

Patrick Sheltra

He added, “I definitely think we have a good enough No. 99 Bucked Up Apparel / PatrickSheltra.com. Ford F-150 to have a good run with during the race. We know that in order to have a finish well though, we have to be around when lap 94 strikes. We haven’t really decided on a game plan yet; we’ll just see how it all unfolds. I just want to thank everyone including Cal (Boprey, crew chief), Charlie (Vest, team manager) and the Silas family for the opportunity. I am looking forward to the race.”

Sheltra is no stranger to success at the daring yet sometimes intimidating Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. Last year in the ARCA race, Sheltra who finished second pushed Dakoda Armstrong, who is also entered in Saturday’s afternoon contest to his first career ARCA Racing Series win last April. The following day, Sheltra made his NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) debut at ‘Dega driving the No. 09 Ford Fusion for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard, which included leading three laps under green before delivering a top-20 finish.

The No. 99 Ford F-150 is boasting a pink paint scheme for this weekend’s thriller, all towards spreading the support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, which is recognized during the month of October.

Before today, Sheltra’s best starting position for any NASCAR event ironically occurred at Talladega last April for RAB Racing where he started 22nd. He started 35th in his lone NCWTS start at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway more than five years ago.

Additionally, T3R announced today that it plans to field a ride for the Floridian in the season finale at Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway in the Ford 200 on Friday night, November 18.

The Coca-Cola 250 Powered By fred’s 250 (94 laps / 250.04 miles) is the 22nd of 25 races on the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series tour. The field will take the green flag on Saturday, October 22nd shortly after 3:00 p.m. with live coverage on SPEED, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage of the contest lifts off at 2:30 p.m. also on SPEED. All times are local (Central).

For additional input on Patrick Sheltra, please connect to PatrickSheltra.com.

- T3R Press Release

Patrick Sheltra

The 25-year old Sheltra will drive the No. 99 Bucked Up Apparel / PatrickSheltra.com Ford F-150 for T3R. The Indiantown, Florida native will make just his second NASCAR appearance of 2011 on Saturday. In February, the driver nicknamed “Mr. Showtime” competed in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) season-opener at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.

It’s only fitting for Sheltra, also considered a dirt ace to return to action on a superspeedway where the fearless driver has impressed immensely at both restrictor plate tracks including last April at the 2.66-mile oval where Sheltra led his first career Nationwide laps driving for RAB Racing with Brack Maggard. He also finished second in the Talladega ARCA 250 after pushing fellow truck competitor Dakoda Armstrong to his first career ARCA Racing Series win last April en route to the championship.

Set to make just his eighth NASCAR start overall, the Floridian driver wants to draft his way to the front, stay there and rightfully earn his growing team some exposure in hopes of grasping his first ever NASCAR top-10 finish. Sheltra, also wouldn’t mind to attract some attention to himself in hopes of returning to action on a permanent basis in 2012.

“I’m looking forward to racing at Talladega again,” said Sheltra. “I cannot thank everyone at T3R and the Silas family enough for the opportunity. I think we’ll have a decent truck in qualifying but something to bolt into contention during the race.”

42 trucks have filed an entry for the 22nd race of the 2011 NCWTS season, meaning Sheltra and Co. will have to better six other teams in order to make the starting field on Saturday afternoon.

“Yeah, it’s nail-biting when you’re a go-or-go-homer, but we really can’t worry about that until qualifying,” he offered. “I think even with the big field, we’ll still have a pretty good truck that should qualify decent and put us somewhere mid-pack. From there, it will be finding the right drafting partner and riding until its go time.”

Sheltra added, “I haven’t raced a lot this season, but that doesn’t mean I have forgotten how to race. I know Talladega is a mental game and it’s about being at the right place at the right time. We’ll be smart when we race on Saturday and try to avoid the “Big One”, if it should develop. The main goal though is to be around for the final 15 laps when the action will peg and it will be game on and every driver for themselves.”

Motorsports veteran Cal Boprey will call the shots as crew chief for the three-time ARCA winner on Saturday afternoon. It will be the first time the duo has worked together. Additionally, like he did in 2009, Sheltra’s racecar will sport a pink-based paint scheme in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

The Coca-Cola 250 Powered By fred’s 250 (94 laps / 250.04 miles) is the 22nd of 25 races on the 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series tour. The lone practice session of the weekend is set for Friday, October 21st from 9:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Qualifying is set for later in the day set to launch at 4:10 p.m. The field will take the green flag on Saturday, October 22nd shortly after 3:00 p.m. with live coverage on SPEED, the Motor Racing Network (Radio) and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio (Satellite, Channel 90). Pre-race coverage of the contest lifts off at 2:30 p.m. also on SPEED. All times are local (Central).

For additional input on Patrick Sheltra, please connect to PatrickSheltra.com.

- T3R Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“We had a good car for the race. The guys did a great job with the car because in the second lap of the first practice session the car caught fire and we lost all of the first practice and had to roll out our backup car,” said Duno. “We only had a few laps in the second practice because we had a problem with the brakes in the backup car. The guys were working really hard to try to put the car together before qualifying. With no practice time, (Crew Chief) Dave used the experience that he has here to give me a good car for the race. We were running very solid and strong and wanted to finish higher; I think our car was capable of finishing stronger, but the lap that we lost with the overheating problem affected us a lot. I have to thank my Sheltra Motorsports team for a great season. It has been a lot of fun.”

With a strong test session in the week prior Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team came to Toledo with a lot of confidence – but trouble struck early on for the team as on only her second lap of the first practice session Duno’s No. 63 car melted an oil line causing oil to spew out of the machine and eventually catch fire. Duno was able to exit the car safely and safety officials quickly put out the fire but the team was forced to pull out a backup car and Duno was not able to get back out on track during the first practice session.

Working feverishly to get the backup car prepared in time for the second and final 40-minute practice session, the crew was able to get Duno on track shortly after the session began. Plagued with bad luck, a brake problem on the car prevented her from making any solid practice laps. With a lot of work to do before qualifying later in the afternoon, the Sheltra Motorsports went back to work after practice to get the No. 63 ready for qualifying. Duno was supposed to be the 19th car to make a qualifying lap around the half-mile track, but with the problems on the car the team had to relinquish that spot forcing Duno to start Sunday’s race from the rear of the field in the 35th position.

Cold, rainy skies forced the start of the Federated Car Care 200 to be postponed for over two hours, but ARCA officials were finally able to get the race underway shortly after 4:00 p.m. The green and yellow flags were thrown simultaneously to signal the official start of the race. Drivers were forced to maintain their positions but running under slow conditions didn’t allow the cars to get enough air causing several drivers to complain about their cars overheating. Unfortunately Duno’s No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota was one of the cars fighting an overheating problem and Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. was forced call her down pit road on lap 39 to pull tape off the car and allow the car to cool before green flag laps were even run thereby putting Duno one lap down.

The green flag was finally thrown on lap 49, but a still damp track was the cause of several early cautions. Duno used the few early green flag laps to move from her 35th starting position to 27th before radioing to her crew on lap 68 that the car was a little loose in the turns.

Milka Duno

The field went back to racing on lap 137 and Duno wasted no time moving into 23rd and reported to the crew that her car was handling better. Things got interesting for Duno on lap 143 as another car spun right in front of her, but with a quick reaction she avoided the spinning car and moved into 22nd place.

With only 52 laps remaining, the field restarted but several more cautions slowed the drivers through the final laps of the race. Duno was able to use the short green flag runs to negotiate her way through traffic, climbing her way to the 18th position by the time the final checkered flag flew on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series Season.

With a gain of 17 positions from her 35th starting position, Duno was the biggest mover of the race passing more cars and gaining more positions than any other driver in the 35-car field.

“I am very happy with Milka and the efforts of the Sheltra Motorsports crew this weekend,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “There was no harder working team than our 63 team this weekend. Milka really had very limited track time in practice and did such a great job to get the finish we did today. I can’t say enough for how much she has improved this season. She has done a great job and it has been a pleasure to have her with us this season. I am very proud of her and the hard work she and the entire Sheltra Motorsports team has put into the 2011 season.”

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career, was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“I’ve raced at Kansas before in an Indy car and passed my IndyCar rookie test here too,” said Duno. “I have a fond place in my heart for this track and the fans in Kansas because they have been so supportive of me. It will be my first time at the track in a stock car and so it will be a different experience. We made some progress at a test here last month and we hope that will help us deliver a good result.”

Milka Duno

“I am excited to get to Kansas with Milka,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner II. “Milka has had a steep learning curve this season; every track has been brand new to her. We just tested here in September, and I really believe that will show on the race track this week. She made tremendous improvements throughout the entire test session and I believe that will continue on Friday. I think our Sheltra Motorsports team will be pretty sporty Friday night.”

Duno and the stars of the ARCA Racing Series roll into Kansas Speedway on Friday, October 7th for 148.5 miles of Friday night racing action. Drivers and crews will have their work cut out for them with only one short 2 hour and 15 minute practice session (9:00 – 11: 15 a.m. CDT) Friday morning before qualifying begins at 5:35 p.m. CDT. green flag will drop on the Kansas Lottery 98.9 at 7:30 p.m. CDT with live television coverage on SPEED and live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Fast Facts:

Duno at Kansas Speedway: Milka Duno will be making her first career stock car start at Kansas Speedway. She tested at the 1.5-mile track in September with her Sheltra Motorsports team.

Sheltra Motorsports at Kansas: Sheltra Motorsports has made four previous starts at Kansas Speedway, all with team owner Patrick Sheltra behind the wheel. The team finished fifth at the 1.5-mile track last season, a finish that helped catapult Sheltra Motorsports to the 2010 ARCA Racing Series championship.

This Week’s Toyota: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 20 this weekend. This chassis has only been used once before by the Sheltra Motorsports team at Iowa Speedway. It was a new chassis to the team in 2011, originating from Red Bull Racing.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

CGH Motorsports Thumbnail

The family-owned team led by crew chief Kevin Reed has anxiously been waiting for a return to a mile-and-a-half track after their last outing at Chicagoland Speedway in June saw a dominating performance disappear after a blown-tire shredded a nearly nine-second lead. With the outcome still vivid in their minds, the opportunity at redemption in Kansas is clear with another night race with ideal racing conditions at a track that embraces similar characteristics as Chicagoland Speedway. To further aid fuel to their well-controlled fire, the team logged one of the quickest laps in their No. 58 Tastee Caramel Apple Chevrolet Impala during the open ARCA test last month at the 1.5-mile oval, giving them a welcomed boost heading into their second ever ARCA race in the “Land of Oz.”

No. 58 Tastee Caramel Apple Chevrolet Impala

Hackenbracht, the New Philadelphia, Ohio native knows that despite tracks showing similar characteristics doesn’t always mean identical outcomes. Still, he is focused on putting his CGH Motorsports team back on the path of success after strong runs in the last three ARCA events have been foiled by an array of racing bad luck.

Chad Hackenbracht

Another reason that the 19-year old is set to battle back at Kansas Speedway is proving that the team’s performance at the speed plant in 2010 wasn’t a fluke. After qualifying a strong ninth last October, Hackenbracht found himself surging into the top-five and attempting to pass eventual series champion Patrick Sheltra before another tire failure erased the team from battle.

“I feel like the mile-and-a-half tracks owe us,” Hackenbracht sounded. “We don’t get a lot of chances to compete at these types of tracks and we’ve been extremely competitive in the last two races, but don’t have a lot to show for it. I would like to see what type of finish we are able to maneuver if everything should go our way start to finish. Hopefully, Friday night is that night”

With a top-five finish in the championship standings still feasibly obtainable in the final two races, Hackenbracht isn’t so much focused on points but rather putting his CGH Motorsports on a strong pedestal entering the off-season that they can carry over into the 2012 season.

“Believe me, points are still important but we’re going for the strong finishes right now,” Hackenbracht said. “We know that with good, positive finishes points will come along as part of the reward. We’re sitting eighth right now. If not for some bad luck, we would be already sitting in the top-five. But, we can’t dwell on that. All we can do is to go out there and fight like we’ve never fought before and hope for nothing but success at Kansas and Toledo and see where we stand when the curtain is drawn.”

Give And Take: Continuing to shed a personal angle on Chad Hackenbracht, this week the rising star talks about one of the greatest impacts of his personal life that he had to sacrifice in order to race, school.

While most students spend their teenage years living the life in the halls of a local High School, Hackenbracht found himself in a home-schooled situation which shifted what would be a normal routine student path into a secluded portion of his life which involved shelter but allowed the grand opportunity for him to race.

“Home-schooling was never easy, but it was part of the reality to make a dream come true,” Hackenbracht recalled. “It had its good points and bad points and there are things I wasn’t able to experience because of that choice but the end reward was fulfilling and I wouldn’t change any of it.”

Lifting himself out of the Public School system allowed Hackenbracht to turn his attention towards the Buckeye Quarter Midget Association where over the course of three years he won close to 40 races. From there, he moved up the ladder and competed in the INEX Legends Car Series. In addition to one year of racing at the Summer Shootout, Hackenbracht also raced at tracks throughout the Midwest which included the states of Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.

From Kansas Speedway, the team will promptly fly home to quickly-turn around and head to Toledo, Ohio on Sunday to partake in a private test session at Toledo Speedway on Monday, October 10 in preparation for the season-finale on Sunday, October 16 for the running of the Toledo ARCA 200 presented by Federated Car Care.

The Kansas Lottery 98.9 (99 laps / 148.5 miles) is the 18th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 11th ARCA event held at Kansas Speedway is a one-day show. Practice begins Friday, October 7 with a two hour and 15 minute practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. -11:15 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin later in the day at 5:35 p.m. The field will take the green flag approximately two hours later at 7:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,330th 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.

CGH Motorsports still has marketing partnerships available for the remaining 2011 ARCA Racing Series schedule and all of 2012. Interested parties can contact Jordan Dahl at Jordan@cghmotorsports.com or 570.234.5449.

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

To purchase the popular “What’s A Chad Hacken-Something” tee-shirt, please log on to store.cghmotorsports.com or CGHMotorsports.com.

Connect with Chad Hackenbracht and CGH Motorsports through Facebook by clicking here.

Tweet with Chad Hackenbracht through Twitter at @ChadH58 or CGH Motorsports @CGH5858.

About CGH Motorsports:

CGH Motorsports (CGHMotorsports.com), established in 2007 by Ohio entrepreneur Greg Hackenbracht is located in a 10,000 sq. foot facility located in Mooresville, North Carolina. CGH Motorsports is home of rising sensation Chad Hackenbracht, who competed in nine ARCA Racing Series races in 2010 after an aggressive ARCA testing schedule in 2009. Chad Hackenbracht is the 2008 National Asphalt Legends champion, winning 33 percent of his races and finishing in the top-10, 85 percent of the events he competed in. The team has stepped up their commitment from a partial schedule in 2010 to a full-effort in 2011 with the prospects of a two-car operation in 2012.

- CGH Motorsports Press Release

Brett Hudson Motorsports (BHM)

In what is expected to be his final start of the year behind the wheel of the No. 94 Hudson Performance Drivelines Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Hudson is still thriving on an incredible rebound from his most recent outing at Lucas Oil Raceway where he delivered his second top-10 finish of the season – finishing 10th after starting 20th.

If there is a track that Hudson is more familiar with on the ARCA tour, Salem Speedway is the place. The Owensboro, Kentucky native has competed at the half-mile oval nine times in the ARCA Racing Series alone. That’s not to mention his success and experience in a Street Stock at the bull-ring.

Saturday’s next-to-last short track race of the season offers an opportunity for Hudson to shine under the lights with a familiar face calling the shots. John Hayden, a former competitor in ARCA will resume the crew chief role on the team’s Brett Hudson Motorsports entry. Hayden, also a native of Kentucky was the mastermind behind 2010 ARCA Racing Series champion Patrick Sheltra’s first career win in 2008.

“I definitely think we have a winning combination,” offered Hudson who will make his 26th career ARCA start Saturday night. I can’t say enough about John (Hayden). He has really picked this team up and become a great asset to our organization. It stinks that we cannot run more races, but that’s the sponsorship fight that we’ve been tackling for years.

Thankfully though, we have a lot of great local support who help make this race possible. We had a good car in the race in the spring but we didn’t get the finish we wanted. It was typical Salem. One race you’re going to have a good effort, the next you could be in the fence. It’s just the nature of the beast.”

Not only does the team carry the spirit of the “Bluegrass” state, but the local Federated Auto Parts store in Owensboro, Kentucky brings nearly 150 fans and employees to the annual Salem fall tradition.

Brett Hudson

The team’s heart remains heavy as their thoughts and prayers continue to be with Harlie Bryant who is battling brain cancer. Since Talladega, the BHM team has decked out their car with support logos and apparel which has not only lifted the spirits of those surrounding the family, but created a drum line of support that appears endless.

“No doubt, it’s been a trying year not only for Harlie but her family as well,” sounded Hudson. “They are going to try and be at the race this weekend, but she has some treatment this week and her presence will just determine on how she is feeling. Whether she is at the track with us or cheering us on from home, we’re not only racing for ourselves, but we’re fighting to win for Harlie too!”

Additionally, the team’s thoughts and get well wishes are with several team members of the BHM family. Steve Ash, who normally serves as the fuel man for Hudson recently had surgery and will be unable to participate in Saturday night’s activities. Also, team member Ryan Koger was recently released from the hospital after suffering severe burns on his foot.

Not exactly knowing what 2012 consists of for Hudson and his family-owned organization at this point, Hudson plans to give it all or nothing and hopefully conclude 2011 in style.

“We’re definitely going to do everything we can to test and race at Daytona,” Hudson explained. “Of course a lot of it will depend on sponsorship and what not. We’re used to that though. The good thing is we have some time to put it all together, so I’m optimistic. I feel like Daytona bit us in February, so I’m seeking a little redemption, especially after proving how strong our superspeedway program is with our fourth at Talladega.”

In addition to Hudson Performance Drivelines, D-N-J Auto Parts, Double H Hydraulics, G&A Trucking and Warricktubing.com will join the team as associate marketing partners in the 17th of 19 ARCA races this season.

In 25 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards starts, Hudson has produced three top-fives including a career best of fourth at Salem (Ind.) Speedway in 2007 and Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway (April 2011) and 13 top-10 finishes overall. Hudson has one career ARCA pole also coming at Salem (Ind.) Speedway in 2005 driving the No. 62 Hudson Machine Shop Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

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. The 87th ARCA event held at Salem (Ind.) Speedway is a one-day show. 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.

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“It will be great to be returning to a track this season that I’ve raced at before,” said Duno. “It’s been an interesting and challenging season so far, as each and every track has been new to me. I’ve had one race at Salem this year so I’ll have just a bit of experience going into this second race. I hope that will translate to a better result the second time around – I know that we’ll all be working very hard to do just that.”

Duno made her first start at Salem’s 0.555-mile track in April in what was also the stock car rookie’s first short track start of her career. While the difficult track, known for challenging some of the most legendary names in auto racing, was supposed to be a huge challenge, Duno took to Salem’s high banks in a veteran-like style proving to the entire racing community that she has what it takes to go to victory lane.

Salem Speedway, with its rough, bumpy surface and fast, unforgiving high banks, is nothing like Duno had ever competed at before, but it proved to be a challenge she was ready to conquer when the ARCA Racing Series made their first visit earlier this season. Now, with one race and two test sessions under her belt at the famed short track, Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team are ready to prove what they can do with a little familiarity at a race track.

“Ever since that first Salem race in April this is an event we have had circled on our calendar,” said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “Milka really excelled here in the spring, and I really believe we can build on that this weekend. We tested here last week and she did a very nice job. I have a lot of confidence that we will have a solid finish this weekend.”

Duno and the stars of the ARCA Racing Series roll into Salem Speedway on Saturday, September 17th for 200 laps of Saturday night short track racing. There will be a short practice session from 1:05 – 2:35 p.m. EST before qualifying begins at 4:00 p.m. EST. The green flag will drop on the Kentuckiana Ford Dealers ARCA Fall Classic 200 at 7:15 p.m. EST with live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Dodge Fast Facts:

Milka Duno

Duno at Salem Speedway:

Sheltra Motorsports at Salem: Sheltra Motorsports has made nine starts at Salem’s 0.555-mile oval, one with Milka Duno and eight with Patrick Sheltra behind the wheel. Salem Speedway is where the team earned their first ARCA Racing Series victory in 2009. Sheltra Motorsports has one win, two top-five and three top-10 finishes at the high-banked track.

This Week’s Dodge: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 005 this weekend. This chassis has been used twice this season, at Salem in the spring and Lucas Oil Raceway. 2010 Champion and team owner Patrick Sheltra also piloted chassis No. 005 to his first-career ARCA Racing Series victory at Salem Speedway in 2009.

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Toyota Camry

“It is a good feeling to know that we will all be learning the track together because, for example, at Pocono I was one of the only drivers that hadn’t been to the track before,” said Duno. “It makes it tough for me and the team when you have to learn the track and setup the car with such limited track time but I think we have done a good job with that all season. It is just good that we will all be going to Madison with the same conditions.”

Duno and her Sheltra Motorsports team were able to test at the half-mile track, adding to their confidence heading into the Herr’s Live Life with Flavor! 200.

Milka Duno

Although it will only be Duno’s fourth-career short track start, Duno has shown a ton of promise at short tracks this season, something the entire Sheltra Motorsports team is looking to build upon Friday night.

“Milka has done a great job at all the short tracks this year,” Said Crew Chief Dave Leiner Jr. “Her best finishes have come at the short tracks this season, but those finishes still don’t do justice for how well she has run at these tracks. We had a really good test at Madison last week, and I really think we will have something for them Friday night.”

The ARCA Racing Series rolls into Madison International Speedway on Friday, August 26th for a short practice from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. CDT with qualifying beginning at 5:30 p.m. CDT. The green flag will drop for 200 laps of racing action at 8:30 p.m. CDT with live timing and scoring and audio coverage provided by ARCA Nation and the ARCA Racing Network at ARCARacing.com.

Milka Duno and the No. 63 CITGO SUPERGARD Chevrolet Fast Facts:

Duno at Madison International Speedway: Milka Duno along with her Sheltra Motorsports team will be making their first start at Madison’s half-mile oval.

This Week’s Chevrolet: Duno will be piloting chassis No. 4 this weekend. This is the first time this car will be run in 2011.

Autographs: Fans will have the chance to meet Milka Duno and all of their favorite ARCA Racing Series drivers on Friday, Aug. 26th from 7:00. – 8:00 p.m. EST during an on-track autograph session

Keep Up With Milka: Want to learn more about Milka Duno? Log on to her official website at www.milkaduno.com. Fans cans also log on to her official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/TheOfficialMilkaDunoFanPage.

Follow Sheltra Motorsports: Want to know what is going on at the Sheltra Motorsports shop or what 2010 Champion Patrick Sheltra is up to? Be sure to follow Sheltra Motorsports on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SheltraMotorsports.

About Sheltra Motorsports:

Sheltra Motorsports, established in 2007, is in the midst of its fifth season of ARCA Racing Series competition. Owned by Florida-native, Patrick Sheltra, the owner-driver team captured the 2010 ARCA Racing Series driver and owner’s championship titles on the strength of two wins, 12 top-fives and 17 top-10 finishes in 20 events. Sheltra Motorsports is headquartered in Mooresville, N.C., with additional operations in Indiana and Florida. For more information, visit www.sheltramotorsports.com.

About Milka Duno:

Duno has eight major race wins in the highest classes (Prototype) in the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series and the highest finish ever by a female driver (2nd Place) in the Rolex 24 at Daytona in the 48-year history of the race. Go, Milka, Go! – a book about her life and racing career was awarded the Best Young Adult Sports/Recreation Book of 2009 at the 11th Annual International Latino Book Awards. In 2010, Duno became the first Venezuelan athlete inducted into the Latin American International Sports Hall of Fame.

- Sheltra Motorsports Press Release

Team BCR Racing

Rewinding back to Berlin, Evans Jr. utilized the Hantz Group 200 to become accustomed to the 3,400-pound No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion. Successfully qualifying for the race and staying out of trouble during the 200-lap venue, Evans Jr. logged laps and took the checkered flag in the 16th position.

Shaking off the nervousness of his ARCA debut, the Friendswood, Texas native can lean into Fridays night dance with confidence.

Charles Evans Jr.

It’s the same scenario Friday. It’s a place I’ve never been to before and it’s a quick one-day deal. The BCR guys have been steadily working on our No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion with all intents and purposes of elevating our performance.”

The good news for Evans Jr. is that the ARCA Racing Series tour has not visited the half-mile oval since 1973 which undoubtedly puts the field on a level playing field.

“Our decision to race at Madison was based on a lot of things, but we also felt like that we’ll be starting out like most of the field with a clean slate. The good thing is that Howard (Bixman, crew chief and car owner) has a ton of experience with short tracks, so I’m eager to see how well we do off the truck.”

Also boosting the team’s morale this weekend is the announcement that RoushYates Performance Parts and RoushYates Engines based out of North Carolina will adorn their logos on their blue oval. Additionally, Michigan-based The Casite Company has also aligned with the team for the remainder of the 2011 season as an associate marketing partner.

“Anytime you have a name like RoushYates involved, it’s a cool thing,” added Evans Jr., a former pilot in the INEX Legend Car Series. “It means a lot to mean and the BCR team to have a partner as well-known and respected like them on our No. 99 Ford Fusion. Also, I’m looking forward to working with everyone at Casite. I know they’ve been around the ARCA Series for a long time, so I’m happy to be a part of their family.”

With plenty of logos plastered on the team’s automobile, both the team and driver are focused on a strong finish.

“I would be satisfied with a top-10 finish,” sounded Evans Jr. “That would be a couple positions better than Berlin and definitely would give us the shove we need to keep moving forward in the right direction. I’m the rookie surrounded by veterans and for me, that’s a positive thing. All I can do is go out there and work with the team and give nothing less than 100 percent behind the wheel.”

For Bixman, he’s anticipating a solid run from his development driver. “He is focused. He is determined and he is eager to please. That’s something you expect from a rookie. The guys love working with him and he is really catching on quick to these stock cars. I don’t give it a second thought that we cannot go to Madison on Friday and be competitive and put our BCR team in the limelight,” Bixman said.

He added, “I also want to thank the folks at RoushYates Performance, RoushYates Engines and The Casite Company for stepping up their involvement with our group. All three are longtime players in the racing industry and we plan to deliver them exposure and results.”

The Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 (200 laps / 100 miles) is the 15th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The fourth-ever ARCA event held at Madison International Speedway is a one-day show. Practice begins Friday, August 26 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. An on-track autograph session has been etched into the schedule from 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 8:30 p.m. that evening. The event will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,327th 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.

For more information on Team BCR Racing and Charles Evans Jr., please log onto teambcr.com.

Connect with RoushYates Performance Products and RoushYates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.

To check out the latest products available from The Casite Company, please click on casite.com.

Tony Marks Racing Thumbnail

The decision was a hard one for the Mooresville, North Carolina-based team as the freshman organization has recently surged into the ARCA spotlight with speed and solid finishes from primary driver Maryeve Dufault, part-time development driver Jared Marks and reining ARCA champion Patrick Sheltra. However, logistically the decision to skip the 14th race of the season offers a sense of relief for all parties involved.

“Of course, this was not an easy decision,” said car owner Tony Marks. “But, we’re looking at the best interest of the team. While we’re not running for points in the ARCA Racing Series right now, skipping Springfield allows Maryeve to fully concentrate on her efforts for her inaugural NASCAR Nationwide Series debut in her home Country.

We’ve spoken with all of our marketing partners and the team in great length about the decision and everyone has stood by it 100 percent. Anything could happen as far as weather, travel delays, etc., so it was just a smart decision for us to do this.”

Currently, the TMR team is strategically working on a plan that will satisfy ARCA Racing Series officials for the team’s No. 12 entry to be used by another competitor in order to keep the team’s current owner points active and in a competitive position.

Marks concluded by saying, “On behalf of the entire TMR team and our marketing partners, we are wishing Maryeve the best this weekend at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. She is grabbing a lot of attention for all the right reasons, so we will all be glued to the race and cheering her on in the Napa Auto Parts 200 presented by Dodge!”

Dufault will drive for MacDonald Motorsports, a longtime competitor in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) and NASCAR Nationwide Series. The team’s current position in the NNS car owner standings will guarantee her a starting berth in the No. 81 Quebec Dodge Dealers Dodge Challenger R/T on Saturday afternoon.

TMR is expected to return to the ARCA Racing Series scene in the 15th race of the season for the inaugural running of the Herr’s Live Life With Flavor 200 at Madison International Speedway on Friday, August 26.

The Allen Crowe 100 (100 laps / 100 miles) is the 14th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 29th ARCA event held at the Illinois State Fairgrounds is a one-day show. Practice begins Sunday, August 21 with a one hour practice session planned from 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. The field will take the green flag Sunday afternoon shortly after 1:00 p.m. The event will not be televised but race coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,326th 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.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log on to Maryeveracing.com.

Get Mad with Mad Croc Energy by visiting the World Wide Web at Madcroc.com.

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing and Jared Marks please click over to Tmr-racing.com.

- Tony Marks Racing Press Release

Joey Coulter - Photo Credit: John Harrelson / Getty Images for NASCAR

Enter the upcoming Kroger SpeedFest at Lucas Oil Raceway at Indianapolis, and specifically, the events of Thursday, July 28 and Friday, July 29.

Coulter will first drive his No. 16 Rip It Energy Fuel / Darrell Gwynn Foundation Chevrolet in Thursday’s Ansell Protective Gloves 200, the first appearance for ARCA at the 0.686-mile oval since 1985. The next night, he’ll strap into his Richard Childress Racing truck for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series’ annual visit to the historic short track. The ARCA graduate has six top-10 finishes in 11 NASCAR starts, but has truly come on lately, scoring three top-fives and five top-10s in just his last six races.

He recently visited Lucas Oil Raceway and spoke about his impending double dip in his familiar Coulter stock car and his Childress truck.

“This is actually going to be my first double duty ever,” Coulter said. “I don’t think I’ve ever run back to back. I’m real excited. It’s going to be a blast. As much fun as I had just testing there, I can’t wait to run the ARCA race and then go sleep off the run we had there and wake up the next day and go do it again.”

This season in ARCA, Coulter has three starts, with the highlight a seventh-place finish at Michigan after leading four laps. Coulter tested Lucas Oil Raceway in his family team’s No. 16 Chevrolet, overcoming some minor issues in the turns and learning exactly what the flat oval had in store.

“We had a great test,” he said. “If you rated the test on a scale of 1 to 10, we had a 10. We got a lot of stuff figured out. We have a new crew chief, Jon Wolfe, who was (ARCA champion) Patrick Sheltra’s crew chief last year, so he knows his stuff. We hired him right before Michigan (on June 17), and he and I worked well together. The communication was awesome. We did a lot of stuff with shocks, trying to work on those while we were there. The biggest problem we fought all day was getting forward drive and not spinning the tires off the corner. At the end of the day, we were able to overcome that and put down a pretty fast lap.”

Simply getting a feel for the race track was helpful for Coulter as he prepares for nearly 275 total miles between the two races. When talking about seeing the track for the first time and what he noticed upon first glance, one characteristic stuck out: Lucas Oil Raceway’s relative lack of banking.

“(The track) was really cool,” he said. “There were a lot of things I was kind of surprised to see, and then there were a few things that I was excited to be there for. I was really surprised to see how flat it was. I knew it was pretty flat; you can see that it’s flat on TV, but once you get out there, it is pretty much flat. There’s a little bit of banking at the top of both corners, but nothing to really write home about. Other than that, it’s flat. There’s a lot of character to it. There are a couple bumps, things that really make you work on your shock package a lot. It was a fun track. I enjoyed every minute of it. I can’t wait for the race.”

The Ansell Protective Gloves 200 will take place at 7 p.m. on Thursday, July 28, and air on SPEED one hour later, at 8 p.m. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of all on-track ARCA events throughout the day, including practice from 1:30-3 and Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell at 4:30.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards will join the USAC Midget Series and USAC Silver Crown Series at the track. The events comprise the first day of Kroger SpeedFest, which also includes NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series racing over a three-day period.

The race will be the 12th of 19 in the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season, and the first at Lucas Oil Raceway since Bob Schacht won in 1985.

The ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards features 19 events at 16 tracks on its 2011 schedule. The series has crowned an ARCA national champion each year since its inaugural season in 1953, and has toured over 200 race tracks in 28 states since its inception. The series tests the abilities of drivers and race teams over the most diverse schedule of stock car racing events in the world, annually visiting tracks ranging from 0.4 mile to 2.66 miles in length, on both paved and dirt surfaces as well as a left- and right-turn road course.

Founded by John Marcum in 1953 in Toledo, Ohio, the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) is recognized among the leading sanctioning bodies in the country. Closing in on completing its sixth decade after hundreds of thousands of miles of racing, ARCA administers over 100 race events each season in two professional touring series and local weekly events.

- Automobile Racing Club of America Press Release

Maryeve Dufault

While the Sorel, Quebec native was forced to skip last weekend’s race at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, she still attended the Hantz Group 200 to support her Tony Marks Racing (TMR) team and the No. 12 Mad Croc Energy / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger driven by 2010 ARCA champion Patrick Sheltra.

With Sheltra starting sixth and finishing fourth, Dufault and her TMR team led by Darren Wolfe and Ryan Chism return to short track racing this weekend hoping to keep the team’s momentum pointed in the right direction.

“I feel great, I’m just ready to get back in a race car,” said Dufault. “It was extremely hard to sit out last weekend’s race at Berlin, but it was in the best interest of everyone at Tony Marks Racing and Patrick did a good job. Hopefully some things I learned from him can adapt to Iowa.”

Officially out of the championship hunt, Dufault shifts her agenda on the ARCA tour now aiming for strong finishes to keep her freshman team in the spotlight.

“Now that points’ aren’t necessarily an issue, we can focus on the bigger picture and that’s trying to win races. Obviously, that’s a tough task for any team to do in ARCA this year, but this is a good team with a lot of talented people, so we’re going to do our absolute best in the next eight races to put our No. 12 Mad Croc Energy / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger in victory lane.”

With that mentality planted, Dufault knows that in order to win races, you must be around for the final laps to have a shot. And while Dufault has struggled to see the checkered flag on the short tracks this year due to circumstances beyond her control, the former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series pilot is glued on being around when it counts the most.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t had good luck on the short tracks this year,” recalled Dufault. “We’re looking to change that statistic stat and be around to see the final laps at Iowa Speedway. I hear it’s a pretty cool track and relatively easier to drive compared to some of the other short tracks we compete on. We’ll just have to see how it goes.”

Car owner Tony Marks is thrilled to have one of the most popular drivers in ARCA back in the saddle this weekend at Iowa Speedway. The successful Ohio entrepreneur feels that Dufault will climb in her Dodge Charger and compete as she hasn’t missed a beat.

“Maryeve is a crucial piece to the success of Tony Marks Racing, so we’re glad to have her back in the seat this weekend,” he said. “Last weekend’s results were a boost for us all and I think it has Maryeve more determined than ever. I like her attentiveness to the details and the overall goals for this weekend, so hopefully we can have back-to-back strong runs for the No. 12 Mad Croc Energy / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger.”

For the third time this season, Tony Marks Racing will field two entries on the ARCA Racing Series tour. In addition to Dufault, TMR development driver Jared Marks will compete in the 11th race of the season in the No. 8 Mad Croc Energy / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger on Saturday afternoon.

This weekend, Tony Marks Racing is pleased to have the Hilton Garden Inn of West Des Moines, Iowa on-board as a major associate marketing partner for Saturday’s contest. The Hilton Garden Inn logo, part of the Hilton family of hotels will be plastered on the team’s No. 8 and No. 12 entries this weekend.

The Prairie Meadows 200 (200 laps / 175 miles) is the 11th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The sixth ever ARCA race at Iowa Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, July 15th with an hour and twenty minute practice session planned from 3:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. A final fifty minute session has been etched in from 5:30 p.m. – 6:20 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated for race day, Saturday July 16th set to begin at 12:10 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 4:15 p.m. The event will air live on SPEED. Additional event coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,323rd 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.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com.

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com.

See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks. Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies.

Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars. Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old). Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’ “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway.

For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice. Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest.

As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

Tony Marks Racing Thumbnail

Marks, fresh off an intense learning session at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway from 2010 ARCA champion Patrick Sheltra; the Napoleon, Ohio native hopes to take some of the input he received there and apply it towards his third career ARCA start at the .875-mile paved oval.

Not only confidence from Sheltra but his recent 12th place finish at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway has the 16-year old optimistic about the 11th race of the 2011 ARCA season.

“I feel really good going into my first ARCA race at Iowa this upcoming weekend,” said Marks. “I feel like i can take the things I have learned these past two races and translate them into a solid finish for TMR this weekend. This is a huge race for myself and all of TMR; seeing as it is the first race on television that we are running two cars but we aren’t worried about it. We are going to keep building high quality race cars and I’m going to keep giving my 100 percent efforts on the track.”

The added pressure of a teammate not to mention driving for his father can be daunting for any teenager but for this cool, calm and collective phenom, he sees the opportunity laid upon him as a chance to prove himself.

“I’m satisfied with our performance so far on the 8 team,” added Marks. “We have been able to be fast in practice, and qualify well, we just haven’t’ got quite the finishes we deserve. I owe it all to everyone at TMR and my sponsors for giving me the equipment necessary to compete with the veterans of the sport.”

Of course, finishing the race is Mark’s top priority and after the wealth of experience he’s recently embraced, it would not be a surprise if the No. 8 Mad Croc Energy / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger was in the top-10 rundown by the conclusion of Saturday’s contest.

Jared Marks

He continued, “As a team we’ve never been to Iowa. Comfort will be one of my major goals for practice on Friday. From there we can work on our No. 8 Mad Croc Energy / VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger and look towards getting both TMR cars up front.”

This weekend, Tony Marks Racing is pleased to have the Hilton Garden Inn of West Des Moines, Iowa on-board as a major associate marketing partner for Saturday’s contest. The Hilton Garden Inn logo, part of the Hilton family of hotels will be plastered on the team’s No. 8 and No. 12 entries this weekend.

The Prairie Meadows 200 (200 laps / 175 miles) is the 11th of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The sixth ever ARCA race at Iowa Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, July 15th with an hour and twenty minute practice session planned from 3:00 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. A final fifty minute session has been etched in from 5:30 p.m. – 6:20 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated for race day, Saturday July 16th set to begin at 12:10 p.m. The event will take the green flag shortly after 4:15 p.m. The event will air live on SPEED. Additional event coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the 1,323rd 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.

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com

See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks. Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies.

Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars. Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old). Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’ “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway.

For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice. Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest.

As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

- Tony Marks Racing Press Release

Team BCR Racing

Making his stock car debut with Team BCR Racing led by Howard Bixman, Evans Jr. set his own personal goals heading into the 10th race of the season. By the time the checkered flag flew Saturday night, Evans Jr. took more away from the Hantz Group 200 than he could have possibly imagined.

A recent test at Caraway (N.C.) Speedway had the Concord, North Carolina-based team optimistic about their rookie’s performance at the extremely tricky and quirky .4-mile oval. Never seeing the Marne, Michigan race track before viewing it with his own eyes on Friday, Evans Jr. knew what would be crucial during practice on Saturday.

It was during practice the following day that Evans, a former KART champion in his No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion earned the respect from his peers as during the hour and a half practice session, Evans Jr. mounted respectable and consistent lap times, good enough to find himself as a potential sleeper for his inaugural ARCA debut.

Adjustments by Bixman and his crew saw the lap times improve and speed increase before eventually capturing the 16th fastest lap overall during the lone practice session of the day.

Charles Evans Jr.

With Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying set for later in the afternoon in the extreme heat of the day, Bixman advised his protégé that the track would probably become slicker but would produce faster speeds. During his qualifications run, Evans Jr. produced a lap of seconds at miles per hour landing him 15th on the starting grid and ahead of some notable competitors including nine-time ARCA champion Frank Kimmel.

A solid starting position would give the team some welcomed ammunition for the 10th race of the 2011 ARCA season.

Taking the green flag, shortly after 9:00 p.m., Evans Jr. quickly had to be on his toes as a wad of race cars made contact, immediately bringing out the caution flag with Evans Jr. holding steady in the 13th position.

When racing resumed, the avid late model competitor inhaled an extremely competitive ARCA race which saw the field go into a long span of green flag racing for over 100 laps. During those 100 laps, Evans Jr. hovered comfortably inside the top-20, floating between 15th and 17th place.

Priceless experience from some of the veteran drivers including Kimmel and 2010 ARCA champion Patrick Sheltra and Berlin (Mich.) Raceway aces Brian Campbell and Michael Simko saw the No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion found an extreme comfort zone with lap times continuing to improve, the Friendswood, Texas native found himself now fighting hard for every position available on the track.

When the second caution flag of the night waived on lap 117, Bixman brought his driver to the attention of the team where four new tires, fuel and a minor chassis adjustment were on deck for the 21-year old. With new rubber and plenty of gas to make it to the end, Bixman reminded his driver to exercise patient but continue to learn and log laps.

That’s exactly what he did. Keeping his No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion out of any potential harmful situation, Evans fought hard and took the checkered flag in the 16th position offering a solid debut in his first tango with the Automobile Racing Club of America.

“Where do I begin?” offered Evans Jr. after the race. “I learned a lot out there. I tried to earn the respect of the other drivers I was racing with driving them clean but doing what I had to do to deliver the best finish possible for Elevator Transportation Services and Team BCR Racing. ARCA is definitely a big learning curve from what I’m accustomed to, but the team made me feel comfortable and stood behind me, so overall I’m pretty content with our 16th place finish.”

Bixman, who heeded the role as both crew chief and car owner offered his thoughts on Evans Jr. night. “I’m proud of C.J.,” he said. “He did a nice job start to finish. For never seeing Berlin (Mich.) Raceway before, he was able to adapt to the track quickly and learn from some of the best in ARCA. He also stayed out of trouble, kept the car clean and took the checkered flag. I can’t ask for much more than that from him in his debut.”

Evans Jr. and Team BCR Racing will regroup and prepare for the rest of their limited 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season where the Texas is itching to gain more input about the cars and the tracks with just nine races remaining this year. Further race announcements are forthcoming.

Collectively, Evans Jr. and Team BCR Racing would like to thank Elevator Transportation Services (ETS), Roush Yates Performance Parts and Roush Yates Engines for their support of the team in the Hantz Group 200.

For more on Team BCR Racing and marketing partnership opportunities for the 2011 racing season, please visit teambcr.com

For additional input on Charles Evans Jr., please connect to evans-racing.com.

Are you FORD tough? Connect with Roush Yates Performance Products and Roush Yates Engines through their official web site at roushyatesparts.com.

- Team BCR Racing Press Release