Daytona Beach, FL (Febuary 12, 2013) – The 2012 season proved to be yet another successful year for Venturini Motorsports (VMS). Three wins, four poles, an unprecedented 38 Top-10 finishes along with ARCA’s Super Speedway Challenge title, further proved VMS’s strength in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.
A mid-December test at Daytona International Speedway, hinted that the racing world would see the continuance of that dominance come the 2013 season. VMS topped the leader board throughout the three day test. John Wes Townley, current ARCA and NASCAR driver, posted the fastest speed of 181.452 MPH.
The drivers may have changed for 2013, but the team remains the same.
With this pre-season power, Venturini will field four cars for this year’s 50th running of the season opener in Daytona, the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Reel. 2013 marks the 31st consecutive year VMS has competed in the ARCA season opener at Daytona International Speedway. VMS’s Daytona driver lineup includes, Justin Boston (No.25), Milka Duno (No.35), John Wes Townley (No.15) and Darrell Wallace Jr. (No.55).
Rookie Justin Boston, one of two full-time drivers for VMS, will pilot the No.25 Zloop Computer & Electronic Recycling Toyota.
Justin Boston joins Venturini Motorsports from the world of late models. After competing in the UARA-STARS and REV-OIL Pro Cup Series’ (Formerly Hooters Pro Cup Series) under the Turner Motorsports banner the last few years, Boston is ready to embark on his first full-season campaign with VMS. Boston’s ARCA pre-season test at Daytona was promising as the rookie driver quickly found the top of the leader board, trading positions with his VMS teammates and finishing with the second fastest lap time of the weekend.
The 23 year old from Mooresville, North Carolina is anxious and excited about kicking off his inaugural ARCA stock car season at the world center of speed this weekend. Keith Hinkein will lead and serve as Boston’s crew chief. Follow Justin Boston on twitter @JustinMBoston.
Milka Duno, the second full-time driver in 2013 for VMS, will drive the No.35 CANTV / Milka Way Toyota. Veteran crew chief Kevin Caldwell will be overseeing the team’s efforts. This will be Milka’s fourth consecutive Daytona start and first with Venturini Motorsports.
Milka, a native of Caracas, Venezuela, has attained international notoriety both on and off track. Widely noted for becoming the first-ever Latina driver to compete in the Indianapolis 500, her on-track achievements also include eight wins between the American Le Mans Series and Rolex Series. Milka also holds the record of highest finishing female in the annual Rolex 24 in Daytona. Off track, she is known for spear-heading “Milka Way;” an international program which strives to promote academic excellence among young students. Follow Milka Duno on Twitter @MilkaDuno.
John Wes Townley will reunite with VMS at Daytona and run the No.15 Zaxby’s Toyota under team crew chief, Kevin Reed. John Wes earned a career best third place finish with VMS at Daytona in 2010. This will be John Wes’ fourth Daytona start in the ARCA Series. Townley earned a career best third place finish with VMS at Daytona in 2010. Topping the speed charts during ARCA’s offseason testing session at Daytona, Townley has set the tone for another strong performance Saturday afternoon.
In addition to signing with Red Horse Racing to run a full 2013 NASCAR Camping World Series campaign, Townley will also pilot VMS’s No.25 Zaxby’s Toyota entry in a limited NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) schedule. VMS will make their team debut in NNS on March 16th at Bristol Motor Speedway.
Darrell Wallace Jr., commonly known as “Bubba,” will be making his ARCA/Daytona debut behind the wheel of VMS’s No.55 Toyota Manufacturing entry. Wallace, whose name has been reverberating throughout the NASCAR world, is a development driver for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR).
He participated in NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity program and has run successful, consecutive years in the K&N Pro Series. In his 36 starts, he won six times and finished in the Top-10 sixteen times. Wallace won Rookie of the Year honors in the K&N Pro Series in 2010. Last season, Wallace also competed in four NASCAR Nationwide Series races; in which he captured three Top-10s. Wallace also announced late last week he will be running the No. 54 Toyota for Kyle Busch Motorsports in the Camping World Truck Series. Next weekend Wallace will be in the No. 55 for Venturini Motorsports with NASCAR veteran crew chief Dan Deeringhoff in control. Follow Darrell Wallace on Twitter: @BubbaWallace.
The entire fleet of VMS race cars will carry associate sponsorship from national recording artists, The TRUTH band, Mudd Advertising, featuring TheADMANBook.com, Susie’s Hope, and Everfi, the critical skills company.
The V-team will arrive in Daytona early this week. Practice will be held on Thursday, February 14th from 1pm-5pm, EST. Qualifying takes place on Friday, February 15th at 2pm and the Lucas Oil 200 presented by MAVTV American Reel, on Saturday, February 16th at 4:30pm. Live timing and scoring will be available on arcaracing.com and the main event will be televised, starting at 4pm, on SPEED Channel.
About Venturini Motorsports
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30 years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. With multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Justin Allgaier, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Brian Scott, Kevin Swindell, Miguel Paludo, John Wes Townley, Alex Bowman, and Ryan Reed. In 2012, VMS was inducted into the National Italian Sports Hall of Fame, and 2013 will highlight the team’s debut in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
About the TRUTH Band
National Recording Artists, THE TRUTH BAND, formed in Pittsburgh, PA by lead vocalist and guitarist Paul Benson, brings a driving rock and roll sound back to the forefront from the days when bands rocked arenas. This eclectic group of musicians’ debut album, “Can’t Let Go”, was produced by Kid Rock’s Kenny Olson and features original songs written by the band and co-writers Jeff Thurston and legendary, number one song writer Bernie Nelson. Founder, Paul Benson has had a passion and uncanny musical ability from a very young age. Both Paul, a veteran performer of the big stage, and drummer Josh Gerba, a road warrior, have performed hundreds of live shows with various bands. Shayne MacLaughlin brings the distinct guitar sound Paul has been searching for. Beautiful and multi-talented vocalist Ayesha Scott, who joined Paul after several guest appearances on his live shows, has been collaborating on music and lyrics ever since, gelling their musical styles together to form the sound of The Truth. The band will be touring this summer with the ARCA Racing Series, serving as the official ‘Music Partner” of Venturini Motorsports and has a full fall college tour scheduled.
About EverFi
EverFi is the leading education technology company focused on teaching, assessing, badging, and certifying students in critical skills. We combine cutting-edge personalized technology, deep education research and data, and a dedicated implementation team that allows each teacher to feel as though they have a blended learning assistant in their classroom. Most importantly, EverFi partners with the private sector and foundations that sponsor this innovation across the country. EverFi is headquartered in Washington, D.C. with offices in Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago. We also have team members in Florida, Iowa, Louisiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas. www.everfi.com
About Susie’s Hope
The mission of Susie’s Hope™ is to help end the epidemic of animal abuse that has spread throughout our nation by creating awareness of the problem and providing education about its solution. Susie and Donna Lawrence have embarked on a personal journey to educate people of all ages about animal abuse and the proper way to care for their pets. They visit schools, churches, special needs community groups, pet adoption fairs and fund raisers, and other organizations that offer information and inspiration to the public. Susie’s Hope, the movie, will premier in early 2013 at selected theatres across America. An extraordinary story based on true events, Susie’s Hope follows a family who triumphs over tragedy and changes lives in their community. A survivor of a horrific pit bull attack, Donna Lawrence, adopts a pit bull-mix puppy, Susie, who has been beaten, set on fire and left for dead. Together, they learn to heal, love and forgive as they lead a historic effort to seek justice and protection for all animals. www.SusiesHope.com
About Mudd Adverting
Mudd Advertising is a leader in direct marketing, audio-visual production, media, digital marketing and point of sale advertising. Headquartered in Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Mudd campus features a 3,000 square foot state-of-the-art production studio. Mudd partners with over 3,000 clients across the nation and is highly regarded for its results-driven advertising in the automotive, academic, agriculture and entertainment industries. Mudd has been helping clients succeed since 1981. www.Mudd.com
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