“RHR Breeding Another Talented Young-Gun”
DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (December 19, 2011) – – Floridian and rising racecar driver Ross Chastain concluded three days of testing at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway this past weekend in the No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Ford Fusion in preparation for his proposed ARCA debut in two months in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200, the 2012 season opener for the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA).
Chastain who is working with Texas entrepreneur and NASCAR Nationwide Series car owner Randy Hill utilized the open-test in order to allow 19-year old Chastain, who made five NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) this season to prepare for his attachment to Hill’s driver development program in 2012 joining Casey Roderick.
Throughout the weekend, Chastain utilized his No. 08 Randy Hill Racing Ford Fusion to gain speed and comfort with the 2.5-mile superspeedway. Overall, Chastain turned the 19th quickest lap out of an impressive list of drivers which consisted of 79 drivers overall.
“This was my first time in an ARCA car and I think overall, the test went pretty well,” said Chastain. “I learned a lot from Friday to Sunday and we’re going to work extremely hard on our car between now and February, so we can be in contention for a good finish.”
He added, “I want to thank Randy Hill and the team for putting their best foot forward to make this weekend possible. I cannot compare Daytona to anything else I’ve ever competed on. It’s a blast and the drafting was unbelievable. I was able to have a lot of on-track time, so that was helpful and I’m looking forward to coming back in February and doing everyone a good job.”
Hill was excited to bring a new driver into the ARCA Racing Series and is eager to see what the team can muster together between now and the race.
“We know we have some work to do, but that was one of our objectives of testing,” sounded Hill. “I’m proud of Ross and the team for working hard to get the car on the track and laying down some respectable lap times and making steady improvements throughout the weekend. I know when we come back for the race; we’re going to have a piece competitive enough that will allow Ross to hopefully contend for victory.”
One of the newest owners in stock car racing continued, “I was extremely impressed with the way that Casey (Roderick) and Ross (Chastain) gelled together. Not only did they consult, confer and share ideas at the track, but they took their relationship as teammates to the next level by participating and hanging out in non-racing activities outside the track. As a car owner, that makes me proud to work with two of the most promising up-and-coming drivers and know that they enjoy being around each other.”
The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona officially kicks off the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season and the 60th year of competition for the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The season-opener will be televised live on SPEED and will serve as a preamble for the highly anticipated Budweiser Shootout for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS).
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