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[/media-credit]Carter-2-Motorsports (C2M) has set up their line-up for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway next Saturday. The race marks the opening race for the 60th season of racing for the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA).
Donnie Neuenberger will lead the team into Daytona, driving the No. 40 Ron Paul for President/El Caribe Dodge Charger. Across NASCAR’s top three divisions, Neuenberger has a total of 60 starts, but this will be his first ARCA start.
Veteran Late Model racer Larry Barford Jr. will drive the second entry, sponsored by Mariner Bank and Trauma Doc. This will mark the first ARCA start for the Denton, Maryland native.
The last car will be driven by Michael Bockler. The Charlotte, North Carolina native will be driving the No. 67 Ambucs Dodge Charger after retiring from a successful career as a pilot.
“Obviously, we’ve made some major gains since Michigan last year,” team owner Roger Carter says. “We could not be more proud of the three drivers we’re bringing to the track. Everyone knows Donnie; he’s a racecar driver whose passion speaks for itself. Larry and Michael are newcomers to the ARCA scene but they will fit in nicely.
“With our team and the help of Del and Rich Markle, we’re antsy to get to Daytona and see what we can accomplish. It looks like there’s going to be a strong field of cars, but I feel we’re going to be able to comfortably get all of our Dodge Chargers into the show. That’s how hard we’ve worked.”
Under the leadership of avid racecar driver Nick Tucker, the team tested at Daytona in December with a variety of drivers to determine the drivers to run at Daytona with.
C2M made their return to the ARCA Series last year after taking a break. Carter drove the No. 40 Dodge Charger in three races – Michigan, Iowa and Madison. On a low budget, they were limited, they only had one car, one motor and a small volunteer crew in comparison to some of the bigger teams. Despite this, they were able to hit high strides as Carter got his best finish with a 16th at Madison.
“We love being a part of the ARCA Series,” Carter adds. “We’ve faced some turmoil along the way, but it only gives you the motivation to get back on your feet and make everyone take you seriously. That’s our goal this season. We’ll have our regulars and we’ll have some new faces too, but that is what C2M strives on; giving chances and trying to do a lot with the resources we have to work with. I think when we unload our cars in Daytona; everyone will see just how devoted this team really is for 2012.”
Down the road, Danny Esposito will be driving for C2M at Salem Speedway in April and Talladega Superspeedway in May.
The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona (80 laps / 200 miles) is the first of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The event will take the green flag on February 18th shortly after 4:30 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage including live timing and scoring and radio broadcast through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online atarcaracing.com. All times are local.
