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[/media-credit]BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 13, 2012) – – Even though their ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards debut together at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway didn’t turn out as planned last weekend, Aleks Gregory and his Win-Tron Racing team will have their chance at redemption Friday afternoon at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) for the running of the RainEater Wiper Blades 200.
Thankfully, it doesn’t appear that the Wiper Blades will be anything needed for the impending future – but track time is something that the Lakeville, Minnesota-based team is counting on in order to give their young driver some more laps around the track’s two-mile oval in what is expected to be one of the fastest races of the 2012 season.
Much like Pocono last weekend, MIS has undergone a facelift which has included new pavement which has increased the speeds tremendously, but also given the drivers plenty of maneuverability in preparation for the eighth race of the season.
The fact was shown as Gregory participated in the ARCA Racing Series open-test session a few weeks ago where theBaton Rouge, Louisiana native was impressive right out of the box with speed. The team, led by veteran crew chief Mark Rette is hoping to pick up right where they left off for this weekend.
“That track (Michigan) is a lot different than Daytona or Talladega,” said Gregory. “It takes a lot more as a driver to actually wheel these cars out there, so our main goal during the test was really to just get used to the track. I really enjoyed running The Mosquito Patch car at Michigan. We did really well in the test and I am extremely confident. I am very comfortable in that race car; I love the way it handles and the way it performs. I definitely think that we will have a great run in Michigan. I love the track.”
To help their new driver adapt to Michigan, Win-Tron Racing elected to have Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway winner Brandon McReynolds shakedown the No. 32 The Mosquito Patch Toyota Camry on May 22 during the open-test at Michigan International Speedway and the feedback that McReynolds was able to offer to Gregory transpired back onto the track.
“Brandon did a good job for us at the test and we’re appreciative of that, but we’re looking forward to Friday with Aleks,” said Rette. “We’re bringing the same Toyota Camry we had there at the test, hopefully with the adjustments we’ve made, the car will even more comfortable to him and we have a successful run.”
Nate Thiesse, co-car-owner of Win-Tron Racing offered his thoughts on Friday’s activities. “Michigan’s going to be another race with some unknowns, but a lot of the teams are prepared this week because of the test compared to Pocono. Aleks turned a lot of laps during the test and we plan to use practice to our advantage on Thursday. When the green flag drops, we want Aleks to learn and see the checkered flag.”
In addition to Michigan, the duo will also tackle the Ansell / ActivArmr® 150 at Chicagoland Speedway (July 21), the Pennsylvania ARCA 125 at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, (August 4) and the season-finale Kansas Lottery 98.9 at Kansas Speedway (October 19).
The RainEater Wiper Blades 200 (100 laps / 200 miles) is the eighth of 20 events on the 2012 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 31stARCA race at Michigan International Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Thursday, June 14 with an hour and a half practice session planned from 4:05 p.m. – 5:35 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for race day, Friday, June 15 slated to begin at 10:00 a.m. The event will take the green shortly after 5:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED. Additional coverage including timing and scoring available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com. All times are local (Eastern).
Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641.
For more on Aleks Gregory, please visit aleksgregory.com.
About Win-Tron Racing:
Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus and Aleks Gregory.
About The Mosquito Patch:
Headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, The Mosquito Patch (themosquitopatch.us) is an all-natural, deet free mosquito bite protection patch. The transdermal, water-proof patch attaches to the skin and provides up to 36 hours of mosquito bite protection. Because the spray-free, odor-free patch is all-natural, it is safe to use on children and adults of all ages.
