LAKEVILLE, Minnesota (October 22, 2012) – – Officials from Win-Tron Racing have announced that they will field an entry for this Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) event at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway.
Matt Merrell, the Portland, Texas native who scored his inaugural ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory last July at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, has been tapped to drive the No. 35 Win-Tron Racing Chevrolet Silverado.
“We’re very excited to be a part of Saturday’s race at Martinsville,” said Nate Thiesse, co truck-owner of Win-Tron Racing with former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series competitor Kevin Cywinski. “Matt has done a superb job for us on the ARCA Racing Series side and we expect him to do the same with the trucks.”
Currently, the Lakeville, Minnesota-based team plans to run a limited NASCAR Camping World Truck Series schedule next year in addition to another championship run in ARCA.
“Looking long-term, we want to have a healthy and proud presence in NASCAR,” continued Thiesse. “We’ve always had a successful driver development program in ARCA and we wanted to offer another option for our drivers as they make their move into the upper ranks of racing. Now we can do that.”
For Merrell, the 27-year old, this is a humbling opportunity for him, but he is looking forward to any challenges he may face.
“I can’t thank Nate (Thiesse) and Kevin (Cywinski) enough for this opportunity,” said Merrell who also competed for Win-Tron Racing in the Rev-Oil Pro Cup Series. “I’ve always wanted to compete in NASCAR and now I’ll have that chance. Obviously, Martinsville is a huge race, but I think we’ll be fine. Our main objective is to qualify for the race and bring home the truck in one piece. From there, we can move forward and look towards the future.”
Veteran NCWTS crew chief and current ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards pundit Mark Rette will call the shots for Merrell on Saturday afternoon.
The Kroger 200 (200 laps / 105.2 miles) is the 19th of 22 races on the 2012 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series tour. First practice begins on Friday, October 26 from 11:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. A final practice session has been scheduled from 2:10 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Qualifying is set for race day, Saturday, October 27 set to launch at 10:35 a.m. The field will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 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 1:30 p.m. also on SPEED. 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.
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, Brandon McReynolds, Aleks Gregory and Merrell.
