Concord, NC (July 17, 2013) – Justin Boston’s last race on a speedway appeared to be his best chance yet at a first ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards victory.
Not only did Boston (No. 25 ZLOOP™ Computer & Electronic Recycling Centers Toyota) lead 15 laps at Michigan International Speedway in June, but he led those laps late, taking the point for a second time on Lap 80 of 100. Racing closely with teammate and friend Brennan Poole nine laps later, Boston spun out of contention.
He recovered to finish fourth that day, tying a career high. Boston visited Victory Lane to congratulate Poole, who’s become a mentor to the rookie, but knew he had let a fantastic chance slip away. But therein lies one of the silver linings in sport: Another chance is usually right around the corner.
Boston’s next speedway chance will come this Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway, as he and Venturini Motorsports travel to the team’s home track for the Ansell ActivArmr 150. Before two weekends off to start July, Boston finished eighth at Road America and 18th after electrical problems at Winchester Speedway, so a chance to return to speedway success is welcome.
“Everyone in the shop is telling me we’re going for a win, and that’s what I do every race, but this is more important, especially for the Venturini organization, because this is where their hometown is and it’s in front of their home crowd,” said Boston, who is fourth in the ARCA point standings and only 120 points from third.
“It’s a really important race for them. Every race is important to me, but this would be really special if we got into Victory Lane.”
After eight races between the final week of April and the final week of June, a short break of two weekends off was instrumental for Boston and his No. 25 crew before another stretch of races on 10 consecutive weeks, which will comprise nearly the entire second half of the ARCA schedule.
“I think it’s really good for me to have had a couple weeks off to reflect on how we’re doing this year, but it’s really good for all of us as a team,” said Boston. “We had some electrical problems at Winchester that we had to get figured out – that was a bad day – so it’s good to get a couple weeks and get really ready to go for the rest of the season.”
On the way from North Carolina to Chicagoland Speedway, Boston and Venturini Motorsports will stop at Kentucky Speedway for an open test session Thursday. Not only will the test give Boston valuable seat time on another 1.5-mile track before Sunday’s race, but he’ll have a look at the Kentucky facility before his sponsor, ZLOOP™ Computer & Electronic Recycling Centers, takes the marquee for the September ARCA event there.
Sunday’s race at Chicagoland and the September Kentucky race are just two events Boston is highly anticipating in the coming months. He cited Iowa Speedway and the two Illinois dirt tracks as venues he’s looking forward to seeing in the season’s second half.
“The dirt tracks, I’ve never even raced on dirt except for on two wheels, so that’ll be new for me,” he said. “Just to go to all these tracks for the first time and learn what I can, it’ll be fun.”
Practice will begin at 4:10 p.m. Saturday, with Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell following at noon the next day. The 100-lap, 150-mile race will begin at 5 p.m. and air live on SPEED.ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of all on-track events. All times are Central.
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. 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, Josh Richards and Johanna Long.
In 2012, VMS and the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano, among others.
After nearly two decades away from NASCAR, 2013 marks VMS’s modern day return to the series with John Wes Townley driving the team’s familiar No.25 in selective NASCAR Nationwide Series events.
Official: www.VenturiniMotorsports.com | Twitter: @VenturiniMotor | Facebook: Venturini Motorsports
