MOORESVILLE, N.C. – Denton, North Carolina native Clint King (@driverclintking) will make his return to the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards next month by participating in the Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 driven by General Tire at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway on Sat. Feb. 18 driving for Lira Motorsports.
King who last competed in the development series in 2013 will jumpstart his ARCA return by partaking in the open ARCA test session at the 2.5-mile superspeedway next weekend (Jan. 13-14, 2017) in one of two Lira Motorsports entries.
“I am really excited to get behind the wheel in the ARCA car next weekend at Daytona,” said King. “I’ve been more than ready to get back in a car since the XFINITY Series race at Texas last year to keep learning on these speedways and superspeedways. It’s a good chance to break up the off-season with sometime in the car and gives me a chance to really dissect what we learn at the test to apply for the race in February.”
The 21-year-old King is also utilizing the first ARCA race of 2017 to earn his NASCAR superspeedway clearance where he hopes to participate in the NASCAR XFINITY Series season-opener the following week on Sat., Feb. 25.
Last year, the North Carolinian competed in three XFINITY Series races at Richmond International Raceway, Charlotte Motor Speedway and Texas Motor Speedway with B.J. McLeod Motorsports earning respectable finishes, while gaining invaluable seat time.
“I’m looking forward to continuing my learning curve in the XFINITY Series,” added King. “Before I shift my concentration over to NASCAR, we have business to attend to in ARCA. I am looking forward being back with Carlos (Lira, team owner) and everyone involved at Lira Motorsports. There is still a lot to learn, but with the help of the people around me, I have no doubt we will be a strong team in February.”
Lira Motorsports owned by Lira and wife Amanda return to the circuit for the first time since mid-2016, where they hope to return to their winning ways after XFINITY Series driver Ryan Reed rocketed to two race wins during the 2015 season at Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Speedway respectively.
“We’re very much looking forward to returning to the ARCA Racing Series with driver Clint King,” said Carlos Lira. “Clint is excited to head to Daytona and get some laps under his belt and get comfortable for the race next month.
“We’re proud to give him that opportunity to experience the surreal sights and sounds of Daytona on the race track with our team. We feel our cars will be competitive and Clint will be a viable asset to be a strong teammate to our other car during the test session next weekend.”
Climbing through the ranks of racing in textbook style, King has competed at almost every level of stock car racing, winning races and championships. Before competing in the XFINITY Series last year, his highest level of racing came at the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards where he earned two poles, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts driving for the potent Venturini Motorsports between 2011-2013.
Looking ahead, King is poised for more success.
“Realistically, the ARCA test is all about learning the ins and outs of Daytona,” added King. “I am sure we will work on single car speed a good bit, which will be important. Hopefully, we will get some drafting practice in as well to get that refined for race conditions. On the ARCA side, I have no other reason to run the race, but to win.
“We will have just as good of equipment as anyone and will have a great shot at running for the win.”
Lira Motorsports will announce further details of their ARCA Racing Series return, particularly around the Daytona ARCA test in the coming days.
For more on Clint King, please “like” him on Facebook (Clint King Motorsports) or follow him on Twitter @driverclintking.
Be sure to follow Lira Motorsports on social media; Facebook.com/LiraMotorsportsFL, on Twitter @LiraMotorsports; and Instagram @LiraMotorsports
About Lira Motorsports:
Lira Motorsports is a multi-car, multi series race team owned by Carlos and Amanda Lira. The team currently competes in the ARCA Racing Series, NASCAR Whelen All-American Late Model and IMSA SportsCar events nationwide. The team operates from a 12,000-square foot facility in Port Orange, Fla., just minutes from Daytona International Speedway.
Be sure to follow Lira Motorsports on social media; Facebook.com/LiraMotorsportsFL, on Twitter- @LiraMotorsports; and Instagram @LiraMotorsports.
