BRISTOL, Tenn.: Impressive ARCA Menards Series rookie Jason Kitzmiller will have a pair of firsts as he prepares to make his seventh start of the season in Thursday night’s Bush’s Beans 200.
The Petersburg, WV native will compete in his first ARCA short track this week, while also making his debut at the famed Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.
After delivering three top-10 finishes in his first six ARCA starts this season, Kitzmiller will embrace the daunting task of taking on Thunder Valley in one of the most highly anticipated races in the year.
Kitzmiller had hoped to get a jump on Bristol by competing in the ARCA Menards Series East race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway last month, but a practice crash put the team out of commission for the General Tire 125 meaning his first short track appearance would have to wait until ARCA’s 16th race of the season.
“I’m ready. I better be ready,” Kitzmiller said with a laugh. “This is a huge deal for me to transition from these bigger race tracks and to take on Bristol Motor Speedway. I had hoped to get some experience at Dover – but Miles’ the Monster had other plans.
“Realistically, I just have to go into the race this week with a positive attitude and rely on my CR7 Motorsports team for guidance. 200 laps will go by quick on Thursday night and my goal is to finish the race on the lead lap and see if we can’t get us a top-10 finish with our No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet.”
Kitzmiller knows he’ll likely face the stiffest competition in ARCA Menards Series competition this week at the World’s Fastest Half-Mile – as the event will host teams from the ARCA Menards Series and the ARCA Menards Series East.
For the rookie driver, the more competitors, the better.
“I’m expecting one of the biggest fields of the season on Thursday and I think that will make the race exciting. I’ve been told it’s hard to hide at Bristol and you have to almost treat every lap like a qualifying lap.
“Even though we actually won’t have qualifying this week – I certainly know how to get into that mind zone. I’m also blessed to have the support of Codie (Rohrbaugh) and Tim (Fedewa, spotter) who will be doing what they can to help make my Bristol debut a memorable one.”
It will be a busy weekend for CR7 Motorsports. In addition to the Bush’s Beans 200, the team will also compete in Thursday night’s NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series UNOH 200 presented by Ohio Logistics with Rohrbaugh aboard the No. 9 Chevrolet Silverado.
Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are available for the No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet and No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet for the 2020 ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact at tonya@gcmulch.com or 304.257.8783.
The Bush’s Beans 200 (200 laps | 106.6 miles) is the 16th of 20 races on the 2020 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Group practice begins Thurs., Sept. 17, 2020 with a forty-five-minute practice session from 6:00 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 9:30 p.m., televised live on FOX Sports 1, while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire day’s festivities. All times are local (Eastern).
