BROOKLYN, Mich: After nearly a two-month break in ARCA Menards Series competition, sophomore driver Jason Kitzmiller and CR7 Motorsports return to the tour set to compete in Friday evening’s Henry Ford Health System 200.
In his most recent outing at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Kitzmiller contended for a top-10 finish in the General Tire #AnyWhereIsPossible 200, but a Lap 59 crash while running inside the top-10 demolished their hopes and instead left the team with a disappointing 17th place finish.
Regrouped, refreshed and energized, the family-owned CR7 Motorsports managed by former ARCA driver Codie Rohrbaugh treks to the Irish Hills of Michigan International Speedway eager to deliver their first top-10 finish of the season.
Last year at Michigan, Kitzmiller started the race 16th and methodically marched his way forward and climbed into the top-10 late in the event to finish eighth, his career-best finish in the series.
This weekend, Kitzmiller is hopeful for a duplicate performance or better and capture his first top-10 of the 2021 ARCA Menards Series season.
“I’m glad to be back this weekend at Michigan,” said Kitzmiller. “I left Pocono bummed about our finish but extremely thankful and encouraged by our performance. It was one of the most competitive ARCA races of my career.
“The CR7 Motorsports team and my crew chief Todd Myers brought me a great car and we found ourselves hunting a top-five when it got a little too crowded on the restart and we just got the rough end of it. Thankfully, we were able to get the car repaired and we’re focused on finishing what we started on Friday night.”
Michigan is touted as one of the fastest tracks on the ARCA Menards Series tour. A statement that doesn’t bother the Petersburg, WV native.
“I enjoy the fast speeds of Michigan, especially since there is a lot of room to race,” added Kitzmiller. “That helped with my comfort level last year and prepares for even more for this weekend. It’s a relatively easy track to drive.
“You can be aggressive as a driver and have room for recovery. That is a benefit for not only practice but the race too. We have just a half-hour of practice on Friday before the race. It’s going to be crucial for us to get out there and utilize as much of that half-hour as possible.
“We’ll evaluate ourselves after practice, make some changes to put us in a good and comfortable spot for the first break and then charge that second half – much like we did last year and hope it all works out.”
Additionally, Kitzmiller will also continue to adorn a decal remembering CR7 Motorsports general manager Mark Huff who passed away in February after a brief illness. Huff was responsible for helping revive the ARCA Menards Series team in 2020.
“I will always Mark for his carrying of people on this CR7 Motorsports team and his enormous work ethic. He did a lot for the team and is irreplaceable,” remarked Kitzmiller. “We will race to win in his honor on Friday night.”
Kitzmiller and CR7 Motorsports will run a partial ARCA schedule in 2021 with a firmer schedule planned for next season.
Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are available for the No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet and No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact at tonya@gcmulch.com or 304.257.8783.
The Henry Ford Health System 200 (100 laps | 200 miles) is the 13th of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A half-hour group practice is set from 4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. The event will be televised live on MAVTV and aired on the Motor Racing Network (MRN Radio) beginning at 6:00 p.m. (MRN). ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).
