“ARCA Rookie More Than Ready For ‘Dega Debut”
TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 12, 2011) – – After what some called a jaw-dropping performance in the open-test at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway late last month, Maryeve (pronounced Mary-EV) Dufault (pronounced DU-FAU) and her Tony Marks Racing (TMR) crew return to the 2.66-mile superspeedway looking to prove that their effort wasn’t a fluke and their rookie team is more than ready to contend in Friday’s 3 Amigos 250.
Led by crew chief Larry Moore and car chief Darren Wolfe, the duo have put together a strong No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger that should put Dufault, the Sorel, Quebec Canada native as a serious sleeper in the second of 19 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards events this season.
“I’m anxiously awaiting Talladega this week,” said Dufault. “We had a great test with Tony Marks Racing, VR-12 and Dodge. The car was strong right off the trailer. I know that a lot of teams weren’t there and I’m sure that others weren’t showing all of their cards, but we weren’t either. I want to go to Talladega and do the same thing I did at Daytona just minus the outcome.”
When Dufault refers to Daytona in February, the resident of Redondo Beach, California rewinds back to when she found herself in-line for a solid finish before being collected in the “big one” just 16 laps from the finish. Dufault did an excellent job maneuvering through the incident but at the last second, another competitor clipped her No. 12 Dodge Charger which ultimately sent her to the garage for the remainder of the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 which resulted in a 28th place finish.
“I felt like as a team, we preformed very well at Daytona, despite the finish,” she added. “I was just learning and preparing myself to make the move when I needed to then the big accident broke out in front of me. I thought we escaped but I was turned at the last second and it did some damage to our tailpipes. Nonetheless, I still learned a lot about the cars and the draft; which will again be important this weekend at Talladega.”
The former NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 competitor was initially overwhelmed with the size and presence of Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, but she is looking forward to completing all 94 laps on Friday afternoon.
“Talladega has some similarities to Daytona and I think we’ll see an exciting race,” Dufault sounded. “I’ve talked to a couple of the other drivers and they’ve been very helpful in telling me what to expect, what to watch out for and what not to do. That’s important for me being a rookie. Once the race starts on Friday, I have to keep our No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger out of trouble but inside the lead draft and take the checkered flag. We need a boost in the point standings, so a good run will pay a two-for-one special.
Tony Marks, owner of Tony Marks Racing, the newest multi-car operation in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards is equally energerized about Friday’s contest.
“Quickly, Tony Marks Racing is showing that while we still may be young, we know how to go fast. The team has done an incredible job putting this superspeedway program back in tip-top shape following our misfortunate at Daytona. Maryeve is incredibly focused and determined to do a good job not only for the team, but for our sponsors too. As an owner, that’s all I can ask for. I’m looking forward to seeing what Friday afternoon delivers.”
The 3 Amigos 250 (94 laps / 250 miles) is the second of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 49th ever ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Thursday, April 14 with a three hour practice session planned from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. Coverage of time trials is available online through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at http://www.arcaracing.com/ arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. A 45-minute final practice has been etched in on Friday, April 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. The event will take the green flag that afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional live broadcasting available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at http://www.arcaracing.com/ arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. All times are local (Central).
For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.
For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com
To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com
About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):
Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks. Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies.
Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars. Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old). Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.
TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’ “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway.
For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice. Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest.
As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.
