ARCA: Mikey Kile Joins Andy Belmont Racing For 2012
Andy Belmont Racing announced today that Mikey Kile will be driving the No. 14 Andy Belmont Racing Ford for the entire 2012 ARCA season, beginning with the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on February 18th at Daytona International Speedway.
“This is definitely an exciting time for ABR,” Belmont said. “I have watched Mikey progress each season as a driver and am confident that we will be in the hunt all year. I am also proud that he will be driving our No. 14 Ford this season. The tradition of that number goes back to my days as a modified driver in Pennsylvania.”
Kile began his career racing in go-karts, before moving up to the modified and late model ranks.
In 2009, the Westlake, La. native made his NASCAR debut, making six starts in the Camping World Truck Series for Brad Keselwoski Racing. In those six starts, he had three top-15 finishes.
In 2010, he ran the full schedule for Venturini Motorsports. He got his first ARCA win at Michigan International Speedway.
“I would say that’s the biggest win of my career – in ARCA,” Kile said of the Michigan win last March. “In 2010 in June, winning the race at Michigan and leading a bunch of laps at Pocono and just running upfront. Mainly, winning the race at Michigan is the best moment so far.”
Along with the win, he scored two Menards Pole Awards presented by Ansell, seven top-fives and 15 top-10 finishes on his way to finishing fifth in points in 2010.
“I had a good year in 2010, but I believe that we have the pieces in place to compete for the 2012 ARCA championship,” Kile said. “Andy has done a great job in putting together a quality team and I am really looking forward to the season opener in Daytona.”
Kile ran a partial schedule for Venturini Motorsports in 2011, while running some races for Turner Motorsports in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
For Andy Belmont Racing, they had a good 2011 season, as they won at Springfield, finished fifth in points and won the Bill France Crown Award.
ARCA: Ryan Reed Joins Venturini Motorsports for 2012 Partial Schedule
Venturini Motorsports has begun putting their 2012 schedule together, beginning with Ryan Reed joining the team. Reed will run selected races next year for Venturini, with his ARCA Racing Series debut coming at Daytona International Speedway on February 18th.
Reed grew up in Bakersfield, California, moving to North Carolina by himself at the age of 17 to pursue his dream of racing.
The 18-year-old has already had his battles as in February of 2011, he was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. This changed almost everything for Reed with regards to daily routine: diet, exercise, blood glucose readings, on track data, and reporting all of this information weekly to his medical / nutritional team in California.
Reed speaks about his experience through his initiative called “Ryan’s Mission”, which sets to build awareness and support for people with diabetes around the world.
Reed got started in racing at the age of four and has had success every step of the way. In 2009, Reed won the Legends Division Track Championship at Toyota Speedway at Irwindale. The following season, he became the Super Late Model Division Rookie of the Year while becoming the youngest winner in the division when he scored one win.
In 2011, Reed raced a variety of cars, including the Pro Allstars Series, NASCAR Whelen All American and NASCAR K&N Pro Series East.
For more information on Ryan Reed visit www.RyanReedRacing.com
For more information on Venturini Motorsports visit www.VenturiniMotorsports.com
LIONEL NASCAR COLLECTABLES UNVEILS THE TOP 10 DIE-CAST CARS OF 2011
Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick claim top two spots, but a surprise newcomer comes in a close third.
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[/media-credit]CONCORD, NC (December 12, 2011) – Jeff Gordon’s No. 24 AARP/Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet and Kevin Harvick’s No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet were the best-selling 1:24 scale die-cast cars of 2011, according to a top 10 list released today by Lionel NASCAR Collectables.
However in a surprise showing, Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne clinched the third sport as his No. 21 Motorcraft Daytona 500 Win Ford made the cut.
“The interesting thing about our top 10 list is that it proves how much NASCAR fans love a good story,” said Howard Hitchcock, Vice President of Lionel NASCAR Collectables.
“Trevor Bayne driving the Wood Brothers to Victory Lane at the Daytona 500 is one of the most compelling stories in the history of the sport,” he continued. “And while we realized Trevor’s win was beyond big, our team had little idea just how popular the die-cast would be.”
While Gordon’s AARP Chevy was the best-selling die-cast car, Dale Earnhardt Jr. tops the list as the driver garnering the most die-cast sales in 2011. Earnhardt cars claimed spots four, seven and nine.
“There’s no denying that Dale Earnhardt Jr. is still the sport’s most popular driver from a merchandise perspective,” Hitchcock said. “Our sales clearly reflect that and there is consistently strong demand for any Dale Jr. car.”
Another Earnhardt also made the list of heavy hitters. Dale Earnhardt’s No. 96 Cardinal Tractor Ford was introduced in July as the first release in the company’s NASCAR Classics line – a series of historical die-cast which have never before been made. The result? Collectors loved the No. 96 car so much; it shot to the sixth spot on the list of 2011 best-sellers.
The Top 10 Die-Cast Cars of 2011 are listed below. For images and a slideshow detailing the story behind each car, please visit www.lionelnascar.com/top10.
Jeff Gordon No. 24 AARP/Drive to End Hunger Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet
Trevor Bayne No. 21 Motorcraft Daytona Win Ford
Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Amp Energy Chevrolet
Tony Stewart No. 14 Mobil 1 Chevrolet
Dale Earnhardt No. 96 Cardinal Tractor Ford
Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 National Guard Heritage Chevrolet
Tony Stewart No. 14 Office Depot Chevrolet
Dale Earnhardt Jr. No. 88 Dale Jr. Foundation/Vh1 Save the Music Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick No. 29 Budweiser Military Tribute Chevrolet
About Lionel NASCAR® Collectables
The official die-cast of NASCAR, Lionel NASCAR® Collectables is the leader in the design, promotion, marketing and distribution of licensed die-cast race cars. A joint venture with the NASCAR® Team Properties and Lionel Electric Trains, LNC makes and sells replica die-cast race cars through a variety of channels, including Corporate, National Accounts, trackside, online, a network of specialty dealers and the Racing Collectables Club of America (RCCA). Made up of a group of experienced merchants, artists, sales people and support staff, LNC has its pulse on the racing community and is committed to giving fans the very best in die-cast collectable cars. LNC is based in Concord, NC. For more information about Lionel NASCAR® Collectables, please visit the Web site at www.lionelnascarcollectables.com. Follow Lionel NASCAR® Collectables on Facebook at www.facebook.com/lionelnascar and Twitter @LionelNASCAR.
