The Wait Is Over; Truck Debut Upon Mason Mingus; Win-Tron Racing

Mason Mingus’s biggest challenge in racing is upon him and with the help of Win-Tron Racing, they hope to leave their mark in Saturday afternoon’s fred’s 250 powered by Coca-Cola at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

After finishing second in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards national point standings to 10-time champion Frank Kimmel, Mingus and his Mooresville, North Carolina-based team have now turned their attention to the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS), where they will compete in three of the remaining five races on the schedule.

While, the driver of the No. 35 Call 811 Before You Dig / Mark-It! Madness Chevrolet Silverado knows that Saturday’s race is a complete crap shoot and he can either have a defining moment in his young racing career or even find himself experiencing the downside of restrictor plate racing, the opportunity to return to the 2.66-mile superspeedway is a dream come true.

“This is like an early, early Christmas present,” said Mingus, who finished second to Kimmel at the track in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 ARCA race in May. “I’m really excited about the opportunity to race (again) at Talladega. Everyone at Win-Tron Racing has worked very hard to put a truck together for me. I have had success at Talladega in an ARCA car and I hope to continue that success over to the trucks.”

When asked about his biggest hesitation heading into this weekend’s activities, Mingus wasn’t shy about what has been weighing on his mind.

“While, I’m most excited about this opportunity, the key is to get the seat time in the truck and learn how to handle it in the draft and how the air affects them compared to an ARCA car. I’m most nervous about figuring out who I can draft with and catching onto the two very different styles of drafting between the truck and an ARCA car.

“Friends are important. I learned that at Daytona and even more at Talladega in May. Fortunately, there are some drivers who I raced against in the ARCA car that are also entered for Saturday’s race, so when business picks up, I’m hoping I’ll be able to latch on with some of them and draft our No. 35 Call 811 Before You Dig / Mark-It! Madness Chevrolet Silverado to a good finish.”

But, before the Brentwood, Tennessee native can strictly focus on the 94-lap race, he must first earn a berth into the 18th NCWTS race of the season. Tentatively, 37 trucks have been entered for the 36 positions available and with one truck expected to sit on the sidelines for Saturday’s annual fall classic, Mingus and his team have already come up with a game plan on how to avoid being the single player on the outside.

“When practice rolls off, it’s going to be about single-truck runs for us. We need to focus on getting the best time possible for us in our No. 35 Call 811 Before You Dig / Mark-It! Madness Chevrolet Silverado. Once we feel that we’re in a comfort zone, we’ll shift that focus to drafting and make sure our truck is in tip-top shape for the race. If it’s anything like the ARCA race, it’s bound to be exciting.”

And if momentum has anything to do with success at Talladega, that’s something that the 18-year old driver is carrying. After an impressive third-place finish this past Sunday at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway for the 42nd running of the Winchester 400, Mingus knows that luck will have to play a hand in the outcome of Talladega, much like it did at Winchester.

“You have to enter races like these with the best outlook possible, but at the same time, you can’t be disappointed if your weekend doesn’t pan out. This is Talladega after all.”

Mason Mingus has 34 ARCA Racing Series races to his credit. During that tenure, he has acquired five top-fives and 25 top-10 finishes, including second-place runs at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Toledo Speedway and Berlin (Mich.) Raceway in August 2013. Additionally, two pole runs at Mobile (Ala.) International Speedway (March 2013) and Iowa Speedway (September 2013), is his best time trials effort to date.

Mark Rette, the 2009 ARCA champion crew chief will lead the efforts for Win-Tron Racing in the series 19th race of the year.

In addition to Talladega, Mingus and Win-Tron Racing will also compete in the final two NCWTS races of the year from Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway (November 8) and Homestead-Miami (Fla.) Speedway (November 15) respectively.

Win-Tron Racing PR