Justin Fontaine rides momentum into final break of ARCA season - Speedway Digest

On the heels of his second career top-10 finish last weekend at Kentucky Speedway, ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards newcomer Justin Fontaine (@driverFontaine) is embracing his knack for intermediate racing and his positive outlook for the series’ season finale next month at Kansas Speedway.

Despite not being able to test at Kentucky’s 1.5-mile track last Wednesday due to inclement weather, Fontaine found himself behind the eight-ball entering the one-day show which consisted of practice, qualifying and the race all within a 10-hour stretch.

Still, the Asheville, N.C.-native stood up to the challenges facing him and persevered throughout practice, qualifying and ultimately the Crosley 150 to execute a hard-fought and competitive 10^th place finish in his second career mile-and-a-half showing.

“Kentucky was a great confidence boost for me,” said Fontaine who earned his other top-10 on the historic Winchester Speedway high banks. “We made some steady gains at Kentucky and that’s great motivation for our team heading to Kansas Speedway next month.”

What made Fontaine night’s that much more refreshing was the rookie’s driver recovery from a mid-race spin when Fontaine spun to avoid a spinning driver ahead of him. Luckily for Fontaine, his car suffered no damage in the incident and he rallied back when it counted most.

“That was to close for comfort,” recalled Fontaine of the spinning driver. “He just got loose and the car came around before he even had a chance to react. Luckily, I made the decision to turn the wheel and spin it out to avoid him, otherwise I think we would have seen a different outcome.

“We didn’t hurt the car and had to manage our tire strategy the rest of the night, but when all said and done it turned out OK. I’m still smiling a couple days after the race, because I really feel like we accomplished a lot in a short amount of time.

“It’s that confidence a driver craves for throughout their career. I wish Kansas was next week, but it will be here before I know it.”

Reflecting on his season, Fontaine has certainly seen his highs and lows. Making his ARCA debut in the season-opening race at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway was overshadowed by a terrifying crash near the finish which sent the avid racer to the hospital for a night and on the sidelines for a broken back for nearly three and a half months.

Since his return, however, Fontaine has quickly gotten up to speed and has found his zone with the support of AM Racing development partner Win-Tron Racing. With one race remaining this year, Fontaine is confident that his team has the capabilities of earning a top-five finish to close out the year in the Kansas ARCA 150 on Fri., Oct. 20.

“I’ve never been to Kansas, but I’ve heard about a lot of similarities between Chicago and Kentucky,” added Fontaine. “We really need to close out the year on a high note, so we can carry that momentum with a hopeful return to the ARCA next year.”

Following Kentucky, Fontaine unofficially sits 14^th in the series’ standings (+1 position). Fontaine has a career best finish of ninth at Winchester Speedway in the Winchester ARCA 200 on Aug. 6. He qualified a career-best eighth at Iowa Speedway in July 2017.

In 12 races this year, the 19-year-old owns two top-10s, seven top-15 performances and carries an average finish of 16.5.

To learn more information on AM Racing please visit amracingteam.com.

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Follow Win-Tron Racing on Twitter @WinTronRacing, like on Facebook (WinTron Racing) or click on WinTronRacing.com.

AM Racing PR