Max Tullman, Mason Mitchell Motorsports add Gateway Motorsports Park to schedule

In an 11th-hour agreement, ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards newcomer Max Tullman (@MaxTullman) has added Friday night’s PapaNicholas Coffee 150 at Gateway (Ill.) Motorsports Park to his schedule continuing to pilot the No. 78 Zoomi |Myota Chevrolet for Mason Mitchell Motorsports (MMM).
 
Tullman and MMM head to Gateway riding the momentum of a strong top-10 finish in their most recent event together at Michigan International Speedway two weeks ago where the 20-year-old finished seventh after starting 17th in the ZOMONGO 200.
 
Utilizing Gateway as an opportunity to gather more seat time ahead of two upcoming ARCA races at Chicagoland Speedway and Iowa Speedway respectively, there are no expectations for Tullman’s first go with the 1.25-mile racetrack other than to see the checkered flag.
 
“I’m really excited about this opportunity to add another ARCA race to my schedule and compete for Mason Mitchell Motorsports,” said Tullman. “We’ve really had a good year and hopefully pairing up for Gateway will give us another chance to go out there and surprise some people with another top-10 run. I can’t thank Zoomi and Myota enough for this added race.”
 
The avid Sports Car racer invaded the ARCA Racing Series in the season-opening Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in Feb., where he excelled in his series’ debut which included qualifying fourth, leading 10 laps before finishing sixth.
 
Since Daytona, Tullman has tallied two additional top-10s and finished no worse than 15th in his five career starts.
 
Simply put, Tullman has well-exceeded everyone’s expectations.
 
The addition of Gateway kicks off a busy stretch for Tullman and the Mooresville, N.C.-based Mason Mitchell Motorsports team. From Gateway the team will travel to Iowa Speedway and test at the 0.875-mile short track on June 24 before trekking back east to Chicagoland Speedway in preparation of the SCOTT 150 at the 1.5-mile speedway on Thursday, June 28.
 
Tullman visited Iowa Speedway over the weekend attending the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race alongside Young’s Motorsports whom Tullman will drive for in select races later this year.
 
The Chester Springs, Pa. native knows that attending Iowa over the weekend can enhance his learning curve.
 
“I’m glad I went to Iowa,” Tullman added. “I need all the input I can get – especially when it’s my first time at a race track. Being there on foot and in person allowed me to talk to other drivers, watch practice and qualifying from different areas of the track and sit on the pit box during the race.
 
“I gained a ton of knowledge and I hope that will not only help at Gateway but at the Iowa test and race here in a few weeks.”
 
Tullman’s weekend at Gateway, however, starts with a four-hour test on June 21.
 
“The test should be very beneficial for me and Doug (Richert, crew chief),” sounded Tullman. “I feel like I need all the laps I can get and it just so happens Gateway has a test on Thursday, so I’m happy that I’ll have some added track time before practice on Friday.” 
 
Veteran Motorsports crew chief Richert, who led Dale Earnhardt Sr. to his first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) championship in 1980 will continue to call the shots for Tullman.
 
“I feel like I’ve been working with Doug for years compared to just months,” added Tullman. “He’s super patient with me and is really determined to make me a better race car driver inside and out.
 
“We don’t have a lot of notes from Gateway between the two of us, so we’ll lean on Mason and the team for some guidance. Doug is (really) smart though and I’m sure he’ll find that perfect setup that will not only allow me to be comfortable but fast too. Can’t wait to get to Gateway.”   
 
In addition to the PapaNicholas Coffee 150, the IMSA Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge veteran will compete in a minimum of two other ARCA races at Chicagoland and Iowa Speedway (July) respectively.
 
Announced in April, Tullman will also compete in a minimum of two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series races aboard the No. 20 Chevrolet for Young’s Motorsports.
 
Additional stock car races are set to be added to Tullman’s schedule and will be announced in the immediate future.
 
The PapaNicholas Coffee 150 (120 laps |150 miles) is the 10th of 20 races on the 2018 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. Practice begins Fri., June 22 with an hour session planned from 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. A final 55-minute practice session has been etched in from 1:30 p.m. – 2:25 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying is set for later in the day at 5:30 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 8:00 p.m. The event will be broadcasted live on FOX Sports 2, while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the week’s activities. All times are local (CT).
 
For autograph requests and to join Max Tullman on social media, please like him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter @MaxTullman.
 
Follow MMM on Social Media: To keep up-to-date with the latest news, information and race updates, follow MMM twitter page @MMM_Race and “Like” their Facebook page at Mason Mitchell Motorsports.
 
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