Settled In; Approaching The Home Stretch: AM Racing returned to the ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2023 with Automobile Racing of America (ARCA) Rookie of the Year candidate Christian Rose behind the wheel of the team’s No. 32 Ford Mustang. The 2023 ARCA Menards Series will mark the first time that AM Racing has competed full-time in the NASCAR-owned development series since Gus Dean drove for the organization during the 2018 season. Meet Christian Rose: Rose, a former Division 1 baseball player for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has traded the glove and bat in for a steering wheel and helmet and has set achievable goals for his first full season of stock car competition aboard the team’s flagship No. 32 Ford Mustang. Rose joins the Statesville, N.C.-based team on the heels of a limited ARCA schedule in 2022 competing in a series of races on ARCA’s platform with Cook Racing Technologies which was highlighted by a career-best seventh-place finish at Kansas Speedway last October. Additionally, Rose earned two additional top-10 finishes at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway and Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway respectively. Glad To Have You: To help steer Christian Rose and the AM Racing team towards a championship in 2023, the organization has recruited Ryan “Pickle” London to serve as crew chief of the No. 32 Ford Mustang this season. London, a long-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series crew chief returns to AM Racing after spending the 2020 season with the team’s Truck Series program as the truck chief. London has plenty of experience as a leader in the ARCA Menards Series, including guiding drivers Tom Hessert and Frank Kimmel to poles and leading Grant Enfinger to victories at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in 2014. In addition to the two wins as crew chief, the winning NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series crew chief has numerous ARCA top-fives and top-10 efforts to his credit. Partner Support: The Department of West Virginia Tourism will serve as the primary marketing partner on Rose’s No. 32 Ford Mustang in Sunday afternoon’s Sprecher 150. The West Virginia Department of Tourism promotes West Virginia as a leading four-season travel destination and a top state to live, work and retire. Known as the Mountain State, West Virginia is one of the most scenic states in the United States and home to thousands of acres of parks and public lands, including America’s newest national park and 45 state parks and forests. In addition to its majestic mountains and rolling hills, West Virginia is full of rich historic sites, enchanting art galleries, charming towns and an immense sense of belonging found only in its heaven-like landscapes. This weekend at The Milwaukee Mile, Rose and the AM Racing team will offer a preview of their gorgeous Department of West Virginia Tourism fall paint scheme beaming the adventures that await with a tour of West Virginia. On June 20, 2023, the state of West Virginia celebrated its 160th birthday! Secured Partnership: In addition to the Department of West Virginia Tourism, Secure Testing Services (STS) will serve as a major associate marketing partner for the 15th of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series tour. Secure Testing Services LLC. is a nationwide leader in on-site drug testing located in Richmond, Virginia. Quite simply, STS provides customized assistance to your organization’s Human Resources and Safety teams in achieving their compliance goals. Racing for Stride: ARCA Menards Series professional race car driver Christian Rose, AM Racing, the Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF) and Nine Line Apparel announced recently the launch of the “Racing for STRIDE (Supporting and Transforming Rights, Inclusion, Disability Empowerment)” initiative aimed to celebrate and honor veterans with disabilities. DOF, Rose, AM Racing and Nine Line will provide one veteran with a disability the opportunity to win a brand-new, accessible, redesigned Ford F-150 truck, courtesy of Paul Thigpen Automotive Group. The centerpiece of the groundbreaking initiative is the Racing for STRIDE competition that invites veterans with disabilities, or a representative on their behalf, to submit an application sharing their story of living with a disability, their experience serving the country, and the impact a new, redesigned, accessible Ford F-150 truck would have on their lives. The first part of the application process opens on August 1, 2023, and runs through August 31, 2023. After this, the judges will select three finalists to submit a 30-second video for final consideration. The competition is open to individuals nationwide who wish to nominate a deserving veteran with a disability in their community, and individuals can also refer a friend by sharing a picture of your nominee on DOF’s Facebook and Instagram accounts using the hashtag (#racingforstride). Participants can enter to win at racingforstride.com. Only In New York: On Tuesday, August 22nd, Christian Rose spent the day in New York City, highlighting his partnership with the Disability Opportunity Fund and Nine Line Apparel. Starting the day, Rose joined New York’s PIX 11 and Justin Walter’s, followed by showcasing the No. 32 ARCA Menards Series Ford Mustang in Times Square. In addition, FOX News highlighted the campaign through DOF & Nine Line Apparel to giveaway a brand new, fully accessible Ford F-150 to a disabled Veteran. A name can be submitted on racingforstride.com, nominating a disabled Veteran to win the truck. One winner will be selected and presented with the Ford F-150 in Phoenix at the NASCAR championship weekend in November. AM Minute: Last weekend was another busy summer weekend for AM Racing. In addition to the ARCA Menards Series team being in action at Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International and the Illinois State Fairgrounds, AM Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team was also roaring to life in the Finger Lakes of New York with driver Brett Moffit. Unfortunately, after showcasing a solid pace with their No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford Mustang throughout the weekend, Moffitt was sidelined with an axle issue. On the flip side, AM Racing’s Dirt Division was victorious again at Lake View Motor Speedway. Overall, the Statesville, N.C.-based Dirt Division has nine victories thus far in 2023. To The Point(s): Entering Milwaukee, Rose is fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 136 markers in the arrears to championship leader Jesse Love with six races remaining. Just 14 points separate Rose from third in the championship standings currently occupied by Frankie Muniz He sits 22 points behind second place in the championship standings occupied by Andrés Pérez de Lara. Rose is the series leader in most laps completed in 2023 at 1,603 of 1,674 at 95.8 percent overall. AM Racing stands a respectable seventh in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings. Thanks For Your Support: With 70 percent of the season complete, AM Racing and Christian Rose would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AIRBOX Air Purifier, Black Draft Farm & Distillery, Disability Opportunity Fund, Extreme Family Fitness, Flying Circle, Lopez Team, Mountaineer Rub, Mobil 1, Whitetail Smokeless and Warwood Tool. Christian Rose ARCA The Milwaukee Mile Stats: Sunday’s Sprecher 150 will mark Rose’s second tango with the iconic Milwaukee short track in West Allis, Wisc. Last July, Rose qualified a track-best 11th but finished 15th in the 150-lap contest. Christian Rose ARCA National Series Stats: In 22 career ARCA National Series starts, Rose has earned nine top-10 finishes: seventh at Michigan International Speedway | August 2023, seventh at Iowa Speedway | July 2023, seventh at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway | June 2023, seventh at Kansas Speedway | October 2022, eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway | May 2023, ninth at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway | July 2023, ninth at Kansas Speedway | May 2023, 10th at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park | August 2023, 10th at Elko Speedway | June 2023), while also showcasing 13 top-20 finishes overall. Dutch Boy 100 | Illinois State Fairgrounds Race Recap: In the most recent ARCA Menards Series race at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, Rose and the AM Racing team chased their eighth top-10 finish of the season together. In his ARCA Menards Series debut on dirt, Rose was impressive. After practicing inside the top-10, he qualified his No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services LLC. Ford Mustang 10th but battled overheating woes throughout the race. The issue prevented the AM Racing team from finishing the race, completing 55 of the 100 scheduled laps. He posted his 11th top-12 finish since Kansas Speedway in May 2023 for the Statesville, N.C.-based team. Show Your Support: AM Racing and Christian Rose are proud to announce that official team 2023 apparel is available by visiting Christian Rose’s website. You can show your support for Christian Rose and the No. 32 AM Racing team by purchasing an official West Virginia Tourism tee-shirt, as well as a team cap representing West Virginia Tourism, Secure Testing Services and Disability Opportunity Fund. Follow on Social Media: For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.
For more on Christian Rose, please like him on Facebook (Christian Rose Racing), or follow him on Instagram (@christianroseracing) and Twitter (@CRoseRacing). |