CONCORD, N.C. (June 22, 2017) – After a hard crash and premature ending at Michigan, rookie driver Zane Smith is anxious to hit the reset button when the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards resumes Friday night for the Montgomery Ward 200 at Madison International Speedway.
Smith, a rookie contender from Newport Beach, Calif., enters the weekend eighth in series championship point standings. Notching two top-5 and five top-10s in six series starts, Smith is focused on getting back on-track behind the wheel of his No. 55 LaPaz – Icon Vehicle Dynamics Toyota.Zane Smith Car Shot MIS 2017
“We had a really good car at Michigan, but terrible luck and results to show,” said Smith. “I’m focused on putting that behind us and going out this weekend and having a strong race. Up until last week we had some decent momentum building. It’s time to move forward and pick up where we left off. If Elko is any indication of what we’ll have for Madison, we’ll be in really good shape.”
After missing out on competing at Daytona and Talladega, Smith is slated to drive the 55 for the remainder of the year.
“We’ve got a lot more racing ahead of us this summer… no more breaks in my schedule. Billy (Venturini) and the guys in the shop have done a great job preparing fast Toyotas. I’m looking forward to getting back in the car and putting our bad luck behind us,” Smith added.
The Montgomery Ward 200 is Friday, June 23 and kicks off with practice from 1:30 – 3 p.m., followed by General Tire Pole Qualifying at 5 p.m. The 200-lap Montgomery Ward 200 is set for an 8 p.m. start and will air live on MAVTV. All times are local (Central). Look for Live Timing, Scoring and Chat at arcaracing.com.
ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS:
Venturini Motorsports (VMS), fielding cars for over 30-years in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards, is one of the premier NASCAR driver development programs in the country. Multiple team championships and consistent on-track success, VMS has evolved into one of the most recognizable names in motorsports. Since 2007, VMS has assisted in the career development of notable NASCAR drivers such as Joey Logano, Erik Jones, William Byron, Justin Allgaier, Alex Bowman, Ryan Blaney, Brennan Poole, Daniel Suarez, and Brandon Jones. Over the years the Venturini name has become synonymous with modern-day racing in America. In 2012, the Venturini family was inducted into the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame (www.NIASHF.org) and now find themselves enshrined with such sports icons as Joe DiMaggio, Mario Andretti, Vince Lombardi, Tommy Lasorda and Rocky Marciano.