2011-04-14

Maryeve Dufault; Tony Marks Racing Qualify Career-Best Third At Talladega

“Rookie Team; Driver Continue To Show Strength At Superspeedway”

 

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 14, 2011) - - Maryeve Dufault qualified a career-best third in only her second ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards attempt at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway Thursday afternoon lining up her No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports / Victory Water Dodge Charger on the inside of row number two for tomorrow’s 3 Amigos 250.

 

 

Dufault, the Sorel, Quebec native has been very impressive in her Talladega debut. Her rookie Tony Marks Racing (TMR) team showed early signs of strength in pre-race testing last month before rocketing herself to third on the practice charts earlier today.

 

 

For a while, Dufault’s lap of 52.204 seconds at 183.434 miles per hour set the rookie on the outside of row number one before youngest Kyle Fowler knocked the Redondo Beach, California native down to third overall.

 

In her first career ARCA Racing Series start at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in February, Dufault qualified 24th.

 

“Wow, this is great,” Dufault said with a huge smile. “I cannot thank VR-12, Dodge, Victory Water, Tony Marks and Tony Marks Racing for this great opportunity and with a really fast race car. I know we were going for the pole, but I’ll take third and we’ll look forward to tomorrow’s race.”

 

With her superb qualifying effort, Dufault picked up five crucial championship points towards the coveted ARCA Racing Series championship title which resumes tomorrow after nearly a two month sabbatical. 

 

“Points are good,” she added. “Our goal for tomorrow is to stay up front and not make any mistakes. I’ll have Mike (Calinoff) up spotting for me tomorrow and with his experience, I know I’ll have a shot to be in contention for a good finish if not a win for our sponsors and everyone at Tony Marks Racing.”

 

Tony Marks, a successful entrepreneur from Ohio has been very pleased with the development and progression of his young race team and was rightfully thrilled with today’s results. “Maryeve and the entire TMR team did a fabulous job,” he said. “We came here and showed the field that we have a great race car and I feel that Maryeve can take VR-12, Dodge, Victory Water and all who support us to victory lane. It’s been a great day so far, hopefully it will keep going into tomorrow!”

 

A short happy hour final practice session has been etched in for competitors tomorrow but the TMR has not fully decided if they will participate in the run.

 

The 3 Amigos 250 (94 laps / 250 miles) is the second of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 49th ever ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway is a two-day show. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later today slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. Coverage of time trials is available online through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. A 45-minute final practice has been etched in on Friday, April 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. The event will take the green flag that afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional live broadcasting available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. All times are local (Central).

 

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

 

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com

 

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com

 

See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.

 

Quench yourself with Victory Water, see how at Victoryh20.com.

 

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

 

Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks.  Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose
customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies. 

 

Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from
drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars.  Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he  then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old).  Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’  “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway. 

 

For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice.  Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest. 

 

As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

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TMR PR: Maryeve Dufault Solid In 'Dega Practice; Third Fastest Overall


“No. 12 VR 12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger Quickest Charger At Talladega”

 

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 14, 2011) - - Maryeve Dufault driver of the No. 12 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger posted an impressive third fastest time overall during the ARCA Racing Series three hour practice session leading up to tomorrow’s 3 Amigos 250 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

 

Dufault, the ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year candidate for Tony Marks Racing (TMR) led the session early at the 2.66-mile superspeedway before eventually falling to the third fastest time overall. She turned 23 laps overall with her fastest lap being a 51.969 seconds or 184.264 miles per hour.

 

“I’m real excited,” said Dufault, who will make her second career ARCA Racing Series start Friday afternoon. “The entire Tony Marks Racing team have given me a great VR 12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger for Talladega. I’m anxious for qualifying later today and hopefully we can have a good race tomorrow and learn a lot.”

 

She added, “even though this is my first trip to Talladega, I really enjoy the track. VR-12, Dodge and all of our other sponsors deserve some time to be in the spotlight, so hopefully our strong start will continue.”

 

With qualifying set for later today, Dufault remained optimistic about a pole-contending run but felt their VR 12 / Dodge Motorsports hot rod would be starting near the front. “I’d like to hope that we have a shot at the pole, but I would be happy if we end up somewhere in the top-five. We just have to remain focused the rest of the day and hope for the best.”

 

The 3 Amigos 250 (94 laps / 250 miles) is the second of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 49th ever ARCA race at Talladega Superspeedway is a two-day show. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later today slated to begin at 5:05 p.m. Coverage of time trials is available online through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. A 45-minute final practice has been etched in on Friday, April 15 from 10:00 a.m. – 10:55 a.m. The event will take the green flag that afternoon shortly after 4:00 p.m. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional live broadcasting available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com in collaboration with Alabama’s local WTDR Thunder 92.7 FM. All times are local (Central).

 

For additional information on TMT, Inc. please visit; tmtcompanies.net.

 

For more on Maryeve Dufault, please log onto Maryeveracing.com

 

To learn more about Tony Marks Racing, please click over to Tmr-racing.com

 

See the buzz that VR-12 is creating by clicking over to their website at VR-12.com.

About Tony Marks Racing (TMR):

 

Tony Marks Racing was founded in 2009 through the passion for racing of team owner and former driver Tony Marks.  Marks is the successful owner of TMT, Inc., a logistics, warehousing and packaging company with over 400 employees whose
customers are mainly comprised of Fortune 100 companies. 

 

Marks began his racing career in 1985 getting behind the wheel of everything from
drag racers, Dirt Late Models, SCCA Formula Fords, USAC F2000 Open Wheel and ARCA cars.  Tony personally raced until 2005 amassing numerous wins, championships and track records along the way until he  then changed his focus from driver to owner and began building racing programs for his children Jared (16 years old) and Rachel (13 years old).  Under the auspices of TMR, Jared began his racing career in 2002 in quarter midgets and now competes in late model, CRA, ASA and ARCA Series events while Rachel continues her development program racing quarter midgets and Bandoleros.

TMR has been at the forefront of charitable giving through its’  “Driving Against Hunger” and “Million Meal Challenge” race programs which have raised over $200,000 for Forgotten Harvest in 2010 at the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series events at Michigan International Speedway. 

 

For the NASCAR events TMR along with TMT, Inc. partnered with Forgotten Harvest for the “Million Meal Challenge For Our Kids” which helps to bridge the hunger gap while schools are out of session and feeds 20,000 children per day in the Detroit metro area. Forgotten Harvest was significantly displayed on the entry of Chase Austin during both the Truck and Nationwide events at Michigan International Speedway along with logos of “Million Meal Challenge” sponsors Walgreen’s, United Race Group, Holyfield’s Choice Alka-Power Water and Vitamin Spice.  Evander Holyfield was also instrumental in the challenge, acting as Grand Marshall for the August race and announcing his “Fight Against Hunger” on behalf of Forgotten Harvest. 

 

As the first race team to “Drive Against Hunger” through their partnership with Forgotten Harvest, TMR plans to continue their alliance with Forgotten Harvest and once again “Drive Against Hunger” during the 2011 season.

PHOTO CAPTION: 1) ARCA Racing Series Rookie of the Year candidate Maryeve Dufault.

 

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Mike Joy Winner of 2011 McLemore Award

Most Tenured Motorsports Journalism Awards Goes To NASCAR on FOX Anchor

 

TALLADEGA, Ala. (April 14, 2011) – NASCAR on FOX anchor Mike Joy has been named the 2011 winner of the Henry T. McLemore Motorsports Journalism award.

 

The McLemore is the most tenured motorsports journalism award, beginning in 1969 with inaugural winner Bloys Britt, who wrote for the Associated Press for 17 years, beginning in the late 1950s. It is an award voted upon by one’s peers, and today’s voters are past McLemore winners. It will be presented tonight at the International Motorsports Hall of Fame dinner and awards ceremony in Talladega.

 

Joy has spent his entire adult life as a motorsports journalist. Raised in Windsor, Conn., Joy’s career started in 1970, working as the public address announcer at New England short tracks. He rose through the ranks of MRN Radio and chronicled the growth of NASCAR by announcing races on CBS, TNN, ESPN, TBS and now FOX, along with ancillary programming on SPEED.

 

His television career began on pit road, where he defined the position. He moved from pit road to the CBS anchor booth in 1998, where he called Dale Earnhardt’s historic Daytona 500 victory.

 

Joy resides in North Carolina with his wife Gaye and their two children, Scott and Kaitlyn.

 

-TSC-

 


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Thunder Road PR : SWEET TO DEFEND THUNDER ROAD TITLE AND MERCHANTS BANK OPENER

 

 

For Immediate Release                                                ACT – 041411-19

 

        Waterbury, VT – Every hometown needs sports heroes. Barre, VT is a sports town. The “Granite Capital of the World” is a blue collar town with master craftsmen making a living working with huge slabs of granite, which their neighbors have hauled deep from inside Quarry Hill that looks over the city below.

 

For over fifty years, racing at Thunder Road International Speedbowl has been part of the fabric of this town and region. The latest local hero to follow in the tradition of local and regional heroes like Stub Fadden, Ronnie Marvin, Roy ‘Pappy’ Forsythe, Harold ‘Hardluck’ Hanaford, the Dion Brothers, Joey Laquerre and dozens more is another local kid, Nick Sweet, from Barre.

 

Sweet came through the Thunder Road system with remarkable success. He was awarded the Rookie of the Year honors in all levels he competed in, including the 2003 Allen Lumber Street Stock division, and the 2005 Tiger-Sportsman division, considered by many to be the most competitive division in weekly short track racing, where he also earned the Thunder Road track title in 2007.  In 2008 he moved to the region’s most successful touring series, the American Canadian Tour (ACT), and won the Rookie of the Year.

 

His Saint J Auto team followed what seems to be a three-year success pattern by winning the Thunder Road “King of the Road” title in 2010. It was one of the most hotly contested battles for a title in the 51-year history of the track. Entering the final event of the 2010 season, Sweet held off two former Thunder Road Champions, Phil Scott (1996, 1998, and 2002) and David Pembroke (2007) to win the title by just 6 points.

 

“I think Nick (Sweet) has a very good chance to repeat in 2011,” said seven-time ACT Champion and 2009 Thunder Road Champion, Jean Paul Cyr from Milton, VT. “At Thunder Road you have to have a lot of trust and respect, Nick has earned and given both. That is a big key to winning at that track. Getting around people on the outside is critical, and he does that as well as anyone. I would race him anywhere, anytime. He does not get rattled, he takes what the track and race gives him, and I think he is one of the most well-rounded racers in short track racing today”, Cyr said.

 

Sweet scored his first-ever ACT Late Model win in the traditional Merchants Bank 150 opening event at Thunder Road in 2010. It was an ACT point event and not a point-counting Thunder Road race. “It was great to win the opener at the ‘Road last year and gave us some great momentum going into the season. We really wanted to give our sponsor, Saint J Auto maximum exposure last season, and that was a good way to start. I guess winning the title at Thunder Road was also a pretty good way to finish,” said the always humble Nick Sweet.

 

The thirteenth (13th) annual Merchants Bank 150 will have a huge field of past champions. The driver of the Merchants Bank Ford entry is three-time Thunder Road Champion, Cris Michaud from Northfield, VT.

 

“First, I would really like to win my sponsor’s race. Next, I would really like to beat Nick Sweet for the 2011 Thunder Road title, but his team is just plain old school and hard working. They are tough. His dad Shayne is meticulous in preparation. Nick has become one of the best drivers to race against at Thunder Road. We struggled with our new Ford program last year, and I really had a tough season not being in contention for the title. We think we have solved our problems during the off-season and I am excited to get started again,” said Michaud.

 

“I think there will be as many as five serious contenders for the Thunder Road title this year and there are also going to be some interesting additional teams coming back to Thunder Road this summer. It should be fun and sure looks like it is going to be different than the last couple years. I can’t wait,” concluded Michaud.

 

Thunder Road opens for the 52nd season with the downtown Barre car show and unique race car parade up Quarry Hill to officially open the 2011 race season on Saturday, April 30 from 9am to noon.  Fans are invited to watch that afternoon’s practice at no charge, and then return Sunday, May 1st for the 13th annual Merchants Bank 150. Gates will open at 10am, Class Day will be presented at 1:00, and post time for the second event of the 2011 ACT US Tour season is 1:30. Admission is just $18 for Adults and kids 6-12 just $5. A family pass for $36 for four people will be available.

 

For additional information contact the ACT office at 802.244.6963, www.acttour.com, or media@acttour.com.

 

                                          -30-

 


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