With Debut In The Books; Julien Penaruiz Looks Ahead To Chicagoland

Topics:  Julien Penaruiz, Chicagoland ARCA 200

Chris Knight
K&B Motorsports
September 7, 2007

JOLIET, Illinois (September 7, 2007) - - Fresh off a respectable finish at Gateway International Raceway last Friday night, Paris France ’s Julien Penaruiz is looking to Chicagoland Speedway to pick up the pace and reel in a competitive top-20 finish.

Teaming up with K&B Motorsports led by veteran racecar driver David Boggs, Penaruiz knows that Chicagoland will be his biggest challenge yet, but he’s ready for the task.

“We accomplished everything we needed to do last weekend at Gateway International Raceway,” said Penaruiz, nicknamed “Frenchie” by members of his K&B Motorsports team.

“We qualified for the race and made progress during the event to score a positive finish for our race team. The bar has been raised for us this weekend at Chicagoland and I feel we’ve prepared ourselves for the final intermediate track of the season.”

He continued, “Chicagoland Speedway is a huge milestone for me. I’m still pretty green here in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and I have a big learning curve ahead, but having the opportunity to compete in the Chicagoland ARCA 200 is a huge mile marker for me as I continue to make the transition to stock cars here in the United States .”

The 30-year old rookie also knows that he’s banking on the experience of his K&B Motorsports team to help him excel Saturday afternoon.

“I’m very fortunate to have a mentor and leader like David Boggs on my side,” Penaruiz sounded. “He has taught me an awful lot and I continue to get more comfortable behind the wheel. This year is a learning year for us. Next year is full of bright potential for this K&B Motorsports team and I’m excited about our plans.”

Goals for this weekend are simple.

“Practice is crucial. Luckily we have two hours of it. We didn’t have the opportunity to participate in the open test, so track time is our primary objective Friday afternoon. Following practice, we’ll turn our concentration towards qualifying. We want to start as close to the front as possible, but if don’t, we also know that we have a lot of time to get to the front and if we use some patience, we’ll should be able to compete the task.”

Red Oil Jeans and Catchit Cam will continue to hold the primary sponsorship duties on the team’s No. 93 entry this weekend.

“We put our sponsors on the map last weekend at Gateway,” remarked the former Formula-A & Campus Series veteran. “While that’s important, running a competitive race and racing near the front is what we hope to give our sponsors this weekend. Red Oil Jeans is continuing to prepare for their invasion to the United States and it’s our goal to have everyone aware of their intent by the first of the year.”

Following Chicagoland, Penaruiz is expected to join the K&B Motorsports team and head to Salem Speedway next Saturday for the running of the Eddie Gilstrap Motors ARCA Fall Classic by Advance Auto Parts. Penaruiz will make his debut at the intimidating short track.

After Salem , Penaruiz will prepare to “draft” with the rest of the ARCA competition as the ARCA RE/MAX Series tackles Talladega Superspeedway next month for the running of the ARCA RE/MAX 250. The race will serve as the first ever restrictor plate event for the international driver.

“The next three races are going to be very diverse. I guess that’s why they call the ARCA series one of the most diverse racing sanctions in the United States ,” Penaruiz sounded. “I’m excited about all three races. Our goal is just go out there and give 150 percent and hope for some great finishes!”

The Chicagoland ARCA 200 (134 laps/200 miles) is the 20th of 23 races on the 2007 ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule. The seventh ARCA race held at Chicagoland Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Friday, September 7 with a two hour practice session planned from 1:00pm-3:00pm. ARCA SIM Factory pole qualifying is set for later in the day at 5:00pm Local Time. The event will take the green flag, Saturday, September 8 shortly after 1:00pm Local Time. The race will be televised live on SPEED with additional race coverage online at arcaracing.com.

For more information on Red Oil Jeans, please visit redoil-group.com

MEDIA CONTACT:
NAME: Chris Knight, K&B Motorsports
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: knight849@aol.com