Win-Tron Racing Looks Back On Influential ARCA Season

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
Win-Tron Racing
October 24, 2012

LAKEVILLE, Minnesota (October 24, 2012) - - Chris Windom closed out the 60th anniversary season for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards last Friday night at Kansas Speedway. While a mechanical failure halted a strong run that easily could have been Windom’s second top-10 finish of the year in as many runs, the Lakeville, Minnesota-based team left Kansas Speedway reflecting on their 19-race season.

In their sixth year of competition under the Win-Tron Racing banner since acquiring the assets of Country Joe Racing (CJR), the veteran ARCA team under the leadership of car owners Nate Thiesse and Kevin Cywinski produced five drivers behind the helm of their No. 32 entries.

Between Chris Windom, Brandon McReynolds, Mason Mingus, Matt Merrell and Aleks Gregory, each driver showcased their talent behind the wheel of the Win-Tron Racing automobiles with McReynolds, the son of NASCAR analyst Larry McReynolds leading the team to victory in the International Motorsports Hall of Fame 250 at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in May.

Windom, who started the season and ended the season for Win-Tron Racing, found himself in contention for his first career ARCA Racing Series victory at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway in the season-opener, but along with McReynolds, who at the time driving was for Turner Motorsports, both ran out of gas coming to the checkered flag. The 21-year old though coasted to an eighth place finish.

Last Friday night in the Kansas Lottery 98.9, Windom qualified a competitive 13th in the No. 32 Red Line Oil Chevrolet and appeared to be heading towards his third top-10 finish in four starts before the rear hub disintegrated under racing conditions, sending him into a violent crash on lap 84, just 15 laps from the finish.

Despite the misfortune, the Canton, Illinois native still turned heads with his inaugural intermediate track performance. However, Windom wasn’t the only driver out of the Win-Tron Racing stables to turn heads in 2012.

Mason Mingus, the teenage phenom from Brentwood, Tennessee, competed in 12 races with 11 races sponsored from Call 811 Before You Dig, while Iowa One Call jumped up to the plate for the summer-event at Iowa Speedway. Mingus scored his first career top-10 finish in ARCA competition in the third race of the season and just his third career ARCA start at the treacherous Salem (Ind.) Speedway.

From there, the top-10s continued to rack in with a career best finish of sixth twice at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway and the fall Salem (Ind.) Speedway. He also qualified a career-best sixth at Madison (Wisc.) International Speedway in August.

Matt Merrell, the Portland, Texas native who registered his first career ARCA Racing Series win in 2011 at the tricky Berlin (Mich.) Raceway, returned from a brief hiatus to participate in the second ARCA race at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway. Merrell in one of the most competitive races of the year, started 11th and finished a respectable 12th.

Aleks Gregory, a native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, made two starts for Win-Tron Racing at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway and Michigan International Speedway respectively. The rookie though succumbed to bad racing luck which prevented him from showing his fullest potential in the No. 32 Mosquito Patch Toyota Camry.

“We had a great mixture of drivers in 2012,” said Nate Thiesse, co-car owner of Win-Tron Racing. “Each of them had their shining moments and we were proud to have them behind the wheel of a Win-Tron Racing entry. We had some ups and downs, but thankfully we had more to be happy about rather than be disappointed with. We’re already striving to make our team better for 2013 and look forward to returning to the ARCA Racing Series circuit with an opportunity to shine at the front once again!”

Win-Tron Racing is still finalizing their 2013 ARCA Racing Series plans and hopes to make an official announcement in the coming weeks.

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 612.306.1641.

About Win-Tron Racing:

Located in Lakeville, Minnesota, Win-Tron Racing is the home of one the most potent ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards single-car operations. Owned by former racers Kevin Cywinski and Nate Thiesse, the team since has acquired the assets of County Joe Racing has become a favorable fixture on the circuit. Since Win-Tron Racing’s inception in 2007, the team has hosted a variety of drivers including leading drivers James Buescher, Blake Bjorklund, Justin Marks and Matt Merrell to their first career ARCA victories. In 2012, the team will begin its sixth year of competition with current drivers Chris Windom, Mason Mingus, Brandon McReynolds, Aleks Gregory and Merrell.

TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com