Matt Merrell; Win-Tron Racing Revved Up For Michigan

Topics:  Matt Merrell, RainEater Wiper Blades 200

Chris Knight
Knight Motorsports Management
Win-Tron Racing
June 15, 2011

BROOKLYN, Michigan (June 15, 2011) - - After some misfortune in the last two ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards events at Chicagoland Speedway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Matt Merrell and his Win-Tron Racing team attack Michigan International Speedway (MIS) this week hoping to secure their first win of the season in the RainEater Wiper Blades 200.

A blown tire at Chicagoland Speedway and a practice incident at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway have tried to rattle the cage of the Lakeville, Minnesota team but the team has overcome the hiccups which included a 10th place finish in the Pocono ARCA 200 to maintain a solid footing in the championship standings.

Like Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway and Talladega (Ala.) Speedway, Merrell has never raced at MIS but the Portland, Texas native will lean on the expertise of his team led by crew chief wizard Mike Chaffee.

“I’m not worried about going to a place that I’ve never been before,” offered Merrell, who stands sixth in the championship standings after seven races. “This Win-Tron Racing team is on top of their game when it comes to these big ovals. The team had a strong run at Michigan last year with Justin Marks and believe me I want to do the same for them and Champion Oil on Friday afternoon.”

The 26-year old added, “We’ve had some bumps in the last two races, so I would like to rebound on Friday with a win for the team. They won a race by this time last year, so I feel like they are long overdue for a trip to victory lane. Nate (Thiesse, car owner), Kevin (Cywinski, car owner), Mike (Chaffee), Mike (Resop) and all the boys have given more than I could ever ask for all year long, so it would be a nice reward for us all.”

Closing in on the half-way mark of the 2011 season, Merrell is satisfied with the team’s performances but illustrates that the veteran ARCA team still has a lot on the table. “We’re not going anywhere,” Merrell sounded. “The championship battle is tight, but we’re not going down without a fight. We just have to keep plugging away at those top-fives and top-10s. When push comes to shove, I would like to be in the thick of the battle.”

The first of two contests held in the Great Lakes state signifies the seventh race that Champion Oil will heed the role as the primary sponsor for the Lakeville, Minnesota-based team. Headquartered in Clinton, Missouri Champion Oil, a division of Champion Brands LLC produces and blends more than 300 products including fuel, oil and engine additives and lubricants for the automotive, heavy truck, agricultural and specialty markets.

Thiesse offered his comments on Friday’s race. “We’re all looking forward to Michigan. It’s a place over the years where we have really excelled at. Matt has shown time and time again that he can master a track in his first try. We don’t expect anything different this week.”

Merrell will make his 21st career start in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards at Pocono Raceway this weekend. In his previous 20 outings, Merrell has eight top-fives including runner-up finishes of second at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and Pocono (Pa.) Raceway (August) in 2009 and 11 top-10s. His best start position for Win-Tron Racing occurred at the tricky triangle of Pocono (Pa.) Raceway where he qualified his No. 32 CollinsHope.org Dodge Charger second in June of 2009.

The RainEater Wiper Blades 200 (100 laps / 200 miles) is the eighth of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 30th ARCA race at the Irish Hills track is a two-day show. Practice begins Thursday, June 16 with a one hour and half practice session planned from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Menards Pole by Ansell qualifying is slated to begin on race day, Friday, June 17th at 10:00 a.m. The field will take the green flag later in the day shortly after 5:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on SPEED. Live timing and scoring throughout the 1,320th race for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards since it was formed in 1953 will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. All times are local.

Further information including driver opportunities with Win-Tron Racing is available by visiting win-tronracing.com or contacting Nate Thiesse at 952.469.1839.

For more on Champion Oil, Champion Brands LLC and their products, please logon to championbrands.com or championsusechampion.com.

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TEAM COMMUNICATIONS CONTACT:

NAME: Chris Knight, Knight Motorsports Management
PHONE: 239.834.9797
EMAIL: chris@chrisknightpr.com / knight849@aol.com