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Franklin Driver Lands One-race ARCA Deal-Middletown Journal

Saturday, January 14, 2012 12:51:52 PM

Franklin driver lands one-race ARCA deal Henderson will drive for Brian Keselowski Motorsports By John Bombatch, Staff Writer 2:46 AM Saturday, January 14, 2012 FRANKLIN — It may have involved a little driving — and some fallen trees — but the start to the 2012 auto racing season is looking pretty good for Sloan Henderson. On Monday, the Brian Keselowski Motorsports racing operation in Huntersville, N.C., announced Henderson would be their driver when the team races in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 ARCA Series stock car race Feb. 18 at Daytona International Speedway. Henderson, of Franklin, turned some heads in mid-December during a test at the famed 2.5-mile racing facility, clocking the eighth quickest time (out of 51) during an open test. Henderson’s fastest lap of 49.461 seconds, 181.962 mph was tops among a half-dozen drivers who were vying for the Keselowski Motorsports seat. Before the test, Keselowski had told Sloan that he didn’t expect the team to be in the top 10. “We had problems the first time I went out, because I couldn’t reach the gas pedal all the way to the floor,” Henderson explained. “Once we figured that out, I went out for my second run and he told me I was eighth fastest. That was a great opportunity for me. I wasn’t expecting to do that well.” Henderson plans a trip to North Carolina to talk to some perspective sponsors later this month. But for now, the deal with BKM is for the Daytona race only. Henderson, 19, said it costs roughly $70,000 to field a car for the Daytona race. Most of that money comes from sponsorships, but that hasn’t stopped her family from finding unique ways to raise some of the money. Henderson has been helping in the logging and power washing of an estimated $30,000 in trees that are being harvested from her grandparents’ property in Camden. “We’ve been out there in the cold for the past couple days. It’s hard work. Yesterday, we were out there high-water pressuring the trees in the snow,” she said. “You’re all wet and freezing. I just kept telling myself ‘Daytona! Daytona! Daytona!’ ”

Henderson to Drive for Keselowski at Daytona

Saturday, January 14, 2012 11:53:54 AM

Henderson to Drive for Keselowski at Daytona (HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. - January 12, 2012) - Brian Keselowski Motorsports has announced that Sloan Henderson will drive the No. 29 Dodge in the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. "This offseason has been anything but an offseason," Keselowski said in a team press release. "We worked really hard to put things together and kick off this new venture. We really look forward to working with Sloan and will do everything in our efforts to help her launch her racing career in the right direction. I was very happy with her performance during our testing session and I am confident that she will put her best efforts into our team as well for a great outcome." Keselowski, owner and driver of the K-Automotive Motorsports No. 92 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, is now the proud owner of Brian Keselowski Motorsports (BKM), fielding race cars in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards (No. 29 and No. 92) and in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and West (car numbers TBA) with new up-and-coming drivers, providing them their start into stock car racing. K-Automotive Motorsports will continue to be the primary company for Keselowski's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series efforts in the future. Said Henderson: "I'm truly blessed to have this opportunity to work with BKM and run in the ARCA Racing Series Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway. After a great test session with the team, I'm excited about the possibility and feel comfortable that we can do very well." Henderson, 19, is a freshman at Wright State University in Fairborn, Ohio, near Dayton. To read more about her and Brian Keselowski Motorsports, click below to access the team's full press release in the Team News section of ARCARacing.com at ARCA Nation. Brian Keselowski Racing Announces Henderson as Daytona Driver The Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 on February 18 will open ARCA's 60th Anniversary Season. SPEED and ARCARacing.com will carry live coverage from the historic 2.5-mile oval. « Back to News

Henderson fast at Daytona test

Saturday, December 17, 2011 6:56:08 AM

Dayton Daily News Blog By John Bombatch | Friday, December 16, 2011, 10:55 PM DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Sloan Henderson of Franklin piloted team owner Brian Keselowski’s K-Automotive Motorsports car no. 29b to the eighth quickest lap out of 53 drivers, during Friday’s ARCA Racing Series, presented by Menard’s, open test at the 2.5-mile Daytona International Speedway. Henderson’s time and lap speed of 49.461 seconds, 181.962 mph was the fastest among the eight Dodges in the test. Ryan Reed, the 2011 ARCA Series pole sitter at Daytona, topped the charts with a 48.857-second, 184.211-mph pass in his Venturini Motorsports Toyota. Henderson was less than a tenth of a second off the time of 2011 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year Joey Coulter’s fifth-quickest time. She was also more than a tenth quicker than seven-time ARCA Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart. She was the fastest female for the session, outdistancing former Indycar driver Milka Duno, who was 20th quick. Alli Owens, a 2009 ARCA Series competitor, was 23rd quickest. Of the five drivers entered to test for K-Automotive Motorsports, Henderson was easily the quickest after the first day of the weekend test. Fellow rookie Scott Edwards posted a 50.695-second, 177.532 mph time which was good for 39th quickest out of the 53-driver field. Test drivers Andy Jones, Bobby Pelland and Bob Bryant did not run. Testing resumes today (Saturday, Dec. 17th) from 9 a.m. to noon, and then from 1-5 p.m. You can follow the testing session’s live timing and scoring on ARCARacing.com.

ARCA News-Sloan finishes 8th at Daytona Test

Friday, December 16, 2011 9:43:17 PM

Test's First Day Strong for Reed and Venturini reedryandaytonatestdec11.jpg(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - December 16, 2011) - Ten months after placing its No. 15 car on the front row for the Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona International Speedway, Venturini Motorsports rose to the top of the speed charts again at the "World Center of Racing." Ryan Reed drove a best lap of 48.857 seconds (184.211 mph) in the second session of ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards open testing at the 2.5-mile oval, just edging teammates Brennan Poole, John Stancill, and Mark Thompson. NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Rookie of the Year Joey Coulter finished the afternoon fifth in a Coulter Motorsports Chevrolet. To read more about Ryan Reed, click here. Poole led the morning with a best lap of 48.915 seconds, and he and Reed were the only drivers to top that mark in the four-hour afternoon session. Chris Windom, Nelson Canache, Sloan Henderson, Damon Lusk, and T.J. Duke filled out the top 10. Seven-time Daytona winner Bobby Gerhart ended the afternoon 12th. The full list of afternoon test speeds is below. Testing will continue tomorrow with two sessions, from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-5 p.m. ARCARacing.com will feature live timing and scoring coverage of every lap from every driver. DAYTONA INT'L SPEEDWAY TEST - FRIDAY PM - 12/16/11 CAR # DRIVER MFG TIME SPEED 1 15 Ryan Reed Toyota 48.857 184.211 2 25 Brennan Poole Chevy 48.862 184.192 3 55 John Stancill Toyota 48.943 183.887 4 66 Mark Thompson Toyota 49.347 182.382 5 61 Joey Coulter Chevy 49.350 182.371 6 32 Chris Windom Toyota 49.360 182.334 7 35 Nelson Canache Chevy 49.439 182.043 8 29b Sloan Henderson Dodge 49.461 181.962 9 5b Damon Lusk Chevy 49.469 181.932 10 61a TJ Duke Chevy 49.471 181.925 11 82a Sean Corr Ford 49.475 181.910 12 5a Bobby Gerhart Chevy 49.502 181.811 13 99 Buster Graham Ford 49.637 181.316 14 4 Brandon McReynolds Chevy 49.648 181.276 15 14 John Ferrier Ford 49.666 181.210 16 94 Steve Blackburn Dodge 49.717 181.025 17 16 Matt Lofton Chevy 49.725 180.995 18 00 Ed Kennedy Chevy 49.761 180.865 19 12 Jared Marks Dodge 49.772 180.825 20 63 Milka Duno Toyota 49.787 180.770 21 58 Chad Hackenbracht Chevy 49.845 180.560 22 69a Fain Skinner Ford 49.862 180.498 23 1 Alli Owens Ford 49.905 180.343 24 68 Will Kimmel Ford 50.016 179.942 25 6 Cale Gale Chevy 50.034 179.878 26 17a Chris Buescher Ford 50.035 179.874 27 90 Zachary Ralston Ford 50.114 179.591 28 08 Ross Chastain Ford 50.131 179.530 29 69 Chris Brown Ford 50.133 179.522 30 00a Ed Kennedy Chevy 50.176 179.369 31 18 Michael Affarano Chevy 50.207 179.258 32 5 Bobby Gerhart Chevy 50.262 179.062 33 75 Ginny Quinones Chevy 50.278 179.005 34 11 Paul Harraka Chevy 50.403 178.561 35 82 Sean Corr Ford 50.483 178.278 36 11a Ed Pompa Chevy 50.579 177.939 37 11b Rick Clifton Chevy 50.581 177.932 38 11c Trevor Edwards Chevy 50.681 177.581 39 04 Scott Edwards Dodge 50.695 177.532 40 17 Chris Buescher Ford 50.708 177.487 41 51 Drew Charlson Chevy 50.744 177.361 42 75a Benny Chastain Chevy 50.787 177.211 43 05 Spencer Gallagher Chevy 50.903 176.807 44 13 George Cushman Dodge 50.976 176.554 45 04a Juan Carlos Blum Dodge 51.029 176.370 46 11d Bill Coffey Ford 51.162 175.912 47 06 Ricky Byers Chevy 51.173 175.874 48 10b Daryl Eustice Ford 51.277 175.517 49 10 Ryan Glennski Ford 51.417 175.039 50 40d Larry Barford Dodge 51.511 174.720 51 04d Josh Watkins Dodge 51.674 174.169 52 05a Derrike Cope Chevy 52.067 172.854 53 7 Brent Cross Chevy 52.376 171.834

Sloan to Test at Daytona with Brad Keselowski-K Automotive Motorsports

Thursday, December 15, 2011 8:47:39 PM

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE K-Automotive Motorsports Expands Company into the ARCA Racing Series With New Driver Announcements for 2012. Huntersville, NC (December 15, 2011) – The 2011 season proved to be a tough year for Brian Keselowski, owner of K-Automotive Motorsports and the No.92 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team, but he is not about to give up or call it quits. Instead, K-Automotive Motorsports is moving their shop from their Statesville, NC location to a new facility in Mooresville, NC this January and will expand the company into the ARCA Racing Series to help new and upcoming drivers break into this ever growing sport. Brian Keselowski is excited about kicking off the 2012 season as an owner in the ARCA Racing Series and looks forward to working with these new drivers. “I concentrated on my Cup racing all year and we’ve seen how that went. It was very hard to do with little sponsorship and as an owner I want to keep my company going and I’d like to be able to keep racing my Cup car too. I think expanding the company will be the way to do it. I really enjoyed my time when I raced in the ARCA Series and I’d like to help new drivers who are looking to get into this sport, the chance to be able to do it too. I have the cars and parts and they will not help me by sitting on a shelf or under a car cover. They are here to be raced, so let’s go racing” stated Keselowski. In November, K-Automotive Motorsports put the word out that they were looking for new drivers who wanted to come to the Daytona International Speedway for the open ARCA test to be held December 16th, 17th, and 18th and the responses were overwhelming. “It is amazing what we were able to put together in a short amount of time. I have a whole program set in place for how I want my drivers to test so they can come back in 2012 to race” said Keselowski. K-Automotive Motorsports would like to welcome and introduce their drivers who will participate in the open ARCA test at the Daytona International Speedway this weekend. Driver: Sam Edwards Birth Date: September 4, 1988 Current Residence: Cullman, Al Sam attended his first NASCAR race at the young age of 18 months old at Talladega Speedway and it’s been in his blood ever since. He started racing at the age of 6 with go-karts. Throughout high school, he raced motorcross on quads and ran in the pro class in the southeast. He attends Jacksonville State University, located in Jacksonville, AL, majoring in Business Management. Sam is a current employee of the Dale Jarrett Racing Adventure as a professional instructor at different race tracks across the country. He has been with DJRA for almost two years and will continue to work there in 2012 on his non-racing weekends. Sam is also a noted SIM racer in the iRacer.com Series. He likes the stiff competition of SIM racing because it gives him the opportunity to race with competitors just as fast as him, and he likes the fact that you can learn different disciplines, such as road racing. He spends anywhere from 15 to 25 hours a week sharpening his skills on iRacing.com Sam’s hopes for 2012 are to run the full season in the ARCA Racing Series, provided he can find the sponsorship to do it. If he is unable to secure sponsorship for the entire season, then he would like to run as many as he can with the proper per funding. “In my spare time I enjoy playing guitar, upright bass, and the mandolin. My dad has played his entire life and I learned how to play these instruments from him. I also do a lot of racing online with iRacing.com. My biggest enjoyment in life is talking to people. I’m always interested in what people do and hearing their life story. It's truly amazing how much one can learn from another person”, stated Edwards. Driver: Andy Jones: Birth Date: October 3, 1988 Current Residence: Princeton, MN Andy Jones comes from a well known family in the racing community. His dad and uncle have been racing all over the U.S. Andy’s passion for racing started at the age of six. He started racing go karts and won the championship that year. He won back to back titles at Thunder Hill Raceway and in 2 years he had successfully achieved over 30 victories. Jones continued to follow his passion for racing and in 2006 he traveled throughout the upper Midwest racing a Wissota Midwest Modified. Over the next 3 years he achieved 25 feature wins and over 75 heat race wins. A majority of the wins were won at prestigious races that are considered to be the “crown jewels” of racing in our Midwest region. Some of the biggest Midwest Modified wins of my career were the “Mighty Axe Nationals” and “The Legendary 100” at Cedar Lake Speedway. In 2009, Jones started racing a Wissota Modified throughout the upper Midwest. One of the biggest highlights of his career was winning his first ever Modified feature at Cedar Lake Speedway. “It was my first night ever in the car and I had started the feature from the 4th row. I charged to the front and went on to win that night. That night, I had beaten the best of the best in our area of Modified racing”, stated Jones. He decided to run the COMO Modified Series in 2010, where he finished third in the series as a rookie. That same year, Jones also drove a 360 Sprint Car on a limited basis in the UMSS series. He started out his 2011 season by purchasing a 2010 maxim from Craig Dollansky. He participated in 23 shows, four of which were feature wins. His season concluded with 10 heat race wins, multiple top five’s, and various top 10’s. Jones finished second in UMSS Series points. For the 2012 season, Jones plans on having two race ready sprint cars. He will be racing with the ASCS Midwest Series, going for rookie of the year. He would like to run a few 410 races around the Midwest too. In his spare time, Jones likes to shoot pool, snow board, work on cars, and is the owner/operator of Jones vinyl graphics. Driver: Sloan Henderson: NASCAR Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award 2010! Birth date: July 17, 1992 Current Residence: Ohio www.sloanhenderson.com In early 2011, Sloan was invited to Daytona for a road course test by Continental Tire in the Grand Am Series. During the test at Daytona, Sloan posted the quickest lap time for that car tested that day. Sloan followed the test for Continental Tire by staying at Daytona for the A.R.C.A. series tests. Sloan "flat footed" the first lap on the high banks at Daytona to earn her A.R.C.A. license. Sloan joined Coulter Motorsports as a signed development driver. Later in the year, Sloan stepped on the other side of racing and was an assistant coach for the CMT TV series “Made”. She had the privilege of joining NASCAR racing legend Ernie Irvin as they teamed up to teach a 40 year old housewife how to race. Sloan is currently a freshman at Wright State University. She is an alumni of Dayton Christian School having graduated in June 2011. Sloan was active in the, “Worth Waiting For" program at Dayton Christian. She is also active with “Make A Wish”. Sloan traveled to Cleveland in 2009 to grant a wish to a young boy. On December 15, 2008, the City of Franklin honored Sloan with the “Sloan Henderson Day”. The City of Franklin also chose Sloan as the grand marshal for the July 4th Parade held in Franklin, OH. She was also given the privilege of re-dedicating the historical "Lyon's Bridge." Sloan also has done a weekly update on her racing on the Rebel 105.9 radio station and has co-written weekly stories in 5 local newspapers for the Miller Publishing company. Sloan has also been a featured writer in the e-magazine "The Voice of the Miami Valley." In addition, Sloan is printed in England in an e-magazine called RacerGirl. She also makes numerous personal appearances plus interviews on radio and TV news programs. Sloan's combined FaceBook page and fan page numbers have exceeded 11,000 members as of May 25, 2011. Sloan is not ashamed of the Gospel and supports corporate prayer before every race. In fact, she and her father pray before every race and most practices. “This doesn't mean we are perfect. It means we know what direction we are all heading toward”, stated Henderson. This year Sloan hopes to run the full season in the ARCA Racing Series and run some Camping World Truck Series races. Ultimately, she dreams of becoming the first woman to win the championship in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. She likes 4 wheeling, loves her dogs & enjoys some shopping time with her friends. Driver: Bobby Pelland: Birth Date: July 30, 1993 Current Residence: Cranston, Rhode Island Bobby Pelland started his racing career in 2009 at the age of 15. He wanted to follow in his father and grandfather’s footsteps. Pelland’s father, Robert Pelland won the championship at Seekonk Speedway, located in Seekonk, Massachusetts in 1994. Compelled to be like his dad, Pelland began racing street stocks at Seekonk Speedway also. His first year was full of accomplishments. He placed 12th in the points standings for the season, had one feature win which made him the youngest winner at Seekonk Speedway. He had 4 top five’s and 7 top ten’s which landed him the Rookie of the Year title. In 2010 he moved on to late model racing at Oxford Plains Speedway, located in Oxford Maine and Lee USA Speedway, located in Lee, New Hampshire, where he finished 6th in the point standings. He earned 6 top five’s, 12 top ten’s and once again he won the title of Rookie of the Year. His 2011 late model season produced a 3rd place finish in the point standings, 2 featured wins, 16 to five’s and 19 top ten’s. Pelland’s goals for 2012 are simple, “I want to win the Seekonk Speedway Late Model Championship” stated Pelland. He also hopes to run as many races as he can in the ACT Traveling Series and run a handful of ARCA races as his funding permits. Pelland is determined to be a success both on and off the track. He is currently a freshman at the University of Rhode Island, where he is studying to become a lawyer. He is very athletic and likes to play basketball and football. He is serious about his workout regimen too. Pelland enjoys spending his free time with his friends and he is a very outgoing individual with a great personality. He’s very people orientated and will take the time to talk to his fans at the track and answer their questions. “I can talk to anyone about anything and I like meeting new people and fans at the tracks, it’s a lot of fun” states Pelland. DRIVER: Bob Bryant: Birth Date: January 6, 1988 Current Residence: Ocean Springs, MI Bob Bryant is not your typical racer. He did not start a racing career as a young child and he did not have family members involved in the sport to support him with a thriving racing career. Bob Bryant started out being a typical fan of NASCAR. He grew up watching his favorite driver Dale Earnhardt Sr. race every weekend on T.V. In 2002, Bob got into SIM racing. He started SIM racing on Dale Earnhardt Jr's, DMP online racing league. In 2005 and 2006, he won two championships on the popular DMP league. It was the most competitive kind of racing he had experienced up to that point, which made him really want to turn that "hobby" into something more. So at the tender age of 22, he bought himself a Sportsman Car and went racing in the local division at Mobile Speedway in AL, and Five Flags Speedway in FL. Bob became friends with Brian Keselowski about 5 years ago when they met through an online football fantasy league and also raced together on another SIM racing league. When Bryant saw Keselowski's announcement that he was looking for people interested in testing for ARCA at Daytona International Speedway, Bryant saw this as an opportunity he couldn't pass up. So he did what he had to do and got himself approved to attend the test. This will allow Bryant his dream come true of driving on the historic track at the Daytona International Speedway, and he can cross it off his bucket list. As for Bryant's racing future hopes and goals, he is optimistic. "I don’t know what my racing future holds, but honestly, as long as I don’t wreck the car or get hurt, I'm going to keep it as a hobby I am passionate about and see what other opportunities present themselves down the road" stated Bryant. Bryant is grateful for the way things have turned out for him and wants other fans to know that just like him, anyone can do it. You can be a fan of the sport, standing on one side of the fence one day and be involved in the sport on the other side of the fence sitting in the driver’s seat the next day. In Bryant's spare time he enjoys working on his race car, jet skiing & anything with a motor attached to it. K- Automotive Motorsports is looking forward to a great year filled with excitement, new beginnings and trips to Victory Lane. We are actively seeking all levels of sponsorship for our ARCA teams and our NASCAR Sprint Cup Series team. We will work with any company or individual. Packages will include some or all of the following: decal of their company’s name or any name they would like to be placed on various parts of the race car, complimentary all access passes for the entire race weekend of their choice and experience an ultimate garage tour for a chance to meet their favorite ARCA / NASCAR personalities and other hospitality amenities. For sponsorship opportunities please contact: Jennifer Calandrillo, K-Automotive Motorsports P.O. Box 1612 Huntersville, NC 28070 Office: 917-216-6759 Jen@InfieldJen.com