ARCA Series Team News - ARCA Debut Offers Clear Goals And Strict Agenda For Jared Marks

TOLEDO, May 12, 2011: After a mixture of various forms of Late Model competition this season, 16-year old Jared Marks will finally be able to make his stock car debut in Sunday’s Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care at Toledo Speedway.

Marks will drive a second entry for Tony Marks Racing (TMR), one of the newest multi-car programs in the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. The Napoleon, Ohio native will be a teammate to Rookie of the Year candidate and one of the sanction bodies’ most popular stars Maryeve Dufault.

Balancing a racing career, juggling the focus and attentiveness of a balanced education and still trying to enjoy the fundamentals of being a teenager, the driver of the No. 8 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge Charger leans on Toledo Speedway to temporarily erase his mind of those worries and focus on a solid finish in his inaugural ARCA debut.

Last month, the TMR development driver competed in the JEGS / CRA All-Stars Tour opener at Toledo Speedway in the VR-12 / Easter Bunny 100 presented by Jegs in his No. 5 VR-12 / Dodge Motorsports Dodge but an early race incident not of his doing sidelined the phenom – giving this weekend’s rematch an extra push.

“There are some butterflies in my stomach, but I’m sure they will go away by the time I take the green flag on Sunday,” said Marks. “Because of TMR, VR-12 and Dodge Motorsports, I’m able to make my ARCA debut literally in my own backyard and I cannot tell you what that means to me.”

Earlier this year, Marks along with Dufault participated in the open-test session at the defying Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway producing his first official on-track laps in a 3400-pound race car. While the breathtaking 2.5-mile superspeedway of Daytona resembles nothing like the fast and tricky short track of Toledo Speedway, Marks had the opportunity to recently participate in a private test at the half-mile oval and was extremely satisfied with the results.

“I feel like the test went better than expected,” offered Marks. “We made several runs and worked on the setup extensively. I’m sure the weather conditions this weekend may change from the test but hopefully we’ll be balanced enough that we can adapt and have a strong presence heading into the race.”

The goal for this weekend? Finish the race.

“Realistically, the goal is to complete all 200 laps and hopefully be in the top-15,” sounded Marks. “It’s an important race for TMR because of our presence with VR-12 and Dodge Motorsports and of course having two cars. I want to learn a ton this weekend but I want to be competitive too.”

Tony Marks, a successful entrepreneur from Ohio will play two roles this weekend at Toledo Speedway. In addition to car owner, Marks has to sit back and watch his son live out his dream.

“This is a racing family and it excites me that Tony Marks Racing with the help of VR 12 and Dodge Motorsports that we’ve been able to put two cars on the track this weekend at Toledo,” sounded Tony Marks. “We’ve been extremely satisfied with the progression of Maryeve in the series. Jared has a lot of talent and it will only be a matter of time before everyone sees what all of our sponsors see in him as well.”

Before their duties this weekend, both Marks and Dufault will make a stop at Grogan's Towne Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram on Thursday May 12 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. The duo will meet with fans, sign autographs and promote the upcoming Menards 200. The fan event, scheduled from 5-7 p.m., will also feature a live radio remote from Toledo's K100 Country. The ARCA pace cars will be on site, as will the ARCA safety vehicle - a Dodge Journey supplied by Grogan's Towne. Dufault's show car, a Tony Marks Racing Dodge, will appear at the event.

Grogan's Towne Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram is located at 6100 Telegraph Road, just south of the Michigan / Ohio border.

The Menards 200 presented by Federated Car Care (200 laps / 100 miles) is the fourth of 19 events on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. The 69th ARCA race at Toledo Speedway is a two-day show. Practice begins Saturday, May 14th with an hour and a half practice session planned from 12:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. Menards pole qualifying presented by Ansell is set for later in the day slated to begin at 3:30 p.m. An hour and 15 minute on-track autograph session has been etched in from 12:00 p.m. – 1:15 p.m. on race day (Sunday). The contest will take the green flag shortly after 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, May 15. The race will not be televised nationally but event coverage including live timing and scoring throughout the weekend will be available through the ARCA Racing Network (ARN) online at arcaracing.com presented by ARCANation.com. For the second consecutive race at Toledo Speedway, the anticipated thriller will be available locally on television through the Buckeye CableSystem Sports Network (BCSN) Sunday night at 9:00 p.m. All times are local.