Settling In: AM Racing returned to the ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2023 with Automobile Racing of America (ARCA) Rookie of the Year candidate Christian Rose behind the wheel of the team’s No. 32 Ford Mustang.
The 2023 ARCA Menards Series will mark the first time that AM Racing has competed full-time in the NASCAR-owned development series since Gus Dean drove for the organization during the 2018 season.
Meet Christian Rose: Rose, a former Division 1 baseball player for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has traded the glove and bat in for a steering wheel and helmet and has set achievable goals for his first full season of stock car competition aboard the team’s flagship No. 32 Ford Mustang.
Rose joins the Statesville, N.C.-based team on the heels of a limited ARCA schedule in 2022 competing in a series of races on ARCA’s platform with Cook Racing Technologies which was highlighted by a
career-best seventh-place finish at Kansas Speedway last October.
Additionally, Rose earned two additional top-10 finishes at Five Flags (Fla.) Speedway and Dover (Del.) Motor Speedway respectively.
Glad To Have You: To help steer Christian Rose and the AM Racing team towards a championship in 2023, the organization has recruited Ryan “Pickle” London to serve as crew chief of the No. 32 Ford Mustang this season.
London, a long-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series crew chief returns to AM Racing after spending the 2020 season with the team’s Truck Series program as the truck chief.
London has plenty of experience as a leader in the ARCA Menards Series, including guiding drivers Tom Hessert and Frank Kimmel to poles and leading Grant Enfinger to victories at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in 2014.
In addition to the two wins as crew chief, the winning NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series crew chief has numerous ARCA top-fives and top-10 efforts to his credit.
Partner Support: The Department of West Virginia Tourism will serve as the primary marketing partner on Rose’s No. 32 Ford Mustang in Saturday night’s Calypso 150.
The West Virginia Department of Tourism promotes West Virginia as a leading four-season travel destination and a top state to live, work and retire.
Known as the Mountain State, West Virginia is one of the most scenic states in the United States and home to thousands of acres of parks and public lands, including America’s newest national park and 45 state parks and forests.
In addition to its majestic mountains and rolling hills, West Virginia is full of rich historic sites, enchanting art galleries, charming towns and an immense sense of belonging found only in its heaven-like landscapes.
This weekend at Iowa, Rose and the AM Racing team will revert back to their breathtaking Department of West Virginia Tourism summer paint scheme beaming the adventures that await with a tour of West Virginia.
Last month, on June 20, 2023, the state of West Virginia celebrated its 160th birthday!
Secured Partnership: In addition to the Department of West Virginia Tourism, Secure Testing Services (STS) will serve as a major associate marketing partner for the ninth of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series tour.
Secure Testing Services LLC. is a nationwide leader in on-site drug testing located in Richmond, Virginia.
Quite simply, STS provides customized assistance to your organization’s Human Resources and Safety teams in achieving their compliance goals.
Incoming Truck Series Debut: AM Racing recently announced that Christian Rose will make his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series debut in July’s race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
Rose will be supported by Secure Testing Services LLC. and new partner Labworks USA.
Richmond is the first of a limited Truck Series schedule for the Martinsburg, West Virginia native this season.
To promote the race, Rose and the No. 22 Secure Testing Services LLC. Ford F-150 will appear at the local Sports Page Bar & Grill in Mechanicsville, Va. on Thursday, July 27, 2023, from 12:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Cue The Fun!: Planning ahead, the West Virginia State Fair is quickly approaching. From August 10 – 19, 2023, the yearly State Fair will showcase concerts, rides, animals, food, entertainment and more!
Christian Rose and his No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism Ford Mustang are scheduled to make an appearance on Wednesday, August 16, 2023 – before traveling to Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International for his second and final road course start of the season.
Stay tuned on the driver’s and team’s social media channels where they will offer opportunities to win concert and fair tickets!
AM Minute: Last weekend was a busy weekend for AM Racing for a triple-duty weekend.
In addition to the ARCA Menards Series team being in action at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, AM Racing’s NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series team was back in action with Austin Wayne Self making his first start of the 2023 season behind the No. 22 AIRBOX Air Purifier Ford F-150.
Brett Moffitt was in action with the NASCAR Xfinity Series team on Saturday night at Atlanta (Ga.) Motor Speedway. Moffitt had the best outcome of the two entries finishing 11th after starting 27th aboard his No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford Mustang.
To The Point(s): Entering Iowa, Rose is fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 70 markers in the arrears to championship leader Jesse Love with 12 races remaining.
Just 10 points separate Rose from third in the championship standings currently occupied by Andres Perez De Lara. Rose sits 27 points behind second place in the championship standings currently occupied by Frankie Muniz.
AM Racing stands a respectable eighth in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings.
Thanks For Your Support: With 40 percent of the season complete, AM Racing and Christian Rose would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AIRBOX Air Purifier, Black Draft Farm & Distillery, Disability Opportunity Fund, Extreme Family Fitness, Flying Circle, Lopez Team, Mountaineer Rub, Mobil 1, Whitetail Smokeless and Warwood Tool.
Christian Rose ARCA Iowa Speedway Stats: Saturday night’s Calypso 150 at Iowa Speedway will mark Rose’s first ARCA Menards Series start at the .075-mile oval.
Christian Rose ARCA National Series Stats: In 16 career ARCA National Series starts, Rose has earned five top-10 finishes (seventh at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway | June 2023, seventh at Kansas Speedway | October 2022, eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway | May 2023, ninth at Kansas Speedway | May 2023 and 10 at Elko Speedway | June 2023), while also showcasing nine top-20 finishes overall.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Zinsser SmartCoat 150 Race Recap: In the most recent ARCA Menards Series race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Rose and the AM Racing team chased their fifth consecutive top-10 finish together.
In his road course debut, Rose aboard his No. 32 West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services Ford Mustang practiced 13th, improved in qualifying to start 12th and made steady gains throughout the race that allowed him to enter the top-10.
Unfortunately, while running ninth on the last lap, Rose suffered an electrical issue that halted his top-10 streak and left the team with a frustrating 11th-place finish.
Show Your Support: AM Racing and Christian Rose are proud to announce that official team 2023 apparel is available by visiting Christian Rose’s website.
You can show your support for Christian Rose and the No. 32 AM Racing team by purchasing an official West Virginia Tourism tee-shirt, as well as a team cap representing West Virginia Tourism, Secure Testing Services and Disability Opportunity Fund.
Follow on Social Media: For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.
For more on Christian Rose, please like him on Facebook (Christian Rose Racing), or follow him on Instagram (@christianroseracing) and Twitter (@CRoseRacing).
Christian Rose Quoteboard:
On Iowa Speedway: “I am looking forward to Iowa Speedway this weekend with my AM Racing team. Despite the hiccup on the last lap at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course last weekend, I believe our AM Racing has some good momentum right now and we just need to stay focused and positive and the results will continue to come.
“I have never been to Iowa, but I have spent a lot of time on iRacing to get myself accustomed to the track, as well as spending a lot of time with Pickle (Ryan London, crew chief) reviewing film, data and other material. Hopefully, we can put ourselves in a good position to score a top-10 result on Saturday night.”
On 2023 Season Outlook: “Through the first eight races of the season, we’ve made some steady gains and I am proud of the hard work everyone has put in at AM Racing.
“With a little more than half of the season to go, I am focused on doing my part to make sure we are leaving the track every weekend with the best finish possible. Every race isn’t going to be perfect, but limiting mistakes and capitalizing on the opportunity will hopefully propel us forward as we inch closer to the second half of the season.
“We have shown speed, finesse, led laps and put ourselves in contention to win a race. I’m hopeful by October, we are able to accomplish all of our goals.”
AM Racing PR
