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 Friday afternoon’s Henry Ford Health 200.
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 Pocono, Rose and the AM Racing team will continue to showcase their breathtaking Department of West Virginia Tourism summer paint scheme beaming the adventures that await with a tour of West Virginia.
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 11th 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.
Truck Series Debut Success: During the ARCA Menards Series off-weekend on July 29, 2023, Christian Rose officially made his NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series debut at Richmond (Va.) Raceway.
Rose was able to make significant gains from practice to qualifying and the race. Rose finished the race without a scratch on his No. 22 Secure Testing Services LLC. | Labworks USA Ford F-150 and was granted clearance to compete in additional Truck Series races moving forward.
Richmond was the first of a limited Truck Series schedule for the Martinsburg, West Virginia native this season.
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 another busy summer weekend for AM Racing.
In addition to the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series team being in action at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, AM Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team was roaring in action at Road America (Wisc.) with Brett Moffitt.
Aboard his No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford Mustang, Moffitt was contending for another top-10 finish before a mechanical issue ended the race early for the Statesville, N.C. team.
On the flip side, AM Racing’s Dirt Division returned to Victory Lane on Saturday night with Austin Wayne Self at East Lincoln Speedway. It was Self’s eighth victory of the 2023 season and the organization’s ninth overall.
To The Point(s): Entering Michigan, Rose is fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 87 markers in the arrears to championship leader Jesse Love with 10 races remaining.
Just 13 points separate Rose from third in the championship standings currently occupied by Frankie Muniz.
Rose sits 18 points behind second place in the championship standings currently occupied by Andres Perez De Lara.
Rose is the series leader in most laps completed in 2023 at 1,204 of 1,227 at 98.1 percent overall.
AM Racing stands a respectable seventh in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings.
Thanks For Your Support: With 50 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 Michigan International Speedway Stats: Friday afternoon’s Henry Ford Health 200 will mark Rose’s inaugural tango in the “Irish Hills” of Brooklyn, Michigan.
Christian Rose ARCA National Series Stats: In 18 career ARCA National Series starts, Rose has earned seven top-10 finishes (seventh at Iowa Speedway | July 2023, seventh at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway | June 2023, seventh at Kansas Speedway | October 2022, eighth at Charlotte Motor Speedway | May 2023, ninth at Pocono (Pa.) Raceway | July 2023, ninth at Kansas Speedway | May 2023 and 10 at Elko Speedway | June 2023), while also showcasing 11 top-20 finishes overall.
Pocono (Pa.) Raceway | Sunset Hill Shooting Range 150 Race Recap: In the most recent ARCA Menards Series race at Pocono Raceway, Rose and the AM Racing team chased their sixth top-10 finish of the season together.
In his return to the “Tricky Triangle”, Rose encountered a mechanical issue in practice which forced the team to forgo qualifying and start the 10th race of the season from the rear of the field.
Methodically, Rose was able to maneuver through the field and spent most of the second half of the race, inside the top-10.
While battling for sixth with less than 15 laps to go, Rose’s No. 32 West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services Ford Mustang broke loose which cause the ARCA Menards Series rookie to lose several positions before rebounding to finish ninth and collecting his sixth top-10 finish in the last seven races.
Rose also posted his seventh top-11 finish since Kansas Speedway in May 2023 for the Statesville, N.C.-based team.
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 Michigan International Speedway:“I am very optimistic about Michigan International Speedway this weekend. I know my AM Racing team is going to bring me another fast No. 32 West Virginia Tourism | Secure Testing Services Ford Mustang, I just need to do my job behind the wheel and adapt to the track and keep making gains.
“Our goal is a top-five finish on Friday afternoon, but if we can’t be in a position for a top-five, we’ll take another top-10 to our 2023 tally and move on to Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.”
On 2023 Season Outlook: “We have reached the halfway point of the season and we’ve made some great gains. We still have more work to do though and half the season to accomplish the rest of our goals.
“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 achieve everything we set out to do.”
Race Information:
The Henry Ford Health 200 (100 laps | 200 miles) is the 11th of 20 races on the 2023 ARCA Menards Series schedule in the 71st consecutive ARCA season. Practice begins Friday, August 4 from 1:30 p.m. – 2:15 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying in a timed session will start a short time later at 2:30 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 6:00 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM Satellite Radio (XM channel 391 | online channel 981) handling the radio waves. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.
AM Racing PR
