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 night’s Reese’s 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 Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, 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 12th 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.
Giving Back: ARCA Menards Series professional race car driver Christian Rose, AM Racing, the Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF) and Nine Line Apparel announced earlier this week the launch of the “Racing for STRIDE (Supporting and Transforming Rights, Inclusion, Disability Empowerment)” initiative aimed to celebrate and honor veterans with disabilities.
DOF, Rose, AM Racing and Nine Line will provide one veteran with a disability the opportunity to win a brand-new, accessible, redesigned Ford F-150 truck, courtesy of Paul Thigpen Automotive Group.
The centerpiece of the groundbreaking initiative is the Racing for STRIDE competition that invites veterans with disabilities, or a representative on their behalf, to submit an application sharing their story of living with a disability, their experience serving the country, and the impact a new, redesigned, accessible Ford F-150 truck would have on their lives.
The first part of the application process opens on August 1, 2023, and runs through August 31, 2023. After this, the judges will select three finalists to submit a 30-second video for final consideration. The competition is open to individuals nationwide who wish to nominate a deserving veteran with a disability in their community, and individuals can also refer a friend by sharing a picture of your nominee on DOF’s Facebook and Instagram accounts using the hashtag (#racingforstride).
Participants can enter to win at racingforstride.com.
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!: The West Virginia State Fair is opening this week! Beginning 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 ARCA Menards Series team being in action at Michigan International Speedway, AM Racing’s NASCAR Xfinity Series team was also roaring to life in the Irish Hills of Michigan with driver Brett Moffit.
Aboard his No. 25 AM Technical Solutions Ford Mustang, Moffitt practiced inside the top five and qualified a solid 12th – but the team was plagued by handling issues throughout the race which hindered their performance and left them leaving the Motor City with a frustrating 17th place run.
On the flip side, AM Racing’s Dirt Division was in action last weekend at County Line Speedway in Elm City, N.C. where he delivered a second-place finish.
This weekend Self is back in action at Fairgrounds Raceway in Boone, N.C.
To The Point(s): Entering Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park, Rose is fourth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, 97 markers in the arrears to championship leader Jesse Love with nine races remaining.
Just 11 points separate Rose from third in the championship standings currently occupied by Andres Perez De Lara.
Rose sits 15 points behind second place in the championship standings currently occupied by Frankie Muniz.
Rose is the series leader in most laps completed in 2023 at 1,309 of 1,332 at 98.3 percent overall.
AM Racing stands a respectable seventh in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings.
Thanks For Your Support: With 55 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 Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park Stats: Friday night’s Reese’s 200 will mark Rose’s second tango with the iconic Indiana short track in Brownsburg, Indiana.
Last July, Rose qualified a track-best 10th but finished 20th in the Reese’s 200 after being involved in a multi-car accident at Lap 98 of 200.
Christian Rose ARCA National Series Stats: In 19 career ARCA National Series starts, Rose has earned eight top-10 finishes: seventh at Michigan International Speedway | August 2023, 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 10th at Elko Speedway | June 2023), while also showcasing 12 top-20 finishes overall.
Michigan International Speedway | Henry Ford Health 200 Race Recap: In the most recent ARCA Menards Series race at Michigan International Speedway, Rose and the AM Racing team chased their seventh top-10 finish of the season together.
In his first race in the Irish Hills of Michigan, Rose qualified his No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism Ford Mustang 10th and overcame handling woes in the first half of the 11th ARCA race of the season.
During the second half, Rose charged forward and finished seventh at the checkered flag in his Michigan International Speedway debut.
Michigan delivered Rose’s seventh top-10 finish in the last eight races. He also posted his eighth 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).
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