Set for his second ARCA Menards Series start of the 2021 season, CR7 Motorsports’ Jason Kitzmiller returns to Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for Saturday’s General Tire 200 hoping to deliver his fourth career top-10 finish.
Kitzmiller will eye his ninth career series start to improve on his respectable 11th place finish in the season-opening Lucas Oil 200 driven by General Tire at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway – a race that carried the leadership of former ARCA Menards Series driver Codie Rohrbaugh.
With his No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet SS all shined up and ready to go, Kitzmiller is ready to return to the 2.66-mile superspeedway and improve on his eighth-place finish last June.
“I can’t believe it has been almost a year since I made my ARCA debut at Talladega,” said Kitzmiller. “I’ve learned a lot about superspeedway racing in a short amount of time. We didn’t have the luck at Daytona last February, but the last two races of Talladega last June and Daytona in February, we’ve been able to complete 100 percent of the laps and be around for the finish.
“This year though, I’d like to leave Talladega with a top-five finish in the books.”
To help Kitzmiller improve his craft, he is relying on the guidance of spotter and former NASCAR Xfinity Series winner Tim Fedewa who will help guide Kitzmiller in the roaring pack at nearly 200 miles per hour.
“Timmy has taught me a lot,” added Kitzmiller. “It’s almost like he’s in the passenger seat with me. He has helped me a lot with side drafting and being able to work from the back to the front of the pack and he is going to be just as important on Saturday as he has been for any other ARCA start.
“I would not trade him for the world.”
Not competing for points and racing for wins, the laid-back approach has seemed to work for Kitzmiller, Rohrbaugh and his Todd Myers-led team – but once the headsets go on and Kitzmiller straps behind the wheel of his race car, business becomes the priority.
“We don’t necessarily have a strategy at this point, we’ll just see how the race unfolds,” added Kitzmiller. “It just depends on how those opening laps unfold. If we’re in a position to stay near the front, we’ll stay there. If it looks a little dicey, we might hang back a little. We just have to wait and see how it all flows.”
Kitzmiller and CR7 Motorsports will run a partial ARCA schedule in 2021 with a firm schedule announced soon. Kitzmiller will also continue to adorn a decal remembering CR7 Motorsports general manager Mark Huff who passed away last week after a brief illness. Huff was responsible for helping revive the ARCA Menards Series team in 2020.
“I will always Mark for his carrying of people on this CR7 Motorsports team and his enormous work ethic. He did a lot for the team and is irreplaceable. We will race to win in his honor on Saturday afternoon.”
Marketing partnership(s) opportunities are available for the No. 97 A.L.L. Construction Chevrolet and No. 9 Grant County Mulch Chevrolet for the 2021 ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series seasons and beyond. Interested inquiries are encouraged to contact at [email protected] or 304.257.8783.
The General Tire 200 (76 laps | 202.16 miles) is the third of 20 races on the 2021 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Sat., Apr. 24 with a half-hour practice session from 9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. The race is set to take the green flag shortly after 12:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (CT).
CR7 Motorsports PR
