Ricky Gonzalez to debut at Talladega

Ricky Gonzalez To Attempt Talladega First ARCA Effort As Owner And Driver

Talladega, AL. (September 27th, 2005) -- Ricky Gonzalez, the first American Hispanic driver to compete in the ARCA Series, will attempt two additional career "firsts" this coming weekend at Talladega.

Recently Gonzalez acquired a 2004 Monte Carlo and plans to head to Talladega with hopes of qualifying the #16 Lucky 13 Graphics entry for the October 1st Food World 300 as the owner and driver, a first time effort for this Hispanic racer. Additionally, this will be the first time Gonzalez has teamed up with Lafferty Motorsports to assist him with technical expertise.

"We've teamed up with Chris Lafferty of Lafferty Engine Creations located in Concord and are hoping to make the field. We know we have our work cut out for us with approximately 50 entries. I'm excited and a bit nervous at the same time," said Gonzalez. "I've known Chris for a couple of years and have wanted to work with him. This is the first chance we've had to do that. We just want to do the best job we can given the short amount of time we've had to pull this deal together."

"I'm looking forward to racing again at Talladega. It's one of my favorite types of tracks. The high speed and adrenaline is what draws me to this sport. Last year at Talladega was exciting and challenging, but, even with the burns to my feet, I had a great time. Even though that was a tough thing to withstand, it gave me some excellent experience that I wouldn't have had otherwise."

"We're having fun," added Lafferty, " but We are going to be realistic. We don't expect to go out there and win the race, but, we do want to have the best equipment under Ricky given the short amount of time we've had to prepare. That's the role we're playing in this effort. We have talked about the possibility of running a few other ARCA events in 2006 and possibly a couple of truck races, as well. This is just a great opportunity to assess those possibilities while having fun and then we'll see where that leads us."

-rickygonzalez.com