Tony Marks Racing Daytona test notes 2011-01-13

Tony Marks Racing Leaving Impression At Daytona International Speedway
"Maryeve Dufault; Jared Marks and Chase Austin All Enjoying Time In Spotlight"

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida (January 13, 2011) - - The Buckeye State of Ohio is being well represented in the Sunshine State of Florida this week at Daytona (Fla.) Speedway. Tony Marks Racing (TMR) headquartered in Napoleon, Ohio has successfully left an impression on the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards circuit as their multi-car effort led by veteran racer and now crew chief Larry Moore has put their No. 12 Dodge Charger into the limelight.

Piloted by NASCAR driver Chase Austin, rising female sensation Maryeve Dufault and Champion Racing Association (CRA) competitor Jared Marks, the rookie team spent the first two days (Tuesday and Wednesday) of ARCA Racing Series testing at the newly re-paved 2.5-mile speedway getting their car up to speed and their drivers comfortable with the new and extremely fast asphalt.

On Tuesday, Dufault, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series pilot edged out Austin for the fastest TMR time after placing her machine 17th out of 40th on the speed charts. Austin followed in 18th. Dufault was one of three female drivers testing on the first day behind Milka Duno (Dodge) and ahead of Hannah Baker (Chevrolet).

Leaving the track with some satisfaction, the team returned for round two Wednesday looking for additional seat time and solid results. In their eyes, mission accomplished.

Dufault was again the prime target for the newly founded-race team and was the only driver behind the wheel of their Chrysler emblem Wednesday morning during the three-hour session which resulted in a 23rd place single-car run.

Yesterday afternoon, ARCA Racing Series officials opened up the legendary track to drafting. The Tony Marks Racing team opted to play it safe though and continued with single-car runs for much of the afternoon before dabbling just a little bit on the defying skill of drafting, which zones heavily on superspeedway racing, much like Daytona or its sister track, Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway.

For the first time of the week, 16-year old Jared Marks, son of car owner Tony Marks hopped in the seat of the No. 12a Charger and wheeled his automobile around the track in 49.830 seconds or a tick over 180.550 miles per hour. It was a solid lap time for the teenage racer, who under ARCA Racing Series sanctioning age restrictions is allowed to test but not race at the historic facility. The team admitted though that comfort, not speed was the primary agenda for the second-generation racer.

Dufault clocked in her inaugural drafting lap Wednesday afternoon with a time of 49.781 seconds amounting to a speed of 180.792 miles per hour landing her a respectable 31st on the rundown.

"We're happy with the results thus far in Daytona," said Tony Marks, owner of Tony Marks Racing. "In a short time, I feel like we've been able to build a strong team with a talented group of people. So far, we've achieved all of our goals here in Daytona and look to use the last day (Thursday) as a prime opportunity to further push our team into the spotlight. All three of our drivers are doing a tremendous job. What they are learning is valuable not only in ARCA but stock-car racing in general. They still have a lot to learn here in Daytona and ahead in 2011, but I'm very pleased with the overall effort of TMR this week."

Testing will conclude at 5:00 p.m. Thursday evening for the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards. The three-day test is preparation for the first of 19 events on the 2011 calendar which begins on Saturday, February 12th, 2011 live on SPEED. Dufault, the Los Angeles resident is expected to lead the two-car team for TMR next month from the "World Center of Racing."

Tony Marks Racing hopes to sport two cars in the 2011 season-opener with Dufault and possibly Austin as a teammate. The schedule will turn later in the year and allow Marks behind the second-car team for up to 11 races, including much of the series' short track contests.

Before tackling the breathtaking Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway this week, the freshman organization spent Monday testing at New Smyrna (Fla.) Speedway allowing the team to shake down their short-track program with all three TMR proteges being allowed priceless seat time behind the wheel. Dufault will make her ARCA Racing Series short track debut at Salem (Ind.) Speedway on May 1, 2011.

-source: tony marks racing