LEXINGTON, Ohio: Making his first appearance in more than a month, Parker Chase returns to the ARCA Menards Series scene with Venturini Motorsports (VMS) this weekend at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course relying on his past road racing skills to aid him in earning his first career ARCA victory in Friday night’s Dawn 150k.
Arriving in the ARCA Menards Series in 2020 with a wealth of knowledge of turning left and right, Chase a former winner at Mid-Ohio in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge in the Hyundai Elantra N TCR for Bryan Herta Autosport hopes to return to his winning ways from last season and hoist his first ARCA trophy in his 10th career ARCA Menards Series start.
“I am very much looking forward to Mid-Ohio this weekend,” said Chase, driver of the No. 15 Vertical Bridge Toyota Camry.
“With my experience at Mid-Ohio in not only the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge but also competing there in the GT4 Category in the Pirelli World Challenge, I am hoping that prior experience will pay off on Friday.”
Ironically enough, Friday’s race will be just Chase’s second ARCA Menards Series start on a road course after making his series debut in 2020 at the Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway Road Course, where he earned a competitive top-10 finish.
Noted as one of the pre-race favorites this weekend, Chase is relying on the strength of his No. 15 Venturini Motorsports team in dominating the ninth race of the 2022 season.
“I know I am driving for one of the strongest teams in the ARCA Menards Series and they are going to bring me a fast race car that I can challenge for the win,” he said. “However, it’s just not on the team. It’s about me doing my job behind the wheel of our No. 15 Vertical Bridge Toyota Camry and showcasing my road course ability and keeping us in contention for that checkered flag.
“I have been very fortunate to win a lot of races in my career – but to win on the ARCA national stage would be a huge honor and accomplishment. Winning an ARCA race has been one of my goals for this season and I feel like that Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course is one of my best opportunities to conquer that goal.”
The New Braunfels, Texas native is also seeing Mid-Ohio as an opportunity to rebound from his most recent ARCA start at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway in May where a strong No. 15 Vertical Bridge Toyota Camry wasn’t enough to overcome electrical woes that resulted in a 15th place finish.
“We had a really good car at Charlotte,” recalled Chase. “Our pace was good and we did a good job avoiding the early race carnage but then we had an electrical issue that sent us to pit road for a number of laps. And although we were able to get back on track, we lost several laps but still salvaged a decent finish.
“We utilized the rest of the Charlotte race as a test to help prepare me for the upcoming ovals at Pocono and Kansas this summer and fall. With that defeat at Charlotte comes the motivation to rebound and I couldn’t think of a more perfect place than Mid-Ohio.”
Since Charlotte, Chase also made his second career start in the NASCAR Xfinity Series where he tackled Portland International Raceway in a rain-soaked Pacific Office Automation 147. After qualifying 18th for Sam Hunt Racing, he contended for a top-10 finish before being swept up in a Lap 62 accident that relegated him to a 27th place finish.
In addition to Mid-Ohio, Chase will pilot a Venturini Motorsports Toyota Camry at a variety of race tracks in 2022, including Pocono (Pa.) Raceway, Watkins Glen (N.Y.) International, Kansas Speedway and Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in September.
For more on Parker Chase, please visit ParkerChase.com, like him on Facebook (Parker Chase), Instagram (@parkerchase) and follow him on Twitter (@parker_chase19).
The Dawn 150k (42 laps | 94.836 miles) is the ninth of 20 races on the 2022 ARCA Menards Series schedule. A combined final and qualifying session begins on Friday, July 8, 2022, from 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) with the Motor Racing Network (MRN) and SiriusXM channel 391, online channel 981 managing the radio waves beginning at 5:00 p.m. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (ET).