"I'm really looking forward to what ARCA can teach me. There are a lot of great drivers in this series, and I want to learn as much as I can from them." |
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TOLEDO OH (February 19, 2009) - In 2008, Eddie Sharp Racing (ESR) became the first team in ARCA RE/MAX Series history to field three full-time programs when drivers' Scott Speed, Ken Butler and Justin Lofton competed all year.
ESR took it one step further in 2009 when it announced that it would field an unprecedented four teams.
One of those teams has rookie Tim George, Jr. at the helm, who is the featured guest on "30 at 30" at arcaracing.com Thursday, February 19th at 3:30 PM eastern.
George, in a Ruby Tuesday-sponsored Toyota, impressed many in the Daytona season opener with a respectable eighth place finish from the 34th starting position.
"I was definitely pleased with our finish at Daytona," said George. "It was great that we were able to avoid all the stuff. I was fortunate enough to be working with a great spotter - Brett from Elliott Sadler's team. He really helped guide me through there. There were times when all I could see was smoke, literally. I put my trust completely in him, followed his directions to a tee and it got me through.
"But to go there (Daytona) with a new bunch of guys, a new crew chief (John Monsam) - yes, I feel good about it."
George, a Rolex GT road course racer by trade, understands that the next race on the tour - at Salem Speedway - will present a new challenge.georgecarshotdaytona09.jpg
"I felt like I, at least, had a head start going to Daytona. I have a ton of laps there in a GT car, all the testing at Talladega, but Salem, that's going to be a new animal for me. I've heard that place is very challenging. I'm certainly not used to what's coming at me there, but I've talked to Michael McDowell about the place - he's helped me a lot, and I know our ESR team is going to test there first, so that will help."
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Tim George, Jr. |
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George, who finished fourth in overall points in the Grand-Am Rolex GT Championship in 2008 and earned Rookie of the Year honors, has signed on with ESR to run the entire ARCA RE/MAX Series schedule in 2009.
"I'm really looking forward to what ARCA can teach me. There are a lot of great drivers in this series, and I want to learn as much as I can from them. What a difference ARCA has made for me already. Before I would get about 30 requests for hero cards in a month. After we ran Daytona, I'm getting about 10 a day; it's incredible. The fan base is so much bigger.
"I'm really looking forward to running New Jersey. I won a Rolex GT race at New Jersey, so I'm really excited to get back there.
"I just want to get as much experience as I can this year. The ARCA schedule, between all the races and all the testing, is going to keep me plenty busy. I'm also going to race a late model in the North Carolina area - maybe even run a truck race with my old teammates at TRG Motorsports. I'd really like to run the Nationwide race at Watkins Glen too, we'll just see how it all plays out. The ARCA RE/MAX Series is, without question, my primary focus this year, and we're off to a great start."
George also finished third in the Grand-Am GT Rolex 24 Hour race at Daytona in 2008.
George, originally from New York, New York, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Miami in 2006.
George will be the featured guest on "30 at 30" at arcaracing.com Thursday, February 19th at 3:30 PM ET.
"30 at 30", a live on-line chat show at arcaracing.com, airs everyday at 3:30 PM ET featuring a different personality each day from the world of the ARCA RE/MAX Series.
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