After embracing the short tracks of Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and Madison (Wis.) International Speedway respectively, Team BCR Racing’s Charles Evans Jr. will take a massive leap in his stock car career by competing in Friday night’s Kansas Lottery 98.9 at Kansas Speedway.
The race which is the next-to-last event on the 2011 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards calendar will mark the first ever speedway contest for the Friendswood, Texas native. To help the ARCA rookie brace for the 18th race of the year, the Team BCR Racing team led by Motorsports veteran Howard Bixman participated in an open-test at the 1.5-mile oval on September 20.
During the eight-hour session, Evans Jr. patiently worked his way up to speed as the team made several adjustments to their No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion. Finding their niche by the time testing concluded, Evans Jr. and Bixman are highly optimistic about Friday night’s race.
“I’m more than ready to go,” said Evans Jr., who joined the ARCA Racing Series tour in July after a successful career in INEX Legend Car Series competition. “We really worked hard during the Kansas test trying to get our No. 99 Elevator Transportation Services Ford Fusion to handle to our liking. Coming back, we know that we’re going to flex some serious muscle from RoushYates Engines and our RoushYates Performance Parts will be second-to-none. I feel that this is an opportunity for us to show the series’ what we are made of and I’m looking forward to getting everything underway Friday.”
Making the elevation change from a short track to the serious high banks of an mile-and-a half-intermediate track like Kansas Speedway can be intimidating to any rising youngster but for Evans Jr., the opportunity laid before him only gives him the motivation to show what he is made of.
“I still have a lot to learn in the ARCA Racing Series, but I know that I can get the job done,” offered Evans Jr. “I’m probably my biggest critic. I always want to outdo not only myself but my competition as well. I guess that’s the competitive factor in me. I see Friday night’s race as a test within a race. It’s a test to see how I can adapt to racing around the same group at one of the fastest tracks on the circuit. I would like to think that we have a shot at a top-10 finish, but ideally, if we can finish somewhere competitively inside the top-15, I think everyone would be pleased.”
An added bonus to Evans Jr. and his Mooresville, North Carolina-based team this week will be the addition of NASCAR driver Colin Braun who will serve as a driver coach, mentor and analyst for the rookie on Friday. Braun, a member of the Ford Racing family will assist Evans Jr. in his speedway debut. The presence of the former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race winner is a soothing one for the 21-year old pilot.
“I’ve had the opportunity to talk and work with Colin over the last couple of weeks and I seem to connect with him really well,” sounded Evans Jr. “Having the ability to climb out of the car and talk to another driver about what I’m feeling is a sense of relief to me. Colin is experienced and has been very competitive at tracks like this in the past. Hopefully with some wisdom from him we can step up to the plate and maybe sweep everyone off their feet with a strong finish.”
For crew chief Bixman, he is pleased with the direction of the Team BCR Racing organization within the past month or so.
“We’ve picked up the pace and CJ has been right there to do the same behind the wheel,” Bixman stated. “The test went good at Kansas. This is a new car we built for CJ. We made an array of changes and made some substantial gains from start to finish. Then, we went to Toledo last week with another new short track car we built for him and I’m telling you, he laid some laps down, CJ is the real deal. So our hype for these final two races is pretty solid right now.”
He added, “Also, to have someone like Colin (Braun) who is taking time out of his schedule to come to Kansas and be a mentor to CJ says a lot about his character. Colin and I have a long history together, I was apart of Colin’s ARCA career. He is a very talented driver and that well benefit CJ. The two seem to really click on and off the track and I think that’s important as we continue to build our platform. If we can keep our nose clean and complete all 99 laps we’ll take where we finish and look to improve on it at Toledo Speedway.”
In addition to Elevator Transportation Services, RoushYates Engines, RoushYates Performance Products and The Casite Company will serve as associate marketing partners for Evans Jr. third career ARCA start.
Knight Motorsports Management PR
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