May 10, 2023 (Concord, NC) – Billy Venturini, owner and chief architect of the most prolific NASCAR driver development team in ARCA Menards Series history, announced his return to the seat for the upcoming ARCA East event at Flat Rock Speedway on May 20.
Strapping into a race car for the first time in 17 years, Billy Venturini will be piloting his own Venturini Motorsports’ car – the No.20 JBL Toyota Camry to cross off one of his lifelong “bucket list” items.
Venturini, known for spearheading his race team’s efforts, doesn’t want anyone to be confused by his intentions going into the event.
“I am not coming out of retirement,” he reiterated with a laugh. “In no way does this mark my return to the seat on a regular basis. No matter the outcome, this is a one and done for me. I never got to race at Flat Rock when I was racing full time. I don’t have a desire to be a racecar driver again; I’ve been there and done that. But I do have a desire to do this.”
Flat Rock Speedway holds a significant place in the history of the family owned racing team. Billy Venturini describes the importance of this endeavor stating that,“this is an opportunity for me to race at the track where I watched my dad win his first career ARCA Race. It’s also the one track I never had the opportunity to race. I always told Ron Drager, if ARCA goes back to Flat Rock, I’m racing!”
So what are his expectations?
“I know I am going to be a little rusty,” he said. “We’ll go test beforehand just to knock the rust off. It’s been 17 years. After that we’ll have a more realistic view of what our expectations will be. But I am going there to enjoy myself. It’s truly the first time I’ve raced for fun.”
He will have plenty of support in his corner, as former East Series championship-winning crew chief Shannon Rursch will be calling the shots on the pit box. Additionally, former VMS driver and current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Brennan Poole will be his spotter.
“Shannon said ‘I don’t care what else we have going on, I want to be your crew chief for that race,’ and Brennan could be a Cup spotter if he wasn’t busy as a racecar driver,” Venturini said. “I have some really good people in my corner and Toyota loved the idea so it’s just a great atmosphere to do this.
“I’ll be in the No. 20 JBL Toyota Camry. I’m excited to get behind the wheel of the 20 car. A lot of people expected it to be the No. 25, and my family certainly had a lot of success and history with that number, but the No. 20 has always been my car. We won an owner’s championship with that car, so I thought it was just natural that it was the number used for my return.”
Billy Venturini was a mainstay on the ARCA circuit for his thirteen-year career between 1994 and 2007. Taking over the team’s flagship No.25 full-time after his father’s retirement, Billy, always the underdog, showed grit and determination driving for his underfunded family race team. The highlight of his career was his victory at Salem Speedway on April 23, 2006. Venturini wrapped up his career with a collection of 28 top-5 and 75 top-10 finishes.
Having grown up in the sport, the 47-year old has dedicated his entire life to racing. Starting off as a toddler in the pits watching his father race at Rockford Speedway in the late 70’s, Venturini has built his career from the ground up, serving as a parts chaser, tire changer, mechanic, and spotter until eventually reaching his goal of becoming a driver.
Despite putting together a respectable racing resume, Billy Venturini will always be best known for the years that followed him vacating the drivers seat. After retiring in 2007, he fell back on his vast knowledge of the only thing he ever knew – the sport of racing.
Through a personal friendship with JD Gibbs, Billy was given the opportunity in 2008 to put his years of racing experience to the test assisting Joe Gibbs Racing, fielding a Venturini Motorsports car in the ARCA Series for a top-prospect named Joey Logano. Collectively taking on the legendary Rockingham Speedway in the spring of 2008, the pair made history as Logano dominated the event to achieve his first ever ARCA victory.
Now, sixteen-years later, Venturini continues to impact the sport of racing having helped to launch the NASCAR careers of 26 young driver including the likes of two-time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Joey Logano, William Byron, Alex Bowman, Christopher Bell, Erik Jones, Chandler Smith, Corey Heim and recent NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series winner Christian Eckes to name a few.
Creating a blueprint using his ingenuity along with an eye for talent, Venturini has turned his family’s Venturini Motorsports team into the most powerful team in ARCA history. Celebrating championships – both driver titles and owner titles – they’ve become the winningest team in series history with a commanding 88 wins.
The ARCA Menards Series East race at Flat Rock Speedway is set for Saturday, May 20, 2023 and will be streamed live on FloRacing. A one-hour rebroadcast will be shown on CNBC on Sunday, May 27 at 11 am ET. Advance general admission tickets can be purchased starting on April 10 at FlatRockSpeedway.com or by calling (419) 727-1100. For complete event information, including live timing & scoring of all on-track activities, please visit ARCARacing.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, please follow @ARCA_Racing on Twitter
