Venturini Motorsports (VMS) took the final checkered flag of the season at Phoenix Speedway on November 4th, closing out their milestone 40th season racing in the ARCA Series. As a team dedicated to the development of new talent, VMS worked with thirteen different drivers across twenty-two races in the 2022 season. 

The season commenced at Daytona on February 19th with a record breaking 80th win for VMS, making them the winningest team in the history of the series. Corey Heim won from pole position and Parker Chase secured second place, collectively making the event a monumental one-two for the team. This marked Venturini’s fifth consecutive victory racing at Daytona International Speedway. 

Surpassing their own winning record, VMS amassed four wins during the 2022 season bringing the new record to 83 total wins. Corey Heim attained a second win this season with a dominant race at Kansas Speedway in September. Jesse Love seized his second career ARCA victory with VMS at Springfield in August. Finally, Chander Smith made his return to ARCA racing for a single race at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park in July and walked away with his tenth career win with VMS. 

Throughout the season the No. 20 Toyota Camry owned by Billy Venturini fought at the top of the owners championship standings. Driven by Corey Heim and Jesse Love, the No. 20 finished the season with three wins and eleven top two finishes. Additionally, Jesse Love was the fastest VMS qualifying car at all but one race this season. 

The No. 25 Toyota Camry owned by Cathy Venturini was driven by Toyota rookie Toni Breidinger. Breidinger is the first Arab American woman to race in NASCAR. She started the season strong with a top ten finish on debut at Daytona after picking up the fastest lap time in the first and only practice. She collected six top ten results throughout the season. In addition to developing on track, Briedinger has been working this season to improve the sport as a whole in terms of inclusivity and representation. Through her partnership with the Women’s Sports Foundation, she was able to run WSF signage on her car at Talladega Speedway to highlight gender equality concerns in sports. 

The No. 15 Toyota Camry owned by Bill Venturini was piloted by eight different development drivers throughout the season. It procured a win this season at the hands of veteran Chandler Smith. The No. 15 completed the season with seventeen top ten finishes, of which eleven were within the top five. Two of the primary drivers of the No.15 included Parker Chase and Landon Pembelton. Chase completed a run of ten races, rounding off the season with two second place finishes and five top ten results. 

Landon Pembelton competed with VMS at four races in the 2022 season. He claimed top ten finishes at each of those races, along with two top five finishes. His best result was a third place finish at Elko Speedway in June. 

The fourth VMS car this season, the No. 55 owned by Billy Venturini ran part time, providing the opportunity for additional drivers to run select races throughout the season. Gus Dean joined VMS for four races early in the season to accumulate all top five results. Sixteen year old rookie Conner Jones took on six races this season, including both the ARCA East race at Dover and the ARCA West race at Phoenix.

As a Toyota backed team, Venturini Motorsports is proud to have contributed to yet another successful season for the manufacturer. Toyota claimed the Manufacturers Championship title prior to the penultimate race weekend making them seven time champions in the ARCA Menards Series. 

Series: ARCA Menards Series

Track: Salem Speedway

Race: Herr’s Snacks 200

Duration: 200 laps/ 111 miles

Date/ Time: 10/1/22 – 4 p.m. ET

Televised on MAVTV

COUNTDOWN FOR THE OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP: With only two races remaining in the 2022 ARCA Menards season, the No. 20 Toyota Camry of Billy Venturini holds a six point lead in the owners championship standings. Corey Heim and Jesse Love have collectively managed three wins, eleven top five finishes, and fifteen top ten finishes.

SHOWCASING YOUNG TALENT: Venturini Motorsports has played a vital role in the development of young drivers through their partnership with Toyota. With a proven track record of preparing talent for promotion, the VMS Salem entry list includes sixteen year old Conner Jones. Salem will be Jones’s sixth race in the series. 

VENTURINI’S TRIUMPHANT HISTORY AT SALEM: Venturini motorsports holds the title of winningest team in ARCA history. One track in particular has been a strongpoint in the team’s narrative. Billy Venturini secured VMS’s first win at Salem Speedway in 2006. In the sixteen years following that initial victory, the team has gone on to procure nine additional victories with eight different drivers. Just last year, Jesse Love acquired his first career ARCA win at Salem. He will be looking to accomplish a follow up victory this year in the No. 20 Toyota Camry of Billy Venturini.    

• 2006, Billy Venturini
• 2010, Steve Arpin
• 2011, Brennan Poole
• 2013, Kyle Benjamin
• April 2016, Christopher Bell
• September 2016, Christopher Bell
• April 2018, Christian Eckes
• September 2018, Chandler Smith
• 2019, Michael Self
• 2021, Jesse Love

TOYOTA SECURES A SEVENTH MANUFACTURERS TITLE: As the 2022 ARCA Menards season draws to a close, Toyota has been declared the winner of the 2022 Manufacturer’s championship. Going into the penultimate race weekend, Toyota drivers have won more than half of the races this season. Venturini Motorsports contributed to Toyota’s successes this season through their victories with three different Toyota Development drivers (Corey Heim, Jesse Love, and Chandler Smith). This marks Toyota’s seventh championship in the ARCA Menards Series. 

VENTURINI ADDS TO IT’S WINNING HISTORY: Venturini Motorsports celebrated their 80th win in ARCA at Daytona this year earning the record of winningest team in history of the series. They have since extended the record with follow up victories at Lucas Oil Raceway, the Illinois State Fairgrounds, and Kansas Speedway. 

VMS TURNS 40: Venturini Motorsports is in the midst of their 40th season in the ARCA Menards Series, having first entered the series in 1982. VMS is highlighting their history and continuous impact on the world of motorsport. Follow along with the hashtag #VMS40.

SOCIAL: Fans can interact with VMS and their drivers on social media utilizing the different outlets: 

• Instagram: @VenturiniMotorsports
• Twitter: @VenturiniMotor
• Facebook: VenturiniMotorsports
• TikTok: @venturinimotorsports
• Hashtags: #VMS40 #FlyTheV #TeamToyota

Jesse Love in the No. 20 Crescent Tools Toyota Camry:

On the race in Salem: I’m really confident going into this weekend. Not only is our team really good at Salem, but I am the only previous winner in the field which I believe helps us out a ton. It’s going to be important to unload fast off the truck and control the weekend.

Series: ARCA Menards Series

Track: Bristol Motor Speedway

Race: Bush’s Beans 200 | Sioux Chief Showdown

Duration: 200 laps/ 106.6 miles

Date/ Time: 09/15/22 – 6:30 p.m. ET

Televised on FS1

COME MEET TONI BREIDINGER: Breidinger will be appearing at the Toyota Racing Experience in the Fan Hospitality Area outside of the Bristol Motor Speedway on Thursday. Breidinger will be chatting with fans and signing autograph cards from 2 to 2:15PM.

NEW PAINT FOR PARKER CHASE: This weekend the number 15 Toyota Camry of Chase will feature a new blue and white Ontivity livery. 

COREY HEIM WINS IN KANSAS: Venturini Motorsports (VMS) added to their winning legacy last weekend with a clean sweep from Corey Heim. Heim secured pole position and went on to lead every lap of the race. This was his second victory at Kansas, where he achieved his first ARCA win in 2020 with VMS. 

A SEASON OF QUICK TURNAROUNDS: As the 2022 ARCA Menards season draws to a close, the VMS team has been working tirelessly to compete at three races in an eleven day window. In the span of three races the team have faced collective travel of over 3,500 miles and accommodated two rain delays. 

SIOUX CHIEF CHAMPIONSHIP FINALE: This week’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway marks the final event in the Sioux Chief Showdown. Jesse Love in the No. 20 Toyota Camry goes into this race second in the standings. In order to vie for the title Love will require at least a fourth place finish. 

COUNTDOWN FOR THE OWNERS CHAMPIONSHIP: With only three races remaining in the 2022 ARCA Menards season, the No. 20 Toyota Camry of Billy Venturini holds a 21 point lead in the owners championship standings. Corey Heim and Jesse Love have collectively managed three wins, eleven top five finishes, and fourteen top ten finishes. 

VENTURINI ADDS TO IT’S WINNING HISTORY: Venturini Motorsports celebrated their 80th win in ARCA at Daytona this year earning the record of winningest team in history of the series. They have since extended the record with follow up victories at Lucas Oil Raceway, the Illinois State Fairgrounds, and Kansas Speedway. 

VMS TURNS 40: Venturini Motorsports is in the midst of their 40th season in the ARCA Menards Series. They began competing in the ARCA series in 1982. Follow along with the hashtag #VMS40.

SOCIAL: Fans can interact with VMS and their drivers on social media utilizing the different outlets: 

• Instagram: @VenturiniMotorsports
• Twitter: @VenturiniMotor
• Facebook: VenturiniMotorsports
• TikTok: @venturinimotorsports
• Hashtags: #VMS40 #FlyTheV #TeamToyota

STATS: 

QUOTES:

Parker Chase – No. 15 Ontivity Toyota Camry

Regarding the Bristol Race: Ready to get on my first short track of the year at Bristol. We ran well there last year and having more experience under my belt, I feel we will be competitive tomorrow night. 

Toni Breidinger – No. 25 Pit Viper Toyota Camry

Regarding the Bristol Race: Bristol is one of my bucket list tracks to race on. I’ve heard so much about it and I’m excited to finally experience it first hand! 

Series: ARCA Menards Series

Track: Kansas Speedway

Race: Kansas Lottery 150

Duration: 100 laps/ 150 miles

Date/ Time: 09/10/22 – 7PM ET

Televised on MAVTV

STATS: Venturini Motorsports (VMS) has earned three (3) ARCA Menards Series victory at Kansas:

• 2011, Alex Bowman
• 2019, Christian Eckes
• 2020, Corey Heim

COME MEET COREY HEIM: Heim will be appearing at the Toyota Racing Experience in the Fan Hospitality Area outside of Kansas Speedway on Saturday. Heim will be chatting with fans and signing autograph cards for fans from 1 to 1:15PM.

DOUBLE DUTY FOR HEIM: Corey Heim and the No. 51 JBL team will be competing in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Kansas Lottery 200 on Friday the 9th. This is in addition to his appearance with VMS in the No. 20 Crescent Tools Toyota Camry on Saturday in ARCA’s Kansas Lottery 150. 

VMS TURNS 40: Venturini Motorsports is in the midst of their 40th season in the ARCA Menards Series. They began competing in the ARCA series in 1982. Follow along with the hashtag #VMS40. 

VENTURINI ADDS TO IT’S WINNING HISTORY: Venturini Motorsports (VMS) celebrated their 80th win in ARCA at Daytona this year earning the record of winningest team in history of the series. They have since extended the record with follow up victories at Lucas Oil Raceway and the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

SOCIAL: Fans can interact with VMS and their drivers on social media utilizing the different outlets: 

• Instagram: @VenturiniMotorsports
• Twitter: @VenturiniMotor
• Facebook: VenturiniMotorsports
• TikTok: @venturinimotorsports
• Hashtags: #VMS40 #FlyTheV #TeamToyota

QUOTES: 

Parker Chase – No. 15 Vertical Bridge Toyota Camry

Regarding the Kansas Race: Ready to get back at it in Kansas this weekend. Last year was a rough weekend for us setup wise but I feel our setup going into this weekend is much improved from last year. I love mile and a halves so I’m looking forward to Kansas after a difficult race in Charlotte.

Corey Heim – No. 20 Crescent Tools Toyota Camry

Regarding the Kansas Race: Kansas has always been one of my favorites, so being back there is certainly exciting. Not to mention the speed we had there earlier this year in my Crescent Tools Camry, I think we’ve got a really good shot at it on Saturday evening.

Toni Breidinger – No. 25 FP Movement Toyota Camry

Regarding the Kansas Race: Kansas was a difficult track for me but I’ve grown a lot as a driver since we raced there in the beginning of the season so I’m looking forward to showing my growth and improving since last time.

Corey Heim still thinks about what could have been in the Dutch Boy 150 at Kansas Speedway earlier this year.

After leading 56 of the opening 57 laps, a dominant day for Heim abruptly ended after he and Drew Dollar came together while battling for the lead, forcing him to settle for his worst finish on the 2022 ARCA Menards Series season so far in 16^th.

“Looking back on that race, we definitely had the car to beat,” Heim said. “We dominated the first portion, but something outside of our control took us out. The fact that we know we have a really good package that we’re taking to Kansas this weekend definitely gives me a lot of confidence. All we can do is go out and try to get the best run that we can.”

Heim said that the Dutch Boy 150 was the first time he and Dollar had come together on track in four years of racing together. He considers the incident to be nothing more than a racing deal and is eager to get back to one of his favorite tracks in Kansas.

There are many aspects about Kansas that Heim believes suits his driving style, such as the track’s progressive banking and how drivers are constantly on the edge regardless if they are on the top or bottom groove.

Heim also has the benefit of running the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race the night before. Although he expects the Truck Series race to be vastly different from Saturday’s Kansas Lottery 150, Heim said that any time on track can only help him get more comfortable with the car prepared by Venturini Motorsports.

With Kansas being the place where Heim scored his first ARCA Menards Series victory in 2020, Heim wants nothing more than to visit the track’s Victory Lane again on Saturday evening but knows his car is going to be strong enough to get the job done.

“I’ve been so close so many times,” Heim said. “There are about three races that I feel like I should have won. It’s going to be important for me to roll off the truck on Saturday morning and show speed out of the gate, but I’m feeling confident that this Crescent Tools Camry is going to be pretty good.”

Heim’s quest for his second victory at Kansas Speedway will get going on Saturday evening at 6 p.m. CT. The race will be broadcasted live on MAVTV and streamed on FloRacing.

Gap’s Fall Campaign Celebrates ICONS – Champions of Individuality and Actions That Shape Our Culture starring Toni Breidinger 

Series: ARCA Menards Series
Track: DuQuoin State Fairgrounds
Race: Rust-Oleum Automotive Finishes 100
Duration: 100 laps/ 100 miles
Date/ TV: 9/4/2022 – 9:00PM ET MAVTV

STATS: Venturini Motorsports (VMS) has earned four (4) ARCA Menards Series victory at DuQuoin:

• Steve Arpin, 2010
• Tom Hessert, 2016
• Logan Seavey, 2018
• Christian Eckes, 2019

CREW CHIEFS: VMS will be utilizing Kevin Reed Sr. (No. 15), Shannon Rursch (No. 20), and Kevin Reed Jr. (No. 25) as crew chiefs at DuQuoin.

VMS TURNS 40: Venturini Motorsports is in the midst of their 40th season in the ARCA Menards Series. They began their partnership with ARCA in 1982. Follow along with the hashtag #VMS40.

VENTURINI ADDS TO IT’S WINNING HISTORY: Venturini Motorsports (VMS) celebrated their 80th win in ARCA at Daytona this year earning the record of winningest team in history of the series. They have since extended the record with follow up victories at Lucas Oil Raceway and the Illinois State Fairgrounds.

JESSE LOVE IN CONTENTION FOR 50,000 DOLLAR BONUS: Following his victory at the Springfield Mile on Aug. 21, Love is now the sole driver in contention for the Performance Seed Dirt Double. The prize of $50,000 is awarded to the driver who secures a win at both scheduled dirt miles.

SOCIAL: Fans can interact with VMS and their drivers on social media utilizing the different outlets:

• Instagram: @VenturiniMotorsports
• Twitter: @VenturiniMotor
• Facebook: VenturiniMotorsports
• TikTok: @venturinimotorsports
• Hashtags: #VMS40 #FlyTheV #TeamToyota

QUOTES:

Corey Heim – No. 15 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry

Regarding the DuQuoin Race: “Definitely looking forward to getting back on the dirt this weekend. It’s always been one of my favorites to go to in ARCA, and I know I can always be confident in Venturini Motorsports to bring me a fast Camry!”

Jesse Love – No. 20 JBL Toyota Camry

Regarding the DuQuoin Race: “Really looking forward to this weekend. Definitely added confidence after our win at Springfield. Huge thank you to ARCA and those involved for putting up $50,000 for myself and our JBL 20 car team to chase this weekend as well!”

Toni Breidinger – No. 25 Pit Viper Toyota Camry

Regarding the DuQuoin Race: “I’m looking forward to this race! The dirt is still new for me but I’m excited for the challenge and will be working towards showing improvement from last time.”

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A muddy Atlas 100 on the Springfield Mile at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, which ended up being shortened by 30 laps due to time constraints, saw Jesse Love lead wire-to-wire from the General Tire Pole for his second career ARCA Menards Series (national) victory.

But the celebration for Love and Venturini Motorsports was subdued following a violent, last-lap crash in which Love’s teammate, Buddy Kofoid, collided with the slow car of Bryce Haugeberg on the frontstretch.

The first thought on Love’s mind in Victory Lane was Kofoid’s condition, but he was relieved to see Kofoid and Haugeberg climb out of their cars and walk away on their own power.

“I’m really grateful that Buddy is alright,” Love said. “That was wicked, and I don’t think any of us saw the lapped car [of Haugeberg], but thankfully he is alright [as well]. Buddy was my favorite dirt driver growing up, and I’ve always looked up to him, so it’s an honor to beat him today.”

Love, who had enjoyed a relatively peaceful Atlas 100 for most of the day, suddenly found himself under attack from Kofoid as the duo prepared to take the white flag.

Haugeberg was attempting to salvage a lead-lap finish when he lost control of his car on the frontstretch and hit the outside retaining wall, which put him directly in the line of fire of Love and Kofoid as they battled it out for the win.

With so much dust having been kicked up, Kofoid was unaware that Haugeberg had stopped right underneath the start-finish line and was left powerless to prevent a high-speed collision that flipped Haugeberg’s car on its side.

Kofoid was in good spirits following the brutal crash, but he hopes the circumstances that unfolded Sunday afternoon result in changes to safety and race-day procedures for ARCA events on dirt moving forward.

“I’ll probably be sore over the next few days,” Kofoid said. “Even when I was two [car-lengths] behind Jesse, I couldn’t see him. Having windshields makes [seeing] kind of tough, and the glare makes it 10 times worse. I’m glad [Haugeberg] is alright, and I can only assume what happened [with him], but it’s just unfortunate.”

Since the white flag lap was not scored by ARCA officials, Kofoid ended up being credited with a second-place finish despite leaving the Illinois State Fairgrounds with a destroyed car.

Kofoid felt he had a decent shot at overtaking Love despite not having time on his side. He found a comfort zone on the bottom of the track and was preparing to make a run at Love for the lead on the final lap until he crashed into Haugeberg.

“I was staying tight on the guardrail, and I felt that I was more disciplined on the throttle without hanging it out and slipping on the moisture strip near the guardrail,” Kofoid said. “That was something I found, and it was keeping me straighter so I could hit the throttle harder on exit. Within a lap or two, I probably could have moved [Love] off the groove and tried something, but I guess we’ll never know.”

Once Love saw Kofoid closing on him during the final laps, he knew he would have to apply all his prior dirt track experience to fend off one of the most promising drivers in the discipline.

Love said his resume on dirt tracks is nowhere close to what Kofoid has accomplished over the past few years, which is why he felt an immense sense of pride on Sunday after withstanding Kofoid’s late charge.

Love plans to stay active with dirt track racing as he progresses through the developmental ladder, but he also wants to make sure he and Venturini can build off the momentum from the Illinois State Fairgrounds over their remaining races together.

“[I’ll do more dirt races] if my boy Chad Boat wants to put me in a race car,” Love said. “It’s been great running with Chad in the micro and midget stuff, so hopefully Billy [Venturini] lets me run Portland next week and we can keep this one rolling.”

The ARCA Menards Series returns to action next Sunday, Aug. 28, with a visit to the historic Milwaukee Mile for the Sprecher 150, which can be seen live on MAVTV Motorsports Network and FloRacing starting at 3 p.m. ET.

– ARCA Racing

BROWNSBURG, Ind. – It was a battle of two Smiths on Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park.

When the checkered flag waved, it was Chandler Smith who bested Sammy Smith to earn his first ARCA Menards Series victory of the season during the Reese’s 200 at the 0.686-mile asphalt oval. The event was also part of the Sioux Chief Showdown schedule.

The triumph also marked Chandler Smith’s third-straight ARCA Menards Series victory at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park dating back to 2019.

“Track position was pretty big,” said Chandler Smith, who is also one of 10 Playoff drivers who will battle for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship starting Friday night at Lucas Oil Indianapolis Raceway Park. “You wouldn’t think short track racing (that) aero matters, but it really does. After you’ve done some mile-and-a-half races in Trucks you start coming back and picking up on this a little bit.”

Once in front of the field, Chandler Smith would hold the lead for the remainder of the event despite pressure from Sammy Smith during multiple restarts and scraping the outside wall on the final lap in Turns 3 and 4.

The ARCA Menards Series season continues next Saturday when the ARCA Menards Series travels to Michigan International Speedway for the Henry Ford Health 200. The race will be available live on MAVTV and FloRacing.

– ARCA RACING

July 5, 2022 (Concord, N.C.) – Venturini Motorsports (VMS) announced today that NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) driver, John Hunter Nemechek, will join VMS in the ARCA Menards Series at Mid-Ohio on Friday, July 8.

The 25-year-old from Mooresville, NC will pilot the No.55 Mobil 1 Toyota Camry, with team owner and seasoned crew chief Billy Venturini atop the pit box.

“Working with TRD opens the availability for us to work with some incredible young drivers,” said Billy. “He’s more experienced than most of the drivers when I get them. It’s a privilege to have John Hunter be a part of Venturini Motorsports and hopefully we can bring home the win for Toyota.”

Nemechek, a Toyota Racing Development driver, currently competes full-time in the NCWTS for Kyle Busch Motorsports. Nemechek will be pulling double-duty at Mid-Ohio running the ARCA race on Friday, July 8 and the NCWTS race on Saturday, July 9th.

“I’m looking forward to running Mid-Ohio this weekend with Toyota and Venturini Motorsports, with Mobil 1 on board,” said John Hunter. “Mid-Ohio is one of my favorite road courses to go to and being able to run two races there this weekend and get extra laps before the truck race is very valuable and a huge opportunity. Ready to go chase a couple checkered flags this weekend.”

Only 14 races into the 2022 NCWTS season, Nemechek has scored six Top 5 finishes and ten Top 10 finishes. In the two road courses they have traveled to, Nemechek finished 2nd at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) and 8th at Sonoma recently. In 2021, he averaged a finish of (6.23) throughout the season.

Setting his sights on becoming a NASCAR Truck Series Champion, the second-generation driver has made 138 starts in the NCWTS, 61 starts in the Xfinity Series and 39 starts in the Cup Series. In 2021, Nemechek made it all the way to the Championship 4. However, after some unfortunate damage on the opening lap of the Championship race, he finished third that night. That won’t stop him from chasing it down in 2022.

John Hunter Nemechek will make his ARCA Menards Series debut in the Dawn 150 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on July 8. The premier series event will air live on FS1 beginning at 5 p.m. E.T. Follow Nemechek on social media on Instagram @jhnemechek, Twitter @JHNemechek and Facebook @JohnHunterNemechek.