AUBURN, GA (12-15-09) - Leilani Münter joins a growing list of female drivers who will be participating in this weekend's (Dec. 18, 19 & 20) ARCA Racing Series presented by RE/MAX and Menards open test at Daytona Int'l Speedway.
Munter will be testing the #59 NextEra Energy Resources Dodge for Mark Gibson Racing (MGR).
"I am so thankful to NextEra Energy Resources for giving me the opportunity to attend the ARCA test at Daytona," said Munter.
"I am thrilled to be driving for Mark Gibson Racing; they have a long history of success in the ARCA Series and I am really happy to be a part of his organization. Both of us are very hopeful that we will be able to expand our partnership beyond testing, we want to win races together."
Munter hopes to expand her partnership with MGR to include at least 10 ARCA Racing Series events in 2010 starting with the season-opening Lucas Oil Slick Mist 200 at Daytona on February 6.
"Everyone here at MGR is excited about the opportunity to test at Daytona with Leilani," said team owner Mark Gibson. "We have been talking about teaming up for a while. Leilani has worked very hard to get the opportunity to race in the ARCA series and hopefully the test at Daytona will get the 2010 season jump started.
"The car we are taking finished fifth at this year's race at Daytona and once again Ilmor Engineering will supply the power. Daytona is such an important race in our schedule. A good run at Daytona seems to make the rest of the season go a little better. A top ten at Daytona got Parker (Kligerman) off to a great start and the rest is history. We hope to do the same with Leilani."
This will be Leilani's third trip to the ARCA Series open test at Daytona, having tested with Andy Hillenburg in 2006 and James Hylton in 2008.
Through her partnership with LED Savings Solutions, Munter's ground breaking program can provide lighting upgrades with light emitting diode (LED) lights that reduce electricity demand by up to 80 percent, allowing a business or property owner to reduce costs immediately as well as a means to reduce a facility's carbon footprint. The partnership offers companies of all sizes a tremendous opportunity to save money, go green, and become sponsor on Munter's race car -- all without spending a dime. LED Saving Solutions has created the ground breaking "Savings Share" program that gives the property owners and managers a $0 start up cost advantage since they only pay for the cost of the retrofit from a portion of the actual money saved each month. The program is cash flow positive for companies from the start. GREENandSAVE and Leilani are proud to offer sponsorship exposure to companies that initiate the LED lighting retrofits. You will receive 5% of the purchase of the bulbs in vehicle branding and press release marketing with Leilani's race program. Click here for more information on the LED program and for sponsorship inquiries please email mailto:%20marketing@leilanimunter.com.
About Mark Gibson Racing
After a successful short track career in Florida which started in 1974, Mark Gibson made his ARCA debut in 1982. Mark and his wife Jan formed Mark Gibson Racing (MGR) in 1985 and moved from Daytona Beach, Florida to Auburn, Georgia to continue a career in racing. In 1986, Mark won the ARCA Rookie of the Year title and finished seventh in championship points. In 317 ARCA starts, Gibson finished in the-10 ARCA driver points standings 11 times: 2nd '98, 4th '97, 5th '99 & ‘05, 6th '03 & ‘04, 7th '00, 8th '86, 8th '02, 9th '91 & 10th '95. Gibson's team also earned the Hoosier Superspeedway Challenge title in 1998 and the Hoosier Hard Charger Award in 2003.
In 2006, the team moved from their shop in Auburn to a 10,000 square foot facility just up the road in Statham, Georgia. This shop is located an hour northeast of Atlanta and close to Lanier Speedway, Gresham Motor Sports Park and Road Atlanta. The team has a stable of fifteen race cars, a combination of Ganassi Dodges and DEI Chevrolets. Engines for the Dodges will be provided by ILMOR Engineering of Plymouth Michigan with the Chevrolets using Hendrick power from Automotive Specialties of Concord, North Carolina.
Mark Gibson Racing had a very successful season in 2009, winning nine races and scoring 14 top fives and 16 top-10s with driver Parker Kligerman. Kligerman also won the ARCA Rookie of the Year title and finished second in the championship points, only five points behind '09 champion Justin Lofton.
About Leilani Münter
Leilani Münter started racing cars in 2001 and in 2004 she gained the attention of the racing world when she qualified 4th and finished 7th at Texas Motor Speedway in the ROMCO Super Late Model Series. Texas would turn out to be one of Münter's favorite tracks. She returned to Texas Motor Speedway in 2006 and set a new record when she finished 4th, the highest finish for a female driver in the history of the racetrack. In 2007 she made the move to in the Indy Pro Series, the development league of IndyCar, when she qualified 5th for her debut at Kentucky Motor Speedway. Leilani was running in the top six when a multi car accident took her out of the race. Leilani turned the 5th quickest lap of the race with a speed of 192.399 mph.
Leilani is also a biology graduate and a long time vegetarian and eco activist. Since 2007, Leilani has been purchasing an acre of rainforest for every race she runs to offset her carbon footprint. She founded the ground breaking "Eco Dream Team" with the mission to send powerful messages to the number one spectator sport in America, calling to action 100 million race fans in the US to make a difference by spreading environmental awareness about sustainable living alternatives, clean energy, alternative fuel vehicles, and environmental legislations. Additionally, Leilani hopes her efforts will encourage racing sanctioning bodies to increase their environmental initiatives with expanded recycling programs and the use of alternative fuels. Companies that sign up with GREENandSAVE to retrofit with energy efficient lighting have the opportunity to appear as a partner on her eco dream team race car.
In fall 2008, Leilani became the first Ambassador for the National Wildlife Federation and landed a national ad campaign as a Lucky Jeans model with the motto, "Race car driver Leilani Münter, saving rainforests one race at a time." Her racing accomplishments and environmental activism have landed her on the pages of Italian Vogue, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Sports Illustrated and USA Today. Leilani is an accomplished public speaker from environmental conferences to Capitol Hill. She is also a published writer, currently contributing to the green section of the Huffington Post, rated the most influential blog in the world by the Guardian and topping Time Magazine's blog index. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina. For more information visit http://leilanimunter.com/ and her eco site http://carbonfreegirl.com/.
