68667406 1400906166726715 665076549074026496 O
Kris Wright will make his ARCA Menards Series debut Sunday at Michigan International Speedway. (Kris Wright/Facebook)

NOTEBOOK: Kris Wright Ready To Tackle Bigger Challenges

www.arcaracing.com August 6, 2020

The COVID-19 Pandemic has altered everybody’s racing plans for 2020.

For Kris Wright, it’s accelerated his transition from sports car racing to stock cars. The 26-year-old from Wexford, Pennsylvania, will take the next step Sunday when he runs in the ARCA Menards Series race at Michigan International Speedway. Wright will pilot the No. 21 Chevrolet for GMS Racing for the VizCom 200 (1 p.m. ET, MAVTV & TrackPass on NBC Gold).

RELATED: PIT BOX: Bret Holmes Resumes Chase of Michael Self At Michigan International Speedway

“The whole progression of my career has been about learning as much as I can,” said Wright, who was part of the team that finished second in the LMP2 class at the 2019 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona. “I was going to race formula cars in Europe and then the coronavirus threw all of our plans up in the air. I talked to someone very big in the motorsports world and asked ‘what about NASCAR?’ If I am going to make the switch, this is the year to do it.”

Wright ran the CARS Super Late Model Tour race at North Carolina’s Hickory Motor Speedway on Aug. 1, finishing 11th. He made his ARCA Menards Series West debut at Utah Motorsports Campus on June 27, parlaying his road-course expertise into finishes of second and third in the doubleheader.

While he’s climbing in a ride in which Sam Mayer has already won four races this season, Wright is tempering his expectations.

“Results never mattered,” Wright said in a video conference call with media this week. “All the guys working on the car are very realistic. They’re being positive. I am not going to go to compete with how well Sam would do. It’s my first rodeo. I have driven a lot of different kinds of cars, and all of them have the same immediate goal, to finish all the laps and to learn.”

Regardless, Wright does not see this as a one-off just to pass his time.

“I am making the transition from formula cars to stock cars and I am all in,” said Wright. “It is 100%. We’ll see what’s available for 2021 and beyond.”

Love Looking For Weekend Sweep

He very nearly accomplished a doubleheader sweep at Utah — finishing first and second in the two races — and ARCA Menards Series West points leader Jesse Love is looking for a pair of wins when the series visits the Pacific Northwest this weekend.

“It’s going to be a cool weekend with the two races back to back. Hopefully we can go and get a couple of wins and build on that point lead,” Love said in a video conference call with media this week. “We are headed to two really cool unique race tracks that really fit my driving style. We’re looking forward to it.”

The series will run the ENEOS/NAPA Auto Parts 100 at Evergreen Speedway in Washington, on Friday (3 p.m. PT), before the series heads south approximately 375 miles to Douglas County Speedway in Roseburg, Oregon, for the ENEOS/NAPA Auto Parts 150 Saturday (6:30 p.m.)

RELATED: PIT BOX: Pacific Northwest Set For West Duel

“We are taking our big track car for Evergreen and our short track car for Roseburg,” Love said. “I am used to not getting a lot of practice. In the open wheel stuff I do, you usually get one short hot lap session then go into qualifying or heat races. Hopefully we will be good and keep on building on our momentum. 

“You have to work hard to have these opportunities. A lot of people have worked really hard to give me this opportunity so I am working hard not to waste it.” 

Getting The Band Back Together

Anthony Alfredo has plenty of experience racing with DGR-Crosley. The 21-year-old from Ridgefield, Connecticut, ran with the team for 13 races in the 2019 NASCAR Gander RV & Outdoors Truck Series before moving up to a partial schedule this year in the NASCAR Xfinity Series with Richard Childress Racing.

Alfredo will be back with his old team this weekend to run the ARCA Menards race at Michigan.

“It’s got that ‘getting the band back together’ feeling,” Alfredo said in a video conference call with media this week. “It’s not the same exact crew I worked with last year but I did get to know Blake Bainbridge very well being in the shop with him and his guys last year. It’s going to be a good time. There will be no pressure only than the pressure I put on myself to win.”

Alfredo had a strong run in the truck race at Michigan cut short when he was involved in a multi-car accident that took out all three DGR-Crosley trucks and he finished 26th.

Notes

Brad Smith will make his 357th career series start, the most of any active driver; Mike Basham will make his 75th career series start;  defending race winner Michael Self will make his 50th career series start