NOTEBOOK: Kris Wright all set for first start with Venturini Motorsports at Michigan

A perfect opportunity is in front of Kris Wright to win his first ARCA Menards Series race Friday at Michigan International Speedway.

Making his first appearance on the 2023 season, Wright will pilot the No. 55 F.N.B. Corporation Toyota for Venturini Motorsports in the Henry Ford Health 200. The efficiency of Venturini across the ARCA platform in 2023 has Wright optimistic about earning another victory for the organization on Friday night.

“I’m feeling really excited about this,” Wright said. “The last time I was at Michigan, I was in another good car with GMS. We ran pretty good in that race, but I lost a right rear tire getting into [Turn] 1, and that ended my day. Venturini’s stuff has been pretty good at the intermediates, so I’m really thankful Billy [Venturini] gave me this opportunity.”

ARCA at Michigan: Entry List | Schedule | Tickets

The ARCA Menards Series has only made up a part of Wright’s busy schedule since the start of the decade. He has made 16 starts in the NASCAR Xfinity Series and ran the first 11 events of the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season with Young’s Motorsports, earning a best finish of 12^th at Texas Motor Speedway.

Wright’s return to the ARCA platform was spurned by a phone call in July from Billy Venturini, who inquired about his availability for the Henry Ford Health 200. A deal was quickly worked out to get Wright in the seat for Friday, where he will be teamed with veteran Gus Dean, rookie Jake Finch and current points leader Jesse Love.

During the past few days, Wright has deliberated with Love about the latter’s time in the simulator and sharing advice ahead of Friday’s green flag. He also plans to lean heavily on Dean’s veteran presence, as Wright learned a lot from previously racing against him in both Late Models and the Truck Series.

Wright feels much more comfortable about Michigan now compared to his first ARCA Menards Series start when he only had one prior oval race to his name. Now that he is a more seasoned oval racer, Wright is determined to earn that breakthrough victory with Venturini on Friday and eventually work his way back to one of NASCAR’s premier divisions.

“This weekend, I’m a lot more focused, and I have much higher expectations for myself,” Wright said. “I just want to go out there and see what we can do. The car is competitive and I’m excited to get this opportunity in a good piece of equipment. A win would be huge for me so I could build off some good results heading into next year.”

Wright and the rest of the Venturini armada will pursue their 10^th win in ARCA this year when the green flag flies for the Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway on Friday at 6 p.m. ET.

Cody Coughlin seeking first top five with family-owned team

Almost one year ago, Cody Coughlin returned to the ARCA Menards Series with his family-owned team following a seven-year absence.

Coughlin’s first venture back into the ARCA platform resulted in a solid lead-lap finish of eighth at Michigan. With his program making strides with each race, Coughlin hopes to improve upon that performance in Friday’s Henry Ford Health 200.

Prior to becoming an owner-driver, Coughlin had found success in the ARCA Menards Series while driving for Venturini Motorsports in the mid-2010s. He earned five top-five finishes with the team during that timeframe, including a career-best finish of second at Talladega Superspeedway in 2015.

Coughlin is still pursuing a top five with his own team. Since the program’s debut at Michigan last year, Coughlin has tallied two more top-10 performances at Kansas Speedway and the most recent ARCA Menards Series event at Pocono Raceway.

Earning that elusive top five in the Henry Ford Health 200 would be another step in the right direction for Coughlin as he continues to build a home in the ARCA Menards Series while driving his yellow No. 72 JEGS Ford.

Fast Track Racing bringing Gage Rodgers, Morgen Baird to Michigan

There will be some hometown Michigan flavor representing Fast Track Racing in the Henry Ford Health 200 at Michigan International Speedway.

Gage Rodgers and Morgen Baird are set to drive the No. 10 and No. 11, respectively, for Fast Track Racing on Friday evening. Rodgers hails from Coldwater, Michigan, while Baird comes from the small village of Grass Lake with a population of 1,105.

Rodgers’ appearance at Michigan this weekend will be his third on the year and second with Fast Track Racing. He finished on the lead lap in 26^th with Kimmel Racing at Daytona International Speedway, but an electrical failure sidelined him after 20 laps with Fast Track Racing at Kansas Speedway in May.

For Baird, he enters his first start of 2023 in the Henry Ford Health 200 with confidence on his side. Both of his top-10 finishes in the ARCA Menards Series have come at Michigan, which included a career-best performance of seventh at the facility in 2021.

Rodgers and Baird will look to deliver solid performances for Fast Track Racing in front of their home crowd when the green flag flies on Friday evening.

NOTES:

• Christian Rose heads to Michigan International Speedway fresh off his NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series debut at Richmond Raceway, which saw him finish 32^nd. In ARCA Menards Series competition, Rose has not finished worse than 11^th since May, but is still seeking his first career top-five finish.
• Caleb Costner is back with the ARCA Menards Series for the first time since scoring a career-best finish of 13^th at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Having sporadically competed in the ARCA Menards Series East and West prior to 2023, Costner is attempting to build momentum in his first year with Costner Weaver Motorsports.
• Jeffrey MacZink is making his first ARCA Menards Series start of the year with his own operation. A native of Rockwood, Michigan, MacZink has made 10 starts in the series during his career, with his best finish being a ninth at Michigan International Speedway in 2021.