Campbell, Haseleu off to fast starts on Road to Daytona 2014

Campbell, Haseleu off to fast starts on Road to Daytona 2014

(TOLEDO, Ohio – April 17, 2014) – On the road to Daytona, Brian Campbell and Nathan Haseleu have got a leg up on the competition.

Campbell won the ARCA/CRA Super Series season opener at Toledo Speedway last weekend and Haseleu was the highest-finishing ARCA Midwest Tour driver in the race. That means those two drivers are now leading the point standings in their respective series, putting them in the front-runner spot to earn the annual Road to Daytona selection.

The Road to Daytona program offers a chance for the top drivers in each series to test an ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards car at Daytona International Speedway at the open test in December.

Roush Yates Engines, the North Carolina high performance manufacturer which supplies the powerplants for many of today top NASCAR stars, will supply a legal, restrictor plate engine for the test.

Jeff Clark, vice president of sales at Roush Yates, said the company is proud to be a part of the program.

"Roush Yates Performance Products feels the ARCA Road to Daytona program is much needed and well-respected,” Clark said. “A good testament to this program is last year’s Rookie of the Year, Travis Braden. In just one short season, he took advantage of that opportunity and won the ARCA/CRA Championship. We are proud to be a part of a series that takes that much time and effort to help build and cultivate its up and coming stars.”

In addition to Roush Yates, other supporters of the ARCA Road to Daytona include Hoosier Racing Tire, Sunoco, and Andy Hillenberg’s Fast Track Driving School.

Campbell, 35, dominated Saturday's ARCA/CRA Super Series "Border Wars" event, a combination race with the ARCA Midwest Tour, at Ohio's Toledo Speedway.  Campbell led 73 laps to take the 7UP 150 victory.

"It was all around a good weekend," said Campbell.  "We won and that's always a nice start to a year, but it starts us out on top of the points and we are running for the championship so that is big in the fact that we are not starting behind."  

Campbell had 53 CRA starts before Toledo, but only had competed full-time on the tour once in 2010.  Now that his 11th CRA victory came in his first start of 2014, Campbell now has his sights set on a run for the 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series Championship.

The new year and revival of the family number 47 (which is the same number he won the Glass City 200 at Toledo Speedway with) has put new life into a team that is new, but then again it's not.  After spending recent seasons behind the wheel of the Mike and Kathy Bursley-owned No. 20 Late Models, Campbell formed a new team made up of family and longtime friends that have taken him to the strong start to the new season.

"We formed Lakeshore Motorsports in the off-season and it's our guys and our family behind the effort," said Campbell.  "The only real change is the source of the money for our racing.  Henry Rosendall and Henry Fellows, myself and my dad, Fred Campbell … we are funding it with sponsors.”

The 2014 ARCA/CRA Super Series features events at tracks Campbell has plenty of success at in his career, which bodes well for his title chances.  Campbell has won at Lucas Oil Raceway (IN), Columbus Motor Speedway (OH), Berlin Raceway (MI) and Kalamazoo Speedway (MI) in CRA action.  He also has won at Illiana Motor Speedway (IN).  That leaves only two wildcard tracks on the calendar for Campbell - Indiana's Anderson Speedway and Winchester Speedway.  

"We are leading the points," said Campbell. "That's a fact.  We just need to stay there.  We want to be good everywhere, but racing is not always that easy."

The ARCA/CRA Super Series also visits Flat Rock Speedway in August. Flat Rock is located about a half-hour from Toledo Speedway.

 

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