Travis Braden Looks To Defend ARCA/CRA Super Series Title With Gary St. Amant On Top Of The Pit Box
West Virginia University also back on board for the new season (Special from Travis Braden Motorsports)
April 8, 2014
Wheeling, West Virginia (April 9, 2014) – When the 2013 racing season ended, Travis
Braden would head back to Wheeling, West Virginia at the end of the 42nd running of the
Winchester 400 at Winchester Speedway (IN) still not quite having come to grips with
what he had officially accomplished. Two weeks before in the last race, the then 19-year-
old clinched the 2013 ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS Championship by
winning the 2013 Fall Brawl at Lucas Oil Raceway (IN). So perhaps the reality of what he
had done sank in then.
"It finally sunk in at the Awards Banquet in January. Last year was a dream season, but
now it's time to get back to work," The now 20-year-old stated as he and his Travis
Braden Motorsports team continue with final preparations before making the four hour trek
north for the first race of the 2014 racing season in the ARCA/CRA Super Series. "It is
such an honor to come into the new year as the reigning champion, but that also puts a
little more pressure on us too." He added.
Now the focus has been reset and Braden is ready for the 2014 racing season, the
ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS point season begins on Saturday, April 12th
as the historic Toledo Speedway, located south of the Michigan / Ohio state line in Toledo,
Ohio will host Border Wars I - 7-Up 150. This event begins the chase for the 2014 ARCA/
CRA Super Series Championship as well as for the ARCA Midwest Tour Presented by
SCAG Power Equipment teams who will make the trip East and join the ARCA/CRA teams for the first of two combination races between the two Super Late Model tours sanctioned by ARCA.
"Toledo looks to be a great way to kick off our season. We have high hopes for success, but also some unanswered questions as we have not been able to go test at all because of my school schedule." Explained the Wheeling, West Virginia driver. "But with all of the great competition looking to be there, it should be a great way to measure our progress and be a good indicator of what we can improve on a lot once I get out of school in a few more weeks." He added.
"Toledo hasn’t been a strong track for me but I believe this year could be very different. Hopefully this weekend will turn out with a positive result and give us momentum for the rest of the summer." He continued. Braden will head to Toledo armed with a new Crew Chief, legendary ASA National Tour star, Gary St. Amant will be calling the shots on top of the pit box for the new season and Braden looks forward to learning from one of the best short trackers of all-time.
"Gary has a very deep background in racing and a lot of knowledge that is very useful. We are both very excited to begin our season together." Continued the reigning ARCA/CRA Super Series Champion. "Gary thinks very highly of my driving ability and personality/attitude, and I also think very highly of his skill set as a crew chief and very similar mindset to mine."
"In the past few weeks working with Gary in preparation for the start of the season I have noticed something very important," The Engineering student at West Virginia University continued. "That is the similarities in our opinions of how to setup a racecar and how to approach one of these somewhat long races. With a common vision, it is so much easier to communicate information and make decisions on how to change or improve our product at the track. It should be a very fun year once we get some forward momentum."
The 2013 ARCA/CRA Super Series Powered by JEGS Champion has collected four victories on his way to the title. Those wins came at Winchester Speedway (IN) on June 29th, Auto City Speedway (MI) on August 16th, Kil-Kare Raceway on September 15th and Lucas Oil Raceway (IN) on September 29th. His four trips to victory lane were a part of his eight top fives to go with 10 top 10 finishes. He led an impressive 308 laps in ARCA/CRA competition, second only behind three-time series champion, Johnny VanDoorn who finished with 565. He also picked up a win in the JEGS/CRA All-Stars Tour back on June 14th at Berlin Raceway (MI) in the Berlin 100 Presented by Boyne Machine Company & JEGS.com.
As for the rest of the 2014 season, Braden has plans that include more than the ARCA/CRA Super Series; "The 2014 season in general looks to be a great challenge and potentially filled with a lot of fun and success. It is going to be a lot different to what I am used to from the past few years but I do believe that change is sometimes the best thing for improvement." He stated.
"We plan to race a combination of CRA races mixed with multiple other shows like the World Crown 300 or the All-American 400, which I have longed to race for some time now but never had the ability to do so. My goal is to go where the most competition is at and go out there and see how we stack up against them and try to beat them more and more as the season goes on. We want to be view as a powerhouse team who achieves the success through a very small budget and a lot of hard work and focus." Braden ended.
For the 2014 racing season starting at Toledo Speedway, Braden’s widely popular #01 Chevrolet, sporting his college colors and decals; West Virginia University as he will also carry additional sponsorship support from; Braden’s A-1 Towing & Collision as well as RememberTheMiners.org, Stoney Hollow Tire, Elms Grove Eagles #1891, A.D. Baker Construction, M.P.H. Promotions, and Travis Braden Motorsports.
For more information about Travis Braden and the entire Travis Braden Motorsports operation and to inquire about additional sponsorship opportunities for the upcoming 2014 campaign, please call Car Owner, Don Braden at: (304) 215-5026. You can also go to the soon to be revamped Travis Braden Motorsports Website located at: www.travisbradenmotorsports.com as well as the Facebook Fan Page at: www.facebook.com/TravisDBraden and finally on Twitter by clicking on: www.twitter.com/TrBRaden
