King Begins Speedweeks ’17 At Daytona ARCA Event

Story By: CHRIS KNIGHT / LIRA MOTORSPORTS – DAYTONA BEACH, FL – Ever since the checkered flag flew at the end of last season, Clint King (@driverClintKing) has been patiently waiting for February to roll around.

After a solid outing during ARCA pre-season testing at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway last month, King and his Lira Motorsports team have been diligently preparing their No. 58 Warehouse Design Ford Fusion for Saturday afternoon’s Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 driven by General Tire.

“I’m ready to get back to racing,” said King who returns to the series for the first time since 2013. “We learned a lot at the test in January and the Lira Motorsports guys have been working hard since, hoping we can come to the track and be as competitive as possible.”

There’s more than just chasing the checkered flag during the ARCA race on Saturday afternoon for King.

The Denton, N.C. native is hoping a strong performance in the 80-lap race will earn him his superspeedway clearance in the NASCAR XFINITY Series, where he hopes to make his fourth career XFINITY Series start.

“The ARCA race is important, there’s no hiding behind that, but we’re also looking at the bigger picture,” added King. “I have a great opportunity to compete in the XFINITY Series season-opener a week after the ARCA race and I’m hoping that we have a good enough ARCA race where I’ll have that chance to race twice in one week at one of my favorite race tracks.”

However, before King can shift his concentration towards a hopeful XFINITY Series run, it’s down to business in the return of Lira Motorsports in ARCA competition.

Lira Motorsports owned by Lira and wife Amanda returns to the circuit for the first time since mid-2016, where they hope to return to their winning ways after XFINITY Series driver Ryan Reed rocketed to two race wins during the 2015 season at Chicagoland Speedway and Kentucky Speedway respectively.

“We’re very much looking forward to returning to the ARCA Racing Series with driver Clint King,” said team principal Carlos Lira. “Clint is excited to head back to Daytona and contend for a strong finish.

“We’re proud to give him that opportunity to experience the surreal sights and sounds of Daytona on the race track with our team. We feel our cars will be competitive and Clint will be a viable asset to be a strong teammate to Michael (Lira) this weekend.”

King added, “I’m incredible thankful to Carlos and Amanda (Lira) for the chance to driver their ARCA car at Daytona. I learned a lot about the team at the test and the fundamentals of superspeedway racing. I’m anxious to get on track Thursday and apply it all when it counts most.”

The 21-year-old won’t have to turn far for support in his ARCA Daytona debut. Lira Motorsports in an alliance with Josh Williams Motorsports (JWM) will have Michael Lira aboard the No. 6 Ford Fusion, giving King a much-welcomed wingman.

“Michael has been awesome to work with,” added King. “He’s been able to answer questions and I know that we’re going to try and draft together during practice and see if that doesn’t put us in a good qualifying group for Friday. During the race, I think it would be beneficial for us to be smart and work together and hope that team player mentality pays off.”

Industry veteran Keith Wolfe will serve as crew chief for King’s 11th career ARCA start.

Climbing through the ranks of racing in textbook style, King has competed at almost every level of stock car racing, winning races and championships. Before competing in the XFINITY Series last year, his highest level of racing came at the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards where he earned two poles, four top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 10 starts driving for the potent Venturini Motorsports between 2011-2013.

The Lucas Oil Complete Engine Treatment 200 driven by General Tire (80 laps / 200 miles) is the first of 20 races on the 2017 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards schedule. Practice begins Thurs., Feb. 16 with a two-hour session from 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. A final practice session has been etched in on Fri., Feb. 17 from 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Group qualifying is set for later in the day at 3:30 p.m. The preamble for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ “Clash” is set to take the green flag on Sat., Feb. 18 shortly after 4:00 p.m. The event will be televised live on FOX Sports 1 (FS1), while ARCARacing.com will stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities.

For more on Clint King, please “like” him on Facebook (Clint King Motorsports) or follow him on Twitter @driverclintking.

Be sure to follow Lira Motorsports on social media; Facebook.com/LiraMotorsportsFL, on Twitter @LiraMotorsports; and Instagram @LiraMotorsports.