TJ Michael Set For Second Year With All Stars

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Story By: TYLER ALTMEYER / MICHAEL MOTORSPORTS – FREMONT, OH – Since announcing his intentions to follow the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions campaign trail for a second consecutive season, the “Texas Traveler” T.J. Michael has been on the move; making preparations necessary to contend for not only victories, but also a championship.

The Plano, Texas native, who headquarters all racing assets in Fremont, Ohio, recently concluded his Florida pre-race checklist with the acquisition of veteran crew chief Rick Ferkel. The “traveling” duo will begin their tenure together on Thursday evening at Bubba Raceway Park in Ocala, Florida.

“We are all excited to welcome Rick Ferkel to our team for 2017. He has the knowledge and experience necessary to form a winning combination. I’m sure with his help, we’ll have the ability to outdo what we did last year,” T.J. Michael explained. “I also want to welcome Big D’s Pizza of Fremont and Clyde to our program, as well. They have always been supporters of sprint car racing, and I’m glad they could pass on their support to my team as we begin our second, full season on the road.”

T.J. Michael capped off his 2016 campaign with the Arctic Cat All Star Circuit of Champions well within the top-ten of the final standings; seventh officially on the strength of seven top-ten feature finishes. The “Texas Traveler” finished as high as sixth in the running order twice last season, once during competition in Butler, Michigan, and once again at Limaland Motorsports Park during Ohio Sprint Speedweek presented by Cometic Gasket.

“We accomplished a lot in 2016 as a rookie team and we are definitely proud of that,” Michael explained. “With that said, our goals are still going to remain the same; work to win races and contend for a championship. This tour is demanding and we understand what it takes to be competitive week-in and week-out. With Rick (Ferkel), I think we can be competitive enough to have our name in the conversation at the end of the season. I just want to thank my family and all of my supporters for putting me in this position. I’m truly living out my dream and I couldn’t be more thankful for that.”