CONCORD, N.C. — Twenty-year-old sports car racer Parker Chase will drive five ARCA Menards Series races for the team, beginning with the May 29 General Tire 150 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
Chase, the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge champion will take the next step in his career by further developing his craft on a mix of diverse speedway and short tracks.
After Charlotte, Chase will also drive the No. 25 Toyota in races at Winchester (Ind.) Speedway, Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway, Kansas Speedway and Phoenix Raceway.
“I’m excited for the challenge and ready to take this next step with Toyota Racing and Venturini Motorsports,” says Chase. “Although I’ve been racing since the age of 13, everything I know revolves around road course racing. Joining VMS gives me a great opportunity to gain experience and learn the differences of driving a stock car. As a driver, your mindset is always about winning, but this year it’s all about adapting to a new car and leaning on my team to get to the point where I can compete for trophies in the future. Right now it’s all about keeping the car clean and finding a baseline — taking what I learn each week and building confidence and getting better.”
Focused on his preparation, Chase will turn his first laps of the season in an ARCA car during a May 10 test at the 1.5-mile Charlotte track.
“I ran a few late model races last year at Hickory, but this will be a lot different with the heavier car and the competition level in the ARCA Series,” Chase said. “Right now my daily routine includes working out and doing everything I can to prepare myself by watching and studying film and spending as much time as I can in the simulator. I’ll be ready and definitely looking forward to getting in the seat.”
Chase, who earlier in the year signed with Kyle Busch Motorsports for two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series road course events, has one career ARCA start on his résumé competing on Daytona’s Road Course in 2020.