CONCORD, N.C. – Officials from Venturini Motorsports and Sinclair Oil Corp. have announced that Michael Self will once again pilot the No. 25 Toyota Camry full-time during the ARCA Menards Series season.
Veteran crew chief Kevin Reed will be moving over to the No. 25 team to call the shots throughout the year.
“I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunity to return to Venturini Motorsports with Sinclair backing for another season, and a shot at championship redemption,” says Self. “Despite last season ending in heartbreak for me, I had an absolute blast competing full time in the ARCA Menards Series, building a relationship with the Venturini family and the entire VMS crew, and proving that I can win and compete on any different style track. With some changes in the schedule including the addition of Mid Ohio, Watkins Glen and Phoenix, all tracks I’m extremely familiar with, I couldn’t be more excited to know that I’ll be back behind the wheel of the No. 25 Toyota for the entire 20-race slate.”
Self earned four wins, four pole’s and tallied 14-top five and 15-top 10 finishes in route to his runner-up finish in the championship last year. While 2019 marked Self’s first full-time ARCA season, the Salt Lake City, Utah, native was no stranger to reaching victory lane with his Venturini crew, including wins at Daytona Int’l Speedway and Chicagoland Speedway during a partial 2018 schedule.
“Michael (Self) embodies what we work so hard to accomplish with our driver development program each year and I am proud to welcome him back to the team,” commented Venturini Motorsports team owner Billy Venturini. “He has become one of our veteran drivers who is a proven threat each week at the track and I am looking forward to seeing him and Kevin (Reed) back in victory lane throughout the season.”
With the addition of Reed atop his pit-box, Self is poised to pick up right where he left off last season. Reed, an ARCA mainstay, has earned 22 victories in the series with 12 different drivers, including winning the 2019 championship with Christian Eckes. While the dynamic duo of Reed and Self may seem new to some, the pair previously worked together during the 2018 season at VMS, where they racked up two wins.
“I am really excited to get another chance to work with Michael (Self) this season. He has proven himself an excellent competitor both on and off the track each and every week,” said Reed. “We worked together for several races in 2018, winning a few and our main goal this season is to win as many races as possible and to win the championship.”
Sinclair Oil Corporation enters their fourth year of sponsoring Self and looks to bring more exposure to their iconic mascot, DINO, as they will return as the primary sponsor in 18 races. They will retain associate branding on the other two events to round out the year.
“We’re excited to support Michael again this year, he is a fellow Utahan and we love supporting a home-town guy. We’re looking forward too many wins this season,” said Jack Barger, Vice President of Marketing for Sinclair Oil.
“The feedback we’ve received since the first time Sinclair was on a racecar back in 2016 has continued to be overwhelmingly positive,” Self says. “Every time we go to a track, I personally get multiple comments about how much people love the brand, and love seeing it associated with racing, and that makes it fun to be an ambassador for them. We’ve been able to grow the off-track activity as much as the on-track activity, and I expect plenty more of that throughout the 2020 season.”