FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Mullins Racing has announced that CorvetteParts.net, a leader in Corvette parts and accessories, will sponsor team owner and driver Willie Mullins during the ARCA Menards Series Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire on Feb. 13 at Daytona Int’l Speedway.
CorvetteParts.net owners Tom and TJ Keen are long-time supporters of motorsports and have been involved in NASCAR sponsorship for 10 years, including most recently with Live Fast Motorsports at the NASCAR Cup Series level.
Now the Keen’s will expand that sponsorship to include Mullins Racing as the 40-year-old Mullins attempts to earn his first ARCA Menards Series victory on the series’ grandest stage.
“This is a big step for us, to have someone like Tom and TJ that love to sponsor and love to help the average racer,” Mullins said. “We also have under the large umbrella as part of the CorvetteParts.net banner Mark Wertz, who is a local late model racer here in Virginia that is also sponsored by the Keen family. That’s even cooler that it is all tied together with a small group of people.”
Interestingly, the relationship between Mullins Racing and CorvetteParts.net started on social media between Mullins’ wife, Dinah, and TJ Keen.
“It was kind of a fluke thing that happened,” Mullins explained. “Dinah and TJ Keen started working together on social media to help out a mutual friend and they kind of hit it off and got to talking. That’s kind of how it started in the spring and now they’ve decided to jump on board with us for Daytona.”
The addition of the Mullins Racing sponsorship means CorvetteParts.net will be involved in three different NASCAR-owned series as a sponsor in 2021.
“Tom and I are thrilled to partner with Mullins Racing for the opening ARCA event at Daytona,” said TJ Keen of CorvetteParts.net. “When we began an Xfinity race sponsorship in 2011, we never thought it would lead to CorvetteParts.net being involved in five different NASCAR series. We’re looking forward to kicking off the 2021 race season with Mullins Racing at Daytona. The team is well prepared and we look forward to a solid finish.”
As part of the new relationship between Mullins Racing and CorvetteParts.net, the team will debut a new paint scheme that will be revealed on social media closer to the ARCA Menards Series season opener on Feb. 13.
In addition to welcoming CorvetteParts.net to the team, Mullins Racing has expanded its fleet of race cars with the purchase of a former GMS Racing Chevrolet superspeedway car that Mullins plans to race during the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire.
The car is the same one driven by World of Outlaws star David Gravel in the ARCA opener in February of this year. Brandon McReynolds drove the car at Daytona in 2019 and Sheldon Creed used it to push Mullins to his career-best runner-up finish at Daytona during the 2018 season opener at Daytona.
Mullins believes the addition of CorvetteParts.net, plus an updated superspeedway car, puts him and the Mullins Racing team in the best position possible to compete for a victory on Feb. 13.
“We expect to go down there and if not be in the top-five, but be closer to the top-five on the speed charts,” Mullins said. “We’re nervous right now. We’re working on it to make sure it’s right. We’re going to go down to Daytona for the annual test in January and do everything we can to make sure this car is ready to go. It’s just exciting to have the latest generation of car to race.
“We’re just hopeful we’ve made the right decisions in the off-season to further our team.”
The addition of another superspeedway car also means the team has the ability to field a second race car during the season opening round at Daytona International Speedway. Mullins Racing is actively looking for a driver and sponsor interested in competing in the Lucas Oil 200 Driven by General Tire.
The team also has testing opportunities available during the annual pre-season test at Daytona International Speedway on Jan. 15-16. Interested parties can contact Dinah Mullins at [email protected].
“We’ll have a second car that we are looking to field in the race,” Mullins said. “It’s the same car I drove to second in 2018 and finished eighth last year, so we know it’s a stout piece. We’ll have opportunities to test in that car at the pre-season test too for anyone needing to turn some laps at Daytona for licensing purposes.”