AM Racing | ARCA Menards Series
Berlin (Mich.) Raceway | Berlin ARCA 200
Fast Facts
No. 32 AM Racing Team:
Driver: Christian Rose
Primary Partner(s): Department of West Virginia Tourism
Manufacturer: Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Ryan “Pickle” London
Spotter: Trevor Monn
Chassis Intel: AMR Chassis No. A-232
Engine: Ilmor Racing Technologies
Notes of Interest:
Welcome Back: AM Racing returns to the ARCA Menards Series full-time in 2024 with sophomore Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA) driver Christian Rose behind the wheel of the team’s No. 32 Ford Mustang continuing with Saturday night’s Berlin ARCA 200 at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway.
The 2024 ARCA Menards Series will mark the first time that AM Racing has competed back-to-back full-time in the NASCAR-owned development series since three-time ARCA Menards Series winner Gus Dean drove for the organization during the 2017 – 2018 seasons, respectively.
Meet Christian Rose: Rose, a former Division 1 baseball player for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore has traded the glove and bat in for a steering wheel and helmet and has set achievable goals for his second full season of stock car competition aboard the team’s flagship No. 32 Ford Mustang.
Rose returns to the Statesville, N.C.-based team on the heels of his inaugural rookie ARCA schedule in 2023, which was highlighted by two top-five, 13 top-10 finishes, and the most laps completed by any ARCA driver last season at 2,550 of 2,624 laps or 97.2% throughout the 20-race season.
His strength of two top-five and five top-10 finishes in the final five races of the season vaulted Rose to third overall in the championship standings behind series champion Jesse Love and Andrés Pérez de Lara.
The 29-year-old also made two starts in the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series, respectively, with starts at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and the season-finale at Phoenix (Ariz.) Raceway.
He’s Back Too!: To help steer Christian Rose and the AM Racing team towards a championship in 2024, Ryan “Pickle” London will return to serve as crew chief of the No. 32 Ford Mustang this season.
London, a long-time NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series crew chief, returned to AM Racing in early 2023 after spending the 2020 season as the truck chief with the team’s Truck Series program.
London has plenty of experience as a leader in the ARCA Menards Series, including guiding drivers Tom Hessert and Frank Kimmel to poles and leading Grant Enfinger to victories at Berlin (Mich.) Raceway and DuQuoin (Ill.) State Fairgrounds in 2014.
In addition to the two wins as crew chief, the winning NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series crew chief has numerous ARCA top-fives and top-10 efforts to his credit.
Partner Support: The Department of West Virginia Tourism will serve as the primary marketing partner on Rose’s No. 32 Ford Mustang in Saturday night’s Berlin ARCA 200.
The Department of West Virginia Tourism promotes West Virginia as a leading four-season travel destination and top state to live, work and retire.
Known as the Mountain State, West Virginia is one of the most scenic states in the United States and home to thousands of acres of parks and public lands, including America’s newest national park and 45 state parks and forests.
In addition to its majestic mountains and rolling hills, West Virginia is full of rich historic sites, enchanting art galleries, charming towns and an immense sense of belonging found only in its heaven-like landscapes.
After running the Department of West Virginia Tourism summer paint scheme last weekend at Iowa Speedway, the AM Racing team will unveil their patriotic scheme that is expected to run in a pair of ARCA Menards Series races in 2024.
Squeaky Blue Clean: In March, AM Racing and Christian Rose proudly announced the addition of Blue Wolf as a partner to the team’s ARCA Menards Series platform for the remaining 12 races in 2024.
Originally created by a West Virginia coal miner and a chemist to clean and degrease mining equipment, Blue Wolf quickly became trusted as a proven product for getting the job done.
As miners began taking the product home, they soon discovered that Blue Wolf worked great on everything from removing grease and coal dust from carpets and work clothes to pressure washing houses.
Today, Blue Wolf offers a full line of cleaners and degreasers for household, automotive, and industrial use.
Blue Wolf will serve in an associate role for Saturday night’s race.
Christian Rose ARCA Berlin Raceway Stats: Saturday night’s Berlin ARCA 200 will mark Rose’s second ARCA start at the historic half-mile short track, nestled in Marne, Michigan – just outside Grand Rapids.
In his Berlin debut last year, the Martinsburg, W.V. native qualified a career-best fifth aboard his No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism Ford Mustang and was able to maintain his presence inside the top-10 throughout the entire race before claiming a seventh-place finish at the checkered flag.
The effort was one of 13 top-10 finishes for the rookie ARCA driver during the 2023 season.
In 10 career ARCA short track races, Rose has delivered two top-five and seven top-10 finishes.
Christian Rose Career ARCA National Series Stats: In 36 career ARCA National Series starts, Rose has earned four top-five and 16 top-10 finishes highlighted by a career-best third-place finish achieved at Salem (Ind.) Speedway in September 2023.
Additionally, Rose has showcased 25 top-20 finishes overall since 2022.
Since 2022, he has maintained an average finishing position of 12.9.
To The Point(s): Entering Berlin, Rose is fifth in the ARCA Menards Series championship standings, just two markers behind ARCA Menards Series driver Toni Breidinger for fourth, with 12 races remaining.
Rose is 20 markers out of second place currently occupied by Greg Van Alst and stands 57 points in the arrears to championship leader Andrés Pérez de Lara
Unofficially, AM Racing stands a respectable 10th in the ARCA Menards Series championship owner standings.
Slingin’ That Dirt: Since Daytona, Rose has been teamed up with AM Racing’s Dirt Division and has been getting experience behind the wheel of a Dirt Modified to strengthen his driving skills.
Rose will continue to participate in select Dirt Modified events as his schedule allows this season.
Thanks For Your Support: With 40 percent of the 2024 ARCA Menards Series season complete, AM Racing and Christian Rose would like to thank their associate marketing partners for their support: AirBox Air Purifier, Blue Wolf Cleaners, Flying Circle, Mobil 1 and Whitetail Smokeless.
Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course | Zinsser SmartCoat 150 Race Recap: In the eighth ARCA Menards Series race of the season, Rose tackled his first road course race of the season at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course.
In the one-day show, Rose experienced an off-track excursion during practice and qualifying which landed the AM Racing team 18th on the starting grid for the 42-lap race.
From the drop of the green flag, Rose was patient but methodical. His approach to the race paid off with Rose bursting inside the top-10 late in the race. Unfortunately, a last-lap hiccup cost Rose several positions on the track.
When the checkered flag waved, Rose steered to an 11th-place finish, earning the same finish back-to-back from the 2023 season.
Follow on Social Media: For more on AM Racing, please visit AMRacingteam.com, like their Facebook page (AM Racing), or follow them on Instagram and X | Twitter @AMRacingNASCAR.
For more on Christian Rose, please like him on Facebook (Christian Rose Racing), or follow him on Instagram (@christianroseracing) and X | Twitter (@CRoseRacing).
Christian Rose Quoteboard:
On Berlin Raceway: “I am pumped about heading back to Berlin Raceway this weekend with my AM Racing team. We had a really good No. 32 Department of West Virginia Tourism Ford Mustang last year and I am hoping that we can return and pick up right where we left off.
“On our second trip to Berlin, I think as a team, we should be better. The track changed a lot from day to night, but I think what we learned from the race last year will help us better prepare to hopefully collect a top-five finish instead of a top-10 effort from last year.
“We have a lot of speed in our Ford Mustangs, I’m just ready to bring home finishes that mark that speed as we inch closer to the halfway point of the season.”
Race Information:
The Berlin ARCA 200 (200 laps | 88 miles) is the ninth of 20 races on the 2024 ARCA Menards Series schedule. Practice begins Saturday, June 29th, from 4:35 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. General Tire pole qualifying in a timed session will begin a short time later at 6:00 p.m. The race is set to take the green flag later in the day shortly after 8:00 p.m. ET. The event will be televised live on the FOX Sports App and Flo Racing while airing on FOX Sports 1 (FS1) at 10:00 p.m. ET. ARCARacing.com will also stream live timing and scoring throughout the entire weekend festivities. All times are local (Eastern).
About AM Racing:
AM Racing is a multi-tiered, multi-faceted Motorsports program headquartered in Statesville, N.C.
Established in December 2015, AM Racing is prided on faith, honesty and intelligent performance.
The family-owned team will compete in the ARCA Menards Series, the NASCAR CRAFTSMAN® Truck Series, the NASCAR Xfinity Series and various Dirt Modified events in its eighth year of competition.
The team has named Hailie Deegan, Christian Rose, and Austin Wayne Self as their primary drivers for the 2024 Xfinity, ARCA Menards Series, and Dirt Modified seasons, respectively.