Toledo Speedway

(TOLEDO, Ohio – July 10, 2014) -- Brad Riethmeyer is used to jumping behind the wheel of someone else’s race car, so when he got the call to come from his Mooresville, N.C. home to race in the Discount Tire ARCA Gold Cup Late Model Series at Toledo and Flat Rock Speedway, he didn’t flinch.

“It’s exciting,” Riethmeyer said. “I have a friendship with someone who has a friend who wanted to see me in this car. I said I would do it and so here we are.”

Currently the Gold Cup point leader, Riethmeyer will drive the No. 56 super late model Friday in the Discount Tire 100 presented by PNC Bank. It’s the third leg of the five-race Gold Cup season and it comes on a weekend that the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards does not have an event.

Riethmeyer finished second at the first Gold Cup race at Toledo and won the Flat Rock, putting him five points up in the standings. On Thursday, Riethmeyer tested at Toledo Speedway for several hours, putting the car through a variety of set-ups hoping to find more speed and better balance in the car for Friday.

“It’s better,” he said after the test. “We did okay the first time we were here, but we didn’t test. We were second. It was a good end of the race, but we battled balance all during the race. Now that I’ve run more laps here, I can better communicate what I need in the car.

“We tried so many things today,” he said. “Testing give us a chance to see some different things and maybe find something that sticks. I like the track.”

The No. 56 late model he will be driving is owned by Bob Fox, owner of Diamond Pistons. Independent Distribution Group, Crunch ‘N Nutter and Calico Coatings are other main sponsors on the car. In addition to Friday at Toledo, he’ll race in the Stan Yee Memorial 15 July 26 at Flat Rock Speedway.

Riethmeyer began racing late models in Texas and later raced USAC midgets. The Texas native lives in Mooresville, which is located near Charlotte. He said he spends a lot of his time testing NASCAR level trucks and cars on nearby tracks. He’s made a handful of starts in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards.

Two lucky race fans will also have the opportunity to win a brand new Ram pickup, courtesy of Grogan's Towne and PNC Bank. The contest will see 10 names drawn and those 10 fans will then be whittled down to two.   The final two will kick a football from 35 yards, and if the football lands and stays in the bed of the Dodge pickup truck, they win the truck.

In addition to the late model action, race fans will see another division in competition on half-mile Friday night, as the ARCA Aramark Sportsman will battle in a 35-lap main event. The ARCA R & M Recycling X Cars will compete on the quarter- mile oval as well.

The pit area opens at 2 p.m., practice begins at 4, time trials are at 6:15 and racing begins at 7:30 p.m. The front gates will open at 4 p.m.