Drew Dollar and Venturini Motorsports Join Forces for 2020 ARCA Menards Series Season
Veteran crew chief Shannon Rursch to lead Dollar’s full-time effort in the No. 15 Toyota Camry
CONCORD, NC | December 18, 2019 – Venturini Motorsports (VMS) officials announced today that Drew Dollar has joined the storied organization to compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series (ARCA). Dollar will be joined by veteran crew chief Shannon Rursch and the No. 15 team in their 2020 championship bid.
“With the addition of Drew Dollar to our driver development program in the ARCA Menards Series, the 2020 season looks to be picking up right where last season left off, ” said Venturini Motorsports’ owner Billy Venturini. “Drew is an incredibly talented young racer and I believe pairing him with Shannon (Rursch) and our No. 15 Toyota Camry team will create a true force to be reckoned with each and every week.”
Hailing from Atlanta, GA, Dollar’s interest in racing didn’t start until he was 15-years old, when he had the chance to test a Legends car. By 2018, he had won 20-races across the country and was crowned the INEX Legends Semi-Pro National Champion. Following his championship, Dollar graduated to a mixed schedule of NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, ARCA Menards Series and Cars Late Model Stock Tour competition. The 19-year old didn’t back down from the challenge, earning top-five and top-10 finishes in only a handful of starts in each Series.
“I am excited about becoming a part of the Venturini Motorsports family for the 2020 ARCA Menards Series season. They were the class of the field throughout the 2019 season and I look forward to piloting the No. 15 Toyota Camry full-time,” commented Dollar. “Billy (Venturini) has created one of the most hands-on driver development programs in the country and coupled with the continued support of Toyota and TRD, I am excited for this next step in my racing career.”
Shannon Rursch a veteran crew chief in the ARCA and numerous NASCAR Series has been tabbed to call the shots atop the pit box. Rursch previously served as Michael Self’s crew chief during the 2019 season, earning four wins, four poles, 14 top-five and 26 top-10 finishes en route to a second-place championship run. While the duo will be working together for the first time, they already have their sights set on putting their No. 15 Toyota Camry into victory lane.
“I am really looking forward to working with Drew next season and seeing what our team can accomplish,” commented Rursch. “He has proven himself in a short period of time, across multiple racing series and platforms and I am excited to get down to Daytona (International Speedway) and get back to racing.”
Prior to kicking the 2020 season off at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday, February 8, the VMS team will be taking to the famed 2.5-mile high banks for the ARCA open-test session January 10-11. Additional details regarding sponsorship will be announced at a later date by team officials.
ABOUT VENTURINI MOTORSPORTS
With over 65 victories, the 2019 ARCA Menards Series champions, Venturini Motorsports, are an official Toyota Racing Development team and have been a permanent fixture in the ARCA Menards Series since 1983 and are considered one of the early pioneers in NASCAR driver development programs.
Since Joey Logano, the 2018 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup champion, raced for the team in 2007, VMS has gone onto assist many of the sports’ top driver prospects in pursuit of making it to the highest levels of stock car racing.
The growing list of drivers racing today in one of NASCAR’s top-three touring series include current Toyota drivers Erik Jones, Christopher Bell, Harrison Burton, Christian Eckes, Chandler Smith, Brandon Jones, Todd Gilliland, Brennan Poole, Ryan Reed, and Natalie Decker. VMS Alumni also include Joey Logano, William Byron, Ryan Blaney, Alex Bowman, Daniel Suarez, Bubba Wallace, Matt Tifft, Noah Gragson, Justin Allgaier, and Justin Haley.
Sources: Venturini Motorsports