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<strong>Cunningham</strong> <strong>Motorsports</strong> <strong>Fills</strong> <strong>Second</strong> <strong>Car</strong>, the No. 22, with Dirt Track Ace, Kevin <strong>Thomas</strong>, <strong>Jr</strong>.<br />
December 15, 2015 – Mooresville, NC – In a deal that was sealed just after last weekend’s PRI<br />
show/ARCA Racing Series banquet, Kevin <strong>Thomas</strong> <strong>Jr</strong>., will join <strong>Cunningham</strong> <strong>Motorsports</strong>, piloting the No.<br />
22 for the 2016 race season. In what will be one of <strong>Thomas</strong>’ first couple of asphalt starts, he will be<br />
entering the asphalt world at the very pinnacle of race tracks…..Daytona International Speedway (DIS).<br />
Co-owner, Kerry Scherer commented while making the announcement, “We are thrilled to have<br />
someone of KTJ’s talent and character racing with <strong>Cunningham</strong> <strong>Motorsports</strong> in 2016. We hope to be a<br />
stepping stone on his way to a successful NASCAR career.”<br />
KTJ, as he has come to be known, will join his new team in Daytona Beach, Fla., during the ARCA Series<br />
open test, scheduled for January 15-16, 2016. He, like his new teammate, Chase Briscoe, will be testing<br />
on Friday only, as both drivers will be flying to Tulsa, Okla., for the Chili Bowl Finals on Saturday.<br />
Kevin’s first asphalt race will be the Zack Donatti Memorial Pro Late Model 100 race January 2 nd at New<br />
Smyrna Speedway, followed by the Pro Late Model World Series of Asphalt Stock <strong>Car</strong> Racing<br />
championships in February during Daytona Speed Weeks. Both of these events lead up to KTJ’s ARCA<br />
Series debut in what is labeled as ARCA’s Superbowl. Looking forward to his debut, KTJ said, “Daytona<br />
will be completely different from anything that I have driven. With all I have to learn about the draft<br />
and racing with air, my learning curve will have to be as short as possible.”<br />
The 24 year old driver, who has been racing since he was thirteen years old, came to the ARCA Series<br />
through the Mini Sprints, USAC Non-Wing 410 Sprint <strong>Car</strong>s, Midgets and Wing Sprint <strong>Car</strong>s. Some of KTJ’s<br />
favorite highlights have included his first win at Bloomington Speedway in 2012, winning three<br />
consecutive races during Indiana Sprint Week and his win in the 2013 Haubstadt Hustler at Tri-State<br />
Speedway. In 2015, <strong>Thomas</strong> competed in over 105 races, with ten victories and top-5 finishes in almost<br />
50% of the races.<br />
After the announcement, <strong>Thomas</strong> said, “I want to thank Kerry (Scherer) and Briggs (<strong>Cunningham</strong>) for the<br />
opportunity to compete for the entire season in ARCA. It’s good to be a part of an organization that has<br />
the same will to win that I have.” KTJ also plans to run 40-50 sprint car shows in 2016 during the off<br />
days throughout the ARCA season.<br />
~ <strong>Cunningham</strong> <strong>Motorsports</strong> Press Release ~