CONCORD, N.C. — Billy Venturini, owner and chief architect of the most prolific NASCAR driver development team in ARCA Menards Series history, announced his return to the seat for the upcoming ARCA East event at Flat Rock (Mich.) Speedway on May 20.
Strapping into a race car for the first time in 17 years, Billy Venturini will be piloting his own Venturini Motorsports’ car – the No. 20 JBL Toyota Camry to cross off one of his lifelong “bucket list” items.
Venturini, known for spearheading his race team’s efforts, doesn’t want anyone to be confused by his intentions going into the event.
“I am not coming out of retirement,” he reiterated with a laugh. “In no way does this mark my return to the seat on a regular basis. No matter the outcome, this is a one and done for me. I never got to race at Flat Rock when I was racing full time. I don’t have a desire to be a racecar driver again; I’ve been there and done that. But I do have a desire to do this.”
Flat Rock Speedway holds a significant place in the history of the family owned racing team. Billy Venturini describes the importance of this endeavor stating that,“this is an opportunity for me to race at the track where I watched my dad win his first career ARCA Race. It’s also the one track I never had the opportunity to race. I always told Ron Drager, if ARCA goes back to Flat Rock, I’m racing!”
So what are his expectations?
“I know I am going to be a little rusty,” he said. “We’ll go test beforehand just to knock the rust off. It’s been 17 years. After that we’ll have a more realistic view of what our expectations will be. But I am going there to enjoy myself. It’s truly the first time I’ve raced for fun.”
He will have plenty of support in his corner, as former East Series championship-winning crew chief Shannon Rursch will be calling the shots on the pit box. Additionally, former VMS driver and current NASCAR Xfinity Series driver Brennan Poole will be his spotter.
“Shannon said, ‘I don’t care what else we have going on, I want to be your crew chief for that race,’ and Brennan could be a Cup spotter if he wasn’t busy as a race car driver,” Venturini said. “I have some really good people in my corner and Toyota loved the idea so it’s just a great atmosphere to do this.
“I’ll be in the No. 20 JBL Toyota Camry. I’m excited to get behind the wheel of the 20 car. A lot of people expected it to be the No. 25, and my family certainly had a lot of success and history with that number, but the No. 20 has always been my car. We won an owner’s championship with that car, so I thought it was just natural that it was the number used for my return.”
Venturini was a mainstay on the ARCA circuit for his thirteen-year career between 1994 and 2007. Taking over the team’s flagship No. 25 full-time after his father’s retirement, Venturini, always the underdog, showed grit and determination driving for his underfunded family race team.
The highlight of his career was his victory at Salem (Ind.) Speedway on April 23, 2006. Venturini wrapped up his career with a collection of 28 top fives and 75 top-10 finishes.