Arpin inks deal to race in Truck Series

Lucas Punkari

After all of the months of anxious waiting, Fort Frances native Steve Arpin finally can get to do what he loves most: go racing.
In an announcement broadcast on the Speed Channel yesterday evening, Arpin will be joining forces with the Turner Motorsports Camping World Truck Series team in a five-race program for the 2011 season.
He’ll be behind the wheel of the #32 Mike’s Hard Lemonade Chevrolet Silverado.
“To have started out at Emo Speedway, and to now be at the third-highest level of racing in the United States, and arguably the whole world, is pretty cool,” Arpin enthused.
“We did a lot of brain storming with Mike’s to figure out where exactly we needed to be as Mike’s hasn’t been involved at this level of racing for a very long time,” he explained.
“We’re going to be honing in on a few select big races to really learn, and gather as much information as possible, so that we can know what direction we need to be going in as we get ready for next year,” Arpin added.
Arpin’s Truck Series debut will be on Friday, June 10 in the WinStar World Casino 400 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, which is where he and Mike’s Hard Lemonade made their ARCA series debut last season and also picked up their fist victory.
“That’s where everything started a year ago in ARCA with Mike’s Hard, and it’s a perfect place to start over again in a new level of racing,” Arpin reasoned.
“The team owner [Steve Turner] is a Texas native, so it’s his home track, and it’s by far my favourite place to race at,” he stressed.
“It’s such an incredible facility,” he added. “And when you arrive there, it’s like walking into a place like a Daytona or a Bristol.”
The rest of Arpin’s schedule for the season will see him running at the Kentucky Speedway (July 7), Iowa Speedway (July 16), Lucas Oil Raceway in Clermont, Ind. (July 29), and the Chicagoland Speedway (Sept. 16).
“The part I’m most excited about will be the Iowa race because that’s going to be the closest race to Fort Frances for us,” Arpin noted.
“Kentucky will be pretty cool because that’ll be the first time that they’ll be hosting the Sprint Cup series that weekend, and Chicagoland is also going to be a big one as that weekend will be the first race for the ‘Chase for the Sprint Cup.’”
Arpin will be sharing driving duties in the #32 Silverado with youngster Brad Sweet, a top pilot in the USAC Midget ranks over the past couple of season, and legendary Sprint Cup competitor Mark Martin, who has been a big advocate of Arpin’s talents over the years.
“Mark has been such a supporter of mine, and he vouched for me last year when I got my deal with JR Motorsports, so it’s going to be really cool to share a truck with him,” he remarked.
Also joining Arpin in the Turner Motorsports fold will be rising talent James Buescher and motocross icon Ricky Carmichael, who are both running the full season for the team.
“James has really come into his own, especially this year in the Truck Series,” Arpin noted.
“And he has a lot of experience in all different forms of oval racing, so I’ll be able to lean on him a little bit for some help.
“Ricky’s a really great guy, and it’s not a surprise after you get to know him as to why he’s the champion that he is because of the mental strength that he possesses,” Arpin added.
While the deal was getting finalized, Arpin has been travelling with the Turner Motorsports team and has been watching the races from either the pit boxes or the spotter’s stand to get a feel of the new series he’ll be competing in.
“No matter what level of racing that you are in, you need to know who you can or cannot trust out on the track because sometimes that can bite you if you’re not familiar with what you are getting into,” he explained.
“I’ve gotten the head start on that just by travelling with the team to the races, and I’m feeling right at home with the guys.
“We laugh and we joke around like I’ve been there with them at the shop for the last two years, so it should be a pretty smooth transition going in,” he reasoned.
The biggest transition, though, may be behind the wheel as Arpin will be making his first-ever Truck Series start when he debuts at Texas next month.
But the 27-year-old is up for the challenge.
“It’ll be a lot of learning to do in a quick amount of time, but that’s a part of racing at this level and a part of being a professional racing driver,” Arpin remarked.
“Sure, it may be different but it still has four wheels, a steering wheel, a gas pedal, and a brake pedal, and the object is still to go around the track as fast as you can.
“So I feel that everything that I’ve done up to this point in time should make me fully prepared to be competitive.”
Just behind the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series on the NASCAR totem pole, the Camping World Truck Series has a wide array of talent in its ranks this season, with youngsters such as Austin Dillon, seasoned veterans like last year’s series champion, Todd Bodine, and Sprint Cup star Kyle Busch among those up at the front of the field on a regular basis.
“There’s so many quality drivers when you get to these levels of racing, that the level of competition just blows my mind,” Arpin said.
“The series attracts people from abroad now like [former Formula One world champion] Kimi Raikkonen, who is one of the best at open wheel racing, so to be able to compete against him is going to be really cool to be part of,” he enthused.
While the ultimate goal is to come away with a victory, the long-term plan for both Arpin and his sponsor is to build towards the future and further opportunities to compete in NASCAR.
“The biggest thing that we’re looking towards for this year is to really establish ourselves in the Truck Series,” Arpin explained.
“We need to be competitive and finishing the races with some solid results because there’s no excuses as this level when you have some of the best equipment like we have here at Turner,” he reasoned.
“And it’s also about making sure that this is the right thing for our sponsor because this is a big investment for them, and we need to make sure that we are taking care of them, as well.”