GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER: BELMONT, BASHAM, AND MULLINS WILL LOOK TO CARRY SUCCESS TO TALLADEGA

Fredericksburg, Virginia (April 25, 2016) – After starting 2016 with an 8th place finish at the Daytona International Speedway, and several good short track outings by teammate Mike Basham, Willie Mullins will look to carry the momentum of his No. 34 racing machine to this week’s General Tire 200 at the Talladega Superspeedway.

In February, Mullins recorded a career-best finish of 8th in February’s Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona. That afternoon, he was able to survive several accidents and use fuel strategy to help him achieve his career day.

Then, as the Basham family took over the No. 34, with Mike Basham in the driver’s seat, they continued the momentum, finding themselves in the Top-10 in overall Owner’s Points to this point in the 2016 campaign.

At Nashville, Darrell and Sandy Basham and their No. 34 Chevrolet, battled throughout the one-day event, coming away with a 20th place finish when the checkered flag flew.

Not to be outdone, the Basham family returned at the Salem Speedway, once again with Mike Basham behind the wheel. Because Salem is within a reasonable distance of where their family resides, they were once again poised for a good outing, and once again, they capitalized on it.

After 200 laps at the 0.5-mile Salem Speedway, the No. 34 Chevrolet came away with a 19th place finish.

“We dropped a valve at Nashville, and broke a shock at Salem, but we made it,” Darrell said of their performance at Nashville and Salem. “Willie and everyone are some really great people. We are really happy to be working with him this year and he does such a great job. Really expecting a lot of great things heading into Talladega.”

Now, looking ahead to this week’s General Tire 200 at the 2.66-mile superspeedway, Mullins will once again assemble ARCA’s “Dream Team”, utilizing the guidance of former NASCAR and ARCA driver and car owner, Andy Belmont, and long-time ARCA owner and driver, Darrell Basham. Belmont was one of the keys to the teams finish at Daytona in February.

“Andy (Belmont) has been a long-time friend and mentor in my racing career,” Mullins said. “I can't imagine trusting anyone more than him, to call a race for me."

Belmont was one of the keys to the team’s finish at Daytona, making several crucial calls throughout the race, putting the team in position for success. It was also his return to the series, as he took time away from the ARCA Racing Series to focus on his well-known family business, Belmont’s Garage.

As for Mullins, his Talladega effort will be his second appearance in 2016 with the ARCA Racing Series, and only his second career superspeedway start. In his ARCA career, all of his starts came at the New Jersey Motorsports Park before this season. But this season, he has made the jump to running an expanded schedule, which is still being determined.

Mullins will also carry a new sponsor with this him this weekend, as TCBX Trucking will be on his No. 34 Ford.

Started in 1907 as Mueller Transfer, the job back then was hauling freight from the railroad depot to its destinations in the Lakes Area. – In 1948 Con and Margaret O’Brien purchased Mueller Transfer and continued with the tradition of delivering freight throughout the area. In 1980 their two sons, Tim and Pat, joined the family business and the name was changed to TCBX (Twin Cities Brainerd Express) Trucking. The company is based out of Brainerd, Minnesota.

TCBX joins longtime sponsors, Bugsy’s Auto, Crow Wing Recycling, Zenith Aviation, SKS Construction, Morgan Lumber and Timmy Brann Snap-on Dealer for the Talladega race.

The race will be shown live on Fox Sports 1 at 6:00 pm ET Friday, April 29th

ABOUT MULLINS RACING

Mullins Racing is an all-around motorsports team, racing in the ARCA Racing Series and in the Sports car Club of America (SCCA). This will be the team’s second year competing in the ARCA Racing Series.

For more information on Mullins Racing, visit their website, www.mullingsracing.net, or connect with the team through Facebook (Mullins Racing) and on Twitter (@mullins_racing).