Milka Duno Tests For ARCA
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 11, 2009) – Milka Duno will make her stock car debut during the ARCA Series test at Daytona International Speedway this December 18, 19 & 20, 2009. Milka will participate in the test with Braun Racing in the team’s No. 90 Toyota.
While no stranger to the Daytona Beach, FL-based track, this will be Milka’s first opportunity to go around the 2.5-mile tri-oval in a metal-skinned stock car with less downforce than either the IndyCar Series cars she’s driven the past three seasons, or the Rolex Series Daytona Prototypes that she competed in for the three seasons before that.
“This will be a new challenge for me and one that I’ve been looking forward to,” said Milka. “I know it won’t be easy – it will be hard work – but work that I’m ready to take on.”
Milka holds the record for the highest finish ever by a female driver in the 45-year history of the 24 Hours of Daytona at Daytona International Speedway – with a 2nd place finish in 2007.
Starting with her four-win season in the American Le Mans Series in 2001 and continuing through her thee-win Rolex Series years, Milka has been offered opportunities to compete in stock cars and in the NASCAR Series virtually every season since.
“My goal was to reach open-wheel racing in the United States and the Indy 500,” said Milka, “I just completed my third season in IndyCar and this year I decided not to once again pass on an opportunity to get behind the wheel of a stock car.”
The most successful independent team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Braun Racing began as an ARCA RE/MAX Series team in 2002. Team owner, Todd Braun, found immediate success in the series, capturing an impressive four wins in his first season. Two years later, he moved into the Nationwide Series and has since grown into a four-car operation. Still, he keeps an eye on drivers coming through the series in which he got his start.
“Milka and I met and I expressed an interest in her testing for NASCAR and she expressed interest as well – and we were more than happy to make that a reality,” said Braun. “She is a very talented driver and has experienced success in both sportscar and open-wheel racing – the natural progression would be for her to drive a stock car. I have always enjoyed working with drivers new to NASCAR and I look forward to the test with Milka.”
Braun Racing is a leading team in the NASCAR Nationwide Series that was handpicked four years ago by Toyota to help lead their entrance into the series. The team is proud to have claimed Toyota’s first Nationwide Series pole on February 24, 2007 at California Speedway and their first win at O’Reilly Raceway Park on July 28, 2007. Founded by team owner Todd Braun in 2002, the team is in its eighth season of competition in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and is expanding into a four-car operation in 2010 with an all-star driver line-up that includes Kasey Kahne, Brian Vickers, Jason Leffler, Reed Sorenson, David Reutimann and Brian Scott. Braun Racing’s marketing partners includes Great Clips, Dollar General, Beringer Vineyards, AccuDoc Solutions, Fraternal Order of Eagles, ABF, Northeastern Supply, SEM and Safety-Kleen.
