(DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – February 10, 2015) – Before heading to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the start of the 2015 ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards season, Empire Racing Group’s Sean Corr had a little digging to do – literally.
Corr, from Goshen, N.Y., spent three hours Saturday digging his race tractor and trailer out of the snow before heading with it to North Carolina and then continue south to Florida. Needless to say, Corr is ready to be out of the snow and onto the race track.
“This team has pulled together very professionally and has put some quality equipment together with some talented drivers at the wheel to run Daytona,” Corr said. “I think Daytona International Speedway will be successful for Empire Racing.”
Empire Racing will field three drivers for Daytona – Corr in the No. 48 Hylton Motorsports/Empire Racing Ford, Austin Hill in the No. 8 Empire Racing Ford and Patrick Staropoli in the No. 82 Empire Racing Ford.
In 2014, John Corr, owner of ERG, formed a partnership with Mike “Grumpy” Cheek and Sherry Cheek owners of Grumpy’s Performance Inc. Since then, ERG team has expanded to more race events within the ARCA Racing Series.
“We are dedicated to making our teams ultra-competitive,” John Corr said. “With the alliance with Grumpy’s Performance Inc. we know that we will continue to strive for success.”
Empire Racing Group is a driver development team that also plans to race in some NASCAR events.
“I am very excited for the future of ERG and I look forward to working with the Corr family,” Cheek said. “John Corr and Sean Corr have structured a great team with their leadership. I am eager to begin the task of securing the success for Empire Racing as well as the success of the driver development program.”
Corr and Staropoli tested at Daytona in December and were among the fastest cars on the track both days. Hill tested with Corr and Staropoli in January. On the final speed chart in January, in fact, the three drivers went 1-2-3.
Corr, in the No. 48 Hylton-Empire Ford Fusion, was fastest overall with a speed of 187.692 mph in January. Hill was second and Staropoli third.
Staropoli won the Peak Challenge last year, a driver search program through Michael Waltrip Racing. The reward was a five-race run with the NASCAR K&N Pro Series.
A native of nearby Plantation, Florida, Staropoli graduated from Harvard in 2012 and is a year and a half into medical school. That dream, however, is on hold temporarily while he pursues his racing career.
“Every racecar driver dreams of proving himself on racing’s biggest stage and I’m so thankful that American RF and Empire Racing are giving me that chance,” Staropoli said. “This is by far the biggest opportunity I’ve had in my racing career and I know I have the right team, partners, and equipment behind me to capitalize on it. ARF and Empire are building a special partnership and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be their wheelman and pilot the No. 82 ARF hot rod at Daytona.”
Hill echoed those sentiments and says he is ready for his ARCA debut.
“I’m excited to step into the No. 8 Empire Racing machine for the first time since testing,” he said. “Making my ARCA debut will be a great way to jump start the 2015 racing season.”