Matt Kurzejewski
No. 52 Ansell-Menards Toyota
Kentucky Speedway – Crosley Brands 150 – September 23, 2016

Returning to The Blue Grass State:  Matt Kurzejewski and his Ansell-Menards team will head into Kentucky this Friday with hopes of getting back on track after their 20th place finish last week at Chicago.

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old Pennsylvania native has one previous start at Kentucky Speedway in which he finished in the top-10 in 2015.

This Week’s Toyota:  The No.52 Ansell-Menards team will unload a brand new chassis this weekend at Kentucky.  This chassis was utilized during the ARCA open test on Tuesday.

The team spent time on Tuesday working the bugs out of the new chassis and finding the speed necessary to compete for the win on Friday night.

This Week’s Schedule: On-track action will begin with a lone practice on Friday from 12:30 – 2 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell will take place at 4:40 p.m.  The Crosley Brands 150 takes the green flag at 8 p.m. on Friday, September 23.

Follow Matt:  Be sure to follow Matt on all social media platforms. You can find him on facebook at facebook.com/MattKurzejewski, on twitter at @Kurzejewski and Instagram at @Kurzejewski.  You can also visit MattKurzejewski.com.

Watch: You can watch the Crosley Brands 150 LIVE on Fox Sports 2 at 8 p.m. est.

Matt Kurzejewski on the Crosley Brands 150:
“The new pavement at Kentucky is wicked,” stated Kurzejewski.  “It’s fast and if you get out of the groove slightly then you’re a half second slower.  I’m looking forward to Friday night’s race, our new Ansell-Menards Toyota handles great, we just need to find a little more speed and I have all the confidence in the world in this team to do that.”

“I want to take a minute to thank Bo Lemastus and Crosley Brands for sponsoring the event.  I’ve had the opportunity to get to know Bo a little earlier this year and he is an outstanding guy and we miss seeing him at the track every week.”

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania placed 11th and sixth respectively during the two practice sessions on Saturday afternoon in preparation for the 200-lap feature under the lights.

“The racecar is very neutral,” stated Kurzejewski after practice.  “The car has great balance and hopefully we can bring home a decent finish.”

Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell was rained out and the field was set by combined practice speeds.  This put the No.52 Ansell-Menards Toyota starting in ninth position.

Once the green flag flew on the 100th edition of the ARCA 200, Kurzejewski continued to battle inside the top-10.  During cautions the team made adjustments to the car along with bolting on fresh General Tires.

With 30 laps remaining the Ansell-Menards team put on four fresh General Tires to give Kurzejewski a shot at a top-5 finish.  In the closing laps, he came up just short and finish seventh in only his second appearance on the high banks of Salem Speedway.

“The car was good, I was riding and trying to save my tires throughout the race similar to the spring race and the pace was just a little faster than I anticipated.  All and all a good day for our team and we have three more races to get to victory lane.”

Next up for Kurzejewski is the Scott 100, September 15 at Chicagoland Speedway.

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania placed sixth during the lone practice/qualifying session on Sunday afternoon.

“We have a really good racecar,” Kurzejewski said following practice.  “I feel like we have a solid shot at it tonight under the lights.”

Kurzejewski qualified third overall only .031 thousands of a second off the pole during Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell.

The GRABBER 100 went green under the lights on Sunday night, for the first time ever in ARCA Racing history, at DuQuoin.  Within a few laps, Kurzejewski found himself running third and challenging for the second position.  Shortly after that, the Ansell-Menards driver noticed the water temperature rising rapidly and was forced to pit under green flag conditions to cool the motor down. <<MORE>>     

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania placed eighth during the lone practice/qualifying session on Sunday morning.

“This dirt thing is a lot of fun,” stated Kurzejewski after practice.  “I came in with zero expectations and now I love it.”

The SuperChevyStores.com 100 took the green flag on Sunday afternoon in front of a packed Springfield State Fairgrounds.  Within a few laps, Kurzejewski found himself running sixth and staying within striking distance of the top-5 cars.  The Ansell-Menards driver noticed the water temperature rising rapidly and was forced to pit under the first caution to cool the motor down. <<MORE>>

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania spent the two short practice sessions on Saturday afternoon trying to get the hang of the tricky small circle racetrack located in the beautiful hills of Michigan.

“This place is tricky,” Kurzejewski stated.  “You never stop turning around Berlin, it’s a very tough race track to get used to and get into a rhythm due to that.”

Following his 10th place-qualifying run during Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell, Kurzejewski said, “Berlin Raceway is so easy to over drive, I felt I overdrove the car during qualifying and that put us 10th on the charts.” <<MORE>>

TOLEDO, Ohio (August 2, 2016) - By the time the Central Illinois SuperChevyStores.com ARCA 100 comes to life on the Illinois State Fairgrounds Mile Dirt in Springfield Sunday, August 21, the Cunningham Motorsports 22 car will see its eighth different driver of the season, and this guy ain't no slouch.

Fenton, Missouri's Ken Schrader will be aboard the Cunningham Motorsports Ford for the 54th running of the SuperChevyStores.com 100 on the world's fastest mile dirt track. The historic event will coincide with the 164th annual Illinois State Fair, ongoing since 1853. <<MORE>>

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania placed 9th in the lone practice session on Friday morning, which was cut short due to weather. <<MORE>>

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania placed 10th and eighth on the practice speed charts during the two practice sessions on Friday morning.

“We worked a lot on getting our Ansell-Menards Toyota to rotate the center of the corner a little better in both practice sessions,” Kurzejewski stated.

Following his qualifying run, Kurzejewski said, “The car was really loose for qualifying, that’s typically not a bad thing but I didn’t want to take any chances, qualifying 13th wasn’t what we were hoping for.” <<MORE>>

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania placed eighth on the practice speed charts after battling car gremlins during the sole practice session Saturday at Iowa Speedway.

“I felt we had a lot of speed,” Kurzejewski stated.  “We fought several minor issues with the car during the practice session and didn’t get a lot of time on the track.  I’ve said it time and time again, this team works harder than anyone and they got the issues corrected and we got the car where it needed to be.”

Following his qualifying run, Kurzejewski said, “The car was really loose for qualifying, that’s typically not a bad thing but I didn’t want to take any chances, qualifying eighth against a stacked field of cars is nothing to hang our heads about.”

The ABC Supply 150 took the green flag on Saturday night under the lights.  Kurzejewski quickly made his way to fifth, settling into that spot until the first caution at lap 87. The Ansell-Menards team pitted for four fresh General Tires along with minor adjustments to make its Toyota Camry handle better.

“That first run was brutal, when you have a long green flag run like that, it’s hard to hold on toward the end of the run,” continued Kurzejewski.  “The tires get worn out and it just becomes a handful.”

Once the race continued, Kurzejewski worked his way up to the second position and attempted to catch the leader and eventual race winner Chase Briscoe.

A late race caution gave the No.52 team the opportunity to put on four more tires and Kurzejewski gave it his all for the remaining twenty laps of the ABC Supply 150.  Kurzejewski got beat around a little during the last few green flag laps of the race, which caused significant damage to the rear of the Ansell-Menards Toyota and resulted in a sixth-place finish.

“It felt good to run up front for the entire race.  Chase (Briscoe) and his team have it figured out, they are tough each race,” Kurzejewski commented.  “I wish we could have gotten another shot at him there at the end but that’s part of racing.  The damage to the back of our Toyota made the car extremely loose and I held on for all I could.  We will take this race and build on it, our team is going in the right direction and a win is coming soon.”

Next up for Kurzejewski is the Sioux Chief PowerPEX® 200 presented by JIVE on Friday, July 22 at Lucas Oil Raceway in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Kurzejewski, the 25-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania quickly picked up the “Worlds Fastest Half Mile” quickly and finished final practice fourth on the speed charts.

“This place is breath taking! Winchester is everything I’ve been told and more,” Kurzejewski said. “It’s fast, wild, and takes your breath away.”

Kurzejewski qualified sixth for Sunday’s Herr’s Potato Chips 200 during Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell.

“I felt the car had a lot more in it for qualifying” Kurzejewski continued.

When the Herr’s Potato Chips 200 took the green flag on Sunday afternoon, Kurzejewski found himself quickly in the second position.  Kurzejewski would hold this spot until being passed by Dalton Sargent around lap 40.

“Our car was incredible on the short runs, after 20 or so laps the General Tires would start to go away and it was just a matter of hanging on at that point.”

Kurzejewski fell back to the sixth position before getting a caution that allowed him and his Ansell-Menards race team to come down pit road for four fresh General Tires and adjustments.

After two late race restarts, the No.52 car was scored in the third position, with only a handful of laps remaining.  Kurzejewski battled hard to hang on to that position, but fell to fourth on the last lap.

Kurzejewski, the 24-year-old from Mansfield, Pennsylvania timed in during both practice sessions on Saturday in the top-10.  The Ansell-Menards team felt they had a very consistent car on the long run.

“Madison is tricky -- it’s a fast half-mile speedway with tight corners.  You are forced to hug the bottom of the corners and use a ton of brake to get around the speedway,” stated Kurzejewski after practice.

Kurzejewski qualified ninth for the Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200.

“We picked up a lot for qualifying.  It’s crazy how tight this field is time wise,” Kurzejewski continued.   “One tenth of a second faster in qualifying and we qualify in the top five.”

When the Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200 took the green, Kurzejewski quickly found himself in sixth position utilizing the difficult outside lane to gain several positions early in the 200-lap event.

“I felt we could roll the outside better than anyone on the restarts,” Kurzejewski said.  “Everyone was focused on getting his car to the bottom while we could pass several cars on the outside if need be.”

Much of the first half of the race was green flag racing.  While trying to be conservative with his tires and brakes, Kurzejewski went a lap down while running seventh.  A caution at lap 107 was an opportunity for the Ansell-Menards team to hit pit road for four fresh General Tires and Sunoco Race Fuel.

Kurzejewski battled with the top-5 cars for the remainder of the race, while trying to maintain the lucky dog position.  When the caution came out with just over 20 laps to go, the leader lapped the sixth-place car, which kept Kurzejewski from getting the lucky dog.  The race then went green to the checkered.  The Ansell-Menards team finished seventh.

“We got trapped a lap down and that dictated the rest of the race for us. Although the cautions didn’t fall in our favor, we had a top-5 car all day,” Kurzejewski said.  “That’s part of racing.  If we were on the lead lap after the last caution, I feel we could have challenged for a better finish -- still a good day for our Ansell-Menards team. “

Next up for Matt Kurzejewski and the Ansell-Menards team is the Sunday, June 26 running of the Herr’s Potato Chips 200 at Winchester Speedway (Indiana).

Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell was cancelled on Friday afternoon due to crashes and the allotted time frame. The field was set by combined practice speeds from Thursday’s practice sessions.  Kurzejewski and his Ansell-Menards team started the Corrigan Oil 200 from the 12th position.

“This place is scary fast and although our practice speeds didn’t indicate the speed we had in our Ansell-Menards Toyota, it didn’t bother me to not qualify,” stated Kurzejewski at Michigan International Speedway.

Once the 32-car field took the green flag, Kurzejewski quickly made his way into the top-10.  During the first caution of the race, the Ansell-Menards team pitted for four fresh General Tires and fuel.  On a mid -race restart, Kurzejewski quickly found himself battling inside the top-5 when an electrical connection came loose inside the car.  This issue caused the car to shut off and forced the Ansell-Menards Toyota onto pit road.

“I had a ton of momentum on the bottom and was passing for fifth when out of nowhere the car just shut off,” Kurzejewski said. “Luckily we didn’t get hit and a caution flew a few laps later that allowed us to pit and get the issue fixed without losing a lot of positions.”

During the remainder of the race, Kurzejewski continued to battle inside the top-10 and found himself as high as second position in the latter laps of the race.  The team pitted at lap 90 for fuel and finished the race in eighth position.

“We had a good day on the track and in the points standings.  To come out of Michigan with an eighth place finish and tied for third in points is a good boost for our team,” continued Kurzejewski.  “These new composite body cars are fun to drive but very hard to pass with, anytime you go to pass someone you would immediately get aero tight.  The Ansell-Menards team will work on it and be better for the next one.”

Next up for Matt Kurzejewski and the Ansell-Menards team is the June 19 running of the Montgomery Ward Father’s Day 200 at Madison International Speedway in Madison, Wisconsin.

Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell was cancelled due to weather on Friday morning, setting the field by combined practice speeds from Thursday’s practice sessions.  Kurzejewski and his Ansell-Menards team started the #AnywhereIsPossible 200 from the 14th position.

“We were really hoping to qualifying.  Our practice speeds weren’t an accurate reflection on the speed that our Ansell-Menards Toyota had,” stated Kurzejewski.

Despite sprinkles of rain in the area, the #AnywhereIsPossible 200 started on time and Kurzejewski found himself battling inside the top-10 by lap 5.  The team used a caution at lap 24 to bring the No.52 down pit road for four fresh General Tires and Sunoco Race fuel. 

The race went green for much of the remainder of the event, forcing the Ansell-Menards team to hit pit road for a green flag pit stop with fifteen laps remaining.  This would relegate the team to a 13th place finish.

“We had a decent Ansell-Menards Toyota all day, the strategy didn’t work to our advantage, but all in all a great learning day for our team,” Kurzejewski continued.  “The new composite bodies add different aerodynamic challenges to the cars and we made huge gains on that.  We will chalk it up as a learning experience and head to Michigan.”

Next up for Matt Kurzejewski and the Ansell-Menards team is the Corrigan Oil 200 at Michigan International Speedway. A practice session on Thursday afternoon, June 9 from 1 - 1:55 p.m. get things going for this year’s Corrigan Oil 200, followed by final practice from 2:05 - 3 p.m. Menards Pole Qualifying presented by Ansell is scheduled for 1:40 p.m. on Friday, June 10.  Later that day, the Corrigan Oil 200 will start at 5:45 p.m.  The Race will be LIVE on Fox Sports 1.

During Saturday’s practice sessions for the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards, The Ansell-Menards team focused on getting Matt comfortable around the tricky New Jersey Road Course.

Next up on Saturday was Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell in which Kurzejewski put his Ansell-Menards machine in the sixth starting position.

Once the green flag fell, Kurzejewski settled comfortably into the top-10 while leading a few laps in the mid stages of the race.  The Pennsylvania driver continued to battle inside the top-10 for the entire Twilight 150 before bringing home a solid eighth-place finish in his road course debut.

“This place is tough,” stated Kurzejewski.  “I can’t say enough about my Ken Schrader race team.  They continue to work their tails off week in and week out to bring me fast racecars to the track.  I wish we could have brought home a top-5 finish, but we will take the eighth place finish to Pocono.”

Up next for Kurzejewski:  The ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards returns to action on June 3 with the General Tire 200 #AnywhereIsPossible 200 at Pocono Raceway.

During Saturday’s practice sessions for the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards, the Federated Auto Care – Menards team focused on getting its Toyota to the driver’s liking on race runs.  Kurzejewski and the No.52 team ended both practices respectively in the top-ten on the speed charts.

Next up on Saturday was Menards Pole Qualifying Presented by Ansell in which Kurzejewski matched his session best qualifying effort by placing his Toyota in the fifth position for the Menards 200.

Once the green flag fell on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in Toledo, Kurzejewski settled comfortably into the seventh position early on.  The Federated Auto Care – Menards team utilized a caution at lap 79 to come down pit road for two new General Tires and adjustments to its Toyota. <<MORE>>

With a single practice session for the ARCA Racing Series Presented by Menards, the Ansell-Menards team focused on getting its Chevrolet fast in the draft.  Kurzejewski and the No.52 team ended the practice session with the 12th fastest time.

Since the ARCA Racing Series utilizes the group qualifying procedure on the super speedways, Kurzejewski lined up third in line for group 5.  The 24-year-old qualified fifth for the afternoon’s General Tire 200.

Once the green flag fell, Kurzejewski stuck to the game plan of riding in the inside line for the first half of the race.  He kept his Ansell-Menards Chevy within the top-six until a caution with 26 laps remaining brought the No.52 team to pit road for fuel.

Kurzejewski exited pit road in the third position but this would be short lived as the ARCA Racing Series official would deem him too fast entering pit road.  Restarting deep in the pack with fewer than 25 laps remaining, Kurzejewski battled his way back into the top-ten to finish in eighth place. <<MORE>>

Concord, N.C. – October 1, 2015 --  Ken Schrader Racing, Inc. and its primary race team sponsor, Federated Auto Parts, will, for the fifth consecutive year, support the Breast Health Center at CHS Northeast in Concord, North Carolina during the month of October in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month.

“Our Federated Auto Parts team has supported the local hospital and its Breast Health Center for the last four years and we look forward to carrying on the annual campaign again this October,” said Ken Schrader, team owner.  “The generous support from our fans, friends and families has been amazing. Each year, our PINK campaign helps women who are battling breast cancer while honoring the many lives that have been affected by this disease.”

The Federated Auto Parts team, both the #52 ARCA car and the #9 Modified, will be adorned in PINK decals for races including the ARCA 98.9 at Kansas Speedway on Friday, October 16, 2015.  Matt Tifft will be driving the #52 for a second time at Kansas. PINK ribbons will be available on the ARCA car and Schrader’s Modified, which he will be driving at various tracks throughout October. <<MORE>>

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (September 22, 2015) – Ross Kenseth climbs back into the No. 52 Federated Auto Parts car this week at Kentucky Speedway for his second ARCA Racing Series start of 2015.

Friday’s Crosley Brands 150 marks Kenseth’s first ARCA start since winning the June race at Michigan International Speedway earlier this season, and only the fourth series start of his young career. Kenseth will team with Ken Schrader Racing for the third time in the ARCA Racing Series and once again with sponsorship support from Boyne Machine Company of Jenison, Mich.

“Schrader Racing is a great team and we had a lot of fun at Michigan together,” said Kenseth. “I’ve tested before at Kentucky so hopefully that can help give us a jumpstart this week. I’m excited to get back to a mile-and-a-half speedway. It’ll be cool having Boyne and Federated back on the car as we’ve enjoyed some success with them this year. Hopefully we can continue that and have a good run at Kentucky.” <<MORE>>

(Terre Haute, IN - 09-19-15)The UMP Modifieds were back at it in Terre Haute, for the season finale at The Action Track.  In total, a solid field of 21 competitors were pitside in conjunction with the Jim Hurtubise/Tony Hulman Classic for the USAC Amsoil National Sprint Cars.

In preliminary action, Robinson, IL driver and Modified hotshoe, Brian Shaw, raced to the victory in heat #1 to earn him the pole position for the feature event.  In heat #2, it was Fenton, MO veteran and former NASCAR campaigner, Ken Schrader claiming the checkered.

When the green dropped on the feature event, it was Schrader racing out front with Shaw following.  At DuQuoin a couple of weeks ago, it was role reversal, where Shaw had the dominant car and led most of the way.  Even a one spot penalty didn't keep him from the top prize. 

At Terre Haute, however, Schrader was hooked up.  As lap-after-lap clicked off, Schrader was stretching his lead, while racing throughout the pack was dicey.  There were several battles going on from 3rd on back, but for the most part the race was very clean and a great show for the fans.

Schrader's only scare came after a late-race yellow bunched the field.  Once back to green, Shaw drove to the inside and looked like he was going to pull off the pass for the win.  However, Schrader stepped it up a notch and scooted back out front.

At the checkered, it was the Federated Auto Parts #9 of Ken Schrader claiming his first Terre Haute win of the season.  Schrader was followed by Shaw, Tyler Nicely, Richie Lex, and David Shain.  Curt Rhodes, Danny Schwartz, Dave Baldwin, Collen Goodman, and Roger Mills completed the top ten. 

UMP Modified Feature
1) 9 Ken Schrader
2) 1s Brian Shaw
3) 25 Tyler Nicely
4) 7 Richie Lex
5) 87 David Shain
6) 10 Curt Rhodes
7) 21 Danny Schwartz
8) X Dave Baldwin
9) 14 Collen Goodman
10) 42 Roger Mills
11) 74 Rory Riley
12) x04 Roy Bruce, Jr.
13) 92 Kenny Carmichael, Sr.
14) 89w Rick Weitekamp
15) 133 Gary Ricketts
16) 16 Joe Godsey
17) 11m Josh McDaniel
18) 98z Jason Perry
19) 73F Fred Grayless
DNS) 2m Mike Peterson
DNS) 77c Jason Cox