0
0
Cook Racing Technologies Forms Alliance with Roper Racing for Truck Series
Mooresville, NC (January 18th, 2024) – Cook Racing Technologies (CRT) has signed Marco Andretti to pilot the No. 17 Chevrolet entry in the ARCA Menards Series, as well as select NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series (NCTS) races in the No. 04 Chevrolet Silverado. Andretti is scheduled to compete in 14 ARCA Menards Series races, starting with the season opener in February at Daytona International Speedway, along with seven NCTS races, kicking off at Circuit of the Americas in March. CRT has formed an alliance with the Houston, TX based team, Roper Racing, to field the No. 04 truck for Andretti’s races this season.
The Nazareth, Pa., native is most notably known for his time spent in the NTT INDYCAR Series where he collected two wins, six poles and 20 podium finishes across 251 career starts. Andretti finished inside the top 10 in the NTT INDYCAR Series points standings nine times throughout his 15 full-time seasons.
Expanding his racing resume, Andretti shifted gears to full-bodied cars in 2021 where he competed full-time in the Superstar Racing Experience (SRX) and was crowned the 2022 series champion. Andretti made his NASCAR National Series debut in 2022 in the Xfinity Series, competing at the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway. During the 2023 season, he made three NCTS starts.
Looking to continue the momentum and expand his stock-car racing career, Andretti will have team owner and long-time racing veteran, Bruce Cook calling the shots as Crew Chief and helping Andretti learn throughout the season.
“I’m really happy with the program we’ve put in place for my racing schedule in 2024,” commented Andretti. “This plan is a good mixture of races with the ARCA Menards Series and NASCAR CRAFTSMAN Truck Series that provides maximum track time, which is what I’m after. It will answer a lot of my unknowns in stock cars. I also want to do it the right way and not go right to the top of their sport on my INDYCAR and SRX merit as I respect the amount of talent in all of the various stock car series. I’m looking forward to having a lot of fun with Bruce and the team. I’m confident that we can be pretty competitive right out of the Gate”
CRT, the defending ARCA Menards Series West Championship team, is co-owned by NASCAR veteran, Bruce Cook and Steve McGowan. The team had a successful year in 2023, not only collecting a championship, but three wins with multiple drivers.
“I am looking forward to working with Marco and helping him to develop and grow as a driver in stock cars,” commented Cook. “Marco has a proven track record across multiple racing platforms. I think with some more seat time and guidance in the stock car world, he’ll be able to compete up front on a regular basis.”
Returning to CRT as team sponsors are long time partners MMI Racing and Sun West Construction. Both will be represented on Andretti’s ARCA Menards and NCTS Chevrolets. Additional partners for the 2024 season will be announced in the coming weeks.
For more information on CRT, follow along on social media: Facebook and Instagram.
