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PAULSEN, C&R RACING ANNOUNCE SHANE HMIEL AS SILVER CROWN HOUSE CAR DRIVER |
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February 6, 2006...INDIANAPOLIS - Chris Paulsen, President & Owner
C&R Racing, Inc., announced today that Shane Hmiel will drive the C&R
house car for the 2006 USAC Silver Crown Series Presented by K&N
Engineering. Paulsen announced in September 2005 that C&R Racing would begin chassis construction on four of the new generation pavement USAC Silver Crown cars and that he intended one of the four to be a house car. That commitment has grown to chassis construction of six cars and the announcement that Hmiel will be behind the wheel of the C&R house car. "It is an honor to have Shane wheel the C&R house car for the new generation Silver Crown Series," states Paulsen. "I've known Shane for a long time, (having) actually watched him grow up and he is a heck of a racer. We expect to do a lot of testing to better the current C&R Silver Crown chassis and I expect to win many races with him. Shane is an excellent fit for the C&R house car and for the new generation Silver Crown Series." Added Hmiel: "I'm excited about it because it is something I've always wanted to do and a series I've never been in. I've known Chris my entire life and to run for him in the C&R house car is huge. We already know it is a winning car, and with the bigger tracks, bigger purses, television coverage and more excitement than ever, I'm just really excited about the opportunity. It's exciting to get to take this next step with USAC and I'm looking forward to running the short tracks and the mile-and-a-half tracks. This will be a really great experience." Although Hmiel is a rookie in the Silver Crown Series, he grew up in the racing community and is no stranger to competitive racing. Hmiel began his professional racing career in 2000 where he competed in Late Model Series racing, earning six wins, five top-five finishes, 10 top-10 finishes, and ten pole positions. In 2001 Hmiel mainly ran the former NASCAR Goody's Dash Series, where he had two wins and 13 top-10 finishes, earning him Rookie of the Year honors and ending the season fifth in points. On Feb. 16, 2002, Hmiel started in his first NASCAR Busch Series race at the prestigious Daytona International Speedway where he started strong and finished fifth. He finished his rookie season in the NASCAR Busch Series with two pole positions, two top-five and eight top-10 finishes, and ended the season 16th in points. The 2003 season proved equally successful for Hmiel. Continuing to run in the NASCAR Busch Series, he scored back-to-back third-place finishes at Texas and Talladega, scored one pole, four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. The 2004 season marked Hmiel's entry to the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series where he joined Billy Ballew in the No. 15 Earl Small's Harley Davidson Chevy Silverado. Another successful year of racing for Hmiel, he secured his first major NASCAR Touring Series win in the Las Vegas 350 at the Las Vegas International Speedway. Hmiel posted four top-five and 10 top-10 finishes, and finished 13th in points. He continued to run a limited NASCAR Busch Series schedule, posting one top-five and one top-10 finish in the 2004 season. Hmiel continued his racing success in major NASCAR series in 2005. In the NASCAR Craftsman Truck series, he began the season with one top-five and two top-10 finishes in only four starts. With only 13 starts, Hmiel scored one pole, three top-five, and four top-10 finishes in the NASCAR Busch Series. In June 2005, at the request of NASCAR, Hmiel was asked to leave the series. The dismissal prompted him to take responsibility and consider his future in racing. Hmiel's first seat time will be next Monday at the Hoosier Tire test in Homestead, Fla. and his first race will be at Homestead-Miami Speedway, March 25-26. C&R did not run the house car at the season-opening "Copper World Classic" at Phoenix International Raceway in Avondale, Ariz. |
