EASTON, Pa. — Justin Lloyd will return with Carter 2 Motorsports in the 2016 ARCA Racing Series season as he will drive the No. 40 Dodge at the season-opener at Daytona International Speedway.
The exciting announcement is also backed with a part-time deal for 2016 [with no other races yet to be confirmed] and a full-time agreement also in the works.
The 32nd running of ARCA at Daytona will be the 10th ARCA start and first at Daytona for the 23-year-old.
“I am excited to strap into a C2M car at Daytona,” said Lloyd. “It takes a lot of effort on everyone’s part to make a deal like this happen.”
The banking of Daytona is not the only thing high as Lloyd hopes to “cash in on the opportunity” to race in the newly renovated stadium of the ‘World Center of Racing.’
“The stakes are always higher at Daytona,” Lloyd said, “and I am ready to cash in on the opportunity to drive for Roger [Carter, team owner] and the rest of the team. Being able to race at Daytona in February is a dream come true.”
Starting his first ARCA race in 2009 at Berlin Raceway, the then-teenager drove to a stellar ninth-place result in Bill Venturini’s No. 15 Chevrolet.
Driving twice more that season at Toledo and Rockingham, Lloyd has been a regular face at Berlin, returning to race at the half-mile track in 2012,’13 and ’15; all for C2M.
“One of the reasons why the ARCA Racing Series is so great is because of the variety of tracks they schedule every year,” he said. “Berlin Raceway was the site of my first ARCA start in 2009 and first career top-10 finish. It is a tough track that requires a lot of patience but has always been my favorite.”
For Lloyd, the 2015 season was one of momentum building between himself and C2M, finishing as high as 17th in four weekends; the most times he’s ever competed in a single ARCA season.
“For 2016,” he said, “I hope to build on the momentum that C2M and I gained last year. We raced on an extremely limited budget and competed with some of the top teams in ARCA.
“It was a testament of everyone’s hard work. It is important that I continue to earn the respect of the other ARCA competitors and finish the Daytona race up front.”
Roger Carter is optimistic about the announcement with Lloyd, a part-time driver for the team since 2012.
“Very happy to have him,” Carter said. “[We] plan on running for championship. Justin has raced part time for C2M for several years. He is an awesome talent and I believe he is a big part of our future.”
Carter recently piloted the No. 40 car at Daytona in 2015, finishing in the 32nd position.
