Jun 19, 2015 // O'Connell Racing // 2693 Views

HISTORIC ROUTE 66 – ST. LOUIS TO LOS ANGELES

ORANGE COUNTY, Ca., — June 19th, 2015 – O’Connell Racing, a Southern California based motorsports team announced today that American road racing driver Kevin O’Connell along with his father Gus O’Connell will enter and race in the 2015 Great Race along historic Route 66.

The race will begin Saturday afternoon in Kirkwood, Missouri and follow the famed Route 66 to the Pacific Ocean and end at the Santa Monica Beach pier in Los Angeles. The entire race will encompass seven total days and include Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. For 2015, the team will compete in the race with a fully restored candy apple red 1966 Ford Mustang convertible with a factory correct 289 V-8 engine and four speed gearbox combination.

Driver Kevin O’Connell commented, “It’s great to be able to run a race with my Dad and close family members in such a unique racing event along the “Main Street of America.” We spent the early part of the week in the farm country outside of St. Louis running the car at posted speeds on two lane country roads setting up our charts and calibrations for the race and working out some minor technical issues with the #59 Gemini Southern Ford Mustang convertible. We go through technical inspections today and will be ready to get our kicks on Route 66 come Saturday.”

Gus O’Connell moves to navigator for most of the 2015 race and then to driver in Arizona, while Bill Kohlmeyer will be mid race navigator beginning at Lake Havasu and into San Bernardino. Family members Fred and Denny Cassin will drive the chase truck and trailer and provide day to day race support and logistics.

About O’Connell Racing:
O’Connell Racing (OCR) featuring American road course racing driver Kevin O’Connell is a motorsports competition and marketing company that competes in NASCAR in America, Canada, Europe, and Mexico and in the IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship Series recently in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Racing Series and in various SVRA/HSR vintage racing events.

PR Contact: Jerry Digney 818.693.1087

May 11, 2015 // O'Connell Racing // 2861 Views

First Driver to Compete in America, Europe, Canada & Mexico Series

ORANGE COUNTY, CA., – May 11, 2015 – O’Connell Racing, a Southern California based company announced today that American racing driver Kevin O’Connell will become the first NASCAR driver to have competed in racing events in all three of NASCAR’s international-based series with his entry and race in this weekend’s NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Mobil 1 event at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park on May 17.

Kevin O’Connell, in collaboration with Rick Ware Racing set out to schedule and contract with racing teams in each of the international NASCAR series in an effort to secure specific race dates for both road courses and oval tracks. In the NASCAR Whelen Euro Series, Kevin drove for Racing Club Partners of Belgium with teammates Nathalie Maillet and Baron Christophe De Fierlant with renowned team owner Franz Dubois in the American Speedfest race at Brands Hatch in Kent, England. In the NASCAR XFINITY Series in America, Kevin drove for Rick Ware Racing in multiple road racing events including Watkins Glen, Mid-Ohio and in 2014 at Road America with a 3rd place finish and having been named the Mobil 1 Driver of the Race in the Gardner Denver 200 Fired Up by Johnsonville. In the NASCAR Mexico Series, Kevin drove for Raceplanet-Adhler-Anahuac Racing with teammate Enrique Contreras III in the Toyota 120 at Phoenix International Raceway. This weekend in Canada, Kevin will drive for White Motorsports with teammate Marc-Antoine Camirand in the Castrol Presents the Victoria Day Speedfest race at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park outside of Toronto, Canada.

Driver Kevin O’Connell stated, “We recognized that NASCAR was growing beyond the borders of United States and after witnessing the success of the Canadian events I set out to develop a plan with Rick to race and establish relationships in all of the international series while accomplishing a new and unique marker for both our team and marketing partners.”

“This is a unique and exciting effort that Kevin has undertaken,” said Joe Balash, NASCAR international competition liaison. “What Kevin is doing really underscores the many opportunities that exist for drivers to compete with NASCAR series based outside of the U.S. borders as well as for international drivers to compete in the U.S.”

About O’Connell Racing: O’Connell Racing (OCR) featuring American road course racing driver Kevin O’Connell is a motorsports competition and marketing company that competes in NASCAR in America, Canada, Europe, and Mexico and in the IMSA TUDOR United Sports Car Championship Series recently in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Racing Series and in various SVRA/HSR vintage racing events.

About Rick Ware Racing: Rick Ware Racing (RWR) has competed in multiple NASCAR racing series including the NASCAR K&N Pro Series, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, NASCAR XFINITY Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series as well as the ARCA Series, the WMA Motocross Series, AMA Arenacross, Motocross and Supercross Series, Summer X-Games, Lamborghini Super Trofeo Racing Series and the TUDOR United Sports Car Championship Series

PR Contact: Jerry Digney 818.693.1087

Dec 29, 2014 // O'Connell Racing // 4244 Views

LOS ANGELES, CA. – December 29th, 2014 – The Jackson racing family representing three generations of stock car racing on the west coast announced today that the 1st annual David M. Jackson Racer’s Achievement Award has been awarded to American NASCAR and sports car road course driver Kevin O’Connell.

The David M. Jackson Racer’s Achievement Award is given annually and bestowed when merited to honor members of the racing community who have made distinguished achievements in racing and competition, contributions in leadership, the advancement of charitable causes or innovation in the general business of motor racing.

David M. Jackson stated, “This annual award is for more than being a winning driver or crew chief, it is intended to be broader in its recognition. In 2014, Kevin was nominated and selected for the award for the following achievements:

• • Only NASCAR driver in a top national series (Nationwide Series) to earn an advanced degree – Master’s Degree in Business (MBA) – Pepperdine University 1999
• • The 1st American to enter and compete in NASCAR Europe in a road race – 2013 in the American SpeedFest at Brands Hatch, England.
• • Family heritage of racing dating back to the 1960’s with father Gus – Kevin has been a team owner & driver in both NASCAR and IMSA.
• • Active in the promotion of charitable causes: Shania Kids Can
• • 1st in the 2014 Toyota Southwest Superlates Series Winter Classic
• • 2nd in championship points 2014 IMSA Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Pro-Am Series with Rick Ware Racing with 2 wins and 7 podiums.
• • 3rd in 2014 NASCAR Xfinity Series in the Gardner Denver 200 at Road America with Rick Ware Racing — named Mobil 1 Driver of the Race.

Only NASCAR driver in a top national series (Nationwide Series) to earn an advanced degree – Master’s Degree in Business (MBA) – Pepperdine University 1999 Kevin O’Connell commented, “I have known about the Jacksons since the late 1990’s and witnessed them dominate the west coast stock car racing scene in California. In the past two years I have been able to get to know Dave, sons Matt and Tony and now grandson Chris. Together with Dave, they represent decades of racing experience and timeless stories about racers past and present. It’s an honor to receive this recognition from the Jackson family and I appreciate their endorsement.”

This award entitles the recipient to a seat on the 2015 nominating committee for the 2015 David M. Jackson Racer’s Achievement Award as well as an entry and fully sponsored race in the 2015 Toyota Southwest Superlates Winter Classic.

About David M. Jackson: In 1972, Jackson Race Cars was founded in Southern California by David M. Jackson. After receiving a degree in engineering from the University of Nevada, David discovered his passion for stock car racing as a driver and team owner, chassis builder, innovator and racing series founder. As an innovator, David was an early adopter of modern stock car concepts. In the late 1970’s, he was the first car builder to construct a fiberglass body for oval track cars. Additionally, David was the first west coast car builder to construct a coil over chassis and the first racer to utilize an adjustable Watts link as a new assembly that was mounted on the back of a quick change rear end primarily used on ovals. David was active in west coast short track stock car racing in the 1980’s and led early developmental efforts for the establishment of the Southwest Tour Series later sanctioned by NASCAR.

As a team owner, David’s team is the only racing team in the history of Irwindale Speedway to win a championship in the same year in both the Late model and Superlate model divisions. He has five Superlate Model championships as a team owner and chassis builder at Irwindale Speedway, accomplished in the first eleven years of operation. David’s teams and cars have competed and won championships at many historical west coast tracks including: Saugus Speedway, Mesa Marin, Craig Road Speedway, El Cajon Speedway, Orange Show, Riverside Raceway and Willow Springs International.

David has had many notable racers drive for his teams throughout their careers including Rick Hendrick, Jimmy Insolo, Ron Esau and Jim Robinson in the 1980’s, Ron Hornaday, Ernie Irvan, Kenny Schrader, Jim Thirkettle and Greg Pursley in the 1990’s, Kurt & Kyle Busch, Rip Michels and Nick Joanides in the 2000’s and three generations of the Gilliland racing family with Butch, David and Todd. After 44 years in the sport of stock car racing, David continues to be an advocate for ambitious stock car drivers and is actively fielding race cars on the west coast for both short track and road course racing with the family business, Jackson Race Cars. David is currently the Director of Competition for the Toyota Southwest Superlates Series — a series he founded in 1993 that races exclusively at Willow Springs International Raceway.

About Kevin O’Connell: Kevin O’Connell is an American road course racing driver featured by O’Connell Racing (OCR) that competes directly in NASCAR throughout North America and Europe, in IMSA — the sanctioning body of the Tudor United Sports Car Championship in the Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Racing Series and in SVRA & VARA in various vintage racing events.

FOR Kevin O’Connell (OConnellRacing.com)
Digney & Company
Jerry Digney
Tel 323.993.3000

FOR David M. Jackson
Company Contact:
Matt Jackson
Tel 661.305.7391