Joey Arrington
| Joey Arrington | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | July 25, 1956 Rocky Mount, Virginia | ||||||
| NASCAR Cup Series career | |||||||
| 9 races run over 5 years | |||||||
| Best finish | 84th (1980) | ||||||
| First race | 1974 Capital City 500 (Richmond) | ||||||
| Last race | 1980 Richmond 400 (Richmond) | ||||||
| |||||||
Joey Arrington (born July 25, 1956) is an American former NASCAR driver, team owner, and crew chief from Rocky Mount, Virginia.[1] He made nine Winston Cup Series starts with a best finish of 12th.[1] He made his first start in 1974 as a 17-year-old and raced until 1980.[1]
He was the owner of Race Engines Plus LLC[2] and is the son of former NASCAR driver Buddy Arrington. Arrington was a partner in Bobby Hamilton Racing. He started Arrington Manufacturing and Arrington Engines in 2000. After selling his interests in both entities, he moved the majority of his business ventures to Concord, North Carolina, before founding anew NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team in 2012.
Biography
[edit]Arrington is the son of Buddy and Jeanette Arrington, and often was present at his father's races. His interests in engines and car tuning were sparked by Petty Enterprises engine builder Maurice Petty, and Joey would tweak his skills in the Petty shop in Level Cross. After graduating high school in 1975, the younger Arrington became the crew chief and engine builder for his father's racing efforts.[3]
Arrington was an integral part of Dodge's return to stock car racing, building engines and providing parts for Dodge teams for their return to ARCA in 1991, Trans-Am, and the Craftsman Truck Series in 1995.[3]
Arrington Manufacturing / Race Engines Plus
[edit]| Industry | Automotive |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2000 |
| Founder | Joey Arrington |
| Defunct | 2023 |
| Successor | Speed Engines |
| Headquarters | |
Area served | United States worldwide |
Key people | Joey Arrington Buddy Arrington |
| Brands | Toyota, GM, Dodge, Ford |
| Services | Engine building and parts |
| Website | Race Engines Plus ShopHemi.com |
In 2000, Arrington founded Arrington Manufacturing, Inc. in Martinsville, Virginia, also operating as Arrington Engines. Arrington built engines for Dodge truck teams Bobby Hamilton Racing and Ultra Motorsports, winning championships in 2004 and 2005 with Ted Musgrave and Bobby Hamilton.[3]
In 2009, with Dodge pulling support from the Truck Series, Arrington shifted its focus and expanded into the aftermarket parts industry.[4] That same year, they began providing engines to rookie Cup team Tommy Baldwin Racing, a team he had worked with in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.[5]
In 2011, Arrington began his new entity, called Race Engines Plus and located in the auto racing hub of Concord, North Carolina.[6] Headquartered on Weddington Road, the company built race engines for teams in NASCAR, NHRA, and SCCA, and also provided engine building contract services for businesses and individuals. REP and the shop were purchased by Robby Gordon in 2023, who rebranded the company to Speed Engines.[7]
Arrington's association with Dodge remains, providing customized HEMI engines for street cars. Buddy Arrington, Joey's father, was a 2015 Mopar Hall of Fame inductee.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "NASCAR Drivers Statistics". Racing Reference. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
- ^ King, Randy. "Arts and Craftsman: Arrington finds NASCAR niche". www.roanake.com. Archived from the original on 2013-02-01.
- ^ a b c "Racing Engine Builder Joey Arrington". joeyarrington.com. joeyarrington.com. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Buck, Johnny (January 18, 2009). "Arrington shifts gears to Toyota". Martinsville Bulletin. Martinsville, Virginia: Martinsville Bulletin. Archived from the original on 9 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Newton, David (January 7, 2009). "Stars align for new team owner Baldwin". espn.go.com. Charlotte, North Carolina: ESPN. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
Tommy Baldwin could be rolling the dice by starting a new Sprint Cup team in this depressed economy. But the longtime crew chief is feeling awfully lucky, writes David Newton.
- ^ "About Race Engines Plus". raceenginesplus.com. raceenginesplus.com. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
- ^ Nguyen, Justin (August 19, 2023). "Robby Gordon opens engine division on former Evernham motor campus". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved May 19, 2024.