By: Ashley McCubbin

Currently ranked fourth in points, Christian Rose is having a solid season in the ARCA Menards Series with four top-10 finishes. As he prepares for this weekend’s event at Iowa Speedway, the AM Racing driver shared his thoughts with NEWS FROM THE PITS.

What are your thoughts on how your season has gone so far?

I think there’s been some highs, some lows, and then some right in the middle moments. We started the season off leading laps at Daytona (International Speedway) which was pretty dang cool. As somebody who grew up going to the races there, it was really special to get the car out front there. We had an opportunity to lead the race at Charlotte. We’ve had speed. The last two races, the short tracks, is really where I need to be better and work on my craft a lot more, just trying to find a balance.

Daylon Barr

Short track for myself as a driver has been a struggle. I know the guys build really fast racecars. I haven’t gotten the performance out of the car and what its capable of. Overall, to be fifth in points with a shot is great, pretty happy with that, and we have something to build on. We’ve been finishing races and bringing the car home in one piece. If we can keep doing that, we can close in on possibly getting a win.

I was gonna say that despite being a bunch of different styles of tracks, you’ve been able to score those top-10 finishes. It’s got to be a confidence boost.

Definitely there’s a lot to build off of. Kansas (Speedway) was a place where we had an issue on pit road, I think we would’ve ran fifth there – finished ninth, had the car in one piece and a top-10. Charlotte (Motor Speedway), again, we ran inside the top-five and brought it home eighth. We’re going ninth, eighth, seventh, and then back to 10^th. Berlin (Raceway) was a place that at the end of the race, we were as fast as anybody on the track. It kind of took the whole race for me to figure it out. It’s a very technical place. It’s something that I’m appreciative in how the ARCA platform works in it allows you to get experience on all these different tracks and that’s what you’re going to need moving forward.

So what are your goals as you head into the second half of the season?

The goals are to keep finishing races, keep doing what we’re doing and keep bringing the cars back in one piece. Obviously we’d want to take the miscues we’ve had on pit road and turn those ninths and sevenths to fifths, fourths – run more consistently towards the top-five. I think that’s what I’ve like to get out of it as a driver. I think if we can build on the finishes we’ve had in the first half and get faster, I think we’re definitely going to be fighting for wins here. Everybody wants to win, but as long as we keep running the laps and getting experience, that’s what matters.

What track are you most excited to get to?

Daylon Barr

Pocono. Pocono is probably my favorite track on the circuit. We had a really good car there last year, and an oil line fail unfortunately at the quarter-mark of the race. I think that’s a place that we’ll be pretty good at and definitely looking forward to that place. Kansas (Speedway) again in the fall – there’s a lot of pretty good places we’re going to. I think any places that we’ve had a lot of speed I’m looking forward to.

What track do you wish was on the ARCA schedule that currently is not?

I’d say maybe Martinsville (Speedway). I’d say Martinsville or maybe New Smyrna (Speedway). I kind of wish the (Nashville) Fairgrounds was still a premiere race as that place is a lot of fun to get around.

How did you get your start in racing?

A different avenue. I went from playing baseball my whole life and being a fan. I made it into the garage area as a kid and my parents got talking to guys in asking how do I get started. I was an athlete so how do I become one of the guys that go over the wall and be a part of NASCAR? We started talking and did a one-day test session and I was just supposed to come out and have some fun and we weren’t too bad. So they then thought maybe we can go racing and then five years now since I started the journey, a lot of blessings in God having his hand in how we got here.

Who would you consider is your racing hero?

Jeff Gordon. I grew up a diehard Jeff Gordon fan. I’ve always been a fan of how good he was in the car and how well-spoken he was outside of the car. Then Kyle Larson after Gordon retired was probably the guy that I looked up the most – the fact he can get in anything and wheel it, doesn’t matter what it is. He’s always racing something that’s different every week. Those two guys are guys that I looked up to the most and still do. I dream one day – and it’s a pipe dream but to racing for Hendrick Motorsports and getting to race for Jeff. You never know what opportunities hold, but it’d be a huge opportunity.

I know you’re right now focused on stock cars and making your way up that ladder, but is there anything else in motorsports that you’d like to get behind of?

I’d say anything, really. I’m going to get behind a dirt modified in a couple weeks so that should be a good one for us. But really, I would love to head down the IMSA route for the 24 (Hours of Daytona). I could get some road course experience, dirt experience – it really doesn’t matter what the racecar is, it’s a racecar. I love late model stocks. I’d like to get back in one of those. Basically, if I get an opportunity to race, I’d love to be doing it. I love the ARCA series and the platform that we get to run but if there’s opportunities on a weekday or off-weekend to go run something like a sprint car or dirt modified or whatever it may be, I’m all for it.