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CJ Wilson Racing Announces Driver Roster For 2012 Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup Season

AUSTIN, Texas (February 21, 2012) – CJ Wilson Racing announced today their 2012 Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup driver and team sponsor line-up. The team is proud to have been chosen by MAZDASPEED Driver Development ladder driver Elliott Skeer, who will be joined by rookies Stevan McAleer and Emilee Tominovich, as well as second-year driver, Charles Paquin. The team has also announced an extended team partnership with ModSpace.

“We are very pleased to announce a strong line-up of drivers for this year’s Playboy Mazda MX-5 Cup season and an even stronger marketing partnership with ModSpace for 2012,” said Jason Saini, co-owner of CJ Wilson Racing and past series champion. “We have now worked with each driver in some capacity and look forward to continue their development.”

Elliott Skeer was recently selected as the 2011 MAZDASPEED Ladder Shootout award winner and was the 2011 Western Division Teen Mazda Champion. Mazda provides the Shootout winner with a full season in the series, while the SCCA provides entries and BfGoodrich supplies the spec tires. At 17 years old, he is the youngest shootout winner to date. Skeer will drive the No. 17 MAZDASPEED/Sparco/Milgard Windows & Doors/Pelican Windows & Remodeling Mazda MX-5.

"With help from my family we looked closely at the teams racing in the series and ultimately decided the best fit for me was with CJ Wilson Racing,” said Skeer. “It will be a real learning experience for me having several teammates to work with. The team is geared towards driver development, making it a logical choice as a MAZDASPEED Ladder driver.”

Debuting in the No. 19 TrueCar Mazda MX-5 will be Emilee Tominovich, 19, of Clarksville, MD. She was selected as one of six female drivers for TrueCar’s development program. This will be her third season in motorsports and first year in a pro series after successfully competing in SCCA regional competition. She will also have support from Shepherd Electrical Supply, Chesepeake Electrical Systems, Inc. and “Accelerate Your Game”.

“I am super excited for the opportunity to race as part of the TrueCar Racing program with CJ Wilson Racing,” said Tominovich. “With the team and drivers around me I know that I will learn so much. I’m looking forward to the opening round in Sebring.”

Driver of the No. 27 CJ Wilson Racing entry, Charles Paquin, enters his sophomore season after finishing 9th in series points in 2011. The Ottawa, Ontario native hopes to improve upon that result in 2012.

“Last year was essentially a rookie season in a pro series for me and the CJ Wilson Racing team influenced a large part of my development,” said Paquin. “I have a new set of goals for 2012 and look forward to working with the team to accomplish them.”

Stevan McAleer, 27, will be behind the wheel of the No. 28 CJ Wilson Racing machine with support from CJ Wilson’s Children’s Charities, Blue Mercury Capital, RUfocused.com, and Sambo Website Design. The Puntam Valley, NY resident is a 4-time Scottish karting champion. His car experience includes several years of Skip Barber competition as well as E-1 class pole and race win at the 2011 25-Hours of Thunderhill with CJ Wilson Racing.

The No. 29 ModSpace Mazda MX5 entry will be piloted by specially selected drivers throughout the season. The company will select drivers based on their business to business relationships that align with the corporation’s business objectives. Previous drivers have included Chad McCumbee, Ari Strauss, Nick Igdalsky, Justin Marks and Marc Miller. Drivers for 2012 will be announced soon.

“ModSpace is pleased to extend their partnership with Mazda Motorsports and CJ Wilson Racing,” stated William Mann, Vice President of Motorsports for ModSpace. “Last year our relationship with this team was a success and it helped us to achieve our business goals. We are very proud to be associated with the Mazda brand and CJ Wilson Racing.”

The team also will debut a partnership with Forza Motorsports 4, and Xbox 360. CJ was recently a part of a promotion with Forza where game players had the opportunity to ‘challenge’ a lap time that CJ set on the game for a chance at some great prizes supplied by the race team, including a pair of CJ’s race-worn and signed driving gloves and a limited edition CJ Wilson Racing Jacket.

About ModSpace

Modular Space Corporation (ModSpace), based in Berwyn, Pa., is a leading provider of modular buildings, portable storage and services for temporary or permanent space needs. Building on more than 40 years of experience, ModSpace serves a diverse set of customers and markets—including commercial, construction, education, government, healthcare, industrial/energy and special events—through an extensive nationwide branch network throughout the United States and Canada. www.modspace.com

About C.J. Wilson Racing

Based in Austin, Texas, CJ Wilson Racing is a collaboration between successful All-Star Baseball pitcher, CJ Wilson and longtime Mazda motorsports experts Jason Saini and Juliann Pokorny. The team provides car development, driver development and top level arrive and drive experiences, while presenting a wide media footprint for potential partners. Interested drivers and partners should email info@cjwilsonracing.com. CJ Wilson Racing is proud to partner with ModSpace, Construct Corps, Mazda, Xbox, Forza 4, New Balance, Phiten, Oakley and C.J. Wilson's Children's Charities.

Image: CJ Wilson Racing drivers Elliott Skeer (left) and Emilee Tominovich at a recent team test.

Credit: CJ Wison Racing

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