Pieces are already starting to come together for the 2023 ARCA Menards Series season, as current ARCA Menards Series East driver Steve Austin has announced a partnership with T.C Enterprises, forming Tom Crosby Racing.
Austin and T.C. Enterprises made the announcement in a press release on Sunday morning.
Tom Crosby, a lifelong race fan, formed T.C. Enterprises back in 1989, building itself up in the food and beverage industry. But as all this went on, he kept his eye on the racing scene where he discovered Steve Austin racing in the early 90’s.
Crosby mostly recalls watching dirt racing around that time, watching the likes of Earl Pearson Jr., Dennis Shoenfield, David Bradley, and more.
Fast forward over 30 years later to 2022, Austin finally makes his first career ARCA start at New Smyrna Speedway, and it was not a fun one. The car lost its radio, brakes, and continued to overheat as the race went on.
Long night last night, lost radio communication, lugging engine due to being forced to run the inside Lane then list the brakes and overheating. Still enjoyed the experience, thanks to everyone who helped out. pic.twitter.com/VpoiSqyc3P
— Steve Austin (@22SteveAustin) February 16, 2022
However, according to the press release, the veteran short track racer has departed from CCM Racing, opening the door for this new exciting deal.
“Our plan is to begin acquisition of equipment and be prepared to hit the ground running at Daytona in 2023.” the team said in the release. “In the meantime, we would like to possibly partner with an existing team to maybe do a few races this year and assist with the transition for next season.”
The 56-year-old has scored a top-12 in each of his starts this season and has had great success in late models on both dirt and asphalt.
Due to the mid-season change, it is unknown what Austin’s ARCA schedule will look like for the rest of this season, but it is certain he will still be a regular face at short tracks around the country, as well as the Carolina Pro Late Model Series and Atlantic Turfscapes Super Truck Series.
Additional sponsorship announcements and team details will be released at a later date.
