TOLEDO OH (11-2-09) - From the cockpit to the classroom, Robb Brent is planning for the future. With the 2009 ARCA RE/MAX Series season behind him, Brent is once again hitting the school books.

Brent, driver of the no. 36 Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep Dodge, is currently finishing up his bachelor's degree from Northwood University in Midland Michigan.

"I'm planning on graduating in February," said Brent.

"I took a few terms off last year because of racing. But now, school is my focus. It's nice that I don't have any distractions; I can just focus on school.

"It's the same university that my dad went to, and my sister's going here too. It's the place to go around here for dealership education. It's a great school. It has the largest outdoor auto show in the country, run by all the students."

Brent will be graduating with a degree in Automotive Marketing & Management, which seems like a pretty good match for a racing type guy. It's also a very good match for keeping the family business going. Brent's father operates the family dealership - Bob Brent's Orchard Chrysler Dodge Jeep in Washington Township, Michigan. Brent's grandfather started the business more than 40 years ago.

"I definitely want to make sure the family business keeps going. These are tough times. If racing doesn't work out I want something solid to fall back on."

Brent is grateful the family business is still there to ‘fall back on'. Like all Chrysler dealerships, the Brent's had to wait on a letter from Chrysler back in June before they knew if the business would make the cut.

Fortunately, the news was good - the family dealership would survive.

"That was huge for our family. I know when my dad read the letter, he had many of his employees huddled up around him in the showroom. He said he read the first sentence to himself. When he realized we were safe, he shared the news then and there. There were lots of cheers. It was a cool moment; it would have been neat to catch it on tape - like a movie moment.

"We had all three brands, which was a requirement from Chrysler."

Despite keeping the family business going, Brent, nonetheless, has every intention of making things work out in racing.

"We plan to come back even stronger next year with the Allgaier team. Dave Leiner, my crew chief, is on board, which is a very good thing. We ended the year really strong. We didn't have the finishes to show it but our cars were very well prepared.

"The guys are making some updates in the shop. We've got a new hauler. We're coming back 100% in 2010."

Brent ended up 10th in points in 2009, his first full season on tour. Brent started the season with crew chief Bob Blount but switched mid-season, hiring Dave Leiner (left) to replace Blount as crew chief. It was a change that seemed to give Brent the momentum he was searching for.

"Nothing against Bobby; he's very knowledgeable and experienced. We just didn't click well. Chemistry is a big part of success at this level, and I feel like Dave and I really communicate well. We understand each other. He was on my side from the beginning. He believes in me, and I believe in him.

"We spend a lot less time now chasing the car in practice. Before, we were too far away when we got to the track. I'd spend the whole practice chasing it. Now, I feel like we're 99% there when we unload. Once you find a good set-up, you can take that set-up to every intermediate track and just tweak on it, rather than wrestle with wholesale changes like we used to do. We're good right out of the box now."

Brent notched a career-best fourth place finish late in the season on the New Jersey Motorsports Park road course, one of the more challenging tracks on the tour.

"I've heard that ARCA might add another road course event. I really wish they would. We were good at New Jersey, and I can tell you we're gunna get the car better for there next time we go back."

In addition to going full tilt at school, Brent is also preparing for the three-day test at Daytona in December.

"We're definitely going to test at Daytona. We didn't make the race last two years there, so we're gunna test. February's gunna be a big month for me. I'll graduate with my degree and race at Daytona. The race this year falls on my birthday, so it's going to be a great day.

"I'm really excited about the new year. I really think we're going to have something for ‘em. We had a decent first year, but I know for a fact we can do much better than that. We had a season pretty close to (Justin) Lofton's first year here, and look what he was able to accomplish this year. We're going to try and model that. I'm not saying we'll be that good everywhere, but I really think you're going to see some major improvements in our performance.

"We're going to the (Daytona) test for sure. We already have our hotels booked. I already have the countdown timer on my laptop."