Month: June 2014

Concord, NC (Jun. 19) – Since the beginning of the season, Director of Competition Jefferson Hodges has had this weekend’s K&N Pro Series East race circled on his calendar. For Hodges, the Visit Hampton VA 175 (which takes place at Langley Speedway) is more than just another race on the schedule; it is a homecoming. Langley used to be owned by Hodges’ family, and it remains a track he knows too well. “It was a place that we were always proud of and always had great support from the teams and community. It is a showplace for short-track stock car racing and really makes me happy to have all the memories of growing up there and see all the improvements Bill [Mullis] and his staff have made to the place I grew up knowing as ‘Langley Field’. I think everyone in the K&N Series enjoys going there and that makes me feel really good.” From a historical standpoint, Hodges’ knowledge of the track has proven advantageous for his drivers. In 2013, three of the four Rev Racing cars finished in the top-11, with the outlier suffering from electrical issues. “Langley is a tricky place. It is shaped like an oval, but not at all raced that way,” Hodges said. “There are certain parts of the track where it is important to be very good, and others where it does not matter nearly as much. In my opinion, to be able to share that [insight] with my team is an advantage.” For the upcoming race, the spotlight will be on NKNPSE newcomer Jay Beasley along with veteran Sergio Peña. Jay Beasley (No. 42 Toyota Racing Development Toyota) – Beasley is currently on a hot streak. After another impressive performance at Five Flags Speedway, he will make his debut at Langley Speedway behind the momentum of three consecutive top-10’s. Conjunctionally, each of Beasley’s aforementioned top-10 performances have been during track debuts, proving that the Las Vegas native has developed the ability to quickly adapt to unfamiliar circumstances. Beasley’s last few outings have moved him up in the point standings, where he currently sits at 13th. Sergio Peña (No. 4 L&M Enthanol Toyota) – Peña reigns supreme at Langley Speedway. Of the active drivers in the NKNPSE, the NASCAR Next alumnus has the most wins, top-5’s, and laps led. Coming off of a top-10 performance at Five Flags Speedway, Peña is looking forward to continuing his dominance at Langley Speedway. Daniel Suarez (No. 6 Toyota Racing Development Toyota) – Last season, Suarez’ performance at Langley Speedway fell just short of taking the checkered flag in first. However, his valiant second place finish resulted in his first top-5 of the season. After mechanical issues prevented him from finishing last week’s race at Five Flags Speedway, Suarez won’t have to wait much longer to redeem himself and move back into the top-5 of the point standings. Suarez is currently 6th in the point standings. Ryan Gifford (No. 2 UTI/NASCAR Technical Institute Toyota) – Gifford is another Rev Racing driver who has historically performed well at Langley Speedway. In last year’s campaign, Gifford was able to secure a top-5 finish after a solid top-10 qualifying effort. After a less than favorable finish last weekend, Gifford is adamant about returning to the same form that recently secured him a top-10 finish at Bowman Gray Stadium. Gifford is currently 17th in the point standings. Mackena Bell (No. 21 Special Smiles Pediatric Dentistry Toyota) – In her last campaign at Langley Speedway, Bell put forth an admirable effort, but finished one spot shy of the top-10. After showing signs of improvement over her past few races, Bell is looking use the knowledge of Hodges and her crew chief to earn her second top-10 of the season. Bell is currently 15th in the point standings. Two-lap qualifying for the Visit Hampton 175 will be Saturday, June 21 at 4:00 p.m., followed by an autograph session at 5:45 p.m. The race begins at 8:00 p.m. ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities and women drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

Concord, NC (Jun 17, 2014) We’ve reached the halfway milestone of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East season and Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender Jay Beasley has found his stride. After a brief transition period to his first season competing in the NKNPSE, Beasley has torn-off the training wheels and settled into his rightful place as a contender in the series. When asked whether he believes others drivers in the series are finally beginning to view him more as a contender and less as a rookie, Beasley stated, “The other drivers aren’t my concern. Some people will give you positive remarks and others will criticize, so I don’t pay attention to what other people think. I just try to do my best every time I’m out there and take it one lap at a time.” Based on the results of his last three races, this sentiment has proven favorable for the young driver from Las Vegas, Nevada. The initial storyline of the Pensacola 150 was centered around the weather, with an impeding thunderstorm threatening to postpone the race. The thunderstorm, however, proved to be short-lived and the lone practice resumed on a damp track. Nevertheless, drivers and crew chiefs alike were thrown a curve ball as the sun appeared just prior to qualifications, drying the track and forcing the drivers to qualify in conditions they had not practiced in. Initially, Beasley had trouble adjusting to a dry track and found himself in a hole for Friday’s 150-lap competition after qualifying 17th. However, with some skillful maneuvering and quick shifting, he was able to take advantage of each of the 5 restarts and methodically pass one driver after another until finding a place in the top-10. Sergio Peña also posted an impressive performance at Five Flags Speedway. After qualifying 11th, Peña was in prime position to add another top-10 to his résumé; and that’s exactly what he did. It was initially reported that Peña finished 16th. However, once the race had concluded, it was discovered that a collision during the actual competition had broken Peña’s transponder, giving the illusion that he had fallen a lap behind the rest of the pack, despite being in the thick of the action. For a significant portion of the 150-lap race, Beasley, Peña, and Rev Racing teammate Mackena Bell found themselves battling one another for the final few positions in the top-10. Unfortunately, all three drivers weren’t able to hold on to their positions and Bell gave up one too many positions over the final few laps and took the checkered flag in 12th. Ryan Gifford and Daniel Suarez were unable to finish the race after suffering from mechanical and tire issues. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will resume competition this weekend with the Visit Hampton 175 at Hampton, Virginia’s Langley Speedway on Saturday, June 21. ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities and women drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

Concord, NC (Jun 10, 2014) – After a thrilling race at Bowman Gray Stadium, the Rev Racing team will load up the haulers and take the racecars to Pensacola, FL to compete in the Pensacola 150 at Five Flags Speedway. However, unlike Rev Racing’s 2013 outing at Five Flags Speedway, this year’s race was scheduled further along into the season, giving each of the Rev drivers the advantage of having more time to gel with their crew. The additional seat-time, combined with the momentum surrounding the team after placing three drivers in the top-10 at the toughest track on the 2014 schedule, has the bar set high for Rev’s upcoming endeavor. Leading the charge for Rev Racing will be newcomer Jay Beasley and veteran Daniel Suarez. Jay Beasley (No. 42 Toyota Racing Development Toyota) – The K&N Pro Series East newcomer, who is 15th in the point standings, will be competing at Five Flags Speedway for the first time. However, after finishing top-5 and top-10 in his last two races, Beasley’s stock and confidence are sky-high. “I think my success lately is due to having more seat-time in the car and more time to gel with my crew. The team has done a great job with the car. Over the season our communication has gotten better and better. And recently we’ve been making strides in having the car set up better.” Daniel Suarez (No. 6 Toyota Racing Development Toyota) – Suarez heads to Five Flags Speedway coming off an unlikely second place finish at Bowman Gray where he managed to improve 18 places over the course of a 150-lap, 37.5-mile race. Furthermore, the Monterrey, Mexico native returns to the United States after recently winning his fourth race in the Mexico Toyota Series. Suarez is currently third in the point standings. Ryan Gifford (No. 2 UTI/NASCAR Technical Institute Toyota) – Coming off of a hard fought top-10 effort at Bowman Gray, Gifford is looking to build some momentum to carry him into the second half of the season. Historically, Five Flags Speedway has been a generous track for the NASCAR Next driver. In his last outing at Five Flags Speedway, Gifford finished within the top-10. Gifford is currently 16th in the point standings. Sergio Peña (No. 4 L&M Enthanol Toyota) – Sergio Peña will be competing at Five Flags Speedway for the first time with Rev Racing. After mechanical issues put a damper on his top-10 qualifying effort at Bowman Gray, Peña is eager to get back behind the wheel. “Last race was unfortunate as blowing a front right tire isn’t something you can control. So the strategy hasn’t changed. The team is working hard and still believe we have a great car,” said Peña. He is currently 17th in the point standings. Mackena Bell (No. 21 Special Smiles Pediatric Dentistry Toyota) – In her last outing at Five Flags Speedway. Bell narrowly missed a top-10 finish. With a chip on her shoulder, Bell is looking to redeem last year’s efforts and finish in the top-10. Two-lap qualifying for the Pensacola 150 will be Friday, June 13 at 5:30 p.m., followed by an autograph session at 7:00 p.m. The race begins at 9:00 p.m. ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities and women drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

Concord, NC (Jun 3, 2014) – Saturday’s NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 at Bowman Gray Stadium was headlined by Suarez’s 2nd place finish, while three Rev Racing drivers ultimately took the checkered flag within the top-10 in a race that was decided on the final lap. Jay Beasley was the only driver to qualify in the top-10. Ryan Gifford qualified 14th and Daniel Suarez qualified last after hitting the wall in turn one of his qualifying efforts. The damage to the #6 Toyota Racing Development Toyota was extensive, but repairable, leaving the question of how it would perform during the actual race. Bowman has historically been a track that is difficult to navigate. The flat and narrow quarter-mile track is designed for bumping, banging, and sliding. The only way to steer clear of other drivers is to stay is to distance oneself from the pack. However, with the Rev Racing drivers scattered throughout, each car was in the thick of the action. After the drivers took the green flag, an immediate pile up in turn three involving Rev Racing drivers Bell and Gifford, forced a yellow flag. There was a grand total of 12 yellow and one red flag over the course of the hour-long competition. While the entire race was marred with caution flags, it was the final flag on lap 143 that set the stage for a green-white-checkered restart. Under the yellow, Suarez, Gifford, and Beasley were positioned 2nd, 6th, and 7th respectively. Once the green flag was issued on lap 150, Suarez was door-to-door with Rhodes in a battle for first. Unfortunately, Rhodes, who had the inside position, was able to clear Suarez just before taking the checkered. Though Rhodes and Suarez had a clear path the finish line, the remaining drivers were involved in a pile up in turn four. After extensive contact, Gifford and Beasley narrowly escaped and sprinted to 7th and 9th place finishes. Mackena Bell took the checkered flag in 13th while Sergio Peña was unable to finish due to mechanical issues. In reference to his come-from-behind 2nd place finish, Suarez admitted that Saturday’s efforts were a combination of teamwork and luck. “I want to thank everyone on the Rev Racing team who helped get my car back to where I could compete. They did an awesome job. The car for the race was not exactly the same as it was in the morning because we hit the wall, but it was fast. And with some luck we were able to drive all the way back to the front and now we head home with a smile on our faces and a 2nd place finish.” With his 2nd place finish, Suarez has jumped Cameron Hayley and has reclaimed 3rd place in the point standings. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will return to action on Friday, June 13 with the Pensacola 150 at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida. The NASCAR Hall of Fame 150 will air on FOX Sports 1 on Saturday June 7 at 10:30am. ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities and women drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.