Month: July 2014

CONCORD, N.C. (July 31, 2014) — Coming off a win and a top five in the last NASCAR K&N Pro Series East event, Rev Racing will return to Iowa Speedway for the second time this season on Friday, Aug. 1. With three Rev Racing drivers advancing in the point standings, the team is looking forward to competing in the Autolite Iridium 150, which will be the second K&N East-West combination race of the season. Sergio Peña (No. 4 L&M Ethanol Toyota) — Peña heads to Newton, Iowa with his first win of the season after holding off Cameron Hayley in the JEGS 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway during the last NKNPSE outing. Peña has one win, one top five, and four top 10s this season moving him up to 15^th in the point standings. With five years of experience in the K&N Pro Series, he will strive to keep his momentum going as he competes in the 36-car starting field. Ryan Gifford (No. 2 UTI/NASCAR Tech Toyota) — Gifford earned his first top five of the season in Columbus putting him at 17^th place in the point standings. After some difficulties and obstacles throughout the season, the veteran was able to persevere to secure his fifth place finish at Columbus Motor Speedway and plans to continue his success with the five remaining races. He is one of nine members of the 2014-2015 NASCAR Next class competing on Friday. Daniel Suárez (No. 6 Rev Racing Toyota) — Suárez returns to the NKNPSE after taking a race off to compete in the NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series where he currently leads in points. Though he’s had some time off from the series, he is coming back with a good track record at Iowa Speedway. In his last two outings at the track, he finished with a top five and a top 10. This season, Suárez has captured two wins, four top fives and six top 10s, and he is currently ranked 14^th in the point standings. After Friday’s event, Suárez will travel to Mexico to compete in the Queretana 200 on Sunday. Jay Beasley (No. 42 Rev Racing Toyota) — With a 13^th place finish in Columbus, Beasley is eager to go back to the track where he received his first career NKNPSE top five. Beasley has racked up two top fives and four top 10s in 11 starts this season, placing him 11^th in the point standings. Mackena Bell (No. 21 Special Smiles/Lung Force Toyota) — Bell was able to get extra seat time racing her late model in the Hampton Heat 200 last weekend at Langley Speedway. She’s hoping the extra opportunity will help her have a successful weekend in Iowa, specifically because she was unable to finish in her last outing at the speedway due to an accident. Bell is ranked 17^th in the standings. There will be an autograph session at 3:15 p.m. with the two-lap qualifier to follow at 5 p.m. The Autolite Iridium XP 150 will air Friday, Aug. 8 at 11 a.m. on Fox Sports 1. ­­ 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, women drivers, and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net and follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

Rev Racing has some of the most loyal fans in NASCAR, who support our drivers day in and day out. The support and encouragement that our drivers receive is unparalleled. Thus, in an effort to connect with our fan base on a more personal level, Rev Racing is distributing a Get To Know Your Driver series. Each of our drivers has worked hard to reach this point in their career. And while a career in NASCAR is their dream job, it does not define who they are. For each of our drivers, there is a story behind the helmet, behind the fire suit, and behind the car. We want to share that story with you…   Concord, N.C. (July 25, 2014) —For Jay Beasley, it all started at 7-years-old with a Go-Ped. His father, Rod Ronnow, was asked to fix two Go-Peds for a friend, but instead, he was told to keep the two-wheeled motorized scooters. Ronnow had a knack for repairing motors and loved to race motocross, street bikes, and drag boats, and Beasley shared that same passion. “When I was really young, I always said that I was going to be a NASCAR driver,” he said. “It was weird because I was racing everything with two wheels, but I kept saying I was going to be a NASCAR driver.” As a child, Beasley played other sports, including football and lacrosse, but nothing could quite measure up to racing. “Football was fun…I loved lacrosse, but I just wanted to go fast,” he said. The Las Vegas native became such a talented rider that he was sponsored by Go-Ped in 2002 and went on to become a five-time Go-Ped Scooter Cross champion. After racing Go-Peds, he transitioned to Supermoto, but only for about a year. During a race, his back tire failed to make it over a jump. The bike sent Beasley flying, landing on his chest and breaking his collarbone. He then contemplated racing street bikes because he loved racing on asphalt, but his dad wasn’t in favor of any more two-wheelers for the young racer. Instead, he wanted something more stable that his stepson would be contained in, so Beasley began racing Legend cars. “I miss two wheels, but I’m enjoying NASCAR and four wheels. Plus, it’s safer,” he said. Every day Beasley exercised to stay in shape for racing. He also practiced riding his Go-Ped and dirt bike around the neighborhood and worked on his racecar after school. “I would spend so many hours on the track. In the winter time, when it was 20 degrees outside, we’d wear leather jackets and just go on the track and mess around,” he said. His mother, Evelyn Beasley, supported him throughout his childhood and career, and he credits his father for much of his work ethic and success. “He taught me how hard to work for it at such a young age, so, now it’s not hard work. It’s every day life,” he said. “It was really frustrating at some points, but I’m really grateful he did that.” At the beginning of his career, one of Beasley’s biggest setbacks came his senior year of high school in 2009. He was at a friend’s house talking outside with classmates when two SUVs pulled up to the crowd of people. “A whole bunch of people got out, and they were all wearing black. Then I saw these girls beginning to run up the street,” he said. “Right when I turned around I saw someone standing next to me wearing all black. Then everyone started running in a panic.” The gang in black began shooting at the crowd, and the person standing next to Beasley aimed a gun at his head and fired. “I barely missed it. I heard the bullet zoom right by me.” He continued to run from the gang but couldn’t find anywhere to hide, and a few of the members caught up to him. “One of the guys pointed the gun right at my face, but his buddy ended up telling him not to shoot me, and then they left,” he said. “It was crazy.” Beasley left the incident with a gunshot wound to the leg that shattered his fibula. Fears of paralysis and death continued to cross his mind. At the time, Beasley had also been training to become a firefighter as a back-up plan if racing didn’t work out, but the incident solidified how much he wanted to succeed in racing. It also became one of the reasons why he tries not to take anything for granted. “I’m glad it happened because it made me focus more on my career,” he said. “It also made me a better person, and now, I don’t let little things bother me.” Though he was forced to keep the bullet in his leg to prevent an extended recovery time, he refused to let that stop him. After four months of physical therapy, he continued to race in the INEX Legend Series accumulating two wins and 17 top-5s in 2010. In 2011, he began racing super late models where he achieved much success early on, but in 2012, he suffered a severe concussion after crashing head-on into a wall during practice, destroying the racecar and causing Beasley to miss the rest of the season. Despite the delay in his career, he came back ready to conquer the 2013 season, but he did more than that. Beasley made history and became the first African-American to win a race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway after capturing the Super Late Model title. He also won the prestigious Wendell Scott Trailblazer Award for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, and later joined the 2014 Rev Racing team. “Accepting the Wendell Scott Award was a big deal and meant a lot. It was a blessing,” said. “To be able to be a trailblazer just like him this past year was amazing. It was such an honor.” Off the track, Beasley enjoys the outdoors, fitness training, watching movies, and traveling, especially when he gets to visit different racetracks. He also loves listening to hip-hop and rock music. “I love anything that gets me to swaying!” While Beasley loves to have fun, he also enjoys giving back to the community. His traumatic experience has motivated him to support individuals who have been confined to a wheelchair due to a permanent injury. To help support this cause, please make a donation to The Carolina TarWheels. The Carolina TarWheels is a non-profit organization dedicated to enhancing the lives of individuals with disabilities. By promoting health and fitness through sports, recreation, and social activities, the organization allows individuals to maintain an active lifestyle while offering a program that is enjoyable and meaningful to its participants. 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, women drivers, and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net and follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

Patience. This was the sentiment that Sergio Peña expressed after taking the checkered in Saturday night’s JEGS 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway. Peña hasn’t had the season that he’d hoped for and he isn’t shy about letting that be known.  However, despite the obstacles, the one thing that the Winchester, Virginia native has never done is give up. Peña had shown glimpses of dominance as of late, qualifying no worst than 11^th in each of the last five races. However, Peña and crew have struggled to find the winning formula, as only one of those starts has garnered a top-10. All of that changed Saturday night as Peña was adamant that getting over the hump and finally winning a race was not a matter of “if”, rather a matter of “when”. “We have definitely turned the season around. I really think we could have won at New Hampshire but we were just unlucky. In regards to Columbus, we ended up in front and kept the car in one piece throughout the race. We drove hard. I can’t say that we did anything different for Columbus as we’ve had some really fast cars as of late. It’s just been a matter of taking advantage of them. In Columbus, I just happened to be in the right place at right time and it all worked out,” said Peña enthusiastically. Entering the race, Peña and Gifford were the Rev Racing favorites after both drivers qualified in the top-5. Immediately after taking the green, some quick shifting allowed Gifford to move up to second place while Peña fell to fifth. Both drivers maintained their positions until roughly the 25-lap marker. It was then that Peña and Gifford began losing position. Competitors were making aggressive moves to the inside on turn 3, and both drivers conceded instead of challenging. By lap 40, Gifford had fallen out of the top-5 and Peña had fallen out of the top-10. Such passive behavior was a little uncharacteristic of both drivers as they’re usually the ones making the aggressive moves. However, upon further listen to each drivers radio, Peña and Gifford’s crew chiefs were encouraging each driver to race at their own pace and keep their lines, regardless of the actions their competitors took. Keeping one’s line proved to be crucial at the Columbus Motor Speedway as 5 of the 6 cautions occurred from drivers being overly aggressive and spinning out in turn 4. Luckily, a spinout on lap-42 allowed the drivers to regroup. After taking the green flag that followed, Peña and Gifford essentially swapped positions and Peña was now sitting at sixth while Gifford slid to eleventh. Over the course of the next 80 laps, Peña and Gifford maintained position relatively well, only fluctuating one position either ways. However, teammate Beasley utilized those same 80 laps to increase his 17^th place position until he cracked the top-10 and landed at ninth place. By lap 120, Peña had waited long enough and decided to make his move. Over the course of the next five laps he made some aggressive moves and managed to fight his way into first place. It appeared the race was all but won, until a caution with 10 laps to go set the stage for a wire-to-wire finish. The race remained under caution for the next 8 laps. It became apparent that whoever took advantage of the subsequent green flag was going to be the winner of the race. After taking the green with two laps to go, Peña did everything in his power to hold on to his first place position and immediately jumped out to a 2-car lead by the time he came around for the white flag. From there, he cruised to an easy victory. Not to be discounted are the efforts of teammate Gifford who also took the checkered flag in the top-5. Sitting in P6 during the final caution, he was also in a dogfight over the course of the final two laps. Luckily, Gifford was able to persevere and come out on top when challenging for the final spot in the top-5. Unfortunately, not every Rev Racing driver benefitted from the final two restarts. Jay Beasley, who had managed to fight his way into the top-10, fell a few spots over the final 20 laps and took the checkered in 13^th Rev Racing’s Mackena Bell unfortunately suffered two flat tires early in the race, keeping her at the back of the pack. Bell was able to return to the track after both flat tires, however around the 60-lap marker, the sway bar on her car broke and sidelinws her for the rest of the race. The JEGS 150 present by Germain Toyota will air on FOX Sports 1 on Sunday, July 27 at 9 a.m. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East with return to action at Iowa Speedway on Aug. 1. ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, N.C., 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 drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

Concord, North Carolina (July 17, 2014) – Rev Racing driver Daniel Suarez continues to advance as a competitive driver, achieving success in both the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and NASCAR Mexico Toyota Series (NMTS). To continue providing Suarez growth opportunities as he contends for NMTS championship, he will sit out of three K&N Series races due to schedule conflicts with the NMTS. The opportunity will allow Suarez to focus his efforts and attention on maintaining his current points lead as the series heads into the Desafio, the official playoffs of the series. Though Suarez will not participate in upcoming races at Columbus Motor Speedway, Greenville Pickens Speedway and Virginia International Raceway this season due to schedule conflicts with the NMTS, he will return with the team in the remaining K&N Pro Series East events. “Rev Racing aims to advance and support the development of drivers in the program and beyond. We are happy to be part of this development and growth [for Suarez],” said team owner Max Siegel. “We are proud to see him achieve success at such an esteemed level across all series in which he competes and look forward to watching his progression through the remainder of the season and beyond.” In Suarez’s absence, NASCAR Drive for Diversity graduate and former Rev Racing team member, Bryan Ortiz will pilot the No. 6 Toyota at VIR and Greenville Pickens. Ortiz competed in the 2013 season for Rev Racing after a three-year stent in the program, accumulating eight top-5 and 21 top-10 victories. The 25-year-old, Puerto Rico native will compete at Virginia International Raceway Aug. 16 and Greenville Speedway Sept. 6. Ryan Gifford will be running the No. 6 Toyota at Columbus Motor Speedway this Saturday. Follow @RevRacin on Twitter for live race updates. 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 drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing, visit revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

CONCORD, N.C. (July 16, 2014) — Rev Racing will return to the track on Saturday for the second week in a row to compete in the JEGS 150 at Columbus Motor Speedway. Each Rev Racing team has been hard at work all week and the cars are ready to hit the track for a successful weekend in the Midwest. With all Rev Racing drivers ranking in the top 20 of the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, this race could result in a positive outcome for the team. Jay Beasley (No. 42 Rev Racing Toyota) — The NKNPSE rookie is headed to Columbus fresh off his second top five of the season where he finished fourth in New Hampshire, tying his season-best. So far this season, Beasley has been successful racing on short tracks and looks forward to driving on the .333-mile oval. “Going into Columbus, I feel like we can get another top five finish, and I feel like we’re even going to win shortly,” he said. “I’m really excited because I think we’ll do really well, especially on a short track.” He captured his first top five at Iowa Speedway in May and hopes to return home from the Midwest again with the same success. In his last five races, Beasley has garnered two top fives and four top 10s, increasing his point standing to 12^th place. Mackena Bell (No. 21 Special Smiles/Lung Force Toyota) — Saturday’s race will be Bell’s second go-round in Columbus. She finished 11^th during her first trip there last year, and now she’s aiming for her second top 10 of the 2014 season. In three of her last four races, Bell was just a few positions shy of a top 10 finish, so she is eager for redemption on Saturday to improve her 15^th place point standing. Sergio Peña (No. 4 L&M Ethanol Toyota) — Peña continues to be optimistic about the remaining six races of the season with hopes of finishing strong. He will race at Columbus Motor Speedway for the second time with Rev Racing, and with one top 10 under his belt this season, he is ranked 16^th in the point standings. Ryan Gifford (No. 6 Rev Racing Toyota) — The five-year veteran will enter the JEGS 150 with 15 career top fives and 22 career top 10s. In his last three races, Gifford was unable to finish due to irreparable damages and mechanical issues that occurred on the track, but he plans to use the incidents as motivation for Columbus to improve his 18^th position in the point standings. Two-lap qualifying for the JEGS 150 begins at 6 p.m. with an autograph session to follow at 8 p.m. The race will air on July 27 at 10 a.m. on Fox Sports 1. 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, women drivers, and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net and follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.

Concord, NC (Jul. 15, 2014) – Many people were convinced that Jay Beasley’s 3 consecutive top-10’s were merely luck when his hot streak came to an end after a disappointing showing at Langley Speedway. However, the Las Vegas, Nevada native was determined to prove his skeptics wrong at Loudon; and he did just that. Things began a little rocky for Beasley at the 1-mile oval track where the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East newcomer made his 10^th track debut of the season.Beasley and his crew initially struggled to adapt to the racetrack. “For practice and qualifying, the car was really loose getting into corner. It wasn’t until the half-way break of the race that we were finally able make the right adjustments so that I felt more comfortable with the car. We tightened the car up, entry and exit, and from there we were good to go,” said Beasley In addition to the necessary adjustments, Beasley and crew’s strategy for the race proved to be equally as instrumental in securing Jay’s top-5 finish. With roughly 100 miles after taking the green flag to improve his 20^th place qualifying position, Beasley took his time and waited for his opportunities to arrive instead of forcing them. And when the time came, Beasley would make one of his signature moves to the inside and pass one competitor after another until he found himself fluctuating between 10^th and 12^th place. From there his progress grew stagnant, and it appeared that Beasley could secure a top-10 finish at best. However, after a restart with 10 laps remaining, Beasley became involved in a 4-wide battle before managing to squeeze through and secure the sixth place position. Beasley, took the white flag in sixth, however an accident between the first and second place drivers on the final turn allowed Beasley to move up two positions and take the checked flag in the top-5 for the second time this season. While Beasley had a successful weekend, he was unfortunately the only Rev Racing driver that was able to finish the race. Beasley’s teammates were among the many drivers who fell victim to blown tires and pile-ups over the course of the competition. Nonetheless, with the JEGS 150 coming up this weekend, the Rev Racing teams won’t have to wait long to redeem themselves. The Granite State 100 will air on FOX Sports 1 on July 20 at noon. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will race next in the JEGS 150 at Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 19. 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 (June 8, 2014) – This weekend’s companion race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway will mark the first of a five race, six-week gauntlet for the K&N Pro Series East. With a brief break since their last competition, the Rev Racing drivers have used the past two weeks to mentally and physically prepare for the impeding task ahead. The 5 drivers have utilized the downtime to visit family, hit the gym, and work on their cars. Each driver is aware that in order to experience success over the next six weeks, every member of their team will be required to fire on all cylinders. And with the Granite State 100 only a few days away, the drivers are more than ready to get back on the track and finish the season strong. Daniel Suarez (No. 6 Rev Racing Toyota) – Suarez’s attitude as of late, can be summed up with one word: insatiable. Though, the Monterrey, Mexico native is coming off of a top-10 performance at Langley Speedway, he’s far from content. Suarez is still in the hunt for the NKNPSE championship, and with seven races remaining, he believes that now is the time to make one final push. Consequently, Suarez and his crew have been working diligently in the shop for the past two weeks to make sure that his upcoming performance at New Hampshire will reflect such a sentiment. Suarez is currently 5^th in the point standings. Ryan Gifford (No. 2 UTI/NASCAR Tech Toyota) – In his last outing, Gifford was sidelined after experiencing brake issues. Yet, through the adversity Gifford has remained optimistic that he is due for a breakout performance of the 2014 season, and that New Hampshire Motor Speedway will be the perfect venue. Gifford is currently 17^th in the point standings. Jay Beasley (No. 42 Toyota Racing Development Toyota) – Beasley’s hot streak came to end at Langley Speedway after he spun out mid-race. However, after three dominant performances prior to his last outing, Beasley believes that the mistake that spun him out was the exception, not the rule, and that he will quickly be able to catch fire again. Beasley is currently 14^th in the point standings. Sergio Peña (No. 4 Toyota Racing Development Toyota) – In his last outing, Peña was collateral damage of an early pile-up and was unable to make up for lost ground. However, Peña is confident that the car he took to Langley was possibly the fastest of the season. Therefore, Peña is adamant that if his crew can get his car to the same specifications, he can earn his first top-5 of the season at New Hampshire Speedway, and improve his 16^th place point standing. Especially since the last time that Peña competed at New Hampshire for Rev Racing, he walked away with a 2^nd place finish. “New Hampshire have always been good tracks for me. And we were really fast at Langley, we just experienced some bad-luck. So the goal is to get the car exactly how it was at Langley. We believe that if we can accomplish this, we’ll have a good run at New Hampshire,” said Peña. Mackena Bell (No. 21 Special Smiles/Lung Force Toyota) – Similar to Peña, Bell is another Rev Racing drivers who was unable to recover from an early pile-up in the last outing. However, one of her four top-10’s last season came at New Hampshire. Bell’s last top-10 was the first race of the 2014 season, so the leading lady for Rev Racing is prime for a breakout performance at a track where she has a history of performing well. Two-lap qualifying for the Granite State 100 will be on Thursday, July 10 at 5:00 p.m. followed by the autograph session at 6:30 p.m. at the WOKQ FanFest. The Granite State 100 will take place at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 11.  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, women drivers, and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net and follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.