Weekend Preview

Revolution Racing’s Michael Cherry, Becca Kasten and Jason Romero will compete in the Third Annual Dwight Huffman Memorial Race for Charity at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night. The event, which honors the memory of former Hickory Motor Speedway track promoter Dwight Huffman, features a 177 lap Late Model feature. Cherry, Kasten and teammate Katie Hagar will also compete at Tri-County Motor Speedway on Friday night. Event Information: Late Model Stock (50 laps) Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, July 9 at 8 p.m. Dwight Huffman Memorial (177 laps) Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday, July 10 at 7 p.m.   Michael Cherry Team: No. 2 Late Model Crew Chief: Brandon Butler Cherry on a full weekend of racing: “I’m looking forward to the weekend; it’s my first time back in the car since our win at Tri-County Motor Speedway last month. If we can mirror what we did a couple of weeks ago with the win at Tri-County and the second-place finish at Hickory, it’ll be a good weekend for Revolution Racing.” Fast Facts:
  • Cherry earned his first career late model win at Tri-County Motor Speedway on June 11. He followed it up with a second-place finish at Hickory Motor Speedway the following night.
  • Cherry has won two poles at Tri-County Motor Speedway this season in the No. 2 Late Model.
  • After 12 races this season, Cherry has one win, six top fives and 11 top 10s. He’s competed at Caraway Speedway (Asheboro, N.C.), Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway.
  Katie Hagar Team: No. 3 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn Hagar on racing and luck: “We had some bad luck last weekend with losing the engine early in the race. It was really unfortunate that we didn’t get to run all 150 laps, but we’ve regrouped and we’re looking forward to getting back out there again this weekend. Hopefully we’ve put the bad luck behind us and we can run a good, clean race.” Fast Facts:
  • Engine troubles ended Hagar’s night early in the Firecracker 150 at Tri-County Motor Speedway. She finished fifth in her last full race at Tri-County Motor Speedway on June 18.
  • Hagar has three top fives and eight top 10s in 10 races so far this season.
  • Hagar has raced late models in California for the last two seasons, competing at All American Speedway, Madera Speedway and Stockton 99 Speedway.
  Becca Kasten Team: No. 5 AirTight Late Model Crew Chief: Danny Johnson Kasten on getting back in the race car: “I’m looking forward to the Dwight Huffman Memorial Race; it’s the biggest race of the season for us. From what I’ve heard, last year’s race was a three hour event with lots of attrition. Very different than most races we’ve been to this year. I think there’s going to be a lot more wrecks than we’re used to seeing, so being able to survive until the end will make all the difference. Fast Facts:
  • Kasten scored her best finishes of the season her last time out, finishing second and third at Tri-County Motor Speedway and finishing third at Hickory Motor Speedway.
  • Kasten has three top fives and eight top 10s in 11 starts this season. She has competed at Caraway Speedway (Asheboro, N.C.), Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway.
  • 2010 is Kasten’s first season competing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models. She previously competed in an ASA touring series.
  Jason Romero Team: No. 3 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn Romero on his return to action: “I’m really excited about the Dwight Huffman Memorial race. I’ve got family coming in from California to watch me race this weekend, so of course I want to go out and put on a show for them. We’ve run a few hundred lap events at Hickory already this year, but nothing like 177 laps of green flag racing. It’s going to be an exciting night of racing.” Fast Facts:
  • Romero has won three poles at Tri-County Motor Speedway this season and tied for fast-time at a fourth event earlier this year.
  • Romero scored his best finish of the season at Hickory Motor Speedway, a fifth-place finish, on May 15.
  • In his first full season of racing late models at All American Speedway, Romero won four poles and 11 races on his way to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track championship.

Reitenour Wins Firecracker 150

Megan Reitenour started her Fourth of July holiday weekend with a bang, winning the Firecracker 150 at Tri-County Motor Speedway on Friday night. Reitenour led 78 laps en route to her first career late model win. “I just want to thank my team, our sponsor, AirTight Mechanical, and everyone involved with Revolution Racing and the Drive for Diversity program for making this possible,” said Reitenour. “It’s been a long time coming and I’m glad I finally got that win.” Reitenour qualified second for the Firecracker 150 in the No. 5 AirTight Late Model, but dropped to third early in the race. She settled into third, exercising patience early in the 150 lap race. At lap 72, her patience paid off when the race leaders made contact and spun out, leaving Reitenour to inherit the lead. Reitenour took advantage of the situation, holding onto the lead at the restart and driving away from the field. The final caution of the race came out at lap 116, and Reitenour was again able to pull ahead on the restart. She continued to increase her lead and took the checkered flag with a straightaway lead over second-place finisher R.A. Brown. “Megan did a great job tonight saving her stuff for the end,” said Danny Johnson, crew chief of the No. 5 car. “She knew she needed to be patient early on to be there at the end and she did an awesome job of that tonight. This was a great night for Revolution Racing and the No. 5 team.” Reitenour, who earned rookie of the year honors at Tri-County Motor Speedway in 2009, has one win, two top fives and four top 10s in 11 races this season. She has been splitting her time this season between Tri-County Motor Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway. Reitenour’s next scheduled race is a 100-lap event at Hickory Motor Speedway on July 17.

Romero Scores Season Best Finish

Jason Romero scored his best finish of the season Friday night with a second-place run at Tri-County Motor Speedway in the No. 2 MBC Group Late Model. Romero’s teammates Jessica Brunelli and Katie Hagar finished third and fifth, respectively. “It was a good night for the entire Revolution Racing team,” said Romero. “My crew chief, Brandon Butler, put a great set up in the MBC Group Late Model tonight. Unfortunately we made a little contact with the wall early on, and that kept us from really contending for the win. We’ll take second-place tonight and come back next week fighting even harder for the win.” Romero qualified second for the 50 lap feature and took the lead on lap 2 after a three-way battle up front. Grant Wimbish was able to slide back under Romero to retake the lead at lap 3. The race went green for all 50 laps, and Romero was unable to overtake Wimbish’s No. 57 car. He settled for second, his best finish of the season. Brunelli qualified fourth in the No. 3 Late Model, and moved into third at lap 15. She pulled away from the rest of the field, running single-file behind Wimbish and Romero. Hagar qualified sixth and finished fifth after a hard fought battle with the No. 35 car. The two battled for the final 15 laps of the race, with the No. 35 unable to make a move to get around Hagar. With five to go, Hagar was able to pull away and finish fifth in the No. 5 AirTight Late Model. The three Revolution Racing drivers were also in action at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night. Hagar finished eighth in the No. 5 AirTight Late Model after qualifying 10th for the 50 lap race. Romero, who qualified seventh, had worked his way up to fourth before he was spun out in turn 4 with six laps to go. He dropped to the rear of the field but was able to salvage a ninth-place finish in the No. 2 MBC Group Late Model. Romero remained positive about his weekend, despite missing out on a top-five finish: “This may have been the most fun I’ve ever had in a race car,” said Romero. “The car was hooked up tonight. I could run the high line in (turns) 1 and 2 and just pull away. It was awesome to have a car that could run like that. It’s a shame we got knocked to the back of the pack, but we learned so much out there tonight with our line and our set up. We’ll be good when we come back in a few weeks.” Brunelli qualified eighth in the No. 3 Late Model and was running in the top 10 before contact with the No. 15 car in turn 1 sent her spinning with 2 laps remaining in the race. She finished 11th. Romero will return to Tri-County Motor Speedway this Friday night, along with Revolution Racing teammates Becca Kasten and Megan Reitenour.

Weekend Preview: Late Models

Michael Cherry scored Revolution Racing’s first late model win of the season last Friday night at Tri-County Motor Speedway and followed it up with a runner-up finish at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday. Now Jason Romero will climb behind the wheel of the No. 2 MBC Group Late Model, looking for similar success. Romero already has two poles at Tri-County Motor Speedway this year and is looking to add a tally to the win column. Katie Hagar will climb back into the No. 5 Late Model this weekend after several weekends off. Hagar’s last race was at Hickory Motor Speedway on May 15. Jessica Brunelli scored a pair of top fives last weekend at Tri-County Motor Speedway. This weekend she’ll pull double duty, racing the No. 3 Late Model at Tri-County on Friday night and at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night.   Event Information: Late Model Stock 50 laps Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, June 18 at 8 p.m.   Late Model Stock 50 laps Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday, June 19 at 7 p.m.   Jessica Brunelli Team: No. 1 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn Brunelli on the No. 3 car: “I’m excited to be back in the No. 3 car this weekend. We’re trying something different with the car this weekend and I think it’ll get us to where we need to be. We were pretty good last weekend at Tri-County and I know [crew chief] David [Flynn] and Matt [Montgomery] are working hard to give me a car capable of running up front. Now it’s up to me as a driver to get in there and show everyone that I have what it takes.” Fast Facts:
  • Brunelli made her first start of the season at Tri-County Motor Speedway last weekend. She finished fourth and fifth in the Twin 35 races.
  • After just seven starts this season, Brunelli has three top fives and four top 10s.
  • At just 17 years old, Brunelli is the youngest of Revolution Racing’s late model drivers. She is completing her junior year of high school via online college prep independent study.
  Katie Hagar Team: No. 5 AirTight Late Model Crew Chief: Danny Johnson Hagar on getting back behind the wheel: “Any driver wants to be in the car racing and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to be out there competing every week. With the way the program is set up this year, though, I’m not only getting the opportunity to race but I’m also getting the opportunity to work on the cars and learn from watching my teammates. I’ve seen Revolution Racing improve as a whole each week, and now I get to climb back in and take what we’ve learned and put it to good use.” Fast Facts:
  • Hagar’s last start in the AirTight Late Model was May 15. Hagar shares seat time with teammate Becca Kasten.
  • Hagar’s best finish of the season at Tri-County Motor Speedway is fourth. She finished a season-best fifth at Hickory Motor Speedway after starting at the rear of the 16 car field.
  • Hagar has raced late models in California for the last two seasons, competing at All American Speedway, Madera Speedway and Stockton 99 Speedway.
  Jason Romero Team: No. 2 MBC Group Late Model Crew Chief: Brandon Butler Romero on his return to action: “I’m really excited about the next couple of weeks. I’ve seen the success that Michael Cherry has had in the No. 2 car over the past few weeks and I can see the cars and team getting better. I can’t wait to go out there and run some good, consistent laps. Fast Facts:
  • Romero has won two poles at Tri-County Motor Speedway this season and tied for fast-time at a third event earlier this year.
  • Both Jason Romero and Michael Cherry are very hands-on with their race car, and support each other as mechanics on the weekends they are not racing.
In his first full season of racing late models at All American Speedway, Romero won four poles and 11 races on his way to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track championship.

Cherry Follows up Win with Runner-Up Finish at Hickory, Kasten Finishes Fourth

Michael Cherry followed up his historic first late model win at Tri-County Motor Speedway with a second-place finish at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday night. This was Cherry’s best finish at Hickory Motor Speedway in the No. 2 MBC Group Late Model. His Revolution Racing teammate Becca Kasten also scored her best finish of the season at Hickory, a fourth-place, on Saturday night. Megan Reitenour finished 11th. “I can’t thank everyone at Revolution Racing enough for giving me this opportunity,” said Cherry. “We had to earn this one tonight and I think it shows how far this program has come. It’s no secret we’ve struggled a little bit at Hickory this season, but we had two cars finish in the top five tonight and that really says something about this team.” Cherry qualified sixth for the 50 lap feature and started the race in front of his teammates Kasten and Reitenour, who qualified eighth and 10th, respectively. By lap 10, Cherry had moved comfortably into third and was distancing himself from the rest of the pack. Nine laps later, Kasten was able to work her way to fourth in the No. 5 AirTight Mechanical Late Model. Cherry continued to distance himself from Kasten and the rest of the field, catching the second-place car of Josh Wimbish on lap 35. After a three lap, side-by-side battle, Cherry was able to nose ahead into the second spot. With five to go, Cherry had no pressure from behind and was on his way to a second-place finish. Kasten, who was still running for fourth, was feeling pressure from the fifth-place car of Dexter Canipe, Jr. The two ran side-by-side for the final five laps, with Kasten maintaining her advantage at the line for her best finish of the season at Hickory. “I can’t complain about a fourth-place finish,” said Kasten. “This is the best this No. 5 AirTight Late Model has been at Hickory all season. We didn’t qualify as well as we’d hoped, but the car was hooked up for the race. Overall it was a really great weekend for us, with a second and third at Tri-County last night, and a fourth here tonight.” Revolution Racing Late Model drivers Jessica Brunelli, Katie Hagar and Jason Romero will take over driving duties next weekend, racing at Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday night and Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday night.

Weekend Preview: Late Models

The Revolution Racing Late Models head back to Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday night, looking for the first win of the season for the driver development program. Revolution will also compete at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday. Becca Kasten, who has qualified on the front row for each of her three starts at Tri-County Motor Speedway this season, will pilot the No. 5 AirTight Late Model this weekend. Michael Cherry, who qualified third last weekend at Hickory Motor Speedway and was running second before a mechanical issue took him out of contention for the win, will drive the No. 2 Late Model this weekend. Jessica Brunelli and Megan Reitenour will split duties in the No. 1 Late Model this weekend for Revolution Racing. Brunelli will compete in the Twin 35s at Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday night before Reitenour takes over driving duties for the 50 lap race at Hickory Motor Speedway on Saturday.   Event Information: Late Model Twin 35s (2 races, 35 laps each) Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, June 11 at 8 p.m.   Late Model Stock 50 laps Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday, June 12 at 7 p.m.   Jessica Brunelli Team: No. 1 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn Brunelli on the weather and racing: “I hope it doesn’t rain this weekend! I’m the only Revolution Racing late model driver who hasn’t had the opportunity to race at Tri-County yet, and I’d really like to get in that first start. It’s disappointing when we come out to the track and work all day only to end up getting rained out. I’ve raced in Formula cars before, and we have rain tires, so I’m not used to rain delays… I’m used to going out there and racing in the rain.”  Fast Facts:
  • Brunelli will be making her first start at Tri-County Motor Speedway this weekend after rain washed out her first two attempts earlier this year.
  • After just five starts this season, Brunelli has one top five and two top 10s, and is looking to add to that tally this weekend.
  • At just 17 years old, Brunelli is the youngest of Revolution Racing’s late model drivers. She is completing her junior year of high school via online college prep independent study.
  Michael Cherry Team: No. 2 Late Model Crew Chief: Brandon Butler Cherry on Tri-County Motor Speedway: “All three of the Revolution Racing late models have been fast at Tri-County Motor Speedway this year. I think any one of us has the ability to go out there and win races. As long as we can keep the weather on our side this weekend, I think we’ll have a shot at brining home two trophies.” Fast Facts:
  • Cherry qualified third for last weekend’s race at Tri-County Motor Speedway. He has two second-place finishes at the track this season.
  • Cherry qualified third at Hickory Motor Speedway last weekend and was running second at the half-way point before a mechanical issue ended his night early.
  • After nine races this season, Cherry has three top fives and eight top 10s. He’s competed at Caraway Speedway (Asheboro, N.C.), Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway.
  Becca Kasten Team: No. 5 AirTight Late Model Crew Chief: Danny Johnson Kasten on racing at Tri-County and Hickory: “It seems like every time we’ve gone out to Tri-County we’ve been the fastest or second fastest car in the field. I think we have the right stuff to go out there and contend; we just need to get Mother Nature on our side so we can actually race. When we go over to Hickory, we’re still struggling a bit with the AirTight Late Model, but as a whole Revolution Racing is getting better. We can the fastest qualifying laps we’ve ever run out there last week, and we’re only going to continue to improve.” Fast Facts:
  • Kasten won the pole at Tri-County Motor Speedway earlier this year in the No. 5 AirTight Late Model. She qualified on the outside pole her other two trips to the track this season.
  • Kasten has four top 10s in seven starts this season. She has competed at Caraway Speedway (Asheboro, N.C.), Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway.
  • 2010 is Kasten’s first season competing in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Models. She previously competed in an ASA touring series.
  Megan Reitenour Team: No. 1 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn Reitenour on Hickory Motor Speedway: “The No. 1 Late Model has struggled a little bit at Hickory this season, but I think my crew chief, David Flynn, and teammate, Jessica Brunelli, hit on something with the set-up last week in the race that should help us a lot this weekend. Hickory is a tough race track, but I’m confident we’ll get it figured out and get back to running up front where we need to be.” Fast Facts:
  • Reitenour has had success at Hickory in the past, winning the Extreme Trophies 100 (Super Cup Stock Car Series) in 2008.
  • Reitenour has one top five and two top 10s this season in eight races.
  • When she’s not racing, Reitenour enjoys supporting charitable causes. She recently participated in the Jeff Gordon Foundation Ultimate Speed Event and the CARA Charities Fashion Show.

Weekend Preview: Late Models

As the weather heats up, so does Revolution Racing’s late model program. This weekend drivers Jessica Brunelli, Katie Hagar and Jason Romero head to Tri-County Motor Speedway and Hickory Motor Speedway with their sights set on a race win. Last weekend Romero set fast-time at Tri-County Motor Speedway, leading a one-two-three qualifying effort. His teammates, Megan Reitenour and Hagar qualified second and third respectively. With two late model poles at Tri-County, Revolution Racing is now ready for its first late model win of the season. Event Information: Late Model Stock 50 laps Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, May 14 at 8 p.m. Late Model Stock 50 laps Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday, May 15 at 7 p.m.   Jessica Brunelli Team: No. 3 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn Brunelli on getting back in the car for Revolution Racing: “It’s been a while since I’ve raced the No. 3 Late Model. We got a new crew chief, David Flynn, since the last time I raced, so I’m excited to get to work with him this weekend. The Revolution Racing Late Model program has been getting better every week, and, even though I’ve had limited seat time this season, I’m excited to go out there and contend for wins.” Fast Facts:
  • Brunelli finished third in her first late model race at Hickory Motor Speedway on March 20; she has just three starts in the No. 3 Late Model this season, all coming at Hickory.
  • Brunelli is finishing her junior year of high school via online college prep independent study. She also works 20 hours/week at the race shop.
  • At just 17 years old, Brunelli is the youngest of Revolution Racing’s late model drivers.
  Katie Hagar Team: No. 5 AirTight Late Model Crew Chief: Danny Johnson Hagar on her first top fives of the season: “As a team we’ve made huge progress over the last few weeks, and it’s showing in our results across the board. I was out of the car for almost a month, so it was great to jump back in and come away with two top fives, especially coming from the pack of the field at Hickory.” Fast Facts:
  • Hagar finished fourth at Tri-County Motor Speedway last Friday night. She went on to finish fifth at Hickory Motor Speedway after starting 15th.
  • Hagar has two top fives and five top 10s in six starts this season. She’s competed at both Tri-County and Hickory Motor Speedway this season.
  • Hagar has raced late models in California for the last two seasons, competing at All American Speedway, Madera Speedway and Stockton 99 Speedway.
  Jason Romero Team: No. 2 MBC Group Late Model Crew Chief: Brandon Butler Romero on being ranked 35th in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series national standings: “We’ve had some good runs this season and we’re only getting better and that shows in our national ranking. There’s still a lot of season left to go, and we have goals that we’ve yet to accomplish. We won the pole at Tri-County last week, and now it’s time to go out there and win races.” Fast Facts:
  • Romero finished fifth at Tri-County Motor Speedway last week after setting fast-time and starting third in the main event. He finished eighth at Hickory after being spun out on lap 6 and restarting from the tail end of the field.
  • Romero tied for fast-time at Tri-County Motor Speedway earlier this season.
  • In his first full season of racing late models at All American Speedway, Romero won four poles and 11 races on his way to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track championship.

Revolution Late Models Strong at Tri-County, Hickory

It was an exciting weekend for Revolution Racing, with Jason Romero kicking off the weekend with a pole at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Hudson, N.C.) Friday night and Katie Hagar scoring two top-five finishes, including a strong fifth-place run at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway to cap off the weekend on Saturday night. Romero set fast-time at Tri-County Motor Speedway in the No. 2 MBC Group Late Model with a lap of 16.420 seconds. “I wasn’t sure if that was going to be a good enough lap for the pole, but we’ll take it,” said Romero. “We tied for fast-time a couple of weeks ago with the MBC Group car, and Becca Kasten was on the pole the week after that. As a team, we’ve been really strong here.” Romero started the 50 lap feature third after the invert. He finished fifth, right behind Hagar who finished fourth in the No. 5 AirTight Late Model. Saturday night Revolution Racing headed to Hickory Motor Speedway for another 50 lap late model feature. Hagar struggled in qualifying, lining up 15th to start the main event. She found her rhythm from the drop of the green flag and began picking off cars one by one. After multiple attempts at a restart on lap 33, Hagar was running eighth. The final laps went all green, leaving Hagar to make her move on the race track. With five to go she had moved into fifth, and held on for her second top five in two nights. “We really did struggle in practice and qualifying,” said Hagar. “It was my first weekend working with (crew chief) Danny Johnson, and we had to work on our communication a little bit early in the day. We got it figured out, got on the same page and we came out in the race and showed what we’re capable of doing. I have to thank my team for all of their hard work today, and AirTight Mechanical for their support. We had a great run.” Romero started and finished eighth, but also had to work his way from the back of the field after getting hit from behind on lap 6. He restarted 17th and drove his way back to a top-10 finish. Reitenour finished 15th after starting 16th. Hagar, Romero and teammate Jessica Brunelli are scheduled to return to Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, May 14, followed by a trip to Caraway Speedway in Asheboro, N.C., on May 15.

Weekend Preview: Late Models & Youth Racing

Katie Hagar, Megan Reitenour and Jason Romero will take on another double-header weekend, racing Friday night at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Hudson, N.C.) and Saturday night at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Revolution Racing’s youth racers will also be in action this weekend, making their season debut at Concord (N.C.) Motorsports. Annabeth Barnes and Heather Lynn will compete in Legends Cars, and Elijah Bacon and Matt Murphy will compete in Bandoleros.

 

 

Event Information: Late Model Stock 50 laps Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, May 7 at 8 p.m.

 

Late Model Stock 50 laps Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday, May 8 at 7 p.m.   Katie Hagar Team: No. 4 AirTight Late Model Crew Chief: Danny Johnson Hagar on getting back in the driver’s seat: “I’m ready to get back to racing. I love going to the track and helping out my teammates, but I’m here to race. It’s been a couple of long weeks not being in the racecar, but I’ve seen my teammates make a lot of good progress so I’m ready to get out there and get in a couple of good runs.” Fast Facts:

  • Hagar finished sixth in the season opening 100-lap feature at Hickory Motor Speedway earlier this year.
  • Hagar has three top 10s in four starts this season. She’s raced at both Hickory Motor Speedway and Tri-County Motor Speedway.
  • Hagar has raced late models in California for the last two seasons, competing at All American Speedway, Madera Speedway and Stockton 99 Speedway.
    Megan Reitenour Team: No. 1 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn Reitenour on her fourth-place finish at Tri-County: “We’re getting better and better every week, and our fourth-place last time at Tri-County is proof of that. I’m excited to get back out there and see what we can do. We’ve had David Flynn come on board as crew chief of the No. 1 Late Model and that’s really made the difference for us these last couple of races.” Fast Facts:
  • Reitenour finished fourth at Tri-County Motor Speedway in her last outing at the 0.4-mile speedway. It was her best finish of the season and first top five.
  • Reitenour ran a full-season in the late model division at Tri-County Motor Speedway last year. She won rookie of the year honors and finished fourth overall in the standings.
  • Reitenour has yet to finish inside the top 10 at Hickory Motor Speedway this season, but is looking to turn that around with a strong run this weekend.
  Jason Romero Team: No. 2 MBC Group Late Model Crew Chief: Brandon Butler Romero on double-header weekends: “We’ve had some time to get used to these double-header weekends, racing on both Friday and Saturday night, so I really don’t even think about it anymore. I’d race every night of the week if I could, so I’m not going to complain about getting in two races this weekend.” Fast Facts:
  • Romero scored a pair of top five finishes his last time out in the No. 2 MBC Group Late Model, finishing third at Tri-County Motor Speedway and fifth at Hickory Motor Speedway.
  • Romero tied for fast-time at Tri-County Motor Speedway earlier this season.
  • In his first full season of racing late models at All American Speedway, Romero won four poles and 11 races on his way to the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series track championship.

Cherry Second Again at Tri-County

Michael Cherry scored another top five at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Hudson, N.C.) Friday night with his second second-place finish of the season in the No. 6 MBC Group Late Model. “I hope this doesn’t turn into one of those things where we’re always the bridesmaid and never the bride,” joked Cherry after the race. “Seriously, though, we had a great car tonight and I can’t thank Revolution Racing enough for this opportunity. We had some great people working on the car, with Robert Huffman as my crew chief and (NASCAR K&N Pro Series) East driver Ryan Gifford spotting for me.” Cherry qualified fourth for the 50 lap feature, but found himself second after a first lap caution. Cherry held on to second-place for the remainder of the race, battling for the lead on several restarts while holding off a charge from behind. Cherry’s runner-up finish is his second in two races at Tri-County Motor Speedway this season. He has three top fives and six top 10s in six races overall. Reitenour qualified seventh in the No. 1 Late Model, and ran in the top 10 all night. A multi-car wreck just past the half-way point gave her the opportunity to move into the top five. Reitenour hung on to fourth for the final 20 laps of the race, earning her first top five of the season. Kasten’s day started out on a high note, setting fast time in the No. 5 AirTight Late Model. She started the feature third after the invert, and found herself involved in two early cautions. Sent to the rear on both restarts, Kasten was working her way back through the field at a rapid pace. She was passing for ninth on lap 21 when she was hit from behind and sent spinning down the backstretch. Damage to the car ended the night early for the No. 5 AirTight machine. Kasten was scored 13th. Cherry, Kasten and Reitenour are all scheduled to race tomorrow night at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway.

Weekend Preview: Tri-County & Hickory

AirTight Mechanical joins Revolution Racing this weekend for a double-header weekend of racing. Becca Kasten will pilot the No. 5 AirTight Late Model at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C., Friday night before heading to Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway on Saturday night. She will be joined by her Revolution Racing teammates Michael Cherry (No. 6 MBC Group Late Model) and Megan Reitenour (No. 1 Late Model).  

  

Event Information: Late Model Stock 50 laps Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, April 23 at 8 p.m.

  

Late Model Stock 100 laps Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday, April 24 at 7 p.m.   Michael Cherry Team: No. 6 MBC Group Late Model  Crew Chief: Robert Huffman   Cherry on returning to Tri-County Motor Speedway: “As a team, we’re doing pretty good at Tri-County Motor Speedway so far this season. We finished second with the MBC Group Late Model in our first race out there this season, and our teammate Jason Romero tied for fast-time and finished third in that same car his first time out there. I think we’re on the right track and I’m looking forward to going out there and running up front again this weekend.” Fast Facts:
  • Cherry has two career starts at Tri-County Motor Speedway. His best finish, a second-place, came in the No. 6 MBC Group Late Model on April 2. 
  • Cherry made his first start at Hickory Motor Speedway last weekend. He finished seventh. 
  • Robert Huffman, crew chief for the No. 6 MBC Group Late Model this weekend, has two late model track championships (1988 and 1989) at Hickory Motor Speedway. 
    Rebecca Kasten Team: No. 5 AirTight Late Model Crew Chief: Danny Johnson

  

Kasten on double duty weekends: “It puts a little bit of pressure on a driver to keep the fenders clean when you know you have to go out and race the same car the next night, but as a development driver I also like getting as much seat time as I can. I’d race every night if I had the opportunity, so these double-header weekends don’t really bother me. Honestly, I’m really looking forward to getting back to Tri-County. We qualified second our first time out and were running really well before going a lap down in the pits fixing some damage. I’m looking forward to going out there this weekend and putting together a good, clean run.” Fast Facts:
  • Kasten has three top 10s this season, including an eighth-place finish at Tri-County Motor Speedway.
  • Kasten finished 12th last weekend in her first career start at Hickory Motor Speedway.
  • Kasten has a new sponsor on board the No. 5 Late Model this weekend. AirTight Mechanical, a critical site HVAC service contractor in Charlotte, N.C., has joined Revolution Racing as primary sponsor of the No. 5 machine.
    Megan Reitenour Team: No. 1 Late Model Crew Chief: David Flynn

  

Reitenour on racing at multiple tracks throughout the season: “I’ve run a touring series in the past and I’ve run at a single track all season before as well. I like the challenge that comes with running at a different track every week, but it’s also nice to be able to learn and improve at a single track. This season, I’m getting the best of both worlds, running at three different tracks throughout the season. I’ve raced three weekends at three different tracks so far. This weekend I get to make return trips to Hickory and Tri-County, so I’m pretty excited to go out there and see what we can do.” Fast Facts:
  • Reitenour has had success at Hickory in the past, winning the Extreme Trophies 100 (Super Cup Stock Car Series) in 2008.
  • A string of bad luck has kept Reitenour outside of the top 10 so far this season. She’s looking to turn things around with solid runs at Hickory and Tri-County this weekend.
  • Reitenour ran a full-season in the late model division at Tri-County Motor Speedway last year. She won rookie of the year honors and finished fourth overall in the standings.

AirTight Mechanical Joins Revolution

AirTight Mechanical, Inc., a critical site HVAC service contractor in Charlotte, N.C., has joined Revolution Racing as an official partner for the 2010 season. Revolution Racing, owned by Max Siegel and John Story, is the premier team operator for NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity initiative, fielding six cars in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division and four cars in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. The No. 5 AirTight Late Model, driven by Becca Kasten, will debut this weekend at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Hudson, N.C.) and Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. “We are very proud to have formed this partnership with Revolution Racing,” said Greg Crumpton, President of AirTight. “It speaks to the core of what AirTight was founded upon. Supporting young people in the pursuit of their passions, that is what Revolution Racing and AirTight are all about.” “AirTight has shown a commitment to Revolution Racing and our goal of developing young talent in NASCAR,” said Story, President of Revolution Racing.  “We are proud to partner with AirTight this weekend and throughout the 2010 season.” AirTight Mechanical will serve as primary sponsor of the No. 5 AirTight Late Model driven by Kasten for six races. Katie Hagar will pilot the No. 4 AirTight Late Model for five events this season. About AirTight Mechanical AirTight is a high-quality, mission-critical focused HVAC service provider that prides themselves on utilizing highly trained technicians and state of the art technology to reduce your costs.  Routine practices include providing up to the minute status updates on your account as well as accurate, timely invoices.  AirTight employees are good people that you can trust in secure environments where trust isn’t a luxury, it’s essential. For more information visit: www.myairtight.com