Tag Archives: Megan Reitenour

Reitenour Wins Firecracker 150

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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.

Move over Danica… (Mooresville Weekly)

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When Max Siegel and John Story started Revolution Racing, they had a vision of creating a developmental race team that would springboard drivers and crewmembers to NASCAR’s premier series.

Not even a year later, their team is well on its way toward that goal, fielding six drivers in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and four competitors in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series for 2010.

 “We’re very happy with where we are as an organization after only a few months of operation,” Story said. “We’ve exceeded our expectations at this point, and we have no reason to believe that we won’t continue to do that.”

What sets this racing outfit apart from any other NASCAR team?

Read the rest at MooresvilleWeekly.com…

Strong Showing for Late Models at Tri-County

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Jessica Brunelli, Jason Romero and Megan Reitenour were at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Hudson, N.C.) Friday night with the Revolution Racing Late Model program. Romero finished second in the No. 3 Revolution Racing Late Model after earning his third pole of the year at the 0.4-mile speedway.

“Revolution Racing continues to give us cars capable of running up front,” said Romero, who piloted the No. 3 car this weekend instead of his usual No. 2 Late Model. “Unfortunately we came up a little short tonight, but as a team we continue to show that we can run up front, win poles and win races. I’m looking forward to coming back next week for the Firecracker 150.”

Brunelli started the race third in the No. 2 Late Model, and battled with the No. 57 and No. 28 car several times throughout the race. On lap 39, Brunelli moved ahead of Romero for second-place. The two battled side-by-side before Romero re-took the position at lap 42. Brunelli finished third.

Reitenour finished sixth in the No. 5 Revolution Racing Late Model after qualifying fifth. Reitenour was sent to the rear of the field early in the race and had to battle her way back to the front. Reitenour, who had a strong race car all night, ended up stuck behind two cars battling side-by-side and was unable to get around them before running out of laps in the 50 lap feature. She finished sixth.

Brunelli, Reitenour and Romero will return to Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday, July 2 for the Firecracker 150.

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

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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.

Cherry Adds His Name to the Record Books

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Michael Cherry won his first career late model race at Tri-County Motor Speedway Friday night, becoming the first African American to win a late model race at the 0.4-mile speedway. Cherry won the pole and led all 35 laps of the race en route to his first career NASCAR Whelen All-American Series victory.

“Man this has been a long time coming,” said Cherry, who is in his third season with Drive for Diversity. “I can’t thank everyone at Revolution Racing enough for believing in me and making this happen. A big shout out to my crew chief, Brandon Butler, John Story, Max Siegel and everyone else at Revolution Racing who had something to do with this win tonight.”

Cherry started on the pole in the No. 2 MBC Group Late Model for both segments of the Twin 35 event after posting qualifying laps of 16.284 and 16.287 seconds. Cherry lost the lead on the first lap of the first 35 lap race, and was unable to retake the position from the No. 27 of Grant Wimbish. Cherry finished the race second, his third runner-up finish of the year at Tri-County Motor Speedway, but knew he had a car that was capable of winning.

“I just wasn’t able to get back around the No. 27,” said Cherry. “He had a heck of a motor in that thing, but I think if we could have gotten by him we would have pulled away. Unfortunately we just couldn’t get back out front.”

In the second 35 lap race, Cherry got that opportunity. He led the field to the green, and this time he didn’t relinquish the lead. He led all 35 laps on the way to his first career late model win, taking the checkered flag with a half of a straightaway lead over his Revolution Racing teammate Becca Kasten, who crossed the line second in the No. 5 AirTight Mechanical Late Model.

The win also marks the first NASCAR Whelen All-American Series win for Revolution Racing, a team that has been making history all season in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East. Darrell Wallace Jr., became the youngest driver and first African American winner in series history with his win at Greenville Pickens Speedway earlier this year. Last weekend, Ryan Gifford became the first African American pole winner in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East history.

It is also the first win for crew chief Brandon “Chuck” Butler.

“I’m just tickled to death to be a part of this team,” said Butler. “I think I wore out the bottoms of my shoes pacing back and forth in the pits during those 35 laps. I was confident we had the car to beat, but I also know how bad Michael wanted, and needed, this win. I was a nervous wreck for him. I’m just so glad we were able to get this first win for everyone at Revolution Racing.”

Revolution Racing looks to continue its winning ways tonight at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway. Cherry, Kasten and teammate Megan Reitenour will compete in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series Late Model division.

Photos Courtesy of L&D Photography

Weekend Preview: Late Models

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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.

Wild Night at Hickory for Late Models

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It was a wild night at Hickory Motor Speedway Saturday, with two of the three Revolution Racing late models getting caught up in the on-track wreck fest. Becca Kasten was the only Revolution driver able to finish the 50 lap race, wheeling her wounded No. 5 AirTight Mechanical Late Model to a sixth-place finish.

“We were able to avoid the big wrecks and finish the race,” said Kasten. “Now we have a good baseline and we know what we need to do to make the car better. The No. 5 AirTight Mechanical car should be pretty good next week.”

The Revolution Racing team showed improvements in qualifying this week, with Michael Cherry starting fifth, Kasten starting eighth and Megan Reitenour lining up 10th for the 50 lap feature.

After a wreck-filled night in the support divisions, the late model feature went green until lap 27, when Kasten, who was battling a loose racecar, got tangled with the No. 36 car and both went spinning down the backstretch. Kasten avoided major damage and kept the No. 5 car in the race.

The race went green for 10 more laps, until a three car wreck involving the No. 19, No. 88 and No. 2 of Cherry brought the yellow out again. Kasten was able to avoid the wreck, but Reitenour wasn’t so lucky. The breaks on the No. 1 car locked up while she was trying to avoid the incident, sending her car sliding into the outside wall. The night ended early for both Cherry and Reitenour.

“It’s a shame we got caught up in the mess between the No. 19 and the No. 88,” said Cherry. “We had a good car and we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time and got caught up in someone else’s mess.”

After a red-flag for another wreck at lap 39, Kasten’s goal was to bring the car home in one piece. Another spin nearly ended her night, but she hung on after the fourth and final caution, and picked up two spots to finish sixth.

The Revolution Racing late model team will make repairs to the three cars and prepare for a double-header weekend, with Cherry, Kasten and teammate Jessica Brunelli racing at Tri-County Motor Speedway on Friday and again at Hickory Speedway on Saturday night.

The Revolution Racing NASCAR K&N Pro Series East drivers will also be in action this weekend, racing at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon.

Revolution Late Models Strong at Tri-County, Hickory

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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

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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.

Rain Leads to Sunday Race for Cherry, Reitenour

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Michael Cherry and Megan Reitenour found themselves in a Sunday afternoon feature after rain postponed Saturday night’s 100 lap late model race at Hickory (N.C.) Speedway. The race was run Sunday afternoon, with Cherry finishing ninth in the No. 6 MBC Group Late Model and Reitenour finishing 11th in the No. 1 Late Model.

“We’re getting better every time out,” said Blair Addis, Revolution Racing’s Late Model Director of Competition. “This is Michael and Megan’s second race of the year here at Hickory and they are showing a lot of improvement and giving us good feedback. We’re happy with what they’re showing us so far.”

Cherry qualified eighth in the No. 6 MBC Group Late Model, but dropped to the rear of the 14 car field early in the race. At the halfway point Cherry had moved back into the top 10, passing five cars during a long green-flag run.

The only caution of the race came on lap 83, 10 laps too late for Cherry who had gone a lap down to the leaders at lap 74 while running ninth. Cherry was unable to regain his lap and finished the race ninth.

Reitenour qualified 10th in the No. 1 Late Model and started the race in the ninth position. She fell back to 14th mid-way through the race, but was able to work her way back to an 11th-place finish.

“We had a good car in practice this afternoon, but we could have used one more session today to get it dialed in,” said Reitenour. “We had a green race track today after all that rain last night and we really weren’t sure what to expect. We learn a little bit more every time we come out here, and we’ll take our notes back to the shop and see what we can do to make it better for next time.”

Reitenour and Cherry will take next weekend off, but they will return to the track, along with teammate Becca Kasten, May 7 at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Hudson, N.C.). They will race again at Hickory on Saturday, May 8.