REV RACING RETURNS TO IOWA

CONCORD, N.C.(July 30, 2013) – Rev Racing returns to Iowa Speedway this Friday, Aug. 2, for the second East-West combination race of the season, The Pork Be Inspired 150. This is another monumental weekend for the team as Ryan Gifford becomes the third Rev Racing driver to make his NASCAR national series debut when he competes in the U.S. Cellular 250 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) event on Saturday.

Ryan Gifford (No. 2 Universal Technical Institute/NTI Toyota Camry) – Gifford will be doing double duty this weekend in the NKNPS East and NNS. He is currently fourth in the NKNPS East standings with one win, and four top-five finishes. His best finish in a K&N East-West combination race was of sixth in 2011.

Bryan Ortiz (No. 4 L&M Ethanol Maintenance and Contracting Toyota Camry) – Ortiz is currently 12th in the series standings, with a best finish of sixth this season and four top-10 finishes. He has an average finish of 13th in the K&N East-West combination races at Iowa.

Mackena Bell (No. 27 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry) – Bell who is competing in her rookie season is currently 11th in the point’s standings and a Sunoco Rookie of the Year contender. She has one top-five and two top-10 finishes this season, with a best finish of fifth at Richmond earlier this year.

Daniel Suarez (No. 69 Visit Acapulco Toyota Camry) – Suarez is headed to Iowa fresh off his first NKNPS East win, at Columbus Speedway the last time out. He’s currently ninth in the K&N East Championship standings, with one win, two top-five and four top-10 finishes this season. His best overall K&N East-West finish was 10th in 2012.

This weekend Bell and Suarez will be running with different numbers due to point standings in the K&N East-West combination race. Bell will be in the No. 27 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry and Suarez will be in the No. 69 Visit Acapulco Toyota Camry.

Qualifying for The Pork Be Inspired 150 from Iowa speedway will begin at 5 p.m. CT and the green flag will drop at 8 p.m. CT. The race will air on Fox Sports 1, Aug. 25, 1 p.m. ET.

Follow @RevRacin on twitter for updates throughout the race.

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BARNES AND MADRID COMPETE IN THE HAMPTON HEAT 200 AT LANGLEY SPEEDWAY

8551786158_a0a93a7a0d_cCONCORD, N.C. (July 29, 2013) – When Annabeth Barnes and Jack Madrid arrived at Motor Mile Speedway on Saturday they thought their hopes of racing this past weekend were over. The weather wasn’t working in their favor, and the speedway had to postpone the CMS Supply Twin 125s due to rain. The team was determined to race however, so they loaded up the haulers and drove east to Langley Speedway, hopeful to make it there in time to compete in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series (NWAAS) Hampton Heat 200. The clock and driving distance weren’t the only thing the team was battling, once they arrived at Langley they had to completely change the car setup to accommodate for the different track. The team made it to Langley on time and worked tirelessly to get the cars race ready. Barnes and Madrid were able to get some practice laps in, and qualified 27th and 21st respectively out of 31 cars. The field was stacked with a talented and well-known group of short-track drivers, and Barnes and Madrid were able to gain some great experience. Langley Speedway veterans Anthony and Phil Warren were able to coach Barnes in the No. 72 Toyota Racing Camry through the race, keeping her out of trouble, and leading her to a 13th place finish. Madrid in the No. 4 Toyota Racing Camry was caught up in a wreck early on in the race. The team was able to repair the damage, but he battled an overheating car all night. He was able to finish the race and come home with a 19th place result. The next race for both drivers in the NWAAS will be on Saturday, August 10th, at Hickory Motor Speedway.  

RYAN GIFFORD TO MAKE NATIONWIDE DEBUT IN IOWA

IMG_4773Ryan Gifford, a member of NASCAR’s Drive for Diversity initiative who won for the first time on the K&N Pro Series earlier this season, will step up in class and make his national debut when he competes in next month’s Nationwide Series race at Iowa Speedway for Richard Childress Racing. The 23-year-old native of Winchester, Tenn., will pilot the No. 33 car backed by Menards and Rheem in the Aug. 3 event. In his fourth full season in the K&N Pro Series East, Gifford scored his first victory in April at Richmond. He also works in the shop and drives for Team Dillon Racing, the dirt late model program that spawned Austin and Ty Dillon and is located at the RCR complex in Welcome, N.C. “I’m thrilled that Menards and RCR are giving me the chance to race in my first Nationwide Series event,” Gifford said. “Menards has done so much for young racers over the years, and I’m proud to be able to represent them and their employees at Iowa Speedway. I can’t thank them enough for believing in me and giving me an opportunity to showcase my racing skills.” Gifford became the first African-American driver in Pro Series East history to earn a pole position when he competed in the circuit’s inaugural race at Martinsville Speedway in 2010. Last month at Iowa Speedway, the current Rev Racing driver was announced as a member of the 2013 NASCAR Next class, an industry initiative to help spotlight NASCAR’s rising stars. Gifford started racing go-karts at age 8, and competed in the World Karting Association from 2000-2004 before moving to dirt late models in 2005. It didn’t take long for Gifford to find success on dirt, earning three poles and four top-five finishes in his first season. Gifford made his debut for RCR in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East in 2009 competing in four events. Since then, he has earned one win, one pole award, 15 top-five and 19 top-10 finishes in just 48 starts. “I have watched how hard Ryan has worked at the Team Dillon Racing shop and what he’s been doing on the track the past few years,” Childress said. “He had some good finishes racing in the K&N Series races for RCR a few years ago. I watched him race and win dirt track races with TDR, and I’ve always been impressed with a driver’s ability to race on dirt.” Gifford will become the eighth different driver this season to pilot RCR’s No. 33 Nationwide car, which is overseen by crew chief Ernie Cope. Tony Stewart drove it to victory in the season opener at Daytona, and since then Kevin Harvick, Ty Dillon, Max Papis, Paul Menard, Dakoda Armstrong and Matt Crafton have taken turns behind the wheel. Crafton, who finished third at Kentucky, is driving the vehicle Sunday at Chicagoland. But next month at Iowa, it will belong to Gifford. “This is a great opportunity for him to get in one of our Nationwide cars and be very competitive at Iowa,” Childress said.

SUAREZ CAPTURES THE CHECKERED FLAG AT COLUMBUS

NAPA 150 CONCORD, N.C. (July 15, 2013) – Daniel Suarez, the 21-year old Monterrey Mexico native, came to Columbus Ohio ready to improve upon his previous fifth place results at the track and that’s exactly what he did Saturday night. Suarez took over the lead on lap 64 and dominated the rest of the NAPA 150, to capture the win in a green-white-checkered finish. “I’m so proud of my entire team, they worked really hard and gave me a car that allowed me to compete for the win.” said Suarez. This is the first win for Suarez in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series (NKNPS) East race, and the fifth first time winner for Rev Racing since the team started managing the NASCAR Drive for Diversity program in 2010. The team had strong cars all day, with three of the four cars in the top-five during practice, Suarez was third quickest, Bryan Ortiz fourth, and Mackena Bell fifth. Ryan Gifford (No. 2 NASCAR Technical Institute/UTI Toyota Camry) – Gifford, who’s in contention to win the championship, came home with a fourth place finish after moving his way up the field from ninth. Gifford, who captured his first series win earlier this season, is currently fourth in points. Bryan Ortiz (No. 4 Rev Racing Toyota Camry) – Ortiz had an outstanding qualifying effort, qualifying second and placing his Toyota Camry on the front row. He raced in the top-10 all night, and finished the night 10th. He’s currently 13th in points. Daniel Suarez (No. 6 Rev Racing Toyota Camry) – Suarez captured his first career NKNPS east win after taking the lead on lap 64. This is the Monterrey Mexico native’s second straight touring series win after capturing a win in the Mexico Toyota Series on June 30. He’s currently ninth in NKNPS East points. Mackena Bell (No. 21 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry) – Bell had a fast car during practice, finishing fifth quickest, and finished 11th after a 13th place qualifying effort. She’s currently 11th in points, and third in Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings. The NAPA 150 will air on SPEED on July 25, at 3:00 p.m. ET. The next race for Rev Racing in the NKNPS East will be at Iowa Speedway on August 2.

REV RACING HEADS TO COLUMBUS WITH THREE DRIVERS IN THE TOP-10

CONCORD, N.C. (July 11, 2013)Rev Racing is headed to Columbus (Ohio) Motor Speedway on Saturday, July 13 for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series (NKNPS) East race, the NAPA 150. The team currently has three drivers, Ryan Gifford, Mackena Bell, and Daniel Suarez in the top-10 in points, with Gifford in contention for a Championship, and Bell fighting for Sunoco Rookie of the Year honors. Suarez finished fifth in both of his previous starts at Columbus, his career best results before a second place finish at Langley the last time out. Ryan Gifford (No. 2 NASCAR Technical Institute/UTI Toyota Camry) Gifford heads into Columbus fourth in points, with one win, three top-five, and four top-10 finishes. He finished 14th and 13th in the two previous NKNPS East races at Columbus. Bryan Ortiz (No. 4 Rev Racing Toyota Camry)Ortiz has three top-10 finishes this season and is currently 13th in points. He returns to Columbus this weekend, where he had a sixth place qualifying effort and sixth place finish last season. Daniel Suarez (No. 6 Rev Racing Toyota Camry)Suarez heads into the weekend following a career best finish of second at Langley. He’s currently tenth in points, with one top-five and three top-10 finishes. He finished fifth in both of his previous starts at Columbus Motor Speedway. Mackena Bell (No. 21 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry)Bell currently sits ninth in points, and third in Sunoco Rookie of the Year Standings. She has two top-10 finishes in seven starts, and a career best finish of fifth at Richmond earlier this season. This will be her first time racing in the NKNPS East at Columbus. Qualifying for The NAPA 150 from Columbus Motor Speedway will begin at 6 p.m. and the green flag will drop at 8:45 p.m. ET. The race will air on SPEED on Thursday, July 25, at 3 p.m. ET. Follow @RevRacin on twitter for updates throughout the race.

Rev Racing Columbus Infographic