Roller Coaster Weekend for Rev Racing at RIR
Concord, NC (April 28, 2014) – In a weekend comprised of Daniel Suarez’s NASCAR trifecta and NASCAR Nationwide debut, a rain delay, and a few mechanical errors, the Rev Racing team experienced the highs and lows of racing at Richmond International Raceway.
Going into Friday night, all eyes were on Rev Racing’s Daniel Suarez who was set to make his NASCAR Nationwide debut with Joe Gibbs Racing. In his first stent behind the wheel of the Silent Circle/Telcel Toyota Camry, Daniel qualified 12th for the rain delayed ToyotaCare 250. After taking the green flag, Suarez was able to crack the top-10 before a flat tire and a commitment line violation knocked him back to the 30th position. Despite the setback, Suarez was able to make up significant ground, securing the 19th position by race’s end.
The delayed ToyotaCare 250 pushed the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East competition to Saturday morning. Fresh off of his first NASCAR Nationwide race, Suarez, along with teammate Ryan Gifford, were set to lead the charge for Rev Racing. After two optimistic practices, qualifying for the Rev Racing drivers proved to be less than favorable. Mackena Bell and the No. 21 Special Smiles Toyota qualified 14th, the highest of the Rev Racing drivers. Beasley and Suarez, whom qualified 15th and 19th, were the only other Rev Racing drivers to qualify in the top-20.
After taking the green flag, the drivers spent the first few laps jockeying for position. However, 17 laps into the race Sergio Peña was unfortunately forced to pit due to a flat tire. Upon returning the track, Peña had fallen a couple laps down, a deficit he was ultimately unable to overcome. As the race continued, the 25th lap marked the commencement of a competition that was marred with a myriad of yellow flags as the race proved to be an aggressive and physical bout. By races end, damage from other drivers and mechanical issues kept all of the Rev Racing drivers out of the top-20 with the exception of Bell, who finished 15th.
At the conclusion of the NKNPSE race, Suarez immediately hopped on a plane to Mexico for the final stent of his NASCAR trifecta. Ultimately, Suarez was able to return to his hometown of Monterrey, Mexico and secure his third win in the Mexico Toyota Series and fifth NASCAR win on 2014.
As the Rev Racing teams prepare for Iowa, they will have the advantage of testing prior to the May 17 competition. Director of Competition Jefferson Hodges is confident that the additional seat time will allow Rev Racing to return to victory lane once again this season.
The Blue Ox 100 will be broadcast by FOX Sports 1 on Friday, May 2 at 4:30 p.m.
ABOUT REV RACING: Headquartered in Concord, NC, Rev Racing, owned by Max Siegel, operates the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program, which is the industry’s leading developmental program for ethnic minorities and women drivers and pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit https://revracing.net or follow us on Twitter @RevRacin.