Four Drivers Selected for NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program After National Combine in North Carolina

Posted on May 1, 2019 by matchbook

Four Drivers Selected for NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program After National Combine in North Carolina

Drivers Ages 12 to 16 to Train with Rev Racing for Summer 2019

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (May 1, 2019) – Four talented youth drivers have been selected to hone their racing skills as participants in the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program after a national talent search in March.

NASCAR and Rev Racing hosted a youth driver combine at GoPro Motorplex in Mooresville, N.C., where drivers ages 12 to 16 were evaluated during practice sessions and heat races.

Four drivers were selected to the 2019 class, including Rajah Caruth, 16, an iRacing competitor from Washington D.C., with aspirations of a traditional racing career. Among the new participants are Lacy Kuehl, 12, of Sarasota, Fla., who has experience racing dirt oval flat karts, and Blake Lothian, 16, a World Formula Kart driver from Wellesley, Mass.

Fourteen-year-old U.S. Legends car driver Isabella Robusto of Fort Mill, S.C., returns to Rev Racing having trained with the youth driver development program in 2017 and 2018.

“We were very impressed with what we saw from these drivers at the combine in March,” said Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR director, racing operations and event management. “Each driver demonstrated strong potential and we believe will be successful in racing. The four selected stood out based on their abilities both on and off the track, have great experience and left quite the positive impression on our evaluators.”

NASCAR Drive for Diversity and Rev Racing seek the highest quality candidates from diverse backgrounds and develop them into successful NASCAR drivers. During the summer, the youth program provides selected drivers with equipment, mentoring and competition experience.

Rev Racing, the competition arm of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Youth Driver Development Program, will put the four drivers in INEX Legend Cars in 2019. Each driver will compete in the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout at Charlotte Motor Speedway in June and July, and several other events throughout the summer.

“We have really taken an in-depth look at how we develop and train our drivers at the youth level,” said Max Siegel, CEO of Rev Racing. “We’ve seen the program grow over the last 10 years and make a substantial impact in NASCAR. The level of talent and enthusiasm we are already seeing in these young individuals is both promising and exciting. Connecting with drivers as early as possible allows us to have a greater impact on driver development on and off the race track. Our goal is to see these drivers move through the pipeline and into the national series.”

The youth development program serves as a stepping stone for drivers to eventually move to NASCAR Whelen All-American Series and NASCAR K&N Pro Series race cars with the goal of one day competing for a NASCAR national series team.

The NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program, a separate program that will host its combine later this year, introduces talent to Late Model Stock cars and offers opportunities for drivers to compete in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and Whelen All-American Series with the Rev Racing team.

Graduates of the youth development program include NASCAR K&N Pro Series West driver Hailie Deegan, 17, and Rev Racing Late Model driver Nicholas Sanchez, 17. In 2018, Deegan became the first female driver to win a K&N Pro Series race after taking the checkered flag at Meridian Speedway in Idaho. Deegan won her second K&N Pro Series race in 2019, finishing first at Las Vegas Motor Speedway Dirt Track.

Sanchez raced in last year’s Bojangles Summer Shootout with Rev Racing’s Legends Car program and recently completed his rookie season in the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

The 2019 class features the following drivers:

Rajah Caruth: In 2018, Caruth raced the Legends ’34 Coupe in the inaugural season of the eNASCAR Ignite Series, NASCAR and iRacing’s youth series created specifically to identify and attract young and diverse talent. He made 18 starts in the eight-week regular season, where he finished second seven times, made the playoffs and advanced to the championship round. Caruth has raced in more than 230 races on iRacing thus far in 2019 with 21 wins and more than1,600 laps led.

Lacy Kuehl: Kuehl has raced in a dirt oval flat kart 32 times with one first-place finish. Notable accomplishments include winning at the Inverness Grand Prix and racing for Diabetic Ketoacidosis survivors. Kuehl would eventually like to earn an invitation to the Maxxis Nationals.

Blake Lothian: Lothian raced nine of 10 races in a World Formula Kart in the 2018 New Hampshire Karting Association (NHKA) Outdoor Series in New Hampshire. His highest finish was third place and he finished the season seventh out of more than 20 drivers. In 2017, he was the NHKA Briggs and Stratton LO206 Senior Champion with seven first-place finishes and three second-place finishes.

Isabella Robusto: A current youth development driver, Robusto competed in the 2018 Bojangles Summer Shootout 10-race series where she finished sixth in the overall points standings. She won Battle at the Big Top at Texas Motor Speedway, a U.S. Legends National Qualifier.

About NASCAR

The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’).

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 pit crew members. For more information about Rev Racing visit http://revracing.net or follow on Twitter @RevRacin.

Chase Cabre Hoping To Carry Speed into Bristol

Posted on February 22, 2019 by matchbook

Nknps East Chase Cabre Feature 022019 625x340

BY DAVEY SEGAL NASCAR.COM FEBRUARY 20, 2019

For part of the New Smyrna 175 at New Smyrna Speedway, it appeared Chase Cabre was on his way to earning his first K&N Pro Series victory.

After starting sixth and leading 13 laps in his No. 4 Toyota, a problem with the rear end started creating smoke from the car, ultimately forcing him to retire from the event after 77 of the 175 laps.“The rear end seal, I don’t know how or what, but it failed,” Cabre said. “It had a tear in it. It’s at Buzzy’s shop, which is the guy who builds the rear ends. They’re figuring out why or how but all we know is that a rear end seal failed.”

Despite ending up the first race with a 17th-place finish, the Tampa, Florida native was encouraged by the speed found in the Rev Racing camp, specifically at a race track he hasn’t performed well at historically.

“To come out of the box and have speed, it was definitely nice to have,” he said. “I haven’t really had a lot of speed at New Smyrna in the past. I said at the beginning of the year, this has to be the breakout season. We started out with a ton of speed, we’re behind in points right now, but I think we can knock some wins out of the park and we’ll climb up the ladder pretty quick.”

For Cabre, winning has been easier said than done. In 29 career K&N Pro Series East starts, he’s yet to earn a checkered flag. He has seven top fives and 15 top 10s to his credit, including a career-best finish of second at Memphis in 2017. He was also leading coming into the final turn at South Boston last season.

Racing-Reference: Chase Cabre Career Statistics

“I have no idea what that holds for the future. I have no clue,” Cabre said. Especially with everything that’s happening next season with the ARCA merger with K&N. I think this year has got to be the year that I go out, lay it all on the line and try to bring home wins and a championship and people will learn who Chase Cabre is. With that merge happening, we have no idea what the future holds for the K&N Series, for Rev and what their plans are versus what my plans are. We’ll just have to play it by ear and give them something to talk about when they go through the decision making process.”

He’s been close before to entering Victory Lane, and is hoping some change atop the pit box and in the shop will assist in getting over that proverbial hump.

“We had a new addition to our team which was Doug Howe,” Cabre said. “Being my crew chief for the remainder of the season, he’s definitely somebody I can really rely on. He’s done a lot of work in the past. A new car chief and new mechanic, it’s a fresh start. Taking nothing away from my old team, I love them to death, but sometimes you need a little bit of change to give things a fresh feel. Hopefully this is the change we need, we gel and mesh. It seemed to work out at New Smyrna and we just need to capitalize on the finishes and go take some wins from them.”

The next place he’ll look to do that at is Bristol Motor Speedway, a place that hasn’t been too kind fo Cabre. In two starts, he has an average finish of 22.5, failing to finish last year’s event (electrical).

“That place hasn’t been good to me, but neither had New Smyrna,” he said. “I’m going there with the same car my brother (Collin) had a couple years ago. He took the lead from Harrison (Burton) but had a tire going down. So it definitely shows we’ll have speed there, show the same speed we had at New Smyrna.”

Cabre is also planning on seeking out his Rev Racing teammate, Ruben Garcia Jr., for some advice in the month leading up to the second race of the season.

“Ruben has run pretty strong there in the past and my brother was really good there,” he said. “Being able to talk to them, but also my old crew chief Mark Green has now transitioned into our dover coach and he’s put in a myriad of laps on racetracks you couldn’t even imagine. To have Mark be able to oversee everything, step out of the crew chief role, have him as a driver coach and watch every single lap–he can say ‘I see you doing this, I see you doing this here,’ or ‘that there, try this, try that.’ Having that second set of eyes to watch you throughout practice and kind of coach you up, I feel like that’ll help in the long haul.”

The Zombie Auto 150 will go green from the World’s Fastest Half Mile on Saturday, April 6. Todd Gilliland is the defending winner of the event.

Posted on February 14, 2019February 14, 2019 by matchbook

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 14, 2019) – NASCAR Drive for Diversity pit crew members Brehanna Daniels and Breanna O’Leary will make their DAYTONA 500® debut together as tire-changers on Cody Ware’s No. 52 Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 during Sunday’s race at Daytona International Speedway (2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio). In doing so, Daniels and O’Leary will become the first female graduates of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program to go over the wall in the Great American Race®. The tire-changers will be joined by tire-carriers Brandon Banks and Phil Thomas – also NASCAR Drive for Diversity pit crew alums – on the No. 52 Rick Ware Racing team for Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™ race. “The DAYTONA 500 is such a huge stage and getting to share the experience with Brehanna will make it that much sweeter,” said O’Leary, who made her debut in NASCAR’s top series at Michigan International Speedway in 2018. “We came in together, trained together and got better together – and now February 17 will be another milestone we get to share together.” Daniels and O’Leary will return to the same iconic race track where they first pitted together for Rick Ware Racing in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series’ Coke Zero Sugar 400 last July. “I’m really looking forward to pitting in the DAYTONA 500 and having my teammate alongside me,” said Daniels. “It’s incredible how far we’ve come in such a short time and I couldn’t be more excited to be back at Daytona International Speedway.” In 2016, Daniels and O’Leary were recruited to the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program by Phil Horton, longtime pit crew coach for Rev Racing. O’Leary had been an outfielder on the Alcorn State University softball team and Daniels played Division I basketball at Norfolk State University. The professional tire-changers now share an apartment in Concord, N.C., and have gone over the wall in more than 60 combined race events across NASCAR’s national series and the ARCA Menards Series. None, however, is more prestigious than Sunday’s DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway. “In NASCAR racing, the stage doesn’t get any bigger than this – it’s the DAYTONA 500,” said Jusan Hamilton, NASCAR director, racing operations and event management. “Brehanna, Breanna and their NASCAR Drive for Diversity teammates have trained diligently for this moment and have earned the opportunity to compete at this level. We’re excited to watch them perform on Sunday.” “We are proud to have these remarkable women on our team and we look forward to having them join us more throughout the 2019 season,” said Rick Ware, owner of Rick Ware Racing. “Last July, Rick Ware Racing was the perfect fit for Brehanna and Breanna as the first female NASCAR Drive for Diversity tire-changers to pit on the same team at the Cup level. We have always stressed our family philosophy at RWR, so we welcomed them into our family and they performed very well.” Daniels, O’Leary, Banks and Thomas are among more than 50 graduates of the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Pit Crew Development Program currently working in the NASCAR industry. In 2019, 28 alums will begin the season pitting on Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series teams. Last February, Derrell Edwards became the first NASCAR Drive for Diversity pit crew member to be part of a DAYTONA 500-winning team when driver Austin Dillon raced to Victory Lane at Daytona International Speedway. The 61st running of the DAYTONA 500 will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 17 at 2:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90, with additional coverage on NASCAR.com. About NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, Inc. (NASCAR) is the sanctioning body for the No. 1 form of motorsports in the United States. NASCAR consists of three national series (Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series™, NASCAR Xfinity Series™, and NASCAR Gander Outdoors Truck Series™), three regional series, one local grassroots series, three international series and the Automobile Racing Club of America (ARCA). The International Motor Sports Association™ (IMSA®) governs the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship™, the premier U.S. sports car series. Based in Daytona Beach, Fla., with offices in eight cities across North America, NASCAR sanctions more than 1,200 races in more than 30 U.S. states, Canada, Mexico and Europe. For more information visit www.NASCAR.com and www.IMSA.com, and follow NASCAR on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat (‘NASCAR’). 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.

Rev Racing Heads to New Smyrna Speedway for Season Opener

Posted on February 14, 2019February 14, 2019 by matchbook

Nascar K&n Pro Series East Thompson Speedway Motorsports Park King Cadillac Gmc Throwback 100

Concord, NC (Feb. 8, 2019) – This Sunday, Rev Racing drivers will return to New Smyrna Speedway (NSS) for the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (NKNPSE) season opener.

Rev Racing’s team of drivers were selected to the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development Program after a competitive combine held last October at New Smyrna Speedway. Drivers will compete for Rev Racing in the NKNPSE and NASCAR Whelen All-American Series for a full season. The 2019 K&N East driver class is led by two returning drivers, Chase Cabre and Rubén García Jr.. Late model drivers include, Nicholas Sanchez, Brooke Storer, Ernie Francis Jr. and Gracie Trotter. Francis will run a select number of K&N East races throughout the season.

Rubén García Jr. (No. 6 NTI/MSI Toyota): Returning for his fourth season with Rev Racing, Rubén García Jr. brings his talents back to the NKNPSE. During his 2018 season, García balanced racing in the NKNPSE and running full time in the NASCAR Peak Mexico Series, where he won his second championship title. In this past NKNPSE season, García finished third in point standings, capturing his first two victories in the the United States, at Memphis International Raceway and Dover International Speedway. He and his team have their eye on the NKNEPS Championship.

“This year, we are going to have to make it happen,” said Rubén García Jr.. “To win a championship, we must start the year right from the very beginning. We are going to NSS with a winning mindset.”

Chase Cabre (No. 4 Honda Generators/Braille Battery Toyota): 22-year-old, Chase Cabre, will join the Rev Racing roster for the third year. Cabre started racing at the age of four in motocross and has found success on the track ever since. Most recently in the off-season, Cabre finished fourth place in the 2018 Tulsa Shootout in the Stock Non-Wing Division. Cabre earned eight top-10s and three top-5s in his 2018 NKNPSE season. Cabre, also has a winning mindset as the green flag drops on the NKNPSE season.

“A championship at the end of the season starts and ends with good finishes,” said Cabre. “We are looking to walk out on top in round one.”

Under Rev Racing owner Max Siegel’s leadership, the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Driver Development class aligns drivers with a team of executives, athletic directors, crew chiefs and mentors tasked with helping drivers achieve career successes. “We are excited to get the season started at New Smyrna Speedway,” said Siegel. “This year’s class brings both experienced and rookie drivers. Our ultimate goal with every class and experience level is to prepare them for success at the K&N level and eventually the national series. Every year presents new opportunities for growth and we look forward to finding what we are capable of this season. We have never been more positioned for another championship.”

From the Drive for Diversity Program’s start, Rev Racing has had 19 wins, 88 top-5, and 186 top-10 finishes in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, with drivers finishing in the top-10 in points in every season.

Rev Racing will get back to the track on Sunday, February 10, 2019 at New Smyrna Speedway. Group qualifying will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the autograph session at 6:30 p.m. and the New Smyrna “175” at 7:40 p.m. EST.

Another Historic Weekend for Revolution Racing

Posted on June 7, 2010 by matchbook

It was another historic weekend for Revolution Racing in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East, with Ryan Gifford earning his first career Coors Light Pole Award for the UNOH Performance 200 at Martinsville Speedway. Gifford went on to lead 99 laps of the race before a battery failure dropped him to the tail-end of the field on a restart. He rebounded to a 12th-place finish in the rain shortened event. It is the first East series pole for Revolution Racing and the fifth pole for the team in its five months of operation. It is also the most laps lead by a Revolution Racing driver this season. Gifford is the first African American pole winner in NASCAR K&N Pro Series East history. “I really wasn’t expecting the pole, I was expecting a top five, but to come out here and get it done on the second lap when everyone else was running their fast-time on their first lap is awesome,” said Gifford, driver of the No. 2 Revolution Racing Chevrolet. “It says what kind of cars we have over there at Revolution. I wish I could say somebody’s name and thank them for coming on board, but we really don’t have a big name on the side of the car this week so hopefully that will come about for the next few races.” Darrell Wallace, Jr., who became the youngest driver and first African American to win a NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race earlier this season, scored his second consecutive third-place finish in the No. 6 Revolution Racing Chevrolet, leading 15 laps along the way. Wallace is currently second in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings, just 8 points behind leader Ryan Truex. “It was a great points day for us, it moved us up to second which is awesome but I hate we had to start at the back,” said Wallace, who qualified fifth but started at the rear of the 32 car field due to an unapproved adjustment. “It was a fun race, I had to use a lot of patience and work my way through the field to the third-place finish.” Sergio Pena, driver of the No. 4 Revolution Racing Chevrolet, qualified third for the UNOH Performance 200 and ran in the top 10 for most of the day. Pena was forced to pit for damage to the left front fender after an accident late in the race and slipped to 14th before rain moved into the area, shortening the race to 175 laps. Pena is 14th in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East standings. Mackena Bell’s string of bad luck continued this weekend, with motor problems plaguing the No. 8 Revolution Racing Chevrolet all weekend. Bell also suffered a flat tire and had to pit under green, putting her three laps down to the leaders spoiling what could have been a top-10 run for the No. 8 car. She finished 18th in the race after qualifying 23rd, but continues to show improvement every week. “I was really impressed with Mackena this weekend,” said Jerry Babb, crew chief for the No. 8. “She fought two issues that were out of her control between the engine trouble and the flat tire, but used it as motivation to keep digging instead of letting it get her rattled. We see improvement with her every week. Race four was better than race three and race three was better than race two. Her stamina and physical fitness level is right where they need to be, and now she has some experience in these East cars. We’re confident that race five will be even better than race four.” The UNOH Performance 200 from Martinsville Speedway will air Thursday, June 10 at 6 p.m. ET on SPEED. The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East returns to action Friday, June 25 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. For more information about Revolution Racing, or for sponsorship opportunities with the team, please visit www.revolutionracing.net.

Revolution Late Models Strong at Tri-County, Hickory

Posted on May 10, 2010 by matchbook

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.

Rain Leads to Sunday Race for Cherry, Reitenour

Posted on April 25, 2010 by matchbook

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.

Cherry Second Again at Tri-County

Posted on April 23, 2010 by matchbook

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

Posted on April 21, 2010 by matchbook

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.

Cherry Seventh in Hickory Debut

Posted on April 19, 2010 by matchbook

Michael Cherry made his debut at Hickory (N.C.) Motor Speedway Saturday night, scoring a seventh-place finish for the No. 6 MBC Group Late Model. Cherry’s Revolution Racing teammates Becca Kasten and Megan Reitenour were also on hand, finishing 12th and 13th respectively. “We had a timing and scoring issue during our qualifying run that really hurt us tonight,” said Cherry. “We had a better car than where we finished and it’s a shame we couldn’t use that second qualifying lap to give us a better starting spot.” Cherry’s second qualifying lap was not timed due to a technical mishap with the scoring system. He was able to make-up the lap after all other competitors had qualified, but wasn’t able to better his time on cold tires. He qualified ninth. Cherry moved into eighth after the green-flag, and found himself running in seventh by lap 20 of the 50 lap feature. With 15 to go, Cherry was pressuring the sixth-place car for position. The two cars ran door-to-door for the final 10 laps, with Cherry pulling ahead by a nose several times. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to complete the pass and crossed the line seventh. “Many thanks to (Crew Chief) Robert Huffman for coming over from the East car this weekend to help us out,” said Cherry. “He’s a champion at this track, and I can’t think of anyone better to have calling the shots for me here. I think we were able to put on a pretty good show for the fans tonight, and we’ll come back and get ‘em next week.” Kasten, driving the No. 5 Late Model, started 11th and finished 12th after pitting under yellow on lap 29 to fix handling issues on her car. Reitenour also battled handling troubles all night with the No. 1 Late Model, qualifying and finishing 13th. “Everyone at Revolution Racing continues to work hard on our late model program,” said Blair Addis, Revolution Racing’s Director of Competition, Late Models. “We’ve learned a lot over the past few weeks that is only going to make us stronger moving forward. We had some bad luck to start the season, which we seem to have gotten out of the way, and we’re encouraged with the progress that all of our development drivers have made so far.” Cherry, Kasten and Reitenour will race again Friday, April 23 at Tri-County Motor Speedway (Hudson, N.C.) before returning to Hickory on Saturday, April 24.