LOUDON, N.H. (Sept. 17, 2010) – Two NASCAR Drive for Diversity drivers – Michael Cherry and Darrell Wallace Jr. – battled to hard-fought top-10 finishes in the New Hampshire 125 NASCAR K&N Series East race Friday afternoon at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, while Sergio Pena finished 16th and Ryan Gifford finished a distant  28th after blowing an engine on lap 79.

All four Revolution Racing drivers were disappointed with their finishing positions, but none more than Wallace, whose Castle Packs Power car got turned on a late restart and now finds himself 118 points behind race winner and defending series champion Ryan Truex in championship standings with only one race remaining.  Wallace still has the slimmest of opportunities next Friday at Dover International Speedway to become the first African American driver in NASCAR history to win a national touring series championship.  The 16-year-old high school senior made history in the first race of the season when he became the NASCAR K&N Series’ youngest and first African American to win a race.

Cherry, from Valrico, Fla., driving the ASM Graphics / Changing Lanes on BET car followed up his 4th-place debut in the NASCAR K&N Series East race at Gresham Motorsports Park with another impressive top-10 finish.  Cherry made the transition from Revolution Racing’s NASCAR Whelen All-American Series team last month where earlier in the season he become the first African-American driver to win a race at Tri-County Motor Speedway in Hudson, N.C.

Gifford fell to eighth in series standings while Pena slid one spot to 12th.

The NASCAR K&N Pro Series East will wrap up its season Friday at Dover International Speedway in the Sunoco 150.

The New England 125 can be seen on Speed TV Thursday at 6 p.m. (ET).  Changing Lanes, a docu-reality show chronicling Revolution Racing’s selection process of its current driving corps, airs Wednesday night at 10 p.m. (ET) on BET.

ABOUT REVOLUTION RACING

Revolution Racing fields 10 teams for the Drive for Diversity program, four in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East and six NASCAR Whelen All-American Series teams.  In addition, Revolution Racing fields youth-racing programs in Bandolero and Legend cars.

Among the historic accomplishments of Revolution Racing drivers in 2010 include:

  • March 27, 2010 Revolution Racing driver Darrell Wallace, Jr. became the youngest and first African-American driver to win in NASCAR K&N Pro Series history;
  • On June 5, 2010 Revolution Racing driver Ryan Gifford became the first African-American driver in NASCAR K&N Pro Series history to qualify on the pole;
  • On June 11, 2010 Revolution Racing driver Michael Cherry became the first African-American to win at Tri-County Speedway (Hudson, N.C.);
  • On July 2, 2010 Revolution Racing driver Megan Reitenour became the first female driver to win at Tri-County Speedway (Hudson, N.C.).

ABOUT DRIVE FOR DIVERSITY

Drive for Diversity is the industry’s leading development program for minority and female drivers and crew members.  The Drive for Diversity program currently supports drivers in two of NASCAR’s development series – the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.  Drive for Diversity also supports crew member candidate through a year-long pit crew training program.  Crew members have gone on to compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, the NASCAR Nationwide Series and the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

Diversity is NASCAR’s top corporate initiative.  The Drive for Diversity program has been successful in creating meaningful opportunities for minority and female competitors.  The program helps to further diversity NASCAR’s participant and audience base.  The program has seen continuous growth since its inception in 2004.

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