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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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.

ROUGH NIGHT FOR REV RACING AT IOWA

CONCORD, NC. (June 10, 2013)It was a disappointing weekend for Rev Racing at Iowa Speedway, where Ryan Gifford had hopes of a top-five finish but came home 33rd due to a flat tire late in the race. Gifford (@RyanGifford2) had the second fastest car in the final practice and qualified well. He was ready to have a strong night after his win at Richmond, a track with similarities to Iowa. Mackena Bell (@MackenaBell) was the highest qualifier for the team this weekend. Breaking a record which she had previously set, she once again became the highest qualifying female in K&N series history, with her fourth place qualifying effort. Bryan Ortiz (@BryanORacing) who qualified 19th and Daniel Suarez (@DnlSuarez) who qualified 33rd, were the highest finishers for the team, coming home 13th and 16th respectively. Ryan Gifford (No. 2 NASCAR Technical Institute/UTI Toyota Camry)Gifford’s Toyota Camry was the second fastest car during the final practice session, and he qualified just outside the top-10, starting 11th. Gifford was competitive all night, running as high as sixth when a flat tire brought him to pit road. Without enough laps left in the race to make up spots, he ended his night with a disappointing 33rd place finish. He’s currently sixth in points. Bryan Ortiz at Iowa SpeedwayBryan Ortiz (No. 4 Rev Racing Toyota Camry)Ortiz had a frustrating weekend, dealing with a poor-handling car throughout the day, and he struggled to gain positions during the race. Despite his setbacks, he still managed the highest finish of the night for the team, coming home 13th, and is currently 10th in points. Mackena Bell (No. 27 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry)Bell has continued to show improvement each weekend, and in her rookie season she’s had three top-15 and two top-10 finishes. She led the team this weekend with her fourth place qualifying effort, and ran in the top-15 all night. She finished her night 22nd after hitting the wall and bringing out a caution late in the race. She’s currently 11th in points. Daniel Suarez (No. 69 Rev Racing Toyota Camry)Suarez battled a loose car throughout much of the day, qualifying 33rd. The team attempted to make adjustments during the midway point of the race which helped Suarez maneuver his way to a 16th place finish. He’s currently 12th in points. Mackena Bell and Daniel Suarez ran different numbers in Iowa due to point standings in the NKNPS East-West combination race. Bell was in the No. 27 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry and Suarez was in the No. 69 Rev Racing Toyota Camry. The Casey’s General Store 150 is scheduled to air on SPEED on Thursday, June 13, at 3 p.m. ET. The next NASCAR K&N Pro Series East race for Rev Racing will be on Saturday, June 22, at Langley Speedway in Hampton, Va. Follow @RevRacin on twitter for updates.

REV RACING TO COMPETE IN EAST-WEST COMBINATION RACE AT IOWA

CONCORD, N.C.(June 5, 2013)Rev Racing has had a strong start to the season, and is looking to continue that trend at Iowa Speedway this Friday, June 7, for the first of two NASCAR K&N Pro Series (NKNPS) East-West combination races on the Newton, Iowa track this year. Three of the four Rev Racing drivers had top-10 finishes at Bowman Gray Stadium the last time out, and all four currently sit within the top-15 in the series points standings. This season Rev Racing has continued its tradition of developing stars, as Ryan Gifford earned his first series career win at Richmond, and Mackena Bell became the highest female qualifier in series history with her seventh place qualifying effort at Greenville. Ryan Gifford in the No. 2 NASCAR Technical Instituate UTI ToyotaRyan Gifford (No. 2 NASCAR Technical Institute/UTI Toyota Camry)Gifford, who scored his first series win at Richmond earlier this season, is currently leading the Rev Racing stable, sitting fifth in points. His best finish in the NKNPS East-West combination race was at Iowa in 2011 where he came home sixth. Gifford has an average finish of 9.0 this season. Bryan Ortiz (No. 4 Rev Racing Toyota Camry)Ortiz, who’s racing in his second season in the NKNPS east, had an impressive race the last time out at Bowman Gray Stadium. The Bayamon, Puerto Rico native earned a second place qualifying effort and held his position for much of the race, finishing seventh. He’s currently 11th in points. Mackena Bell (No. 27 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry)Bell heads to Iowa with two back to back top-10 finishes, coming home fifth at Richmond and sixth at Bowman Gray Stadium. The NKNPS East rookie of the year contender currently sits 10th in points. Earlier this season she became the highest qualifying female in series history with her seventh place qualifying effort at Greenville. Daniel Suarez (No. 69 Rev Racing Toyota Camry)Suarez heads to Iowa with two top-five and eight top-10 finishes in 21 career series starts. The Monterrey, Mexico native is racing in both the NKNPS East and NASCAR Toyota Mexico Series this season. His best finish this season was at Greenville where he came home seventh. This weekend Mackena Bell and Daniel Suarez will be running with different numbers due to point standings in the NKNPS East-West combination race. Bell will be in the No. 27 Toyota Racing Development Toyota Camry and Suarez will be in the No. 69 Rev Racing Toyota Camry. Qualifying for The Casey’s General Stores 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 SPEED on Thursday, June 13, at 3 p.m. ET. Follow @RevRacin on twitter for updates throughout the race.